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Leader
Si Ellis, Ellis James Creative

Si started EllisJames in 2002, and continues his mission to deliver Design Thinking and Doing as a daily business essential. The creative process is relevant to all and incredibly powerful for everyone throughout an organisation to improve clarity of vision, engagement, differentiation and brand strength.

Si is committed to developing close links with schools to improve the quality of design education and understanding as a problem-solving mindset and a creative discipline, driving innovation and entrepreneurship in young, inspired minds.

Where would Business be without the creative arts?  Culture, design, brand, mental health and the very environment in which we live and work.

Innovation depends creative thinking,  designing processes, building brand, improving productivity all require creativity to move things forward.

Can we teach creativity?  How do the creative arts impact businesses and how can business ensure that a culture of creativity is embedded to allow innovation and fresh thinking?

The place we locate our business and base our staff is a further extension of how the arts impact business.  Culture, performing and fine arts build a balanced lifestyle so important to mental health.

So how does the jigsaw work?  We bring together a panel of business and arts professionals to explore a fundamental and often misunderstood relationship.

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Details to follow

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“Reimagining our High Streets – How can we think differently about the social, economic and community challenges?”

A facilitated discussion will follow the Question Storming event. We will tackle the most revealing questions and expand the dialogue toward potential solutions.

With complex issues, enduring solutions will require more time, conversation, analysis and work. However we can get some immediate insights, ideas, & innovative solutions that had never come to mind before.

There are no definitive answers about “how” to accomplish effective placemaking; every place is unique. Yet the questions developed from the earlier Question Storming will create new thinking about the drivers and priorities for next steps. Our panel picks up the discussion from the difficult questions and looks for conclusions and recommendations to better create the places we will call home for decades to come.

Chair: Sandra Baer, CEO, Personal Cities

Sandra is the President of Personal Cities, a smart city company dedicated to “imagining the city as it will be.” She works to enrol every stakeholder toward a shared sense of now—toward safe, prosperous, happy communities.

She is a champion of creative collaboration between the public and private sector and has worked with city leaders, worldwide for over 20 years. Through stakeholder engagement, social inclusion and the acceleration of innovative technologies, Sandra inspires coordinated action to make cities smarter.

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Leader
Richard Holling, Commercial Finance Advisor, Dales Finance

An experienced business executive with 30 years of business and financial services experience. Richard has worked as a consultant, sales executive and manager for several major international companies.

In 2018 he changed focus and started to work with start-ups and SMEs. In 2019 he formed Berkshire Dales, which offers SMEs advice on getting the right business finance, and other consulting services.

2020 was a tough year for everyone.  Third sector businesses and social enterprises are no exception with unprecedented financial pressure across the economy, high level of redundancy, reduced staffing and wide general uncertainty about how the next 12 and 24 months will workout.

Where has that left The Third Sector, and social enterprises?  In a society where so many services are provided by them, how does the next 12 and 24 month business landscape look for them?

We bring together financial experts who specialise in Third sector with Charities and Social Enterprises for a discussion about what the future looks like as we come out of a pandemic and address the most challenging economic conditions we’ve ever known.

A video conference discussion broadcast to LIVEstream

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Great business ideas sometimes do just happen, but what happens when they don’t? How do you move your business on?

When they do just happen, then how do you take control, move them from a bright idea, to a plan and a funded prototype? How do you iron out the problems, get the funding needed to think about production and finally bring it to market?

Innovating new business ideas involves culture, process, creativity, planning, funding and many more business disciplines. It needs time, resources, and investment.

We take a look at how innovation works through the eyes of some start up businesses, product designers, funders and investors.

Chair: Tom Beasley – CEO, Active Gloucestershire

Tom is an experience multi-disciplinary senior manager with extensive experience at strategic and operation level. Broad specialisms include marketing (online and e-marketing), governance, estates and property, coaching and mentoring, succession planning and innovation. Recent experience of working in the public, private and third sector.

Click image to enlarge

Leader
Si Ellis, Ellis James Creative

Si started EllisJames in 2002, and continues his mission to deliver Design Thinking and Doing as a daily business essential. The creative process is relevant to all and incredibly powerful for everyone throughout an organisation to improve clarity of vision, engagement, differentiation and brand strength.

Si is committed to developing close links with schools to improve the quality of design education and understanding as a problem-solving mindset and a creative discipline, driving innovation and entrepreneurship in young, inspired minds.

Where would Business be without the creative arts?  Culture, design, brand, mental health and the very environment in which we live and work.

Innovation depends creative thinking,  designing processes, building brand, improving productivity all require creativity to move things forward.

Can we teach creativity?  How do the creative arts impact businesses and how can business ensure that a culture of creativity is embedded to allow innovation and fresh thinking?

The place we locate our business and base our staff is a further extension of how the arts impact business.  Culture, performing and fine arts build a balanced lifestyle so important to mental health.

So how does the jigsaw work?  We bring together a panel of business and arts professionals to explore a fundamental and often misunderstood relationship.

Click image to enlarge

Details to follow

Click image to enlarge

“Reimagining our High Streets – How can we think differently about the social, economic and community challenges?”

A facilitated discussion will follow the Question Storming event. We will tackle the most revealing questions and expand the dialogue toward potential solutions.

With complex issues, enduring solutions will require more time, conversation, analysis and work. However we can get some immediate insights, ideas, & innovative solutions that had never come to mind before.

There are no definitive answers about “how” to accomplish effective placemaking; every place is unique. Yet the questions developed from the earlier Question Storming will create new thinking about the drivers and priorities for next steps. Our panel picks up the discussion from the difficult questions and looks for conclusions and recommendations to better create the places we will call home for decades to come.

Chair: Sandra Baer, CEO, Personal Cities

Sandra is the President of Personal Cities, a smart city company dedicated to “imagining the city as it will be.” She works to enrol every stakeholder toward a shared sense of now—toward safe, prosperous, happy communities.

She is a champion of creative collaboration between the public and private sector and has worked with city leaders, worldwide for over 20 years. Through stakeholder engagement, social inclusion and the acceleration of innovative technologies, Sandra inspires coordinated action to make cities smarter.

Click image to enlarge

Leader
Richard Holling, Commercial Finance Advisor, Dales Finance

An experienced business executive with 30 years of business and financial services experience. Richard has worked as a consultant, sales executive and manager for several major international companies.

In 2018 he changed focus and started to work with start-ups and SMEs. In 2019 he formed Berkshire Dales, which offers SMEs advice on getting the right business finance, and other consulting services.

2020 was a tough year for everyone.  Third sector businesses and social enterprises are no exception with unprecedented financial pressure across the economy, high level of redundancy, reduced staffing and wide general uncertainty about how the next 12 and 24 months will workout.

Where has that left The Third Sector, and social enterprises?  In a society where so many services are provided by them, how does the next 12 and 24 month business landscape look for them?

We bring together financial experts who specialise in Third sector with Charities and Social Enterprises for a discussion about what the future looks like as we come out of a pandemic and address the most challenging economic conditions we’ve ever known.

A video conference discussion broadcast to LIVEstream

Click image to enlarge

Great business ideas sometimes do just happen, but what happens when they don’t? How do you move your business on?

When they do just happen, then how do you take control, move them from a bright idea, to a plan and a funded prototype? How do you iron out the problems, get the funding needed to think about production and finally bring it to market?

Innovating new business ideas involves culture, process, creativity, planning, funding and many more business disciplines. It needs time, resources, and investment.

We take a look at how innovation works through the eyes of some start up businesses, product designers, funders and investors.

Chair: Tom Beasley – CEO, Active Gloucestershire

Tom is an experience multi-disciplinary senior manager with extensive experience at strategic and operation level. Broad specialisms include marketing (online and e-marketing), governance, estates and property, coaching and mentoring, succession planning and innovation. Recent experience of working in the public, private and third sector.

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Lisa Sweeting, Green Sense Events

Lisa specialises in real, tangible, environmentally and socially conscious event solutions. With a career spanning over 15 years within the events industry Lisa has managed events from 70 to 7000 for private, corporate, and charitable organisations both live in person and virtual events. She now runs her own Event Management and Consultancy Green Sense Events to support businesses and event organisers plan their sustainable events.

In November last year our UK Government unveiled its 10-point green recovery plan. Which includes funding for renewables, electric vehicles and hydrogen, and with the UN Climate Change conference happening towards the end of this year. 2021 feels like the year for Action. Its no secret that we are facing a climate crisis. But what does this mean for the Events Industry. As an Industry that is essential for business, for bringing people together and making connections, what can we do to support the fight against climate change and reduce our impact on the environment.

In this discussion Lisa Sweeting of Green Sense Events talks with a variety of businesses; venues, organisers and suppliers within the industry to see how people are adapting to protect the environment and be more sustainable.

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In 2021, post Brexit & post Covid, we face significant challenges around Business recovery & survival.

The Pandemic has taught us a lot about trading over digital and internet platforms. It’s opened our thinking and planning to wider horizons and the opportunities that open up as a result are immense.

Roger Mackrill of Sabre UK Ltd and Ken Sturgess of Transatlantic Partners in the USA have partnered to grow trading form SME Businesses from the breadth of the USA through to India and China in the East.

Ken and Roger join forces at #BI21.2 to host a discussion for manufacturers thinking about growing export business, especially in the US. We invite manufacturers to join the conversation for a better understanding of what is involved in Export to the USA and other parts of the world.

Chairs: Roger Mackrill, Sabre UK Ltd & Ken Sturgess, Transatlantic Trade Partners

Roger Mackrill, Sabre UK Ltd

Following an extensive career in automotive, aerospace, nuclear power engineering and senior management in US, UK, Europe, India and China, Roger is the director and founder of Sabre UK Ltd. Founded in 2007.

With abundant experience as Quality Director, Managing Director in a wide range of global corporations, including GM, Rolls Royce, SKF, ISMT India, Kalyani Group India and Changan Group China, Roger is an experienced professional guiding clients through strategic direction and planning to enter and establish presence in Asian markets.

Ken Sturgess, Transatlantic Trade Partner

Ken is a senior international business development executive with proven track record of launching technical product lines and developing new markets and territories for international and domestic clients.

He is. Involved in all phases of business plan development, pre-launch, full launch and build, operate, transfer (BOT) scenarios for businesses joining markets in the USA.

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“Reimagining our High Streets – How can we think differently about the social, economic and community challenges?”

UK High Streets really matter. The heart of a community. They bring goods and services to the local community, keep spending localised in a circular economy, provide employment and social spaces and allow communities to have focus.

They manage environmental impact of travel and mental health caused by isolation. Providing employment and a home for viable small businesses, they keep communities thriving and self-supporting.

So what’s going wrong? Traditional thinking is in trouble.

Question Storming allows participants only to ask questions. Held under Chatham House rules, the most challenging questions will be taken forward to Solution Storming later in the day.

There are one or two publicly available seats. To apply, please register and if we can, we will be in touch to include you.

Chair: Sandra Baer, CEO, Personal Cities

Sandra is the President of Personal Cities, a smart city company dedicated to “imagining the city as it will be.” She works to enrol every stakeholder toward a shared sense of now—toward safe, prosperous, happy communities.

She is a champion of creative collaboration between the public and private sector and has worked with city leaders, worldwide for over 20 years. Through stakeholder engagement, social inclusion and the acceleration of innovative technologies, Sandra inspires coordinated action to make cities smarter.

Click image to enlarge

Steve Gardner-Collins, Director Visit Gloucestershire

Steve is an experienced and highly motivated tourism & hospitality Sales Director with the drive, passion and enthusiasm to inspire and lead others.

He enjoys leading a sales culture throughout business and is a marketer with experience across design, digital and social platforms in multifaceted environments in local, domestic and international markets.

Letting the past guide your way for the future…

COVID has changed the way we do business, can we take it day by day, week by week, month by month?

Do we need a longer-term plan? How flexible do we need to be?

Should businesses be more financially secure without the need for government grants and job retention schemes?

Are you set up to respond to rapid change and business disruptions?

In times of long closure are you safeguarding your people and assets?

Join us for this critical discussion, lots of vital questions to answer, critical thinking & logical planning could make or break your organisation.

Steve describes himself as an Organiser, a team player and a champion for well-being, diversity and inclusivity.

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Following our International Trade Forum discussion, we bring together a number of international specialists to take questions around building business development though trading internationally.

Brexit has created both opportunity and vulnerabilities, the current pandemic has exponentially increased the use of online communications that have made it so much easier to reach out internationally and build new business relationships.

Culture, language and the simple interpretation or brand, graphics and body language are all areas of discussion and our panel will be looking to understand business concerns and uncertainties around how to build new international business.

You can submit questions via the event registration process, or on our dedicated email address: BI21.2@business-shows.co.uk

Chair: Roger Mackrill, Director, Sabre UK Ltd

Following an extensive career in automotive, aerospace, nuclear power engineering and senior management in US, UK, Europe, India and China, Roger is the director and founder of Sabre UK Ltd. Founded in 2007.

With abundant experience as Quality Director, Managing Director in a wide range of global corporations, including GM, Rolls Royce, SKF, ISMT India, Kalyani Group India and Changan Group China, Roger is an experienced professional guiding clients through strategic direction and planning to enter and establish presence in Asian markets.

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For Businesses in the Visitor Economy, Hospitality, Events, venues, catering, travel and much more, 3 lockdowns have been punishing. Closing, re-opening, closing, re-opening and closing again have added to the uncertainty, so there is no doubt COVID has taken its toll.

As the country starts to think about re-opening again, what can we expect from 2021 to help businesses survive and recover?

Can we survive? Can we thrive again? What does the future hold? and how will we manage the recovery?

Join our panel for a LIVEtalk discussion as we look ahead to Staycation21, the ‘Great British Summer’ summer once more.

Chair: Steve Gardner-Collins, Director Visit Gloucestershire

Steve is an experienced and highly motivated tourism & hospitality Sales Director with the drive, passion and enthusiasm to inspire and lead others.

He enjoys leading a sales culture throughout business and is a marketer with experience across design, digital and social platforms in multifaceted environments in local, domestic and international markets.

Steve describes himself as an Organiser, a team player and a champion for well-being, diversity and inclusivity.