Inspiring and Informative Free Business Workshops and Networking Session at Greater Manchester Business Fair

Attending our free business workshops throughout the day is a great way to gain knowledge, skills, and inspiration to grow and develop your business.

We have brought together Expert Speakers who will be covering a variety of useful business topics.

Andy Guile will also be hosting a free Networking Session at 1pm, offering a great opportunity to pitch your products and services and make connections with members of the local business community.

2026 Workshops and Networking

Workshops at the 15th July event are shown below. There’s no charge for these sessions so simply book your workshops ticket and go along to any you wish to attend.


11.00am: Selling Has Changed — The Human Touch Hasn’t

An impactful workshop looking at common problems faced in the selling process, and how to overcome them.

Frank Marsh, Sales Performance Specialist

Frank-Marsh-Speaker

1. Why buyers don’t buy — even when your product is right

Frank speaks from decades of experience about how most sales are lost not on price or product, but on trust, confidence, and poor conversations.
Audience takeaway: One simple question to start using to uncover what’s really stopping a buyer from moving forward.

2. The biggest mistake salespeople still make after 40 years

As an authority on sales, Frank will discuss how people still talk too much, pitch too early, and avoid asking for the order.
Audience takeaway: A simple shift in how to open and close conversations that immediately improves results.

3. Why confidence beats technique every time

This is where Frank can explain how mindset, belief, and clarity drive behaviour — and how fear of rejection quietly kills sales.
Audience takeaway: One practical habit they to use to build confidence before their next sales conversation.

4. How to sell without feeling pushy or awkward

This is highly attractive to any audience. Frank will show you that selling well is about care, service, and honesty — not pressure.
Audience takeaway: A human way to ask for the business that feels natural and respectful.

Frank Marsh is a Sales Performance Specialist, professional speaker, trainer, coach, and business mentor with 45+ years of hands‑on experience in sales, leadership, and customer experience.


11.30am: How to Win New B2B Business on LinkedIn

A practical workshop for anyone in B2B who wants LinkedIn to generate genuine conversations, leads and new business.

Ian Nicklin, IN Social

Ian-Nicklin-Speaker-headshot

If you are in B2B and you want LinkedIn to generate genuine conversations, leads and new business, this workshop will show you exactly what to do.

This is not theory and it is not a fluffy “personal branding” talk. It is a practical, fast paced session where Ian will walk people through the steps, tools and messaging that consistently drive results, even if they are starting from scratch.

You will learn how to:
✅ Optimise your LinkedIn profile so it attracts the right type of buyer
✅ Use a simple content approach that builds trust and keeps you visible (without posting every day)
✅ Start the right conversations with decision makers using outreach that does not feel salesy
✅ Use tools like Sales Navigator and AI to speed up research, targeting and message creation
✅ Leave with a clear action plan for what to do next to generate new enquiries

If you want a clear, no nonsense approach to winning business through LinkedIn, you’ll get a step by step process you can implement immediately.

Ian and his team of marketing experts specialise in pipeline building. They generate high-quality, relevant conversations within your target market.

Read more about Ian


12.30pm: How to generate leads and close deals

An introduction to the sales cycle for small business owners.

Andy Guile, Master Coach & Trainer

Andy-Guile-Speaker-Photo

An introduction to the sales cycle for small business owners, looking at how you generate new leads and turn them into loyal customers.

Read more about Andy


1.00pm: Free Networking Session

Hosted by Andy Guile

Pitch your business, make lots of new contacts and catch up with familiar faces at this session hosted by Andy Guile.


1.40pm: Human First: The Smarter Way To Use AI In Your Business

Practical principles for good AI adoption in business.

Dave Birss, The Gen AI Academy

Image of Dave Birss, Speaker, Sitting at desk with laptop

Come and join Dave for this practical session in which you’ll learn:

● Why 80% of organisations are currently seeing no ROI from AI
● Why the problem is how AI is being adopted, not the tools themselves
● The case for a human-first approach — using AI to augment people rather than replace them
● Practical principles for good AI adoption that apply to businesses of any size

As a renowned author, educator and a leading expert in creativity and Generative AI, Dave has dedicated his career to understanding and enhancing the creative process. He has written several bestselling books, including How To Get To Great Ideas and A User Guide To The Creative Mind.

Read more about Dave


Book your complimentary places at the Greater Manchester Business Fair 2026 Workshops

Attending the event and any of the workshops you want to is completely free of charge.

Please use the form below to register as an event visitor and book your workshop places. You will be able to indicate which sessions you wish to attend as you go through the booking process.