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The South Gloucestershire Business Show was held at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, Bristol, on the 2nd and the 3rd of October.

A cyber security focused event, there were plenty of new start ups and some old partners of ours to see and talk to again.

We attended the seminars and took part in the session “Young Entrepreneurs – Motivating a generation”. It provides a platform through which businesses can form new collaborations, gain information, meet other businesses, speak to professional advisors and engage in action for business. All instrumental in securing information, ideas, and connections.

Jake, one of our software developers who attended multiple workshops in his time during the previous business shows, enjoyed the variety of content on offer and made rounds to go and see some businesses that Xor have worked with in the past.

"The panel, hosted by the Science Park's own Simon of Ellis James, was an interesting discussion loosely based around Young Entrepreneurs and what we can do as businesses to support the next generation. Oddly, yet encouragingly, both the panel and audience devolved into that of an echo chamber with very little in the way of dissenting opinion. The prevailing sense being that there is no one true mold from which an entrepreneur is made; however, environment appeared to take one of the leading roles suggesting businesses— and educators— need to engage and encourage the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, particularly emphasising that failing should not be considered a failure but an opportunity to grow.

The speed networking event was an opportunity to meet a varied pool of local people from different backgrounds. Much like traditional speed dating events it was clear that a minute was either much too long, or too little, an amount of time depending on whether there was a 'business spark'. It was a good way for me to talk to people from businesses that I wouldn't perhaps normally approach and find that, actually, there was potentially something we could work together on.

As always it was a pleasure to walk around and meet the other local businesses that had stands at the show. This year in particular it was interesting to talk to the local cyber security representation from the police about their work with young people and educating them on where the line is with experimenting with security tools. As the sector continues to grow and allure younger people we are finding more and more that students know enough to be dangerous but not necessarily understand what they are doing or the implications."