A theatre seated venue, we schedule some of the most important items to be affecting the Business Community at the current time. Tickets are not yet available for this event but click here for our other events which can be booked via our Eventbrite page.
#SGBS21 Breakfast – Back to Business
Philippa Constable started We Mean Biz for men and women who, like her, didn’t enjoy the stuffy networking style they’d encountered in some networking groups. She’s developed a format that’s proved successful for hundreds of people, whether in business for the first time or with years of experience.
Start your #SGBS21 Experience with a networking breakfast hosted by Phillipa’s team and exploring some Top Tips for getting the best out of a Business Show.
Network with likeminded business contacts, make new contacts and build strong business relationships. Over 90 minutes, with plenty of networking time, the We Mean Biz team will explore two days of packed content, a great exhibition and the best way to deliver new business.
Philippa Constable, WeMeanBiz
A businesswoman who’s taken two start-ups from zero to success, Philippa is a leading expert in networking skills and trains people to network in an effective, authentic way. She’s passionate about helping her members succeed and is always available as a mentor and source of support.
Founder and brainchild of a women’s networking organisation, Women Mean Biz, Philippa has launched We Mean Biz for everyone, using her unique, highly successful networking model.
#SGBS21 Mental Health – Night Time & Hospitality Economy
The night time economy and the hospitality Industry have been the hardest hit sectors in the past two years, where closures and ever changing restrictions have had to be catered for.
Those working in these particular sectors have faced waves of uncertainty in their roles. As restrictions eased and demand soared in these past months, it is now time to give a greater focus to those working to keep these industries running.
Alice Bowyer – The Liberation Group Pubs & Inns
Alice is an experienced executive chef and an ambassador for Burnt Chef, a not for profit Social Enterprise. She has a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry.
Her Skills include menu development, cooking and strategic growth. She is a firm advocate for positive reinforcement, training & team engagement and a strong business development professional with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Management and commercially driven to succeed. She’s a lover of pubs!
Join us in this session to look at what we can do to support these industries and their employees to ensure optimal support and resources are provided.
#SGBS21 Decarbonising Aerospace and Aviation
The history of the aerospace and aviation sectors is one of rapid innovation.
The challenges that the aerospace and aviation sectors present in terms of carbon emissions and the climate crisis are well understood. Industry is already responding at scale, but can these sectors respond to those challenges at the record pace required?
Join us to find out more about the new and emerging technological developments that take us closer to our net zero goal.
Find out about the challenges that remain and hear industry professionals from across the sector debate about what the next steps need to be on our journey to net zero emissions in the aerospace and aviation sectors.
David Eccles CBE, Bristol Airport
Having retired from the Army as a brigadier in 2010, David Eccles was the public face of the Hinkley Point C new nuclear power station project for 10 years, acting as the interface between EDF and stakeholders across the region. He is now an independent consultant working for clients ranging from Bristol Airport on its hydrogen infrastructure strategy to the Somerset Rivers Authority on the revision of its Flood Action Plan.
Decarbonising Food & Drink
How do we tackle decarbonising one of the largest industries?
Our food and drink systems contribute 21-37% of global greenhouse gases and are significant contributors to deforestation, biodiversity loss and declining water tables. This makes it even more so important to address the sector and the environmental impact it holds as our food industry has great potential to transform and provide regenerative solutions.
Can the sector continue providing high-quality products whilst becoming more environmentally aware?
And how will decarbonising the sector affect food and drink?
The way forward isn’t clear cut but what is clear is that our food systems need to transform and industry, agriculture, government and consumers alike must recognise and make the necessary changes to food production and consumption.
Simon Heppner – Executive Director, Net Zero Now
As Executive Director of Net Zero Now, the sector-based climate action platform, Simon is equipping SMEs to take immediate action on the climate crisis.
Simon has been involved in sustainability since the 1990s in work for the United Nations. He joined Good Business, in 2006 forming the climate team, where he continues to advise multi-nationals.
Simon’s early career involved managing restaurants and bars in London, and in 2010 he brought his experience back to the hospitality industry co-founding the Sustainable Restaurant Association, which makes sustainability accessible to SMEs.
Solution Storming
How can private and public sector leaders take action to accelerate our transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2030?
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 actions following the question storming. The questions developed 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 workplaces and business communities that we aspire to.
Sandra Baer, CEO Personal Cities
Sandra Baer is the CEO of Personal Cities based in Washington DC
She is focused on building trusted relationships, creating new collaborations, and uncovering the skills to navigate bigger, bolder city transformations. Personal Cities works to inspire cities to make better, faster decisions around innovation, to enrich and improve their identity and to create a sense of belonging in every community.
#SGBS21 Business Breakfast – South Gloucestershire
Hosted by Manor Singh, Senior Economic Development Officer, South Gloucestershire Council and Sue Marchant MD, Cool Ventures, local businesses are invited to join us to network with like-minded local business contacts, make new contacts and build strong business relationships.
As well as having plenty of time to network, during this 90 minute session you will also learn about the free support provided through South Gloucestershire Business Support Service, what’s on offer and how to access it. The service is provided by Cool Ventures.
Manor Singh, South Gloucestershire Council
Manor Singh is the Senior Economic Development Officer at South Gloucestershire Council, overseeing business support within the county. He has worked on business support for Coastal Communities, Enterprise West of England and the Advanced Engineering and Digital Innovation Business Acceleration Hub.
Sue Marchant, Cool Ventures
Sue Marchant has a passion for helping small businesses to start and grow Sue launched Cool Ventures 10 years ago and since her team have supported 1000’s of small businesses across the West of England. They currently deliver the South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset Business Support Services.
Placemaking in South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is an extraordinary place…to live, work and visit. It is a place for opportunity and innovation with so much to offer to our residents, visitors and those looking to come here to settle or invest.
We are the regional economic engine with excellent connections to South Wales, the Midlands and London. This positions us well to build back better, bringing in investment in new jobs alongside research and development opportunities, whilst our proximity to beautiful countryside and coastlines provides an enhanced quality of life for our residents.
Our ambitions for place-based investment follow the goals set out in the Council Plan of closing the equality gap, addressing the climate emergency, and delivering value for money.
Donna Winham, Regeneration Manager, South Gloucestershire Council
In 2020 Donna was tasked with creating a regeneration team to deliver the council’s vision for place shaping (having previously worked as a Town Planner).
Her role requires me to work closely with central and regional Government as well as with partner organisations and communities. Communication is key to my role. In a challenging and ever-changing political environment, it enables me to deliver the vision for regeneration activity within South Gloucestershire.
#SGBS21 Decarbonising Defence
How can defence as a whole decarbonise their sector? What is already in place and what is in the works for the future?
As a high energy use sector producing a lot of carbon emissions and operating on a global scale, defence has a huge role to play in responding to the climate emergency.
The skills, technologies and rapid mobilisation that are the hallmarks of the defence sector will be increasingly required to help to respond to the human challenges of a changing climate.
With new thinking, will the sector be able to balance current demands alongside decarbonisation efforts?
Join us to hear how the defence sector is rising to these challenges.
Brig (Retd) David Eccles CBE
Brig (Retd) David Eccles CBE now works as a consultant, primarily on Bristol Airport’s long term decarbonisation strategy and before that he was the public face of the Hinkley Point C new nuclear power station in the Southwest.
He served for 30 years in the Army, including 3 years spent teaching at the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham, as well as operational tours in places such as the Balkans and Iraq.
His last post was as the UK’s National Military Representative at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium.
#SGBS21 Decarbonising Transport
What is the roadmap for decarbonising transport?
The transport sector accounts for over a third of carbon emissions in South Gloucestershire and is the most significant source of carbon emissions in the area.
With higher than UK average car ownership, a sizable rural population and a thriving economy, it’s a serious challenge. Logistics, commuting, leisure and in a world transformed by Covid, how can innovators come together to take the next steps towards net zero?
What are the business opportunities in revolutionising the way we move? Join the conversation around the steps businesses need to take now, supporting employees, and influencing government and suppliers to act. Hear the latest developments from the sector and the thorny issues that remain and watch the debate to find out the next key steps that we need to take as a sector.
Jonathan Foster-Clark, Atkins
Jonathan Foster-Clark is a senior advisor specialising in Net Zero transport policy in the transportation business at Atkins.
He has over 28 years’ experience in the transport sector and works with local authorities in developing strategies for the decarbonisation of the transport system.
He has worked with South Gloucestershire Council and the West of England Combined Authority on major transport issues including the future of the North Fringe and planning for future homes and jobs in the region.
