The modern consumer with a mobile phone is carrying a device capable of things we could scarcely imagine just 20 years ago, and their expectations are sky high. Just how should today’s business owner respond to the connected customer?

Working Digital Day 1 gives you the chance to make sense of the digital revolution with some unbeatable insight and data from communications regulator OFCOM, helping you understand consumers like never before and giving you critical edge over your competition.

Gillian Reith from Three Sisters Bake returns to the Working Digital stage with a story of business growth packed with practical tips to get results from digital channels and our headliner Helen Langdon from Innocent gives you a rare chance to hear from a world renowned brand.

Hosted by NSDesign’s duo of Gary Ennis and Colin Kelly, we’ll begin with a welcome from Sharon Hodgson from East Ayrshire Council.

@nsdesign | @colinkelly | @eacbeready | @InvestEA | @eastayrshire

Any successful business owner will understand the value of research. Our speaker, from communications regulator OFCOM, presents compelling insight into how 3-15 year olds are spending their time. The devices they use, how they interact and where they go for information and entertainment. Understanding the next generation will give your business a valuable edge. 21% of 3-4 year olds have their own tablet – 77% of 12-15 year olds spend an average of 12 hours a week playing video games and the same age group says they’d turn to YouTube first for any content that was important to them.

OFCOM’s Alan Stewart is your trusted guide for a fast moving, fascinating insight into the lives of the young people your business must engage if it is to survive.

@Ofcom

We first met Gillian Reith from Three Sisters Bake at Working Digital 1 in 2013 and her story of how she and her sisters launched their business and grew a huge following from scratch was packed with practical tips and advice that every business could follow. Now, by popular demand, she’s back with details of what’s happened over the last 5 years. Hint: There are babies, books, Holly and Phil and lots of baking!

@3SistersBake

The first of our local business spotlight sessions features 2 very different organisations with one common objective – to build better relationships with their target audiences through digital engagement.  Conducted in a Q&A style you’ll hear from Fiona Davies from Corrine Smith Design and Alison Tait from Break the Silence.  The former creates bespoke jewellery, selling internationally through a wide mix of digital channels, and the latter supports victims of abuse, reaching out through digital to not just the victims, but stakeholders, fundraisers, and government.

@BTS_Scotland | @csmithdesign

Worksmart Contracts are not only the principle sponsors of Working Digital this year, they are also a leading example of a company which embraces all things digital.  You’ll hear from Derek Mair as to their reasons for sponsoring the event (again!), as well as some of the digital tactics and initiatives they use to engage their own B2B customers and staff.

@WorkSmartLtd

As Head of Digital and Communities at innocent, it’s Helena Langdon’s job to entertain innocent’s fans on their social channels, to attract new ones, and to listen to them when they have something to say.

Her keynote explains how innocent has always been a social brand, even before Facebook existed, and will illustrate the many ways innocent has placed its drinkers firmly at the heart of its business, showing how a willingness to communicate openly and naturally with the people who buy your stuff has proved invaluable to innocent’s digital success. It will also show you how to make a stapler go viral. So it’s worth coming along for that, if nothing else.

@helenalangdon | @innocent

Loyalty is the key word for Working Digital Day 2.

How do you get customers coming back again, and again and how can you monetise a social media fan-base? How can a website and physical retail space complement each other?

Joanna Steele from Dimax has helped some of the biggest brands on the high street answer those questions and Robert Gillespie from Swiipi will help you exploit new platforms and channels to the fullest, while operating within the tough new data protection laws.

Our event comes to a close with Stephen Whitelaw’s fast paced and highly popular ‘Future Of Commerce (Not Just E)’ which will leave you bursting with ideas and enthusiasm to take your business to new heights into the next decade and beyond.

@nsdesign | @colinkelly | @eacbeready | @InvestEA | @eastayrshire

Customer Experience Strategist Joanna Steele lives and breathes digital retail and since 2000 has been helping some of the biggest brands on the high street such as Argos and Mothercare build online communities and thrive through their use of digital. Her session will be packed with ideas and quick wins to help your business get a bigger slice of the action. If you’ve ever wished more people would walk through your door or wondered how to turn a Facebook following into money in the till…you can’t afford to miss this.

@MissSteele | @argos_online | ‏@dimax_digital

Acquiring a customer is hard enough. When you do, you should do wherever you can to keep them coming back again and again.

Robert Gillespie, Head of Marketing at Swipii has built a career helping businesses build loyal customer bases and segmenting their audiences through digital channels. But how do you turn the data into repeat footfall and increased spend? Learn easy to follow tips and tricks from one of the masters, all while operating within the new data protection regulations.

@Swipiicard

The second of our local business spotlight sessions includes 2 well known business owners with prominent town centre premises, but who reach far beyond the walls of their shops.  Have your questions ready for Karen Lindsay (Flowers by Karen) and Craig Hume (Utopia Computers), as they give an insight into how digital trading compliments their real world efforts.  You’ll hear about the value of Facebook to convert word of mouth referrals, and how being the victim of a digital hack could be just around the corner.

@Fbkgirls | @CraigHume_ | @UtopiaComputers

He was rated the top speaker at Working Digital back in 2013, and he’s back to wow us with another fast and furious seminar on the topic of commerce, and how it will look in the future.

From the latest advancements in Virtual Reality to enhance your website, to the hidden tech that’s being embedded into real world stores to improve the shopping experience.  With insights into Ratings and Reviews, Social Selling, Customer Avatars, Mobile Commerce, Gamification and more, Stephen Whitelaw will challenge the traditional nature of retail, and take you on a journey to the future of commerce (online and off), where digital engagement is key.

@toowist