York Business Festival - Digital Thursday

Join us on Thursday at the York Business Festival with a focus on Digital Skills.

Explore our full programme for Thursday below. When booking your ticket, you will be able to choose your workshops and request an appointment with the Business & Law clinic. Please note that places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis.

Your ticket includes lunch and morning refreshments.

Programme

Registration and morning refreshments, 8.30am - 9.00am

AI as Your Business Support, 9.00am - 10.30am
Andrew Fairley, York St John University

AI is only effective when you first clarify what challenges are facing your business and therefore what aspect of AI will best support you in overcoming those challenges. This session will educate you further in which AI tools will best support you in increasing day to day efficiencies and giving you time back to focus on driving the business forward. The session will cover inputting risks, interjections, data security, prompting frameworks and evaluation.

Unlocking Business Opportunities with Data and AI, 10.30am - 12.00pm
Andrew Edge, Simpson Associates

This session is designed to support small/medium businesses uncover practical ways to leverage data and AI to drive growth and efficiencies. The session will explore how to identify your most important KPI's and business levers to support in data driven decision making. Importantly the session expands upon what data your business holds and it's not just about what's on an excel spreadsheet.

Then the session will walk through simple high level process mapping to pinpoint areas where data and AI can add real value through automation, insight generation or improved customer engagement. The approach is practical, jargon free and tailored to the realities of small/medium sized businesses. You will walk away with a clear framework for spotting opportunities, understanding where to start and how to align technology with business goals.

Cyber Security Masterclass, 12.00pm - 1.00pm
Thom Siron, Techscend

This session delves into how to protect yourself from Ransomware attacks, understand if your business domain is protected from Impersonation attack and understand what are the latest methods being utilised to attach your business and how best to mitigate against such problems faced by M&S, The Co-Op and Heathrow recently.

Lunch and expo, 1.00pm - 2.00pm

Marketing Masterclass, 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Steve Lowe, LocaliQ

Quite simply learn how to optimise website searches, understand the benifits and audience optimisation of the various online and printed platforms available and how AI can support you.

Strategy for Building a Sustainable Business, 3.30pm - 4.30pm
Cherie Federico, Aesthetica

In today's shifting landscape, business leaders need more than talent - they need a strategy to build a resilient and adaptable business model. This session will guide you through the key steps for growth, setting goals, understanding your audience, identifying revenue opportunities and navigating representation. You will gain practical insights into building visibility, securing funding and entering new markets.

If you would like to make a corporate booking for 3+ colleagues, please contact events@yorksj.ac.uk

Events Access & Inclusivity

At York St John University we are committed to making our events as welcoming and inclusive for as many people as possible.

If you are planning to attend one of our events and have specific access requirements, including wheelchair access, then please contact us by e: events@yorksj.ac.uk or t: 01904 876318 and we will make every effort to accommodate you.

If you need a suitable seat reserved for you (and your companions), please let us know, preferably at least one week before the event. Sign language interpreters and real-time captioning may be requested in advance. Please contact us as soon as possible (ideally at least 3 weeks before the date of the event) if you require either BSL interpretation or captioning. We will try our best but cannot guarantee provision.

Parking

There is no parking for any vehicles on site and ANPR cameras are in operation 24/7.

We have a small number of Blue Badge spaces available, these spaces can only be used if guests have pre registered their number plates by emailing events@yorksj.ac.uk.

Registering your details does not guarantee a space, as they operate on a first come, first served basis. Please ensure your blude badge is displayed clearly in the vehicle.

Privacy Policy

York St John University will use the data you submit in Eventbrite for the purposes of administering this event. York St John University utilises third party software for data storage, tracking and analysis activity but your details will not be used by any of these third parties in order to contact you. Any data you share with us will be used to help us improve your event experience and for event tracking and analysis activity within the University.

We will only send you important information and reminders related to the event you have booked unless you tell us otherwise. During the booking process, if you opt-in to receive emails about the latest events hosted and supported by York St John University, you consent to York St John University contacting you with relevant information.

If you no longer wish to hear from us you can opt-out at any time by changing your contact preferences via the link in emails you receive from us or by emailing events@yorksj.ac.uk.