Programme
Afternoon Session 8:30 9:30 9:35 9:45 9:50 10:55 11:10 11:15 12:15 13:20 13:25 14:25 14:30 15:30 15:30 16:30
Doors open for mini expo viewing and informal networking with tea/coffee + elevator pitches on the podium mic
Morning Session
Take your seats in the main auditorium
Welcome Compere – Gary Johnson
Motivational speaker
Guy Rands gets you revved up for the day of learning ahead
Session One: Understanding Sales & Marketing
Alison Fell, SalesStar
Fireside chat
Dr Louise Strong, Director, Consumer Protection, Competition and Markets Authority
Comfort break
Session Two: Perfecting Your Pitch – and how to sell more
Ian Genius, Sales Guru
Lunch, trade show, and informal networking + podium pitches on the mic
Motivational talk
Gary Johnson
Session Three: Next Level LinkedIn – how to target new business and win more contracts from your contacts
Mike Roberts, Making Digital Real
Comfort break
Session Four: Using AI to get your business noticed and where it needs to be
Rob Dixon, Dixon AI
Wrapping up the days learning
Compere – Gary Johnson
Final opportunity to catch up with speakers, access free offers, and speak to the trade stand owners – and don’t forget to get your pro head and shoulders picture taken for LinkedIn in the main hall/dining room.
Event close
Know the rules. Avoid the risks. Grow with con dence.
When competition works well, everyone bene ts. Our ambition is to promote an environment where people have con dence in getting great choices and fair deals. This supports competitive businesses to innovate and thrive, helping the UK economy grow productively and sustainably.
Wherever your business is on its journey the CMA has information and guidance to support you.
• What you need to know and what you need to show when you are selling online
• How to treat your customers fairly and stay out of trouble
• How to use online reviews
• How can I collaborate and innovate with other businesses
• How to use social media in uencers to promote your business
• Understand your obligations when customers ask for a refund
• What to do if you think other businesses aren't competing fairly
Find out more at: www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-businesses or gov.uk/cma
Session breakdown
Session 1: The Science of Sales - your one-page blueprint, with Alison Fell.
To move from an ‘almost-ran’ to a market leader, you need more than just effort; you need a repeatable system. Alison Fell from Stockport-based SalesStar will guide you through the ‘high performance pathway’, a proven framework designed to move your business from under-performance to predictable success.
This interactive session focuses on the three critical pillars of clarity: sales analysis, the sales plan, and the sales process. Move beyond theory and get practical immediately as you build your own one-page sales plan, learn how to define your strategic growth intent, identify the leading activities required to hit your targets, and gain the certainty needed to ensure your business is firing on all cylinders.
Key takeaways:
• The sales reality check: conduct a rapid sales analysis to identify the true gap between your current revenue and your 2026 goals.
• The one-page blueprint: draft your own sales plan, including your strategic growth intent and 90-day strategic priorities.
• The maths of success: calculate your leading activity metrics, knowing exactly how many prospecting calls and meetings are required to smash your ‘deals required’ target.
• Strategic messaging: define the problems you solve and the gains you provide to ensure your market positioning is clear and compelling.
• Access to SalesStar’s strategic audit tool ready for attendees to use as a follow-up, offering which a deeper dive into their specific sales engine performance.
Session breakdown
Session 2: Perfecting Your Pitch – and how to sell more with sales guru, Ian Genius.
Most business owners believe their value is obvious. In their head their pitch is simple and clear, but to their ideal clients the sales message in unclear and complex, resulting in lost sales through confusion.
They want to tackle this…without being pushy and salesy.
This interactive session will help the audience ‘rethink’ their approach to sales by making one simple shift: stop trying to ‘sell’ and instead adapt their messaging so clients make smarter buying decisions.
With a playful nod to Darwin’s theory of evolution, our guest speaker Ian Genius, will show how today’s customer demands clarity, not pressure. The best salespeople aren’t the pushiest in fact, they’re the best at helping customers understand.
Key takeaways:
• Why traditional selling triggers resistance
• How to adapt your message so clients see the value and not just the price
• The real reason prospects ghost you, and how to stop it happening
• How to make your pitch 6-year-old-simple (without making the client feel stupid)
• A live example of the “Darwin Pitch Flip”
Session breakdown
Session 3: Next Level LinkedIn!
Not your average LinkedIn training, this is taking LinkedIn to the next level up, up, and beyond, to target new business and win more contracts – from your contacts!
An interactive session where attendees learn how to use LinkedIn with various, free, simple to use AI platforms. There will be NO slide deck, no PowerPoint – instead our speaker Mike Roberts, founder of Yorkshire-based Making Digital Real, will showcase live the power of these tools, inspiring the audience to re-think their interactions around LinkedIn.
Key takeaways:
The session will work through various topics including:
• The power of video messaging: how, why, when and what to do with messaging using VIDEO; the psychology, the engagement and cutting through the noise and pollution of more traditional sales pitches on LinkedIn.
• Using the power of AUDIO: turn a simple voice message from a client into a review VIDEO for your profile page.
• Collecting voice messages from your audience using a simple trick.
• Embedding video on to your landing page - creating a landing page - and hosting it for under £5 per month.
• Creating a unique lead magnet using AUDIO that is SO unique, no one in the room will have thought about this concept before!
Session breakdown
Session 4: AI to Drive the Sales Engine & Marketing Machine with Rob Dixon, Dixon AI
In this session, Rob Dixon explores how AI-powered content creation supports the sales engine and marketing machine, and why developing the right understanding of AI is now critical for business success.
Through a series of live demonstrations, attendees will see how AI can be used to create and transform content across multiple formats, including written content, imagery, audio, video, and podcast-style outputs.
Alongside the demonstrations, the session focuses on AI literacy - helping attendees understand how and why AI works in a sales and marketing context. Rob will explain why effective use of AI goes beyond individual tools, and how developing confidence in prompting, context, and workflow allows businesses to get better results as AI continues to evolve.
The session also looks at how AI-enabled content creation fits into wider sales and marketing activity, supporting clearer messaging, faster execution, and more effective customer engagement. The emphasis throughout is on practical application, relevance to real businesses, and using AI to enhancenot replace - existing sales and marketing efforts.
Key takeaways:
• How AI supports content sales and marketing activity
• Live examples of creating written, visual, audio, video, and podcast-style content using AI
• Why AI literacy is essential for getting long-term value from AI
• The importance of focusing on understanding and capability, not just tools
• Greater confidence in how AI can drive the sales engine and marketing machine
Gary Johnson
Your host for the day is Gary Johnson. Gary is both general manager at Nantwich Town Football Club and also runs his own business, Front Guy Gary, working as an event host, MC/compere, toastmaster, and as you will discover, is a stellar motivational speaker!
Compere Motivational Speaker
Guy Rands
Guy Rands is a neuro-affirming psychotherapist (MBACP), educator, and creative facilitator whose work sits at the intersection of science, education, and mental health practice.
Guy creates safe spaces for his clients, many of whom are neurodivergent, to be heard, understood, and valued. He works collaboratively alongside his clients as they make sense of their experiences and explore changes that feel right for them.
Working in person, online, and outdoors with individuals, parents, families, and teams, he supports people to notice patterns, strengths, and stories that often become clearer when people are given space to pause and reflect.
Guy teaches practical relationship-building skills, grounded in the belief that the quality of our relationships -- including our relationship with ourselves -- shapes how we experience our lives. He enjoys demystifying psychological therapy, helping it feel like an everyday, accessible, and proactive form of support.
His work centres on helping people recognise, trust, and act on their own lived experience, so that change grows in ways that are meaningful and sustainable.
Exhibitors
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
Our mission is to help smaller businesses survive through these difficult times and ultimately achieve their ambitions.
Members get an exclusive package of great value business services including advice, financial products and support. These cover a wide range of benefits such as tax, legal and HR, local network groups and business banking. You can find out more about these benefits by visiting our stand at Bootcamp today.
We don’t only provide fantastic membership benefits - FSB is also the UK’s leading business campaigner, focused on delivering change which supports smaller businesses to grow and succeed.
Come and have a chat today to see how we can support you, your business, your workforce and your ambitions and really help make your business fly!
www.fsb.org.uk
Colony Networking
Competition Markets Authority
The CMA is the UK’s competition and consumer protection watchdog, ensuring businesses of all sizes can compete fairly and grow. From guidance on consumer law responsibilities to advice for businesses looking to collaborate and scale-up, the CMA promotes the right conditions for success. Recent legal changes have strengthened the CMA’s enforcement powers, and the CMA wants to help businesses understand their responsibilities.
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/competitionand-markets-authority
Pinestar Ltd
No-Fluff Project Management Training offers straight-talking online courses for busy SMEs, focused on practical methods that work in real projects. Covering clear planning, realistic control, effective communication, and delivery, the courses avoid jargon and theory overload. Developed by Ian Wainwright, a project management professional with over 35 years’ experience, they are designed for managers who need practical project skills without formal training.
Colony Networking delivers traditional networking in a unique way! Each month, we host eight meetings throughout Manchester, Cheshire, North Wales and Merseyside. At every event, you’ll be assured two one-on-one meetings, enjoy a distinctive introduction round, and participate in an educational seminar.
Digitalnext Ventures Ltd
A Performance Digital Marketing Agency That Delivers
Digital Agency established in 2009, Digital Next’s performance marketing services have been the driving force behind some of the UK’s most prominent B2B and B2C digital marketing campaigns. With an agency team of over 40+ experienced digital agency marketing experts based in Manchester, we specialise in all aspects of online marketing techniques that give our client’s a leading competitive edge.
Made Smarter
Made Smarter offers UK SME manufacturers fully funded support to adopt the digital technologies they need to boost productivity, reduce waste, cut emissions, and drive innovation. Our support includes expert advice, grants, digital internships and skills & leadership training to help manufacturers use the right technologies in the right ways.
PhotoJENIX
PhotoJENIX, run by Jen and Nikki, brings over 20 years of experience in professional photography for businesses, teams and brands. We create natural, relaxed images that work across websites, LinkedIn and marketing, no awkward posing, no forced smiles.
At the exhibition, we’ll be offering complimentary headshots on the day, plus our event photobooth for relaxed team and group photos.
Come and say hello, have a chat, or leave with a headshot you’ll actually use.
Insight Leadership Solutions
Insight Leadership Solutions develops leaders who think clearly, act decisively and perform under pressure. Based in Wrexham and working across the UK, we coach senior professionals and teams to strengthen mindset, resilience and communication. Our work helps sales leaders and business teams stay focused, confident and effective when it matters most, turning pressure into performance and potential into results.
Zempler Bank
Banking for the crafters, grafters and self starters.
Frank Jay Chilli Shop Ltd