Welsh Alumni National Conference

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09:30 Breakfast and registration 

Tea, coffee, and networking.

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10:00 welcome address

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10:10 Lessons in Growth and Innovation: What Building Four Businesses Has Taught Me

Every business journey brings valuable lessons. In this inspiring opening keynote, Help to Grow: Management alumna, Lisa Hicks shares insights from more than 20 years of building and growing successful businesses, showing how curiosity, innovation and strategic thinking can unlock opportunity and sustained growth. From launching her first business in Wales to inventing a patented product, securing investment on Dragons’ Den and building an internationally recognised sustainable brand, her story offers clear, real-world lessons for SME leaders navigating growth at any stage.

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10:50 Resilience Redefined: A Smarter Way to Lead and Grow

The idea of simply “pushing through” pressure is no longer enough for today’s business environment and can often work against performance and growth.

Leadership coach Annie Thompsett explores how resilience is really built: through clearer thinking, better decision-making and the ability to stay steady under pressure. Drawing on leadership psychology and neuroscience, this session shares evidence-based approaches that help leaders respond more effectively in demanding situations. You’ll leave with simple tools to improve focus, judgement and confidence when leading through uncertainty.

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11:15 How Welsh SMEs are adapting to a changing employment landscape

Rising employment costs, shifting expectations and rapid technological change are reshaping how SMEs build and manage their teams.

This panel brings together SME leaders and specialists in HR, finance and digital adoption to explore what is changing across the employment landscape and how businesses are responding in real time. The discussion will highlight where pressure points are emerging, what is working in practice, and how leaders can adapt their approach to people, skills and productivity with greater clarity and confidence.

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12:00 Lunch

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13:00 Workshop session 1

Marketing made simple

With so many channels available, knowing where to focus effort and budget is a constant challenge for SMEs. This session shows how to simplify marketing decisions and focus on what actually drives growth.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify the marketing channels that best support business objectives, target audience, and growth ambitions
• Prioritise the marketing activities that are most likely to deliver results, making the best use of time and budget
• Leave with a practical one-page marketing action plan, including clear priorities and next steps to implement immediately

Making AI fit the business you already have

AI is often positioned as something businesses must adopt quickly, but value only comes when it is applied in the right places. This session helps you step back and assess where AI genuinely supports your business.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify where AI can create value within your business, from improving processes and efficiency to supporting wider growth opportunities.
• Evaluate where AI fits across existing tasks, workflows and business activities.
• Leave with practical questions and considerations to assess AI opportunities, including risks around quality, trust, responsibility and long-term reliance on AI tools

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13:50 Movement break

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14:00 roundtables

You will have the opportunity to join a facilitated roundtable discussion on a topic that matters most to you. Select your preferred discussion themes via the registration form.

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14:50 movement break

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15:00 Workshop session 2

Building a sales engine for growth

Many SMEs grow through the founder’s expertise and personal network. Relying on a small number of people to drive sales can quickly limit growth as demand increases. This session helps you build a structured, repeatable sales approach that can be used across your business including lead generation, managing a sales funnel and improving conversions.

You’ll explore:

• Practical approaches for transferring sales knowledge, building capability in others and creating a business that doesn’t depend on the proprietor closing every deal.
• Sales metrics that matter most, including conversion rates, pipeline value, win rates and customer acquisition costs.
• Using AI to streamline prospect research, customer communication and bid preparation.

Strategy when the ground keeps shifting

Markets, customer needs, and business priorities are constantly changing, making it difficult to know where to focus. This session helps you recognise and adapt your strategy whilst staying focused on your long-term goals.

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognise the strategy your business is already following and identify where greater focus is needed.
• Make more deliberate strategic decisions using simple frameworks to evaluate opportunities, risks and priorities.
• Respond to change without losing direction by identifying one clear strategic priority and the next step to move your business forward.

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16:00 LEssons learned and Closing remarks

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16:30 Doors close

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Please note: speakers, timings or format of our events may change due to circumstances beyond our control. We will inform delegates of any changes at the earliest opportunity.