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Gloucestershire has a fast growth Tech Sector that will see some great opportunities for business, employment, skills and growth develop in the coming years.

Driven primarily by CYBER-tech, we also have a thriving AGRI-tech sector with great innovation and business ideas evolving.

So with Tech sector skills building in the county, how can we make the most of AGRI-tech, FIN-tech and MED-tech as well?  What’s to stop Gloucestershire being a major driving force in all the up and coming UK Tech innovation?

Hartpury University and College will lead a discussion with participants from all four major tech sectors, looking at how and why we’re becoming a leader in some and how we can foster new business growth in others.

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Covid has created some unprecedented business conditions in 2020.

There are Businesses that have stopped dead in the water since March, there are businesses who have been inundated by increased orders and demand and there are businesses who have been broadly unaffected.

But it’s not just about business opportunity and turnover, we’ve had to learn how to run our businesses differently.  That has involved furloughed and remote working staff, surviving on business loans and grants from government, changed priorities, dealing with in some cases unprecedented levels of business.

Mental health completely changed thinking about overhead, different and volatile clients and supply chains.

So what does the future hold?  What will the business landscape look like post Covid and how will businesses who have had furloughed staff, staff morale problems, redundancies to deal with and a very unpredictable business climate think about building back a resilient and viable business model?

A Panel discussion with those working in this space and trying to make sense of a very “different” business environment.

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Finding investors can be a daunting and nerve-racking process for an entrepreneur. It’s the “Dragons Den” moment when your idea, your passion and your future is on the line. Have you described things properly? Will you present well on the day? Will the potential investor see the same opportunities as you do? How will you deal with the rejection if you’re turned down?

The upsides are huge as well, being properly funded and having an investor who is well connected, experienced in the business challenges you’re facing and who also believes in your idea and it’s potential are invaluable assets.

So when are you ready to ask? How do you find the right investors? How do you prepare?

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Brand is one of the most important assets for any business or organisation. When customers and prospects interact with our brand – whether visually, in conversation, emotionally or by reputation, how do they react? Will they immediately recognise the brand or will they struggle to position the business and the services or products it offers? If they do recognise it, what is their immediate emotional response? Good, bad or indifferent? Why is that and how did we get to that point.

Importantly, how did they arrive at that reaction? Do our customers, trust our brand and what it says about how and why we do business?

A panel discussion chaired by Cathryn Hage from Pentacom PR & Marketing covers these important questions and aims to shed light on how people perceive brand and how we can influence them in their thought process.

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But how does a company start embracing all things green? Especially if its primary purpose isn’t directly related to sustainability. Is it better to re-use than recycle? What’s Net Zero all about? Is planting trees enough?

Caring for the planet doesn’t have to be onerous or start with intricate sustainability policies: some effective actions can be straight-forward. Join this Live Stream session and hear from three companies – small, medium and large – about how they went about embedding sustainability into their operations. Learn from their experience and take away their top tips so that you can easily start greening your company from the inside out.

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The relationship and the parallels between business and sport are remarkable, with innovation playing an increasing role.

Teamwork, Innovation, Environment, Achievement, Discipline, Motivation, Communication, these are deeply interwoven character traits that drive elite professionals in both sport and business.  

There are common threads running through these topics and when we look at elite sport achieving its goals, we learn important lessons about achieving strong, vibrant and thriving business culture.

A panel discussion Chaired by Tom Radcliffe, Director of Elite Sport at Hartpury University and Hartpury College will discuss the parallels and the lessons that can be found in business and in sport.

Questions in advance can be emailed to BI20.2@business-shows.co.uk 

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Covid has been a game changer for business. For some a major challenge with little work or revenue, for others a challenge to cope with business volume.

For some it’s been business as usual in a very strange new world.

Some of us had heard of Zoom, some had even used it, but in a few short months it’s become a ubiquitous tool of business with the efficiencies, the draining mental state and the lack of personal interaction we’ve become used to.

People speak of “the new normal” some like the idea, others just want to “get back to normal”. So what does the future hold for business groups and Chambers of commerce post Covid? Will it be back to business as usual or will it bring a revolution in networking and business development?

How do Chambers and Business Groups see their own future and how are they thinking about the community they represent? What are the opportunities and offerings they will bring in the future?

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Julie Kent MBE, formerly a house mistress at Dean Close, hosts a question time discussion with leaders from Gloucestershire’s business community around the journey that school leavers are facing as they think about the future, their careers and accessing the workplace.

It’s a challenging time for everyone and students presently in years 12 and 13 are dealing with disrupted education, uncertain HE and FE provision and an employment landscape that is heading towards significant redundancies and reducing opportunities.

Add into that anxiety, mental health, student loans and the inevitable uncertainty for any student about where they want to head for their career and we see ourselves in a position that is unlike any faced by students before.

Questions are invited for the panel in advance and at the event by live link or over email and social media. a chance for students to challenge business leaders to address the burning questions.

Julie is joined by a panel to take the questions by Madelaine Howard, from Cygenta, Oliver Bruce from PinPointMedia, Emily Taylor from Dean Close and Myra Billinghurst from Gloucestershire College.

Questions in advance can be emailed to BI20.2@business-shows.co.uk