OPEN FOR BUSINESS is bringing a Government Minister, MP, Chief Executive of the local enterprise partnership (LEP), Director of BT responsible for superfast broadband, internet entrepreneur and many more senior business figures to Ilfracombe’s Landmark Theatre & Pavilion in North Devon on Friday 4 March 2016.

There will be 30+ business exhibitors from across the area as well as advice from businesses and support agencies on grant funding and market research, branding and print and social media.

The event, running from 10am to 5pm, gives businesses and the public opportunities to find out about the Disability Confident campaign to encourage more employers to employ disabled people, get up-to-date news on LEP initiatives covering regional infrastructure and development, attract new suppliers and customers in the business exhibition, and network over lunch.

Entry is free to businesses and the public – see full details at open4biz.co.uk and read the 24-page online event guide at z2z.co/open4biz16. A printed version will be distributed to all event visitors.

The event is hosted by COMBEbusiness and has been co-organised with Flint Hosts, Hashtag Marketing Solutions and Project Shop.

Justin Tomlinson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Disabled People at the Department of Work and Pensions, and Peter Heaton-Jones, MP for North Devon, will be discussing with businesses the importance of employing and retaining more disabled people. They will be supported at the Disability Confident event by:

• North Devon+
• Petroc
• PLUSS
• St Loyes Foundation
• Westward Pathfinder
• Department of Work and Pensions

The headteacher of Lampard Community School for children with complex learning difficulties will also be present and students, accompanied by teachers, will be helping to run the event, demonstrating the valuable role they can play for employers.

Conference programme timetable:

10.30am – Chris Garcia, chief executive of the Heart of the South West LEP, will discuss the LEP’s work on regional infrastructure and development, followed by a discussion panel including Laurent Boon, BT Programme Director for Connecting Devon and Somerset, and Mike Matthews of the Federation of Small Businesses.

11.30am – What is the future of marketing, online or offline? This session will feature Duncan Casburn of Hashtag Marketing Solutions and Stuart Brocklehurst, Chief Executive, Applegate.

1.30pm Beyond In Season – Desire to Aspire. Martin Fletcher will address the challenge of extending the North Devon tourism season and how those who want to develop their hospitality businesses further can take action.

2.15pm Beyond North Devon. Philip Milton, Managing Director of Philip J Milton & Company PLC will examine the global economy and its impact on North Devon. What effect would BREXIT have on a sole trader in the area? Philip will address potential scenarios to help businesses come to their own decision before the referendum on membership of the European Union.

3.00pm Keynote Speech: Streamlining Your Business. Internet entrepreneur Adam Saunders is the man from the ‘cloud’. He is the guy some of the largest companies and agencies in the world call on when looking to do anything serious on the internet. He started his first software company when he was just 16 years old and has built and sold more businesses over the years providing services and products in over 150 different countries. Adam will be sharing his experiences of building businesses in this keynote session.

4.00pm The OPEN FOR BUSINESS Awards. The event climaxes with the presentation of awards – see below for finalists.

The finalists in the inaugural OPEN FOR BUSINESS Awards are:

Best Tourism & Hospitality Business:

Best Retail Business:

Best Digital Business:

Young Entrepreneur of the Year:

Excellence in Customer Service:

Best Employee:

The overall winner will be named COMBEbusiness Business of the Year at the awards ceremony at 4.00pm in the Landmark Theatre during OPEN FOR BUSINESS.

Get free advice on branding and print from PG Print + Office Services.

Get free advice from North Devon+ on Leader 5 grant funding and market research:

• 10.30am – Market research
• 11.30am – Leader 5 grant funding
• 2.00pm – Market research
• 3.00pm – Leader 5 grant funding

Get a free review of social media profiles from Hashtag Marketing Solutions.

Get a professional headshot photograph for your social media profiles for £19.95 from Lighthouse Photography.

Try a free ukulele workshop – ideal for corporate team building – from Paul Clews:

• 10.00am
• 10.30am
• 11.00am
• 11.30am

There is free open business networking in the Pavilion, foyer and café from 12.30pm to 1.30pm – all welcome.

In the Pavilion and foyer, the business exhibition will feature 30+ exhibitors including:

A1 Design Solutions, 361 Energy, 4You Lettings, Applegate Marketplace, Business First Network, the Carrier Group, Clevera, Eye Sky Group, Flint Hosts, Hashtag, Hele Cornmill, JD Commercial, Lighthouse Photography, Lineal Software Solutions, Marsdens Devon Cottages, Multiheat & Energy Systems, North Devon+, North Devon Theatres, One Ilfracombe, PG Print and Office Services, Philip J Milton & Company PLC, Project Shop, South West Office Supplies, Taylors Solicitors, Tim Lamerton Photography, Travel Counsellors.