Last week, we were proud to welcome over 300 entrepreneurs to Lanarkshire’s first Transform Business Festival, delivered on behalf of Business Gateway Lanarkshire and in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council.
The Transform Business Festival Lanarkshire was held at the University of the West of Scotland’s Lanarkshire Campus in Blantyre on Wednesday 8th February and was a hub of entrepreneurial activity all day.
The event kicked off at 8am with a fully-booked Business Breakfast, featuring the awe-inspiring guest speaker Giles Duley. A photojournalist, storyteller and triple amputee, Giles described how he overcame the incredible odds of the incident in Afghanistan where he stepped on a landmine, while sharing inspiring, motivating and at times funny anecdotes about his career.
Speaking on the theme of resilience, Giles said: “I believe resilience is life’s gift for suffering.
I went through the most dramatic change you can imagine being injured, but that has enabled me to become the person that I am today.
If you look back on your life, you will see most of the moments where you have grown as an individual, or as a business, have come from those moments of forced change.
Don’t be scared of change. Change is where we grow.”
Giles was joined on stage by Elevator’s CEO, Professor Gary McEwan, who further explored the mindset of successful entrepreneurs.
The Ecosystem Village provided space for founders and entrepreneurs to access local support and expert advice from industry-leading organisations on all areas of business growth or new business ideas. Partners included the Federation of Small Business, VAN, VASLAN, Scottish Enterprise and Scotland Food and Drink.
Festival attendee and Lanarkshire entrepreneur, Erin Reid, said: “The Transform Business Festival really has been a hub of information and it’s reminded me of all the help and support here in Lanarkshire.
When you think about entrepreneurship and business growth you often always think about the big cities like Edinburgh or Glasgow, but seeing that there’s so much support available in Lanarkshire has been really eye-opening. It’s great to know that Lanarkshire has so much to offer.”
Throughout the day, attendees were welcome to attend a range of BiteSize business workshops designed to upskill and motivate, Fireside Chats covering topical business issues, and interactive networking events providing opportunities to make new connections.
At midday, ticket holders came together for a Networking Lunch with former Glasgow Warrior and International rugby player, Lee Jones and former international cyclist & business owner, Charline Jones, who discussed confidence, mindset and getting ‘fit’ for business.
Roz Taylor, Operations Director at Elevator, summed up the event: “The Transform Business Festival is inspirational, exciting, informative and engaging.
Not only does this type of event bring local people together, in person, but it allows a space for valuable networking and provides founders with opportunities to learn and understand the entrepreneurial ecosystem around them.”
Stay tuned for information on the next Transform Business Festival Lanarkshire.
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