50 . Glasgow Business January/February 2013
SUCCESS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The second CROWD event proved a great way to discover how companies achieve great things, say Scott Crossan and David Wren, students at City of Glasgow College
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t is important for any member organisation to give maximum benefits to their membership, adding value wherever its remit extends. Tis was the thinking behind Glasgow
Chamber of Commerce’s CROWD II event, inviting local entrepreneurs to share their stories with business people from the city. Te 7 December event set out to allow
businesses to learn from one another, sharing secrets of the trade and get the inside track from those who have established themselves. Speakers were invited to the conference and
given 10 minutes to promote their methods for success. Atendees were then able to take part in a question and answer session with those on the podium, and were given the chance to meet the business specialists in an informal seting aſterwards. Guests also gained tips from the speakers
who have all been there and passed on their own personal stories of success and failure. Te Centre for Contemporary Arts was
again the perfect backdrop for hosting the second CROWD event of 2012; the first gathering was held in June. Tere were a total of 12 speakers, including
since the beginning and we take every bit of feedback on board.” Mr Aitken is certainly no stranger to the city,
having studied at the University of Strathclyde, possessing a firm grasp of what it takes to make it in Glasgow’s working environment. Glasgow is constantly changing and every
The Centre for Contemporary Arts
two keynotes, with all those taking to the stage giving their own interesting twist to presenting at the event. Most notably, all speakers expressed the importance of Glasgow as an ever-growing commercial brand, demonstrating its resilience in a tough economic landscape. Each guest speaker was creative and
informative, with particularly impressive talks being delivered by the two keynote speakers – Hugh Aitken and Gavin Oates. Hugh Aitken, Commercial Manager for
easyJet, said: “Glasgow is a very important city for easyJet. One of the first flights we had was Glasgow to London. I think what is great about Glasgow is the variety. We have come so far
guest speaker had a similar story to tell. A common theme of the day was “change with the city, don’t just give up and stay the same. Don’t be scared to change and adapt”. Many of the business representatives at CROWD II had to try many times before making their big success. Another interesting angle was put forward
by Gavin Oates, Managing Director of Tree of Knowledge, expressing his dismay towards negativity and failure in Glasgow. Te former teacher and stand-up comedian
said: “When we are in primary school we all have an urge to learn, but this changes in teenagers. We have adopted the American way and it is almost seen as un-cool to learn. We want to change that image and make sure that people in this country are not afraid to learn.” Te overall nature of the CROWD events is
somewhat different in its approach to the more formal business conferences. Te half-day event
Above from left: Andrea Gardner of Purple Feather, Gavin Oattes of Tree of Knowledge, Ryan James of Two Fat Ladies and Chamber Chief Executive Stuart Patrick
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