FORMER Trade and Industry Secretary Lord Tebbit is to open an event in Suffolk next month aimed at new and would-be entrepreneurs.

The StartUp Anglia ‘Develop Your Business’ Initiative Conference, being held at the apex in Bury St Edmunds on Monday, May 14, is designed to help pre-start, new-start and growth-stage small businesses to succeed.

Lord Tebbit, who now lives in Bury, will given an opening address to delegates attending the event, which is being sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial and Lovewell Blake chartered accountants.

The interactive conference, being organised by StartUp Suffolk, parft of the entrepreneur-led StartUp Britain campaign, and the Bury St Edmunds Business Festival team, will provide a full day of structured advice on the key drivers for business success with the opportunity to learn from and question experienced and award-winning business people.

It will focus on identifying how the management skills of business planning, objective setting, cash management, technology use, talent selection, and effective communication are all necessary to attract funding.

Tim Meadows-Smith, serial entrepreneur and champion of StartUp Suffolk, said: “There actually are no secrets to success. It requires good preparation, hard work, and a willingness to learn from failure. You can be kind to yourself, do most of your learning from the failures, and conclusions, of others.

“The interactive nature of this conference provides the opportunity to ask any one of at least 20 speakers and 50 experienced entrepreneurs about any aspect of, or issues found in, running a business. The speakers have prepared their most vital learning to share. They hope to reduce the pain and improve the chances of success for the new entrepreneurs in attendance.”

Elements of the conference will include: StartUp Essentials (an overview of life for the successful start-up business with a collection of ‘if only I’d known’ stories from veteran entrepreneurs); Funding a Cash Burning Business (identifying sources of funding and what must be done to access them including best practice for cash management); Affordable Marketing for Growth (sharing and debating some of the most effective techniques for generating demand); and Local Business Support (with details of some of those willing to support new businesses and help them find high quality advice).

A conference pack to take away will include contact details, advice and more than �1,000-worth of business offers for free and discounted services for start-up businesses.

Tickets cost �35 of which �20 will be refunded directly to the payment card of all those who attend the full day. Demand for conference tickets is high and exhibitor spaces are almost sold out.

For more information about both exhibitor participation and tickets, visit www.StartUpSuffolk.co.uk .