January 01 2008

MANCHESTER CENTRAL, MANCHESTER

Friday 25 & Saturday 26 January 2008

www.sme-events.com


Leading businesses to success – The Growing Your Own Business Exhibition & Conference

Featuring speakers:

· Lisa Tse of Manchester’s Sweet Mandarin restaurant and promoter of entrepreneurship
· Jennie Johnson, award-winning entrepreneur behind Kids Allowed, the multi function baby/child and parent care centres
· Neil Mackay, Director of Beautiful Vending, the hair straightening vending machine phenomenon
· A superb range of the UK’s fascinating entrepreneurs

[Note to editor to include above bullets as highlights above the editorial below ]

Specialist advice, inspiring stories of achievement and a superb range of business services will make the Growing Your Own Business Exhibition & Conference the place where entrepreneurs can take the next step in expanding their businesses. This key event takes place at Manchester Central, Manchester on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 January 2008.

Visitors to the event will benefit from the free conference where they can gain valuable insights from successful business experts who will share the secrets behind their achievements. The seminar programme of outstanding speakers will provide solutions to the key issues that entrepreneurs face as they build their businesses.

Among the speakers on the seminar programme include Lisa Tse, CEO of Sweet Mandarin, one of Manchester’s most successful Chinese restaurants and takeaways. Lisa, whose family has been in the restaurant business since her grandparents emigrated from Hong Kong to the UK, is a dynamic entrepreneur with wide ranging interests and currently heads up the first tri-lingual Chinese-English weekly radio show on Asian Sound Radio. She is also a spokesperson for Make Your Mark, a campaign to encourage entrepreneurship across schools nationwide. Lisa’s keynote seminar, entitled ‘Successful strategies to plan your business future,’ will address issues such as developing a successful strategy to grow a business to the importance of adapting your plan as a business expands.

Saturday’s keynote speaker Jennie Johnson is Manchester’s Young Director of the Year 2006, as well as Business Parent of the Year for 2007. She is the entrepreneur behind Kids Allowed, a business dedicated to the needs of both parents and children through the delivery of a comprehensive range of child and parent-centric services. Jennie started Kids Allowed following the prospect of returning to work after the birth of her second child. When she was able to return to a full time career she was dissatisfied with the lack of high quality services available to parents. She also found there was nothing to address the different needs of her school, and nursery school age children so she started Kids Allowed, which currently employs 110 staff and cares for more than 300 children countrywide.

Neil Mackay, Director of Beautiful Vending UK is the entrepreneur behind the hair straightening vending machine phenomenon, which can be seen in clubs, bars, gyms and shopping centres across the UK. Neil’s seminar, titled ‘Marketing for increased profit,’ will include simple, effective and affordable marketing tips in addition to how marketing can directly increase sales.

Mike Segall, Director of New Business Generation, the successful UK marketing services group will present a seminar, entitled ‘Networking your way to business success’. In his presentation he will discuss how to build significant relationships that positively impact on a business and will provide key tips on how to become a master networker.

Other features at the show include the Business Advice Zone where visitors at the event will receive one–to-one guidance from business specialists and network with other entrepreneurs.

The exhibition features leading specialists in small business management with superb solutions to help businesses increase their efficiency and, most importantly, improve their profitability and develop sustainable growth. Professionals including accountants, lawyers and small business support services will advise visitors on all aspects of developing their business.

The event is co-located with The British Franchise Exhibition, enabling small businesses not only to access business products and services, but also to explore the options of franchising as a route to expansion.

To find out more information about speakers and exhibitors at Growing Your Own Business visit www.sme-events.com.

The Growing Your Own Business Exhibition & Conference is open from 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Friday 25 January and 4pm on Saturday 26 January 2008. For tickets please call the hotline on 0870 777 1048 or visit www.sme-events.com. Callers can purchase tickets in advance by credit card for £8 each or £7 for two or more. Admission on the door is £13.

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