Top Talent at 'Best of the Best' City Conference

Dean Hoyle, founder of Card Factory and Chairman of Huddersfield Town will headline a "Best of the Best" seminar programme at this year's inaugural Wakefield Business Conference. 

Taking place at Cedar Court on 26th April, Wakefield Business Conference is a full day event on target to bring together hundreds of local businesses. WBC '12 consists of a packed programme of business specific seminars, an exhibition hall housing close to fifty exhibitors and a clinic where you can cure your business ailments along with unlimited networking for all involved. All delegate places are free on the day. 

Wakefield born Dean will offer delegates a forthright insight into how starting selling greetings cards from the back of an old van in Wakefield lead to the mind-boggling sale of Card Factory and then owning the football club he has supported man and boy. This will be run as a question and answer session allowing local business people to pick his brains and find out what is relevant to them. 

Together with wife Janet, Dean set up greetings card retailer Card Factory in 1997 and built a business empire consisting of over 500 shops nationwide, employing over 5,000 staff – an achievement that saw him named Ernst & Young North and Midlands Entrepreneur of the Year in June 2009. 

Dean became Chairman of Huddersfield Town in June 2009, having joined the Board of Directors as Chairman-elect in April 2008. In March 2010 he became sole owner of Huddersfield Town and on 8th April 2010, Card Factory was sold to private equity group Charterhouse.

Danny Matharu, Event Director of WBC said: "Dean is a true entrepreneur, an icon of industry and a real enterprise champion who started his business with very little and grafted his way to achieve astonishing success.
"This Q&A format will allow for a more interactive seminar and allow Dean to share the secrets of his success in a two way format. For me, Dean is a real modern-day national business leader. This is a superb opportunity to pick the brains of one of Yorkshire's best."

On agreeing to speak at WBC '12 Dean said: "My journey began in Wakefield in humble surroundings and I'm proud to be have been asked back to Wakefield to participate and impart my knowledge to the local business community." 

Jeremy Garside of Principal Conference Partner, Chadwick Lawrence LLP said: "Despite all the economic problems, Wakefield continues to be a vibrant and exciting place to do business and the Wakefield Business Conference is an excellent opportunity to promote business in the area and the economy at large. It is for that reason that Chadwick Lawrence is pleased to offer their support as an Official Partner." 

The speaker line up is completed by the UK's number one motivational business speaker Brad Burton, Yorkshire sales legend Nicky Pattinson and Mr Presenter himself, Nick Hill with one more to be announced shortly. This line up represents a 'best of the best' showing from previous Conferences run by organising company Hillrich. 

Helen Oldham, Managing Director of Media Partner, The Wakefield Express said: "The Wakefield Express is pleased to be associated with this new event which will help showcase the breadth and strength of Wakefield businesses. Danny has already created a great deal of enthusiasm and support for this first Conference and we're proud to be an official partner."

Wakefield Business Conference is part of the wider 'Yorkshire Business Conferences' programme taking place throughout 2012, covering Wakefield, Calderdale, Bradford, Kirklees, Barnsley and Sheffield. 
Already hundreds of business owners from across Wakefield have signed up to be part of the Conference. The whole ethos of WBC is to offer a greater support mechanism to Wakefield businesses and hence create a stronger local working economy.

More information and booking details can be found at www.wakefieldbusinessconference.co.uk

Image shows (l-r): Conference Partners - Steve Spence, Sales Director; Servatech; Helen Oldham, Managing Director, Wakefield Express; Danny Matharu, Event Director, Wakefield Business Conference; Jeremy Garside, Managing Partner, Chadwick Lawrence LLP.