Looking ahead to the Business Innovation South Expo 2020

With businesses looking forward to a life beyond the COVID 19 lockdown, support for the Business Innovation South Expo 2020 continues to build.

Organisers remain committed to making the expo a powerful springboard for companies to showcase themselves moving into the autumn quarter, as well as a catalyst for collaboration and networking for the regional business community.

Many businesses that exhibited last year have committed to take a stand once again as well as new names also signing up for the event on September 23 at the Hilton Hotel, West End, Southampton (near the Ageas Bowl) expanding the geographical reach of the event across the Central South region: businessinnovationsouth.com/exhibitors-1

Lara Bull, the business woman behind #BIS2020, explained: “The response has been wonderful and I think many businesses are keen to have events to attend in the diary for late September either as exhibitors or visitors. In response to the lockdown impact on businesses, for those companies who are keen to exhibit I am offering a three-stage payment plan to help spread the stand cost which remains an all-inclusive package: businessinnovationsouth.com/exhibitors-whats-included

“The expo is aimed at providing an affordable showcase for companies in STEM and innovation and their aligned service providers across the central south and for our visitors the vision is to create a forum for decision makers/procurement execs to see the latest technology, products and services available to help drive their business forward.”

With content aimed at covering key topics for business owners and decision makers, top flight speakers from business, local government and academia will be taking to the stage for the Business Innovation South Expo 2020.

Speakers will include:

TOPIC:   A place story for Hampshire

David Fletcher, assistant director of economic development at Hampshire County Council. Fletcher leads the economic development function for Hampshire County Council, encompassing business growth, regeneration, tourism and economic intelligence. With experience of working in both the public and private sectors, he champions a ‘customer first’ ethos.

TOPIC:   Smarter Business with 5G – how will 5G change our world?

Mark Round, client technical lead at IBM. Round is a senior IBM technical consultant with over 30 years’ experience of designing, building and delivering innovative technology-based solutions. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and is an Open Group distinguished IT specialist.

TOPIC:   SME Competitivity – gaining the edge in adigital era

Pamela Iannotti, senior lecturer at Winchester Business School. Ianotti is a portfolio entrepreneur and retired venture capitalist. She works closely with industry partners on supporting access to talent for SMEs looking to join their supply chains; and she is involved in numerous small business finance, digital productivity, pre-export product and service innovation and commercialisation programmes, in her role as the lead on Winchester University’s network of digital accelerator hubs within the South Central and South East corridor.

“Our speakers have been chosen for their expertise and insight and they will share fascinating content throughout the day.” said Bull: businessinnovationsouth.com/speaker-and-workshop-sessions

There will also be speaker panels focusing on such subjects as “Navigating the path to becoming sustainable” and the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce will host a “Chamber of Solutions” session bringing together a panel of senior leaders from within the Chamber, taking the format of an ‘ask/challenge the experts’ where businesses can bring short sharp business growth issues, for panel response.

There will be eight workshops running throughout the day where visitors and exhibitors can have a more interactive learning experience looking at everything from “Digital acceleration,” “HR urban myths that are hurting your business”, “Creating the perfect content strategy” and “How to lead innovators” to “Effective cyber security planning”, “Financial opportunities and pitfalls for start-ups and scale-ups”, “CRM: Do you need better processes or a better system? Choosing the right horse for the course” and “Intellectual Property: getting the basics right”.

There are only 16 spaces available for each of the workshops so places do need to be booked and there is a small charge of £5 plus VAT to secure a place plus refreshments.