The full line up of speakers for Women Outside the Box (WOTB), Bristol’s innovative festival of female entrepreneurship, has been announced.
Headline speaker for the event on October 7 is Julie Meyer MBE, one of Europe’s most influential entrepreneurs. She will be joined by big-hitters from a number of Bristol and national businesses.
Ms Meyer, pictured, will open the conference with a keynote speech called Making That First Million, setting the tone for the day, which has been designed to encourage women to think big and be ambitious when it comes to running their own businesses.
Fellow speakers include Janis Sinton, managing director of Bristol-based food technology firm Tastetech and NatWest 2012 Everywoman Hera award winner, Anita Nandwani of Films at 59, one of the UK’s most successful production houses, and serial print and promotions entrepreneur Sue Tugman. They will lead a discussion panel on how they tackled seemingly impossible obstacles to create highly-successful companies.
Janis launched Tastetech with her husband from a garage. After his early death she went on to build a strong team to help her turn the business into a world-wide player and today it exports to 32 countries.
Sue Tugman, owner and director of Bedminster-based Brunel Promotions, has brought and sold a number of businesses including leading the team that developed household name Funkypigeon.com and sold it to WH Smith.
Also providing inspiration will be multi award-winning entrepreneur Geeta Sidhu Robb, a former corporate lawyer who set up her own raw food business Nosh Detox as a result of spending years fighting her son’s multiple food allergies and anaphylaxis as a baby, the ‘positive economist’ Susan Hayes, who will explain how to monetise a brand, and Louise Presley Turner, author of Finding a Career that Fits.
Alongside the opportunity to hear from some of the UK’s leading businesswomen, attendees will be able to attend ‘how-to’ workshops on practical, everyday business topics such as finance, marketing and sales.
Highlights include a session from solicitors Gregg Latchams on what to consider when setting up in business with a friend. Two of the firm’s legal team, Marti Burgess and Ed Boal, will look at the all-important business ‘pre-nup’ and how it can save much heartache later.
Another first for WOTB is a hosted ‘netwalk’ around the quayside from Netwalking South West. Set up by Rosalind J Turner to combine business networking with the benefits of walking and fresh air, women at the event will be able to meet and talk business in a moderated-but-relaxed environment.
As well as a robust conference programme the WOTB festival includes a dedicated business services exhibition area and a ‘market hall’ for direct-to-consumer businesses.
Over half the exhibition space is already sold. Last year’s launch event, supported by business and enterprise minister Michael Fallon and recently-elected Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson, proved there are hundreds of women wanting to meet suppliers in a more relaxed environment.
Event sponsors at gold level include Gregg Latchams and email marketing specialists EssentiaMail, and at silver level video production company Skylark Media Group.
Bronze sponsors include SME accounting software provider FreeAgent and pamper experts The Beauty Event.
WOTB takes place at Arnolfini, Narrow Quay. Women wishing to book for keynote speakers and workshop sessions at WOTB 2013 should visit: http://www.womenoutsidethebox.co.uk/page/speaker-timetable/57/
