The Evening Standard newspaper provides key updates on this month’s eagerly-anticipated show.
With just over a week to go before the 2023 version of SME XPO takes place in London’s Docklands, organisers have released more intriguing details about what attendees can expect from their visit. The main three themes for this year’s gathering at the ExCeL Centre, are ‘Scaling Up’, ‘Technology’ and ‘Future Trends.’
More than 4,000 people will be travelling to this large-scale networking event, which is aimed at assisting the work of ambitious SMEs across the country. This two-day show takes places on Tuesday, April 25th and Wednesday, April 26th and anyone still wishing to come can register for free by clicking here.
SME XPO, which is once again organised by the Evening Standard, will feature more than 100 exhibitors, over 60 conference speakers – of which six have been described as keynote – along with 100-plus hours of free learning.
A new, updated press release for SME XPO says the event is brimming with expert speakers, who will share their insights and give practical advice to entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses.
Multiple talks have been arranged to cover the topic of ‘Scaling Up’, including:
‘How to secure investment for raising and scaling,’ by Julia Elliott Brown, equity fundraising expert.
‘Scaling up without damaging sustainability,’ will be discussed by Sahar Hashemi, co-founder of Coffee Republic and Skinny Candy; Katie Lopes, founder of Stripe & Stare; and Paul Brown, founder of BOL Foods.
‘Scaling up via bank finance and angels’, features Jeremy King, founder of Attest;
Rob Abrahams, co-founder of Coat Paint; and Lucile Cornet, partner at Eight Roads.
Technology is another major theme of SME XPO 2023. Entrepreneurs need to remain up-to-date with the latest trends and developments, and this topic will be covered by the following:
‘Winning at social – How to navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of social media’ with Ed East, founder of Billion Dollar Boy; Sedge Beswick, founder of SEEN Connects; and Sarah Ashcroft, influencer and founder of SLA.
‘VCS on the tech of the future’ will feature speeches by Rob Kniaz, co-founder of Hoxton Ventures; Harry Briggs, managing partner at OMERS Ventures; and Gregory Dewerpe, founder of Proptech.
‘Cyber security & data safety – How to protect your business’ should be a well-attended discussion featuring Venetia Archer, founder of Ruuby; Stav Pischits, the chief executive of Cynance, along with Charles Delingpole, founder of ComplyAdvantage and Sean Towns, systems engineer with Dell.
Regarding the third big theme of this event, ‘Future Trends’, attendees will enjoy a glimpse of what to expect in the years ahead. What are the innovations and technologies set to shape the future of business? Talks in this category include:
‘Being a female founder – Beating the odds to business success’ featuring Steph Douglas of Don’t Buy Her Flowers; Sophie Baron, founder of Mama Made; and Trinny Woodall, founder and chief executive of Trinny London. This subject is moderated by Dr Anino Emuwa, the managing director at Avandis Consulting and founder of 100 Women @ Davos.
‘London: The New Palo Alto?’ is a subject covered by Saul Klein, entrepreneur, investor and tech campaigner; Mazdak Sanii, co-founder and chief executive of Avant Arte; and Pierre Dutaret, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Libeo. This discussion will be moderated by Richard Burge from the London Chamber of Commerce.
‘Tackling Modern Workplace Culture & Wellbeing’ features Iain Griffin, founder of Seatfrog; Greg Marsh, founder of OneFineStay; Perrine Farque, author of The Successful Hybrid Team, with moderation by Graham James, the chief revenue officer of Sodexo Engage.
The Evening Standard has announced that tech giant Google has joined its stellar line-up by being named headline sponsor. Google, the world’s most popular search engine, will be promoting its new operating system ChromeOS at this event.
Michael Wyatt, director of Chrome Enterprise EMEA at Google, says: “The UK throws away the equivalent of 40 laptops every second. With SMEs accounting for 99% of the UK’s business population, these organisations play a vital role in building a sustainable future with IT.
“ChromeOS is delighted to partner the Evening Standard at this year’s SME XPO event. We are keen to highlight how every business can reduce their energy consumption, and provide their existing devices with a second life thanks to ChromeOS Flex.”
And the Evening Standard’s press release reminds owners of small businesses, that this two-day action-packed exhibition is focussed on connecting members of the scale-up community, which forms a vital part of the UK economy. Founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders are invited to attend.
About the Evening Standard: Founded in 1827, the Evening Standard is the UK’s largest daily newspaper. It sets the agenda in politics and business, as well as being first with news and sports stories. The brand reaches a total of 13.1 million cross-platform readers every month.
The SME XPO will be running simultaneously alongside its sister event called the ‘The Watercooler’. Both are taking place at the ExCel centre. ‘The Watercooler’ will discuss strategies, innovations and ways to improve businesses. It will also discuss the importance of a company’s wellbeing footprint, along with workforce productivity.
