Festival of Enterprise: Saturday 18 July 2015

FestivalOfEnterprise - graphicBU hosts its first ever Festival of Enterprise on Saturday 18 July 2015 in the Student Centre on Talbot Campus.

The event will bring together young people, practitioners, academics and local business leaders to foster entrepreneurial spirit in the region. The programme will include:

  • A series of short ‘on the sofa’ sessions at ‘The Enterprise Café’. Experienced entrepreneurs will reflect on the founding of their businesses and how these have been shaped by the peaks and pitfalls of their successes. Key topics include Creative, Marketing, Finance and Cyber Security, among others.
  • Networking opportunities with local business development organisations.
  • Year 12 student ‘Enterprise Den’. Participants will create a digital business with a prize giving at the end of the day in Kimmeridge House.

Keith Pretty, a Lecturer in Business Development for IT at BU said: “This event is a great opportunity for people to meet entrepreneurs and SMEs, and get a feel for how they can have an impact in the industry, learning valuable lessons from those who have seen their careers flourish.

“It’s also an opportunity for the university to engage with people of all ages in business development; fostering new talent in entrepreneurship together with offering useful advice and guidance from professionals.”

Matt Hawkins, Chairman and Founder of C4L, is already a confirmed speaker at the Festival of Enterprise. Matt explained why he is involved with this event: “I appreciate the opportunity to give something back to our Digital Hub community and hopefully help nurture some of the entrepreneurial talent the South Coast has to offer. Young entrepreneurs are our future and I commend BU for giving them this platform for growth, I hope sharing my experience and scars along my business journey will increase the student’s chance of success”.

The event will be supported by colleagues from the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB).

You can find more information and book on the Festival of Enterprise website.

Boost your business with BU’s Festival of Learning

Do you want to improve your project management skills, learn how to impress the press or make sure your website instantly grabs the attention of your customers? (You have 50 milliseconds to do so!)

Bournemouth University (BU) is hosting over 150 free events from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 June, as part of the Festival of Learning 2014. There are interactive workshops, hands-on taster sessions, presentations and seminar sessions running throughout the day and evening.

Events are grouped within eight themes, including Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth, many of which are specifically designed for businesses and professional development.

These events offer an opportunity to network, learn something new or update an existing skill.

Subjects covered include computer animation, media production, software systems, artificial intelligence, business incubation, crowdsourcing and more. There are also a wide range of industry specific events that will that will appeal to health and social care professionals and those who work in the creative, digital and media sectors.

Mark Painter is Manager of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and is hosting an event. He said: “An Afternoon with Entrepreneurs should prove to be a really inspiring and entertaining afternoon for both ambitious business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.

“We’re delighted that Leslie Spiers, Fellow of the Institute of Directors, will be hosting the event and will be helping us to understand what it was that motivated our invited entrepreneurs to start their businesses and what keeps them striving to achieve even more.”

Last year over 4,000 people came to the Festival of Learning to learn something new, hear about BU research and see how it can impact our everyday lives.

The Festival allows professionals, students and members of the public to be part of university studies, research and learning, with the chance to also bring friends and family to pursue a personal interest or hobby and meet like-minded people during the seven days the Festival is running.

Whilst you’re taking part in a business event, you might find something else that interests you from the wide range of activities on offer. For example, there’s a  Cyber security: protecting your assets event, or Poison is My Business, which is a journey through the history of poisons, including modern day forensic toxicology.

To book these, or any other event,visit the Festival of Learning website or call 01202 962362.