West Midlands businesses have been urged to grasp the opportunities London 2012 provides and to use the games to break into the prosperous South East market.

The call came from West Midlands Business Council (WMBC), which is trying to persuade firms to use the Games as a springboard into the UK’s wealthiest region. It comes as the council mounts a fresh push to put companies on the trail of Olympic work and WMBC began a series of workshops across the region.

An event in Redditch last week will be followed by workshops in Evesham, Birmingham, Kidderminster and Stafford throughout February and March.

WMBC executive director James Watkins stressed that London 2012 was “the biggest single procurement opportunity since the end of World War II” representing approximately £30 billion of direct and indirect work.

He acknowledged the West Midlands was beginning to get the message with more than 30 companies already picking up Olympic-related business.

“If you win a contract and do a good job then you have a real chance of establishing a track record. It could put your company on the world stage,” he added.