The amount of tech conferences in the United States has been growing for several years. In 2015, there will be a wide variety of tech conferences to choose from where you can meet new industry contacts, learn about the latest innovations and ask questions of the people making a difference in the tech community.

Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2015
Location: Aspen, CO
Dates: July 13 through 15, 2015

This is a conference that has continually brought together the brightest minds and most influential people in the tech community. From advice for tech entrepreneurs to the latest in business innovations, this conference is a mandatory event for tech professionals.

Some keynote speakers for past conferences have included:

• James Lee – JP Morgan & Chase Co
• Jim Breyer – Accel Partners
• Les Moonves – CBS Television

DeveloperWeek 2015
Location: San Francisco, CA
Dates: February 7 through 8, 2015

This is an annual tech event that regularly attracts over 4,000 attendees from around the world. It is a conference where tech job hunters can meet companies that are hiring and innovative technology developers can meet manufacturers for their latest ideas.

Keynote Speakers for 2015 Include:

• Doris Chen – Microsoft
• Brian Sullivan – Netflix
• Joshua Carr – IBM Read more »

Small businesses in the United States employ a large majority of American workers, which is just one of the reasons small business conferences in the United States are becoming more and more popular. Below you will find some of the top business conferences for SME’s for the coming year.

USASBE 2015

Location: Tampa, FL
Dates: January 22 through 25, 2015

The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship holds its annual conference in Tampa, FL in 2015 and the organization looks to expand on the agenda from 2014. The group focuses on bringing together business innovators and small business owners who are looking to expand. This is also one of the more popular conferences for family-owned businesses as well.

Keynote Speakers for 2015 Include:

• Mary Jo Jackson
• David Rahn
• Jim Hart

Small Business Institute 2015 Conference
Location: St. Pete Beach, FL
Dates: February 12 through 14, 2015

This will be the 39th annual gathering of the members of the Small Business Institute and the goal this year will be to get more resources into the hands of small business owners. Some of the topics being covered are marketing, global entrepreneurship and accounting.

Past Keynote Speakers Include:

• William McDowell – East Carolina University
• Ron Cook – Rider University
• Nic Steele – Obsidian USA, LLC

America’s Small Business Summit 2015
Location: Washington, D.C.
Dates: June 8 through 10, 2015

The United States Chamber of Commerce puts on this annual event that brings together small business owners and some of the lawmakers who affect commerce. There are also speakers from the technology world, human resources and an array of speakers who can offer small business owners practical advice to grow their businesses.

Keynote Speakers in 2015 Include:

• Thomas Donohue – U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Colin Powell – U.S. Military
• Bob Woodward – Journalist

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Networking is vital for any small or medium sized business. It provides business owners to build relationships and partnerships, as well as gain insights into best practices and emerging trends. Conferences are an ideal forum to learn about how to start or grow a business, as well as form new business relationships. The following are just some of the UK’s best small business conferences in 2015.

StartUp 2015

StartUp 2015 will bring together more than 500 aspiring and early stage entrepreneurs on 17th January at Somerset House in London. The free event includes workshops, drop-in sessions and networking opportunities, as well as keynote speeches from leading entrepreneurs and business experts. Speakers will include chef Skye Gyngell, social entrepreneur Melody Hossaini, Felipe Alviar-Baquero and Solomon Akhtar of Apprentice fame, and top entrepreneur Mary Portas. The conference is an opportunity to learn about how to get financing, form a company, build a brand, use social media, and more. Participants can also get feedback on their business ideas and get free advice from experts.

The Business Growth Show

The Business Growth Show will be staged at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on 12th March 2015. The free one day event is expected to attract thousands of businesses from across the UK. The national conference is an opportunity to get business advice, hear from industry speakers and experts, and get information about growing start-ups and SMEs.

Student Enterprise Conference

Organised in partnership with Santander and Liverpool John Moores University, the Student Enterprise Conference 2015 is the largest student enterprise conference in Europe. It is an initiative of NACUE, a membership organisation focused student entrepreneurship. The conference brings together students and graduates from across the UK to learn and network, as well as build entrepreneurial skills through practical workshops. The event will be staged from the 31st of January to the 1st of February 2015 at Liverpool John Moores University.

Elite Business Event National Conference and Exhibition

The 2015 Elite Business Event National Conference and Exhibition will be staged on the 18th and 19th of March at the Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch, London. The event attracts more than 1,000 business owners, directors and professionals looking at how to create strategies that promote business growth. Organised by Elite Business Magazine, the free conference’s programme includes talks by professional speakers, thought leaders and industry experts. Topics look at barriers facing fast track start-ups and high growth small and medium sized businesses. Planned speakers include Jim Cregan, Shaa Wasmund, Richard Tyler, Derek Mills, Will King, Lara Morgan, Michelle Carvill, Ian Dormer, and Clive Rich.

The Great British Family Business

The Great British Family Business 2015 is a master class in family business. The event will be put on at One Great George Street in Westminster, London, on 19 March 2015. The programme features a wide range of speakers and topics related to family businesses, including a panel discussion with family firms. Scheduled speakers include Adrian Maxwell of cappuccino and espresso coffee machine maker Fracino, Derrick Potter of Potter Logistics, Christopher Nieper of clothing company David Nieper, Tony Fish of AMF Ventures, and Charlie Mullins of Pimlico Plumbers. Read more »

Whether you are in the position of selling or acquiring a business, it is important that you are familiar with the relevant laws. Laws governing human resources, federal income tax payments and corporate management can all have an impact on the acquisition process. Here are some of the most relevant U.S. laws that you should understand before purchasing or selling a business.

Export Control Laws

Depending on the nature of your business, you may be governed by certain export control laws. Export control laws are administered by the Department of State and Bureau of Industry and Security. If you sell products to the military or foreign governments, you may find that your business is subject to acting in accordance with stringent export control regulations.

In the event that a foreign company is acquiring a U.S.-based business, you should also be familiar with the export control laws of the foreign company’s homeland. Export control laws may have a significant impact on the products that you are able to sell to other countries.

The Acquisition Agreement

If you are proceeding with the acquisition of a company, you will need to draft an acquisition agreement. The two forms of an acquisition agreement are an asset purchase agreement or entity purchase agreement. In a purchase agreement, the new owner will acquire all of the stock of the old business. In an asset agreement, the new owner will purchase all of the property of the old business. Many owners prefer to use an asset agreement so that they can obtain total control over the old business.

The asset agreement may also have favorable tax implications for a buyer. A buyer will be able to take advantage of the depreciation of assets as soon as the asset agreement is completed.

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The Internet is continuing to change the way business is done and has truly transformed the nature of business in the country, giving even local companies the chance of a global presence on a level playing-field. Sites like Bizwiki can be a useful way for companies and non-profit organisations to provide information to local customers and obtain some free advertising, but can also provide a platform for companies to present themselves to a far wider audience.

The appearance of the Internet has brought about some wide-ranging changes to business practices and to the way consumers go about making their purchases. The scope of these changes is incredibly varied, so in this post we have summarised the key ways in which the Internet continues to transform business and the economy in the UK.

Opening up the possibility to participate in a truly global economy

According to historians, 5,000 years ago, three quarters of all trade and commerce took place within a 12-mile radius. As trains, steamships, and planes began to be used as part of the world’s distribution network, the possibility of reaching consumers on the other side of the world became more real.

However, the true global global commerce revolution did not appear until Internet technologies were applied to business. The development of e-commerce allows UK businesses to reach a potential customer base of millions of people, regardless of their size or location. In fact, e-commerce is currently Europe’s fastest-growing retail sub-sector, with the UK online market dominating the continent’s online sales. In 2013, online sales in the UK amounted to £38.8 billion, which represent a 16.8 per cent increase over the previous year.

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Advertising is a fundamental aspect of business management, as no company would survive without some form of advertising, regardless of its size or location. The digital era we live in has brought about a number of significant changes to the world of corporate advertising, as marketers are increasingly moving away from traditional advertising methods and give preference to digital options. In this article we take a detailed look at how UK-based small and medium-sized companies advertise online and at the digital strategies that they use to sell their products and services. 

SMEs and online advertising: the latest general trends

It is evident that when it comes to online advertising, British companies have come a long way over the past few years. A 2011 study carried out by the Internet Advertising Bureau found that only three years ago, companies devoted £1 out of every £4 to their online advertising budget. Today, this figure is close to 30 per cent of the average advertising budget. The most recent data show that there are still many small and medium-sized companies that spend considerably less than 25 per cent of their marketing budget on online advertising, but far from being a negative point, this figure itself is a good indicator of how quickly digital advertising is taking over traditional advertising methods.

The unstoppable rise of mobile advertising

PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Internet Advertising Bureau have published the latest research findings on how small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK are using online advertising. The report dates from April 2014 and examines the strategies used by British companies during the previous year. One of the most significant trends evident in this report involves the unstoppable rise of mobile advertising, as expenditure in this area has grown by 50 per cent and now exceeds the £1 billion mark. The report also indicates that mobile advertising currently accounts for more than 35 per cent of all digital and social media advertising. The most remarkable growth has been experienced in the tablet-optimised advertising sub-sector, which grew by an astonishing 400 per cent during 2013. British SMEs went from spending £6.8 million in tablet advertising during 2012 to investing nearly £35 million in 2013.

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