Expand your digital

East Lancashire’s first ever EXPAND digital conference will take place on Thursday 19 May from 8am – 12pm at the Burnley College Princess Way campus in partnership with digital specialists LDA.

With the expansion of digital in every sector, organisers are keen to point out that this event will centre around digital for ‘non-digital’ people; an industry-focused event with a difference.

EXPAND digital is setting out to show the business owners and employers of East Lancashire that digital is nothing to be scared of. Digital is changing the shape of industry across the UK and this conference will showcase the positive position East Lancashire business are in to take advantage of the opportunities available for them.

“EXPAND digital is very much a non-conference,” said director of Themis, Simon Jordan, who will be presenting the day’s events.

“The whole experience will be a lively and interactive forum for employers and individuals to find out more about the digital landscape. Digital is a vitally important channel and will continue to grow in scope and importance for everyone. EXPAND digital offers the opportunity to gain insight and skills in all digital fields from building brand awareness and growing revenue to improving the customer experience. Digital can influence overall business success, and we want to help East Lancashire businesses to thrive.”

In an exciting departure from the traditional conference format, EXPAND digital will take place within the Burnley College campus with a digital innovation showcase, drop-in sessions and business-led workshops available to delegates to pick up the information that’s vital to them.

Hosting a specialist breakout session on Digital Marketing will be Andrew Frost, Digital Marketing Manager at Daisy Communications. He said: “EXPAND digital will be the perfect jumping-off point for businesses who aren’t digitally-minded to begin to find out how digital can really benefit their organisations. What makes this event unique is its refreshing approach. It’s a digital event by real digital experts for non-digital people and that’s why I’m so excited to be a part of it, sharing my expertise among some of East Lancashire’s most successful businesses.”

Also, a 'Question Time' style panel featuring industry experts will include lively debate and audience questions about the future, scope and application of digital for all businesses, including SMEs. Taking part in the debate will be Digital Futurologist from The Drum Michael Ryan, John Corner of The Landing, Media City, representatives from disruptive online banking corporate MBNA and Cath Rogan of local business Smart Garment People.

Specialist workshop sessions will run alongside EXPAND digital led by local and national businesses who gained success through the adoption of digital processes. Guiding these unique sessions will be:

• Stokers Fine Furniture – discussing the transformation of their digital strategy to grow revenue • Daisy Group – looking at the way the organisation use digital content to grow their brand and attract a stronger customer base • Thingimijigs – The story of a successful and local ebay shop that transformed into a £1.5m international online business • Pizza Hut Restaurants– How to creatively transform a well-known brand via digital channels Tickets are £35 and are available to book direct from the EXPAND digital website www.expandyourdigital.com