With businesses becoming increasingly reliant on the successful use of social media to grow, Barclays is staging an event next week highlighting some of its more effective tools.
Called Leading in the Digital Age – the use of Intelligent Social Media, the event at UWE’s Frenchay Campus near Bristol on Wednesday evening will hear from experts on how they have harnessed the power of the social media, what they have learnt in this rapidly-changing environment and how it has influenced their businesses. 
They will also lift the lid on current trends in social media and look ahead at how they will be engaging with it in the future.
The keynote speaker is Kate Doodson, executive director of Cosmic Ethical IT, one of the region’s leading social enterprises and recognised across the UK for its achievements and on-going development in digital inclusion.
Kate confesses to being a girl geek, having spent 14 years in the IT industry, many of them running a wholly female-owned IT business.
Kate will then join a panel debate with local entrepreneurs Dan Martin, editor of Businesszone.co.uk and founder of The Pitch business competition, and James Lott, co-founder, managing director of social enterprise Working Knowledge, which creates chances for young people to open doors into employment, and Catrin MacDonnell, co-director of deli and catering firm Papadeli, along with Lewis Hunt, Barclays Digital Eagle, YouTube specialist.
Audience members will then be able to quiz Kate and the panelists in a Q&A session.
The evening will also present the opportunity for a number of companies to have Digital Business Reviews undertaken by Barclays Digital Eagles. These must be pre-booked.
The event runs from 6pm to 8.30pm and will include networking, a light buffet and drinks.
For more information or to pre-book for a Digital Business Reviews contact sara.appleton@barclays.com
