Member Article

Small Business Summit sets stall for IFB

The Federation of Small Businesses has held its first-ever Small Business Summit in Liverpool as a pre-cursor to a major event to be held during the International Festival for Business (IFB) next year.

The day-long summit, which aimed to address the key issues facing small businesses and provide practical advice and guidance to help entrepreneurs overcome barriers to business growth, took place at Liverpool John Moores University.

Mike Southon, author of bestselling book The Beermat Entrepreneur, hosted the event, which featured speakers including the FSB’s National Chairman John Allan and Phil Southward, senior project manager of IFB2014.

During the afternoon there was a question time session featuring panellists such as Dan Atkinson, former Economics Editor of the Mail on Sunday. Delegates had a choice of workshops and seminars.

The FSB will hold the follow-up summit in Liverpool in July next year as part of the International Festival for Business 2014, alongside its National Council and Executive Board meetings.

FSB National Chairman John Allan, who is an IFB Ambassador, said: “Encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting small businesses is vital to the economic wellbeing of this country. The FSB’s first-ever Small Business Summit in Liverpool aimed to get to the heart of the issues and also provided business owners with access to a wealth of experts and the practical advice, information and guidance they need to succeed.

“From learning about embracing emerging international markets and expanding trading horizons, to the importance of understanding the news agenda in promoting your business, and workshops exploring the secrets of growth, innovation, the psychology of financial management and success with banks, it’s all there.”

Max Steinberg CBE, Chair of IFB2014, added: “The Small Business Summit will be a key part of the festival next year, not least because there is a recognition at all levels of government that much of the targeted economic growth in the UK will derive from smaller enterprises and from entrepreneurs setting up and growing businesses.

“The small business sector can, undoubtedly, be an engine for growth across the Liverpool City Region and it’s crucial that the IFB assists those businesses in their expansion plans by hosting events such as this where they can access and download invaluable insight and information.”

Elaine Moore, Chairman of FSB Merseyside, West Cheshire and Wigan, said: “It is fitting that the FSB’s Small Business Summit was launched in Liverpool because this city is famous for being home to entrepreneurial innovators and has a very strong, diverse small business community.

“It is also a city that is experiencing its own renaissance and there are some exciting times ahead. The International Festival for Business will take place here in June and July 2014 and will be a window on UK commerce, which is why our second summit is also being held in Liverpool during the festival.

“Our aim is simple: to bring the main issues into focus and also help and support business owners in their growth ambitions, sharing the insights and experiences of a host of fabulous entrepreneurs who have been there, done it and want to pass on what they have learned.”

The government-backed IFB will see a global 250,000-strong business audience arrive in the city over six weeks in June and July next year when events will be staged across the city. It will connect UK businesses to new markets, products and partners and will be a global showcase of British industry.

As well as the FSB, the Festival has received backing from some of the UK’s leading business organisations, including the Confederation of Business and Industry, British Chambers of Commerce and UKTI. It is a key part of the government’s ambition to promote growth, rebalance the economy and double exports by 2020.

British business champions and prominent entrepreneurs have also pledged their support for the festival. New Ambassadors for the Festival, include John Cridland CBE, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry, and Terry Scuoler, Chief Executive of EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation.

IFB forms a key part of the government’s ambition to promote economic growth, rebalance the economy and double UK exports by 2020. Millions of pounds will be injected into the Liverpool city region economy through event management activity and the spending of delegates and visitors.

The Festival will also coincide with the staging of The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, which will attract millions of TV viewers and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .