Sage Blog

Our guest blogger Kat is from Manchester based web design company, WildFire Digital Media. Having attended last year’s free business event, Sage World, she’s already booked her tickets for Sage World 2011 and here she explains why.

Last year, we at WildFire Digital Media attended the very first Sage World.  It promised to be a very enlightening event, held over two days, focused on aiding SME’s with their marketing, networking, helping them get financing and much more. Alongside this it provided their customers the opportunity to meet their support staff face to face and ask any questions they may have. And this October they are doing all again in Manchester.

We are a web design company in Manchester, with a lot of competitors, so we needed advice on how to reach our customers and stand out from the crowd. We got that, and more!

Networking, speakers, inspiration and a free lunch!

Sage made use of SpotMe devices, which was a great tool given to each attendee at the event to allow them to see who was in the vicinity, send messages to people whose business was of interest and provided a map, event schedule and a nudge when a talk was due to begin so that you didn’t miss anything.

Each of the days was filled with very interesting speakers, plenty of time for networking with a coffee and a free packed lunch which went down a treat.

It was such a valuable event to attend, both from a business and a personal perspective.  We were able to meet up with like minded people who were also looking to inject some inspiration into their business, and the speakers were able to offer sound business advice gleaned from their own personal experience.

Among the speakers last year were notably Will King, the founder of King of Shaves and Karren Brady formerly the managing director of Birmingham City FC, and more recently Alan Sugar’s aide in The Apprentice. They both spoke about their experiences and the challenges they had faced along the way, and their delivery was both charismatic and informative.

I will also mention Geoff Ramm and Andy Lopata, who really stood out to us as experts in their field. Geoff Ramm is a marketing expert who gave a very energetic talk and was full of ideas on how businesses can reach their potential customers. He spoke about businesses who were struggling against competitors and couldn’t reach their customers, and then showed us some of his ingenious marketing ideas that had then put that business on the map. We were even lucky enough to have a one to one chat with him, which was obviously an invaluable opportunity for our business.

Putting it all into practice

Andy Lopata is a business networking strategist who offered sound advice on how to network successfully and gain not just leads, but referrals, to help your business grow. We were able to make practical use of this advice and our business has improved as a result of it. We have held competitions, had referrals, and used networking to our advantage and as a result of being able to get our name out a little more, we were able to have an interview on Business Talk FM.

And guess what? They are both back this year! We’re looking forward to hearing what they have both been up to in the past year, and what information and advice they have in store for us.

Sage World 2011

Sage World 2011 is being held at EventCity in Manchester in October and looks to have another incredible line up of speakers. We are looking forward to seeing how Simon Calver, the CEO of LOVEFiLM got to where he is today. Among the diverse speakers are Jo Malone the entrepreneur and Benedict Allen, the explorer. The diversity really enables you to see business, and life, from many perspectives and inspiration isn’t far behind.

To anyone who is thinking of attending Sage World 2011, reserve your place now. The conference really helped to steer our business in the right direction, and made us realise that although setting up a business is hard work, we are not alone! We were able to see, first hand, that you don’t necessarily need money to build up your business, just a good idea.

Who said, there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

Kat Durrant, WildFire Digital Media

We’re pulling together this year’s line up for our free business event, Sage World. One of our speakers, Benedict Allen, takes time out of his dangerous day job as an explorer to talk about what we can learn from his time in the jungle.

I’m really excited about this year’s Sage World event. The speakers and sessions look every bit as inspiring, informative and thought-provoking as last year, and if you are in business – whether just starting up, or looking to go global or indeed to consolidate your hold on the world - this looks like the place to be in October. Personally, my interest is in battling against the odds. By profession, and by nature, perhaps, I’m an explorer – someone who likes mental and physical challenges.

Benedict Allen, Explorer

The tropical jungle

I’m someone known to have almost died nine times - I’ve been shot at by local drug barons, robbed by guides and left to die, even had to eat my own dog to survive – and I’ll be sharing with the delegates how I learnt to survive alone in some of the harshest terrain on the planet. One of these is tropical jungle, an environment of extraordinary competitiveness where you must quickly learn to adapt to its terms. By tuning into local conditions, by having a clear sense of mission, and by being ready to take calculated risks, I managed to survive  to cross the whole of the Amazon Basin, a distance of 4500 miles over seven and half months.

Exciting and entertaining and inspiring, I hope – but the main point is that we ALL have our own jungles. The world is a highly competitive place, just like the Amazon – who are your friends, who are your enemies? It makes no sense to FIGHT the jungle  – it’s too big. You must work within the resources available to you, accordingly set yourself a clear goal, and stride through all the obstacles which will inevitably come your way with the confidence gained from having had the best preparation possible. Sometimes you have to be ready to go it alone, sometimes take advantage of the talents and skills and resources of others: either way, it makes no sense at all not to get involved, not to take up the challenge – what will achieve  otherwise?

Benedict Allen, Explorer

Sage World takes place on 12 – 13 October in Manchester and is free to attend. Register for Sage World today.

Sage World, our free event for start ups and small businesses, is back!

Ok, I’m not one to blow my own trumpet but…..“flawless,”  “amazingly inspiring,” “excellent can’t wait for the next one!”  is some of the feedback we received after the first ever Sage World last year. And we’re not just picking the best quotes, the stats back it up too, 93% of Sage World attendees loved it.

Still not convinced? Check out the guest blog The Best Business Event? from one of last year’s attendees Wildfire Digital Media. They loved it too and we didn’t even pay them to say so.

[End of trumpet blowing.]

What is Sage World?

Well, if you went last year you’ll know Sage World was a different kind of event, an immersive two day experience for the UK’s small businesses. Inspirational keynotes, practical hands on seminars and that priceless one to one time with our technical experts brought everything a small business needed to one place.

We’re in the process of finalising the programme for this year’s Sage World but we guarantee it’s going to be good and even better than last year.

When and where is it?

You’ll only have to wait a little longer for the next one as Sage World is back for another year, taking place at a fantastic new venue EventCity in Manchester on the 12^th and 13^th of October.

The best part?

It’s completely free and we’ll even throw in some lunch (not literally, that could get a bit messy).

How do I get a free ticket?

So, to make sure you don’t miss out, book your free place now at www.sageworld2011.co.uk

Nicole Matues, Sage World Team

Keith Proudfoot, Regional Director of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), will be speaking at next month’s free event for small businesses, Sage World. He’s taken time out to talk to the Sage Blog about the needs of small businesses.

Last week I attended a round table discussion with Dr Vince Cable.  Among some talk about Local Economic Partnerships replacing the 10 Regional Development Agencies discussion turned to small business and their needs to drive the recovery.

Keith Proudfoot, Regional Director ICAEW

Dr Cable sees the SME sector as pivotal to the future of the UK.  So it’s good news that his Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) will do what they can, or what they can afford, to help smaller businesses.

The promise of less regulation has been heard before, but the most encouraging part was Dr Cable’s affirmation that he would use a combination of sticks and carrots to ensure that the banking sector lends to smaller businesses.

Of course a bank overdraft is just one way that a business sets itself up to do business and I shall be talking about alternatives in my session at the Sage World conference in Telford next month.

I will also be looking at ways to make your approach to banks more likely to succeed.  While I can make no promises on turning sow’s ears into silk purses, I will be giving tips to make your approach to the bank be given proper consideration.

I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible at the Sage World conference and hope you will find my presentation useful.  I know I will enjoy hearing the other presentations and find out a little more about Telford: the home town of my daughter’s boyfriend – it’s a small world!

Keith Proudfoot

Register free for Sage World at www.sageworld2010.co.uk

Sage World is back again in 2011. This year we’ll be in Manchester’s EventCity  on the 12^th and 13^th of October. To register for your free ticket visit www.sageworld2011.co.uk

Marketing Specialist, Geoff Ramm, talks to the Sage Blog about why Sage World adds up to an event not to be missed.

They say business is a numbers game, so here goes;

Geoff Ramm

On the 8^th and 9^th of September 2010 over 1,500 businesses will descend into The International  Centre, Telford.  The investment £0.

In just 48 hours 15 professional speakers will share their own ideas, techniques and vast knowledge to help transform your business, take it to the next level and maybe help you to stay, 1,2 or even 3 steps ahead of the competition.

By my own calculations all you have to do is take a minimum of 1 idea from us in those 2 days and you will walk away 30 ideas richer.

Now let’s think for a minute of the potential of networking with 1,500 entrepreneurs, companies and organisations who will be there.  You will also have your very own Spotme tool to help you to network with exactly the right people you want to connect with!

As for me…..  my ‘Now That’s What I Call Marketing’ – Volume 1 & 2 keynotes will be packed with great cost effective ideas to help you gain more customers, retain more customers  and yes I will also reveal how using powerful numbers will help you to stay ahead of the competition!

Warning there will be great prizes to be won too.

Look forward to meeting you at the 2 day conference.

Geoff Ramm, International Marketing Speaker, Marketer & Author

Register free for Sage World at www.sageworld2010.co.uk

Sage World is back again in 2011. This year we’ll be in Manchester’s EventCity  on the 12^th and 13^th of October. To register for your free ticket visit www.sageworld2011.co.uk

We’re getting closer to our free small business event, Sage World 2010. So, we’ve asked another of our top speakers, Rory MccGwire– to tell us why he’s taking part.

I was delighted to be invited to speak at the forthcoming Sage World event as I believe it will provide a great platform for start-ups to gain practical insight, contacts and advice to help them set up and run successful small businesses.

Rory MccGwire

I’m also pleased to see that Sage World is trying to do something different from the usual business event with their ‘interactive delegate technology’. The fact the event is technology driven (and yes, Sage can provide that technology) means there will be lots of demonstrations of the software tools you can use to get your business idea off the ground.

If you’ve already established your business, then you’ll find plenty of ideas to help you build on that foundation and meet the technical challenges that small firms face in the modern business climate. So it’s not about the technology for its own sake. It’s about what the technology can do for you, and the event will be looking at finance, HR, marketing – many of the most important aspects of running a business well.

Which is where I come in. As founder of the Donut small business advice websites , I’m well-versed in what small businesses really need to know. In my presentation, I’ll be encouraging you to take a realistic look at your business and its potential and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on how you can hone and reach your objectives. Sage World also offers a tremendous opportunity for you to build useful contacts. If I were a start-up owner at the event, however, I would be looking to take home more than a fistful of business cards, some leaflets and vague recollections of having spoken to someone from somewhere about something. Networking is about meeting the right people, making the right connections and tracking them during and after an event. So I’m dying to try out Sage’s Spotme electronic networking device. I’m sure this could really help me find and talk to the people that matter to me.

I’m sure it’ll help you, too. So please do track me on Spotme, come and say hello and make the time to hear my presentation.

Rory MccGwire.

Register free for Sage World at www.sageworld2010.co.uk