Held at the iconic University of Suffolk waterfront building overlooking Ipswich’s marina, our FSB Bootcamp is packed full of hands-on workshops from leading local businesses and Google, to help you build value into your small business. You’ll learn to reimagine the way you promote and grow your business - from branding and PR through to sales, social media, and digital advertising. And to close the day, we’re hosting an epic event to celebrate our anniversary – with entertainment, networking opportunities and, of course, plenty of celebration cake!
Want to get your business in front of the region’s best small businesses? We also have low-cost exhibiting opportunities too! Starting from just £75, secure yours today before they’re all snapped up!
The Workshops
Mining for gold: The Sales Pipeline
This workshop explores modern approaches and sales practices, equipping you with the tools you need to build strong client relationships and a solid sales pipeline.
You’ll learn the foundations of mapping out or rethinking your Sales Pipeline, setting new goals and objectives in the process. This practical workshop will teach you how to guide prospects through various sales stages, from inception to closure, driving potential customers toward a purchase.
Andrew Bracking is a local sales specialist with Sales Geek. With over 20 years’ of business leadership experience, Andrew has held senior roles with Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, and BMW MINI. In his time, Andrew has helped businesses with multi-million-pound losses become highly profitable enterprises.
Lisa Ansell is Sales Geek's Sales Director in Essex. Lisa is described as the female Harvey Spectre (The Best Closer in the City: Suits) she is the world’s most reluctant salesperson. So much so that she wrote the book on it; literally, authoring, “Pull NOT Push – A revolution in selling for people who hate it!
Sparkle and Shine: The experts’ guide to brilliant branding and PR
Your brand is far more than a logo – the way your business looks and communicates plays an important part in winning and retaining business. Which is why it’s important to know the key steps in reviewing, refining, and amplifying your brand. Our hands-on workshop will help you carry out your own brand audit and secure vital coverage in the media to share your brand story and reach new customers.
Grace Boughton established Boughton Marketing in February 2023, providing email marketing and brand management support for SMEs. Grace is a CIM-qualified marketer and specialises in the delivery of digital campaigns and email automation on multiple CRM platforms.
50 Shades of Gold: Unleashing the Power of Seductive Content on LinkedIn
Fringe Event – taking place at the LinkedIn Professional stand during registration and lunch
In a world where attention is worth more than gold, mastering the art of captivating content and online visibility is key.
Come and listen to LinkedIn influencer and photographer, Steve Wright, and LinkedIn trainer, Mark Wright, share some 24 Carat tips at break-neck speed - that's 24 golden tips in 24 minutes! Tips that you can implement and make your social media and LinkedIn content shimmer in this 50 Shades of Gold event.
Based on tried and tested processes, they’ll guide you through the online maze to transform your content and presence - from killer headlines to magnetic visuals, they'll explore every shade of gold that makes content irresistible.
Golden Nuggets from Google: Social media strategy
This session, delivered by Google, will explore the value of social media and help you understand how to build a social media strategy into your business plan. You will learn how social media can help you reach new customers online, the building blocks of a simple social media strategy, and tools that can help you save time when creating social posts.
Golden Nuggets from Google: Digital advertising
Our partners, Google, will help you learn how digital advertising can play an important role in your marketing strategy. Whether you’re struggling to get started or wanting to build on your knowledge, this workshop will teach you the basics of search, social, and display advertising. In this session you will learn what search advertising is and how to get started, different approaches to social media advertising, and how you can use display advertising in a campaign.
FSB Golden anniversary celebration
We will round up the day with a networking event to celebrate FSB's golden anniversary. You'll have the chance to make new connections and join us in celebrating 50 years of supporting small businesses.
The celebration event will include light bites and refreshments. Attendees will need to purchase their own lunch - there are a range of options on site and several cafes in walking distance.
We have kept the tickets cost low so it's as affordable as possible for small businesses. FSB member tickets are £10 and non-member tickets are £15. Tickets are likely to sell quickly, so make sure you secure yours early to avoid disappointment. Please note ticket sales will end at 9am on the 17th April.
Car parking : Unfortunately, there is no parking at the University but the venue is close to several public car parks, including Athena Hall, Fore Street and Duke Street. The station is around a twenty-minute walk.
Accessibility Information: The venue is fully accessible.
Running Order
9:00 am- 9:45 am Registration
10:00 am - 11: 10 am Yellow Group Branding and PR Blue Group Sales workshop
11:25 am - 12:35 pm Yellow Group Sales workshop Blue Group Branding and PR
12:35 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Yellow GroupGoogle - Social media strategy Blue Group Google - Digital advertising
2:50 pm - 3:50 pm Yellow Group - Google Digital advertising Blue Group - Google Social media strategy
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Networking event
Exhibitors:
FSB, The LinkedIn Professional, Aromatic Answers Ltd, Combat2Coffee CIC, Unleashed Digital, React Computer Partnership, ISSBA, Level Up Print Limited, Heart of Suffolk Distillery, Humber Doucy Brewing Co Ltd, Steel Consult, Lighthouse Personnel, Attendable, Smash Marketing, SpotDev, Psynergy Consulting Limited, Penny Morgan Photography, Veterans Foundation, Drive Alive UK Ltd, Mindset-HR, AnyIT Ltd, University of Suffolk, Sales Geek, Niche Cocktails, Google, Boughton Marketing.
Interested in our Bootcamp series? See our other Bootcamps across the UK here.
Please note: no cash will be taken on the day and that places must be pre-booked.
Event contact
For general enquiries regarding the event, please contact Rachel McCook on [email protected]
