What happened at WES 2009?

The theme: What about your business keeps you awake at night?

Inspiration

We had a wonderful line up of speakers including Jan Muehlfeit, the European Chairman of Microsoft, John Elkington, Founder Sustainability and Founder & CEO of Volans, Vicky Pryce, Joint Head UK Government Economic Services and Chief Economic Adviser, BERR, David Pitt-Watson, Chair, Hermes Equity Partners, Duncan Grossart, Founder and CEO Imagesource and Al Lukies, Founder and CEO Monitise.  They talked about what keeps them awake at night and answering your questions on solving your business challenges.

Creative conversations

The WES approach to workshops is participant-centred.  We do not design sessions for people to talk at you.  Instead, each workshop, however large or small it was, focused on helping you to solve the challenges that are keeping you awake at night.

Action and networking

Speed networking helped delegates to meet as many people as possible and an investor forum made sure that delegates could introduce themselves to investors and set times to talk with them in more detail.  The Kaospilots NL provoked delegates into thinking straight while Group Partners used visual art to help structure thinking so that people stop solving the wrong problems really well!  Two sessions for women addressed issues of taking and using advice and setting out on a growth path, while sessions on Africa and sustainability helped people to understand how to grow businesses in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.