Dear , 

A final reminder for the ITS UK SME and Start-Up Conference, taking place on the 5 December (10am - 4pm).  

Held at WSP’s Offices in Birmingham, the Conference will hear from Martin Traynor OBE, Small Business Crown Representative at the Cabinet Office, the Government's leading official for SMEs, as well as from representatives from the Department for Transport, National Highways, Connected Places Catapult, the Crown Commercial Service and more!

Following the Conference, ITS UK will be hosting a Christmas Drinks Reception nearby in Birmingham, supported by Clearview Intelligence; a great opportunity to network and meet other ITS professionals ahead of the festive period. 

Find out more about both events below - we hope to see you there!

Kind regards,

ITS UK

SMEs constitute 99% of all companies in the UK, making them of critical importance to the economy. In transport, SMEs and start-ups are vital across all modes, acting as a source of new thinking & ideas and supporting jobs and investment in local communities.

The SME and Start-Up Conference seeks to explore how we can create the right environment from which smaller transport technology businesses can thrive. Taking place at WSP’s Offices in Birmingham on 5 December, we will explore what Government at different levels, transport authorities and the private sector is doing to support a dynamic and flourishing SME and start up community.

We will feature a number of key note and panel sessions focused on exploring key issues of pertinence to the SME and start-up community, followed by workshops on how industry and Government can work together in future. The full detailed agenda is available to view below.  

Agenda 

10:00 – 10:30: Arrivals, networking, teas and coffee

10:30 – 10:35: Welcome, ITS UK Chief Executive Max Sugarman

10:35 – 10:40: Overview from Hosts: Catherine Whitfield, Associate Director, Intelligent Transport Services, WSP

10:40 – 11:10: Keynote: Martin Traynor OBE, Small Business Crown Representative

11:10 – 11:55: Panel: How can we best support start-ups and SMEs: The Clients & Government View, with:

Robert Vaughan, SME Lead at the Department for Transport
Steve Sopp, Senior Category Lead – Transport Technology Services, Crown Commercial Services
Ghaith Al-Werikat, Senior Supplier Development Manager, National Highways
Alisdair Ritchie, Head of SME Development, Connected Places Catapult

12:10 – 12:55: Panel: How can we best support start-ups and SMEs: The Tier One and Consultant View

Sean Campbell, Head of ITS Frameworks, WSP
Mo Dakri, Technical Director Amey
Nick Fearnhead, Head of Project Mobilisation and Technology Services, Balfour Beatty

12:55 – 1:40: Panel: How we can best support the growth of the sector: The SME and Start Up View, with:

Gabriel Jacobson, CEO, Valerann
Peter Cattell, Technical Director, Clearview Intelligence
Damian Horton, Co-Founder, Eloy
Andrew Caleya Chetty, Starling Technologies

1:40- 2:40: Lunch

2:40 – 3:10:  Workshop 1: Moving Forward: What can we take away from today?

The Conference will break into three groups exploring procurement, finance and funding and partnerships

3:10 – 3:40: Workshop 2: Moving Forward: What can we take away from today?

The Conference will break into three groups exploring procurement, finance and funding and partnerships

3:40 – 4:00: Reporting back, next steps and concluding remarks

Please sign up for the event by registering to attend here or via the button below.  

Taking place straight after the SME and Start Up Conference, at WSP in Birmingham, we will be hosting an informal drinks reception at the nearby Canal House, in partnership with Clearview Intelligence.

Come and join us at Canal House (a short walk from the Mailbox) to enjoy some informal networking from 5.30pm!

If you have registered for the SME & Start Up Conference, we ask that you register for this event as well, so we have an idea of numbers.