Derbyshire Technology Showcase

It’s not enough to use social media – you also need to know how to win over the people who use it. Mark’s hands-on, interactive presentation will show you how a more thoughtful approach can generate meaningful results for you and your business… while taking less time than you spend now.

You won’t leave with the same tired tricks and tips you’ve heard a hundred times. Instead, you’ll be challenged to think differently. You’ll walk away knowing how to lift your social media activity to a new level – helping you connect to your audience in a way you’ve never done before.

Speaker: Mark Saxby, Social Media Radical, Status Social

Speaker bio: The East Midlands Professional Speaker of the Year, Mark Saxby, is far more than ‘another social media expert’. A former award-winning BBC and ITV journalist, he went on to establish one of the UK’s first specialist social media agencies, Status Social, in 2011. Since then, Mark and his clients have generated more than £20.9 million in sales through social media.

Mark is also the founder of the Positive Social charity, which helps children take back control of their lives from social media. And the man behind Be More Colin – inspiring teams to think differently about their smartphone use.

2025 was the year AI learned to chat. 2026 is the year it learned to work. In this hands-on session, Martin cuts through the hype to explain what AI agents actually are, how they differ from the assistants most of us already use, and why they represent the biggest shift in how small and mid-sized businesses operate since the arrival of the smartphone.

You’ll see real demonstrations of agentic tools — from AI that can browse the web and complete tasks on your behalf, to digital colleagues that read, edit and organise your files without being told every step. Martin will share practical frameworks for getting started, the mistakes to avoid, and what to expect as these tools mature over the coming months and years.

Whether you’re already experimenting with AI or still wondering what all the fuss is about, you’ll leave with a clear understanding of where this technology is heading — and what it means for your business.

Speaker: Martin Broadhurst FRSA, AI Strategist & HubSpot AI Partner Council Member, Broadhurst Digital

Speaker bio:Martin Broadhurst is an AI strategist, international keynote speaker, and founder of Broadhurst Digital, a Derby-based consultancy specialising in AI, marketing technology, and B2B sales. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and HubSpot Platinum Partner, Martin helps businesses across the UK and internationally to harness AI and automation for measurable growth.

He hosts the ‘Artificially Intelligent Marketing’ podcast, sits on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed journal Applied Marketing Analytics, and lectures in marketing. His research on generative AI was published before ChatGPT launched, and he has since delivered keynotes and workshops across North America, Europe, and the Far East. Away from work, he balances powerlifting, parenting, and the perpetual optimism required to support Derby County Football Club.

Technology isn’t here to replace sales – it’s here to make it smarter, faster and more effective. But only if you know how to use it properly.

In this practical, high-energy session, Lindsey will show you how to use technology to streamline your sales process, improve follow-up, increase conversions and build stronger relationships – without sounding robotic or relying on gimmicks.

You won’t leave with a list of shiny new tools to add to your workload. Instead, you’ll learn how to think more strategically about where technology fits into your sales journey – helping you sell with more confidence, consistency and impact.

Expect practical ideas, honest insight and straightforward actions you can implement immediately to increase sales performance.

Speaker: Lindsey Newman-Wood, Sales & Marketing Strategist, Passion Marketing

Speaker bio: Lindsey Newman-Wood is the Founder and Director of Passion Sales & Marketing and one of the East Midlands’ leading marketing and sales consultants. Chartered Institute of Marketing qualified, she has spent over a decade helping SMEs turn strategy into measurable results.

Known for her engaging, no-nonsense style, Lindsey works with businesses and local authorities to improve sales and marketing confidence, sharpen positioning and implement practical sales and marketing systems that drive revenue. She specialises in helping business owners and teams move from inconsistent selling to structured, confident and commercially focused growth.

It’s not enough to store your documents—you need to know how to make them work for your business. Whether you are a small team or a massive enterprise, “document problems” are usually just time-thieves in disguise. Richard’s hands-on, insight-driven session will show you how a smarter approach to automation can generate massive efficiency for your organisation… while removing the manual drudgery your team hates.

You won’t leave with a dry IT lecture or a list of buzzwords. Instead, you’ll be challenged to think differently about how AI and LLMs can “read” your data for you. You’ll walk away knowing how to lift your document strategy to a new level—helping you achieve a secure, compliant, and lightning-fast workflow that you never thought possible.

Speaker: Richard Rogers, Technical Director & CTO, Open Connections

Speaker bio: Richard Rogers doesn’t just build software; he builds systems that stop businesses from drowning in their own data. From scaling startups to streamlining established enterprises, Richard has spent over 25 years helping organizations of all sizes solve their most frustrating document and content problems.

As the Technical Director and CTO at Open Connections, he is far more than a typical tech lead. Richard acts as the “translator” between complex automation and real-world business results—stripping away the jargon to show boardrooms and engineers alike how to turn manual chaos into operational excellence. A pragmatic advocate for customer-centred growth, Richard’s mission is simple: helping you stop fighting your data and finally start using it to win.