Today registration opened for the first ever Amazon Academy in Scotland, taking place on Tuesday 23rd May at the EICC, The Exchange, Edinburgh, EH3 8EE.
The free one-day event features keynote presentations and workshops from experts and entrepreneurs alike to give practical support and guidance for Scottish small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) wanting to grow their businesses online, and is being run in conjunction with renowned small business network Enterprise Nation, who provide support for more than 70,000 SMEs across the UK.
Scottish SMEs, start-ups and web developers are invited to attend, where they’ll learn how to use the power of the internet and technology to boost their revenue and productivity, and grow their exports. Workshops will include:
· How to boost export sales and go global through Amazon Marketplace
· How to use cloud computing to be lean, fast and agile through Amazon Web Services
· How to bring innovative new products to market through Amazon Launchpad
· How to reach new customers through Alexa, Amazon’s exciting new cloud-based voice service
Thousands of local businesses in Scotland are already taking advantage of Amazon’s suite of services to help them reach new global customers, including supporting them with managing currency exchange, local translations and providing global delivery and distribution.
As a result, businesses of all sizes can sell globally across Amazon’s eleven websites in seven languages to reach hundreds of millions of customers. Total UK exports by UK businesses through Amazon Marketplace amounted to £1.8 billion last year.
‘Scotland has a long history of invention, and today that heritage is on full display as a new generation of small businesses are using internet technologies to fuel Scotland’s fast growing digital economy,’ said Doug Gurr, UK country manager, Amazon.
‘There are big opportunities for Scottish SMEs to grow through e-commerce and exports, and we look forward to bringing together established and aspiring small businesses to discuss how to maximise their success.’
The event follows the release of the Q1 SME Growth Tracker, a quarterly report by Capital Economics commissioned by Amazon and Enterprise Nation that tracks the confidence of businesses across the UK. The SME Growth Tracker found that Scottish SMEs are expecting business conditions to improve in the next 12 months, with revenue growth projections of +1.5 per cent, profit growth of +1.0 per cent, and jobs growth of +0.8 per cent in the coming 12 months.
‘By developing their digital credentials, Scottish SMEs can stand shoulder to shoulder with businesses around the world. Getting support in digital technology can be a challenge for small businesses but through events like the Amazon Academy, that help is available and accessible for companies who want to expand their horizons and push the boundaries of their trade to a global level,’ says Emma Jones MBE, founder of Enterprise Nation.
Further reading
