Small, medium and micro businesses lie at the heart of the UK’s future, and on 21 November 2024, the prestigious National Enterprise Network’s Annual Conference and Awards took place, in association with Barclays and supported by UMi. The event celebrated MSME success and debated how enterprises can lead the country back to economic growth.

The event was hosted by Oli Barrett, a well-known connector and entrepreneur, and was held at Eagle Labs at x+why, Birmingham. It featured a host of speakers from across the UK and Europe for a series of panel debates, workshops and keynote speeches which discussed enterprise growth and its crucial contributions to the economy. 

They included:

• Liz Barclay, the UK’s Small Business Commissioner
• William Hobbs, Head of UK Multi Asset Wealth, Barclays
• Simon Goon, Chief Technology & Investment Officer, UMi
• Harry Goldman, CEO, Nyforelager Centrum, from Sweden
• Diederick Van Der Wijk, Co founder, Forward Inc, from Amsterdam

Read more about the 2024 conference here:

• NEN Annual Conference brings together government, industry and international partners to focus on supporting the UK’s micro and small business sector to thrive
• Micro and small businesses call on govt for co-ordinated business support programme
• 30 year campaign to fix ‘late payment’ culture welcomes new fair payment code
• Achieving Success – 1% at a time
• Investing in Workplace Mental Health support boosts businesses

 

NEN supports all organisations that provide enterprise support for start-ups, small and micro-businesses, enabling economic growth and improving lives in communities across the UK. On the day, attendees connected with chief executives, senior decision makers, influencers from the wider enterprise sector, representatives from enterprise agencies across the UK and Europe, chambers of commerce, key industry stakeholders, local authorities, government advisors and growth hubs.

• The Winners of the NEN Awards 2024 were also announced on the day! Find the winners here.