Member Article

ASOS boss to headline Barnsley digital business event

The head of pioneering online fashion retailer, ASOS, will speak at a Barnsley conference designed to inspire other businesses to take advantage of the internet and all it offers businesses.

Company co-founder and chief executive, Nick Robertson OBE, will head the line-up of high-profile speakers at the Connected Business conference, funded by Enterprising Barnsley.

He will tell the ASOS story, from its set-up in 2000 to becoming the world’s most visited fashion website, worth £4 billion on the London Stock Exchange.

Its huge 530,000 square foot distribution hub in Barnsley is key to the company’s global operations, servicing customers across three continents.

The free digital event is open to all Barnsley-based companies who want to learn more about how to harness online tools and resources to benefit their own businesses.

Other speakers will include digital entrepreneur and broadcaster, Tom Scott, who will provide an insight into the power of the web and social media for business; and Barnsley-based business owner John Sanderson who will talk about developing his company, Pitstop Productions, into an international enterprise that supplies sound, music and animation products from a network of studios around Europe and the USA. Clients include Sony and Sega.

Welcome to Yorkshire’s commercial director, Peter Dodd, will also talk about how his organisation used a social media campaign to engage with people and gain support, which helped secure the Grand Depart of Le Tour de France for the county in 2014. The international sporting occasion is expected to bring £100 million worth of investment to the region’s economy.

The ambitious digital event has been organised by Tracey Johnson, Enterprising Barnsley’s sector specialist for creative and digital industries.

She said: “We are delighted to have speakers of such high calibre sharing their stories, experiences and advice at Barnsley’s second Connected Business day. Last year’s conference was attended by over 100 local business people interested in finding out more about how they can make online work for their bottom line.

“We hope to attract at least as many to this year’s free business development and networking event. Every business needs to consider how to take best advantage of digital resources to secure future success and growth in the digital economy.”

It will also feature an expo where delegates will be able to meet businesses providing creative, digital and ICT services in Barnsley.

Connected Business will be hosted by Barnsley Central MP, Dan Jarvis, in his capacity as shadow minister for culture, media and sport and takes place on Friday 20th September, 8.30am – 2pm at The Civic, Barnsley.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Gatehouse .