A micro festival for start ups, entrepreneurs, innovators…and anyone with a big idea!
Join us for a day of activities and events to help you get your big idea off the ground. From researching your idea to pitching to a panel. Plus play around with 3D printing, electronic music making with Noise Orchestra, and the Internet of Things in the Ideas Room!
Book your place now. Like any festival it isn’t possible to attend everything so you need to choose and book each event individually.
Mike Ryan, Futurist:
Mike Ryan is a highly successful entrepreneur and digital futurist. A born disruptor, he eats, lives and breathes future thinking and has helped many large organisations on their future strategy. Mike will be talking about the big ideas coming our way!
Researching Your Big Idea
Mareike Vogt, Senior Business Development Associate at Euromonitor will be demonstrating how you can use market research to develop your plans, and gain a competitive advantage.
Funding Your Big Idea
There are many ways to fund your business idea including crowdfunding, start up loans, venture capital and business angels. We’ll be announcing the panel soon
Keynote Speaker: Robert Twigger on Micromastery
Robert Twigger is amongst many other things, the author of Micromastery. He has given talks on leadership, innovation and motivation to Procter and Gamble, Oracle computing, Maersk shipping, SAB Miller, Oxford Brookes University and many others. Get inspired at this talk to learn small, learn fast, and find the hidden path to happiness!
Protecting Your Big Idea: from patent to profit
Not taking the right steps to protect your Intellectual Property can be disastrous! Our panel of experienced IP attorneys will take your questions and offer tips to help you navigate the sometimes complicated areas of protecting your work.
My Big Idea: get inspired by people who have done it!
Featuring Ravi Bhavsar from DarkStar Leather Works, who started with a few scraps of high quality leather, some late nights in the garage and a desire to create unique accessories that merged form and function. Now they have a successful business selling high end leather goods.
Build Your Social Media Strategy with Google
Learn from Google how to optimise your online presence using the power of social media
How to Pitch Your Big Idea
Business author and former BBC TV journalist Steve Rawling gives you insights and tools to help you structure your next pitch.
The Big Ideas Pitch!
If you’re ready to get started this is your chance to pitch in front of a panel of funders & entrepreneurs, including Sacha Atherton from Premier Parents Ltd. We’ve got some great prizes provided by WeWork, Virgin Atlantic, Crowdcube, ADV & StartUpu – regional provider of Virgin StartUp.
Screw It, Just Do It: Meet Up In Manchester
Virgin StartUp are also holding an event in the evening, Screw It, Just Do It featuring a panel of entrepreneurs including Social Chain, Luke Massie from Vibe Tickets, and Sacha Atherton from Premier Parents Ltd. Please note there is a charge to attend this event.