Free conference helps to ensure future growth

Mar 3 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

SMALL business owners – and potential entrepreneurs considering starting their own firms – are being invited to a conference designed to help them stay one step ahead of the competition.

Minister for the North East Nick Brown has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at next month’s Ensuring Future Growth conference, organised by the regional branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Seminars, networking sessions and one-to-one advice are being offered at the one-day, free-to-attend event at the Newcastle Marriott Hotel, Gosforth Park, which will also include the biggest business-to-business exhibition in the North East.

This is the second conference the FSB has organised for the region’s small business community. The first, in September 2006, attracted 210 registered businesses, and event organiser Anne Keenlyside is confident this year’s will be bigger and better.

Mrs Keenlyside, the FSB’s regional vice-chairman and owner of computer programming and web development firm Gisst, says she hopes the North East conference will follow the example of a similar event organised by the Swansea branch of the FSB. “In the first year, they had around 250, there were 430 last year and 1,000 businesses have registered for this year. They’ve taken over the football stadium to accommodate them all.

“We’ve stretched the Marriott resources to the limit. Last time, we had the seminars and the exhibition, and we’ve decided to include the networking. It’s a growing thing.”

The one-to-one sessions have been included in the agenda after requests from small business people who attended the first conference. “Meet the Expert is a result of feedback. People would have liked time on a one-to-one basis to discuss issues like tax, VAT, trading standards, employment law, education and skills,” said Mrs Keenlyside.

The FSB is keen to encourage non-members to go to the conference and also says people thinking about starting in business will benefit too. It is also planning to run a competition for small businesses to win a free exhibition stand.

Free tickets are being distributed via business clubs, One NorthEast, Business Link and FSB members.