The first Internet Retailing Expo (IRX) will be held this March. In the run-up to the event, to be held at Birmingham’s NEC on March 23 and 24, we’ll be taking a weekly look at what IRX has to offer multichannel and online retailers as well as other industry professionals. Over coming weeks we’ll also be running a series of interviews with some of the key speakers at the event.
This week we’re taking a look at Internet Retailing’s Insights Conference, an event that puts the focus on smaller businesses selling online, from SMEs to eBay Powersellers. It aims to inspire, equip business owners and managers with new tools and strategies for growth, thanks to a host of expert speakers who will share their advice and experiences of selling online.
Julie Meyer, a dragon on the BBC’s Online Dragons Den and the chief executive of Ariadne Capital will open the conference on March 23 as keynote speaker. Meyer is known as an entrepreneur who in 1998 co-founded networking community First Tuesday, and has gone on to found investment and advisory firm Ariadne Capital, which she continues to head, as well as Entrepreneur Country, a dedicated community for entrepreneurs, investors, the media and corporate partners.
And entrepreneurs will feature prominently over the course of the day-and-a-half-long conference. Those sharing their own experiences of building ecommerce businesses will include Nick Wheeler, founder of Charles Tyrwhitt, looking at how to identify mistakes and learn from them, and Mohammed Hussain, managing director of Mobile Fun, on how his company has addressed the opportunities and challenges of trading across borders to succeed in the largest three EU countries.
David Cresswell, ecommerce manager and co-founder of leading online comic store Comic Domain and Peter Lilley, managing director of online retailer TrueShopping and founder of sports injury website PhysioRoom.com, will give a practical overview of how to choose the best ecommerce platform for your business, and what questions to ask.
Other expert speakers over the course of the conference, which finishes at 12 noon on March 24, include Eric Broussard, VP International Seller Services, of Amazon Services Europe, and Jude O’Reilley, of Amazon Payments. Speakers from Time+Space, Fact-Finder and Aspin will discuss how retailers can use on-site search to turn visitors into shoppers.
The Internet Retailing Insights Conference is free to attend, and forms part of the Internet Retailing Expo, where some 120 suppliers to the industry are expected to exhibit. Attendance is free but visitors are advised to register in advance in order to gain faster entry.
Click here for more information or for free registration for the event.
