Members-only Focus Dinner with Jonathan Elvidge

22nd May 2012
Primary event image
Founder of The Gadget Shop and Co-founderof RED5
Focus Dinner

Venue:

Jesmond Dene House Hotel
Jesmond Dene Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 2EY

Date & Time:

Directions
  • Members
    £75+VAT

Jonathan Elvidge has achieved something that’s rare even in the entrepreneurial world – the creation of a high street retail brand from nothing, that went on to become a household name.

Despite having no trading experience, over the course of a decade Jonathan founded and built The Gadget Shop into a multi million pound, award-winning retail chain of 45 stores. It was identified as one of the top 100 fastest growing private companies in the UK for two years running and won Retail Week's Rising Star of the Year award. 

Now he is to share the ups and downs of his high-flying business career in the intimate surroundings of a Members-only Dinner, the perfect environment for really getting to the heart of one of Britain’s best known entrepreneurs.

Chairman for the evening, Paul Walker, former CEO of the Sage Group plc will provoke some challenging discussion, ask all the right questions to ensure a deep insight into what inspired Jonathan to keep pushing forward even in tough times and encourage plenty of participation from guests.

More about Jonathan....

In 2002, the same year that The Gadget Shop was sold as part of a re-financing deal, Jonathan co-founded Blue Sky Designs, a business created to bring innovative product ideas to market by providing early finance and product development support.

BSD is currently at the forefront of the emerging market in smartphone gaming hardware, is working with a range of partners and has a presence in many countries with products like Chatimals, the Chocolate Clock and the Catapencil.

In 2005 (the same year that The Gadget Shop sadly fell in administration), Jonathan co-founded RED5, a retail concept targeting the innovative gift and gadget market with the aim of creating a new, leading high street brand. Last year it was identified as one of the top 100 fastest growing private companies in the UK.

RED5 currently trades online and from a mix of temporary and longer term high street outlets. It works to supply branded gift lines to Boots and BHS stores, has concessions in Selfridges and Hamleys and works with HMV and House of Fraser.  

Father-of-three was born in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and has always lived in and around the area.  Jonathan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in 2001.

This is a members-only dinner and is charged at £75 + VAT per person. Please note that we will have to charge in full for cancellations within 72 hours of the dinner. The dinner will commence at 6.45pm therefore guests are advised to arrive at around 6.30pm.

Dinner places are strictly limited to a first-come, first-served basis. We therefore recommend you don’t delay in securing your place with us.

Terms and Conditions

Payment: Payment of all event fees must be made by cheque, bacs or direct debit and be made payable to ‘The Entrepreneurs’ Forum’. Payment of all fees must be made by return of the date of the applicable payment request. Please note that we will have to charge in full for cancellations within 72 hours of the event.

Confirmation of Booking: If you do not receive email confirmation of your booking please contact us to confirm the booking.

Alteration & Cancellation: On occassion it may be necessary to alter the venue and content of the event or the timing of the programme. If we have to alter the date or location of the event this booking will automatically be transferred to the revised date unless told otherwise and these Terms and Conditions shall apply to the transferred booking. Failure to attend the event counts as a cancellation and will incur the full event charge.