startups

This is a guest blog by Joyce Sullivan / Social Media Week.

I hear the weather was dreadful in London on Monday morning but the talks and conversations sparkled at Using Social To Go Global Supported by Open to Export.

The session kicked off with Sam Michel of Chinwag aka @toodlepip welcoming all with a ‘meet your neighbour’ greet.

Philip Montague @PhilSMEin of hibu kicked off the morning talks by first sharing a boyhood memory how he confidently jumped off the back of his grandfather’s sailboat to swim to secure the dinghy line that came undone. Though confident he could make the journey on his own, he realised he needed help to get back to the boat. Lesson learned: as confident as you may be, you may need some help with your journey. Philip’s intro framed the mission for Open to Export how they help UK businesses navigate their product export potential.

Social Media Week September is almost upon us, next week, and for one year only, London’s playing host to its second week-long festival of all things social.

There’s stack of events, virtually of them free, to choose from, but with just a couple of days to go, spaces are getting snapped up fast. Fortunately a whole heap of events have been added in the last few days.

In a bid to find to navigate the schedule and provide a few pointers, I’ve rummaged through the list of events and picked out a few choice nuggets in a range of topics. Enjoy perusing them, and make sure you snap up a ticket quick smart!

On to the events...

Want to take your business global? An free half-day event next Monday during Social Media Week London, might be just what you're after. Find out how to use social media, online communities and collaborative tools can help build your company’s international business.

Opening with a spot of networking over coffee, we’ll discover Open to Export, the exciting new service from UK Trade & Investment and Yell, which help small fast-growing firms find the answers they need to develop their global potential.

Hear from We Are Social, Naked Wines, Nokia on how they used social technology to ‘go global’. Find out what hurdles they had to overcome, what worked, what didn’t and quiz them on their plans for the future at this free event.

SMWLDN is holding its first Fashion Day, kindly supported by Nokia, on Thurs 27 Sept from 9am-6:30pm at the Sport, Entertainment & Cultural Hub @ Engine.

Fashion Day, powered by Nokia, takes an in-depth look at the impact of social media on the fashion world. Taking it from the perspective of designers, journalists, and high street brands. How is data shaping the business? How new social networks such as Pinterest, and Fancy influencing the industry? All these questions and more will be addressed in this fashion-devoted day!

The day will be split in to four sessions focusing on different areas, starting with trends, followed by social media best practice, we'll then be taking a lunchtime break where some of the UK's leading fashion start-ups will be showcasing their wares. After lunch, we'll look at engagement and influence and finally, the social future of fashion.

If that's not enough, there's also a fantastic competition where you could win a trip to LA! More below...