Speakers and seminars
Please note that the conference and workshop programmes listed below are still in draft format and subject to change prior to the show.
Conference programme
- 10.30 M J Allen – Selling your innovation to an International company – An example of an SME working with an international company to bring an idea to market.
- 11.15 Simon Nicholson, Barclays Bank – Advice on how to go about borrowing money from the banks if you are part of a small to medium enterprise - with an emphasis on the fact that the banks are still in the business of lending cash.
- 12.00 Gordon Marsden MP – shadow minster for further education, skills and regional growth – Talk by a Labour MP who is part of the Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee, who is particularly concerned with regional regeneration and improving the skills of Britain’s workforce.
- 12.45 Olga D’Silva, Institute of Directors Kent. Chair, International Business Forum. Olga will discuss the benefits of trading internationally and how the Forum, sponsored by HSBC and led by expert speakers, encourages businesses to succeed internationally in an open and supportive environment. Olga will also show how foreign language and cultural communication should not be a barrier to international business success.
- 13.30 Steve Samson, Kent County Council and its partners will be launching the county-wide Kent International Business Initiative which will help Kent businesses realise their potential in accessing new overseas markets.
- 14.15 Simon Burgess – An examination of public sector contracting and the way companies can gain from the opportunities which are currently out there.
- 15.00 Peter Hobbs, Channel Chamber – The local chamber of commerce which represents Dover and other east Kent towns examines the best way for businesses to work together.
- 15.45 Charles Buchanan, Manston Airport – A look at the opportunities for business through aviation in one of 6the growing UK airports.
Workshop programme
- 10.00 Steve Samson – European policy and projects officer KCC - The 2 Seas Trade Project - Helping business trade in the nearby European Markets and vice versa.
- 10.45 Duncan Murray of Directline Structures looks at the sustainable way to save money when it comes to new buildings.
- 11.15 Wayne Wright of WSQ Solutions examines how businesses can grow despite the current tough economic climate and its accompanying uncertain outlook.
- 11.45 Reg Collins of Training Solutions – discussing the value of young people in the workplace.
- 12.15 Julie Monkman of Produced in Kent demonstrates the importance of locally produced food and drink in the Garden of England.
- 13.00 Peter Smith representing the Channel Chamber looks into the subject of sustainable energy and the options currently open.
- 13.30 Martin Tanner of ADM Computing examines the opportunities offered by IT systems.
- 14.00 Philip Beven of Innovation and Growth examines the best way forward for businesses.
- 14.30 Ben Edwards from Pagesuite talks about publishing’s growing Tablet and Smartphone App market. Pagesuite teams design, develop and launch unique apps across iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices.
- 15.00 Mark Knowlton of MAS South East - Lean Awareness and Performance Benchmarking - Aimed at business who are seeking to improve quality , increase productivity or benchmark their business against others in their industry sector. This session provides a brief introduction to Lean principles and access to a unique online business benchmarking tool that compares their performance across a 8 lean competencies.
- 15.30 David Hall from Business Flow examines the competitive advantage offered by ISO accreditation, which regulates best practice in business.
Speed networking timetable
- 10.30am - 45 minutes duration
- 11.30am - 45 minutes duration
- 1.00pm - 45 minutes duration
- 2.00pm - 45 minutes duration
- 3.00pm - 45 minutes duration
