FutureBiz Conference

Main Stage

Discovery Stage

Main Stage

09:30

Emerging Retail Trends – how are customers spending on the High Street?

Nicki Butler

Sales & Marketing Manager | Beauclair Ltd

Discovery Stage

09:30

Immersive Tech – the future is NOT always five years away

Steve Wells

Futurist and Founder | Informing Choices Ltd

Main Stage

10:30

Employment Law and HR 2026: What Smart Businesses Are Doing Now to Stay Ahead

Lauren McLaughlin

Partner, Solicitor & Head of Immigration | LOCH

Kate Rigby

HR Director | LOCH

Discovery Stage

10:30

Is this the end of face to face transactions?

Town centres and local communities are going through significant changes. Work from home, online shopping habits, AI and app-based communication are transforming the way in which we shop and work.

This Panel, chaired by CEO of Loqiva, a specialist in digital towns, will discuss whether we are seeing the decline of face to face customer transactions to make way for app pick ups for food and cashierless shopping amongst others

Marcus Chidley

CEO | Loqiva and Panel Guests

Main Stage

11:30

Circular Economy: the key to unlocking resilience in a challenging business environment

The government’s Circular Economy Growth Plan is expected in the autumn and set to reshape how businesses buy and handle materials. This practical session cuts through the noise to tell you what the Circular Economy actually is (and what it’s not), why it’s about to matter to your bottom line, and the first moves to make now — with sector-specific examples. Ends with a 20-minute Advice Surgery, so bring your questions.

Tracy Sutton

Director | Root

Rob Robinson

Sustainable Business & Circular Economy Programme Manager | Kent County Council

Discovery Stage

11:30

Stop Managing Difference. Start Unlocking Potential.

What if your biggest opportunity isn’t hiring better people—but creating a workplace where the people you already have can truly thrive?

Many organisations unintentionally hold people back through systems, behaviours and cultures that were never designed for different ways of thinking. The result is missed potential, disengagement and talent walking out of the door.

You’ll leave this session with practical ideas to build a culture where everyone feels they can belong, understand and contribute.

Jess O'Connor

Founder | Firebowl Coaching & Consultancy

Main Stage

Lunch

Main Stage

13:00

The hidden risks in Cyber Security and how you can protect yourself

Take a deep dive into the hidden risks in Cyber Security and what businesses can do to protect themselves. The talk will take you through the minimum requirements a business needs to have a cyber insurance policy. You will have the opportunity to take a vulnerability test through a Dyna Risk report™ providing you with a report of your likelihood to succumb to a cyber-attack.

Rose Walton

Business Development Consultant | NFU Mutual

Sam Thompson

Business Development Consultant | NFU Mutual

Discovery Stage

13:00

Innovative filming through fresh angles

Andy Betts

CAA OA Remote Pilot | Esprit Drone Services

Main Stage

14:00

AI is electricity, not an appliance – which Mill Owner are you?

The last time a single technology rewired every industry, it was electricity. In the 1880s, 4 cotton mill owners in the same valley were sent out to understand it. They returned with the same information, opportunity, and window to act. What they did next decided everything. Jamie uses this analogy to enable you to consider what involvement you want, and the benefits that AI can have in your business

Jamie Dixon

Founder & CEO | VAYRO

Discovery Stage

14:00

What we all need to know about new recycling schemes

Rob Robinson

Sustainable Business & Circular Economy Programme Manager | Kent County Council

Henry Saunders

Sustainability Manager | Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

Main Stage

15:00

What Works (and What Doesn’t): CEO Insights for Building High-Performance Businesses

A panel discussion with Ashley Scriven and Laura Acosta from Loch, with business leaders including Malcolm Clarke, Chairman at Baxall Construction, to share insights and actionable tips for maximising performance, building resilience and sustaining workforce wellbeing while innovating for future success.

Ashley Scriven

Partner and Solicitor Advocate | LOCH

Amy White

Head of Training & Wellbeing | LOCH

Discovery Stage

15:00

Let’s About Agents: The Four Ideas Every Leader Needs Before They Buy One

The cleanest definition is that an Agent is a digital worker, It is not a chatbot. A chatbot waits to be asked. An Agent is given a job and gets on with it. Jamie explains how an agent does not replace your team, but removes the manual handling of information that quietly eats their day.

Jamie Dixon

Founder & CEO | VAYRO

Main Stage

16:00

How sales just got personal

Simon Le Roux

Sales Director | Sales Geek (West Kent)

Discovery Stage

16:00

When will we see robots in the workplace?

Dr Giovanni Masala

Senior Lecturer – Robotics | Robotics Dept, University of Kent

How to find us

TW.FutureBiz 2026 is excited to take place in the Town Hall, Tunbridge Wells across multiple rooms including the main stage in the main Council Chamber. The reception desk just inside the main doors is where you can sign in and pick up your included delegate pack.

For those coming from out of town, the postcode is TN1 1AL, the closest car park is Crescent Road Car Park approx. 2 min walk away and the Tunbridge Wells Station is only 3-4min walk away.

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A word from our sponsor

As an extension of your team, Loch connects the dots between leadership, compliance, people strategy, and business growth when partnering with ambitious leaders and business owners. Loch’s integrated approach provides commercially focused, pragmatic solutions to help you protect, grow, or futureproof your organisation. By covering every angle, we give you the confidence to move forward for long-term success.

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