Throwback to Trailblazers: Megrisoft’s Highlights from The Business Show 2016 – Lessons Fueling UK SME Success in 2025
Step back to 2016’s Business Show buzz at Olympia London, where Megrisoft’s Aprajita Kohli uncovered e-commerce gems, keynote wisdom on adaptive strategies, and Google’s Digital Masterclass. These insights—on finance hacks, trend prediction, and networking wins—still drive UK SME success. Discover how to pivot smarter in 2025’s AI-fueled landscape.
Flashback to a crisp November in London, where the buzz of opportunity hung thicker than the fog over the Thames. It was 2016, and The Business Show at Olympia was the beating heart of UK entrepreneurship. Nearly a decade later, as we hit 2025 with AI reshaping every pitch deck and algorithm, those two days still spark ideas for startups and SMEs chasing growth. At Megrisoft, we’ve always believed in showing up where the action is—learning, connecting, and turning insights into strategies. That’s why our Head of European Business Development, Aprajita Kohli, represented us at the event on 17th and 18th November. Let’s rewind and unpack the magic: from keynote wisdom to game-changing masterclasses, and why these takeaways still pack a punch for today’s digital hustlers.
Megri Soft Limited attended The Great British Business Show on 17th and 18 November 2016 in Olympia, London. The show was attended by Miss Aprajita Kohli, Head of European Business development at Megrisoft UK. The two-day event provided comprehensive coverage of key business aspects pertinent to startups and small to medium-sized enterprises. Ms. Aprajita notably leveraged the exhibition to explore the e-commerce and UK accountancy sectors, successfully establishing valuable professional connections. The agenda was extensive, addressing critical areas from sales data analysis and accessing finance to flexible workplace solutions, telecom cost savings, financial training, a Google masterclass, and foreign exchange.
A Snapshot of The Business Show 2016: Where Ideas Meet Action
Held over two packed days at the iconic Olympia London, The Business Show wasn’t your average expo— it was a launchpad for ambition. Free to attend, it drew thousands of startups, solopreneurs, and scale-ups hungry for tools to thrive.
The vibe? Electric.
Stalls brimmed with solutions for everything from bootstrapping basics to boardroom breakthroughs, all under one roof.
The agenda zeroed in on real-world hurdles for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): accessing finance without the red tape, decoding sales data for smarter decisions, and snagging flexible workspaces that flex with your cash flow. Telecom savings tips rubbed shoulders with foreign exchange hacks for global-minded traders, while finance training sessions armed attendees with spreadsheets that actually stick. And let’s not forget the Google Masterclass—more on that gem in a bit. It was a whirlwind of exhibitors, from fintech innovators to e-commerce enablers, proving that growth doesn’t happen in silos.
For UK businesses navigating post-Brexit ripples back then (and algorithm upheavals now), the show hammered home one truth: Strategy isn’t static. It’s about timing—pivoting at the right moment, whether that’s a viral social campaign or a lean funding round.
Megrisoft’s Front-Row Seat: Aprajita Kohli’s Deep Dive
Aprajita Kohli, our sharp-eyed Head of European Business Development, stepped into the fray with a mission: Scout trends, forge alliances, and soak up intel that could supercharge our clients’ digital journeys. With Megrisoft already a decade into crafting SEO and marketing magic for UK brands, she zeroed in on sectors ripe for disruption—e-commerce and accountancy.
In the e-commerce zone, Aprajita chatted up platforms streamlining inventory for indie sellers, from Shopify tweaks to dropshipping dynamos. Picture this: Booths demoing AI previews of customer carts, years before they became table stakes. Over in accountancy, the focus was fintech fusion—tools blending QuickBooks with blockchain for seamless audits.
These weren’t pie-in-the-sky pitches; they were practical upgrades for SMEs juggling VAT returns and venture dreams.
The real gold? Networking. Aprajita sparked conversations with fellow innovators—a Cardiff startup scaling artisan goods online, a Leeds accountant automating compliance. Those chats? They bloomed into collaborations, reminding us that in business, your next big break often starts with a shared coffee and a business card swap.
Spotlight Sessions: Keynotes That Stuck (And Still Do)
What elevated the show from good to unforgettable were the keynote speakers, sharing raw stories of grit and genius. These weren’t polished TED clones; they were battle-tested founders recounting personal odysseys from bootstrapping in basements to battling economic headwinds.
One standout unpacked how adaptive strategies turned a near-failure into a multimillion-pound exit, stressing the power of data-driven pivots. Another dove into resilience, revealing how timely tech adoption—like early CRM integrations—saved their team during lean times.
These talks hit hard for 2016 attendees, but rewind to 2025? They’re prophetic. With remote work normalized and AI automating the mundane, those lessons on “right-time strategies” echo louder. Spot a market shift, like voice search exploding for local queries? Adapt fast, or watch competitors zoom past.
The event had many keynote speakers talking about their personal journey to success and how businesses are affected these days by using different strategies at right time. Miss Aprajita also attended Digital masterclass by Google at the event. The class was for 30 minutes and helped to understand the new market trends and how marketing campaigns can be formed using all the available resources. This in future will help us to predict our future customers thinking pattern.
The Crown Jewel: Google’s Digital Masterclass – A 30-Minute Game-Changer
Amid the hustle, Aprajita carved out time for the highlight reel: Google’s Digital Garage Masterclass, a brisk 30-minute session in the dedicated zone. This wasn’t fluff—it was a crash course in wielding digital tools like a pro. Led by Google experts, it unpacked emerging market trends, from mobile-first indexing to the dawn of personalized ad ecosystems.
Key bites? How to craft marketing campaigns that leverage free resources—think Google Analytics for audience mapping or AdWords for precision targeting—without blowing your budget. The big aha: Predicting customer mindsets isn’t voodoo; it’s pattern-spotting. By analyzing search behaviors (hello, long-tail keywords like “affordable e-commerce setup for UK startups”), you forecast needs before they voice them.
Aprajita walked away buzzing: This intel directly informed our early AI experiments in client outreach, helping predict trends like the 2020 e-commerce boom. Fast-forward, and it’s the backbone of our 2025 strategies—using predictive analytics to turn “window shoppers” into loyal buyers.
Networking Nirvana: Connections That Built Lasting Bridges
Beyond the stages and stalls, The Business Show shone as a connector’s paradise. Speed-networking pods zipped through sectors, while chill-out lounges fostered deeper dives. Aprajita linked up with telecom savers offering bundled VoIP for remote teams and finance pros dishing on invoice factoring for cash-strapped creators. One chat even led to a joint webinar on “E-Commerce Compliance in a Post-GDPR World”—timely then, essential now.
For SMEs, these moments underscore a timeless tip: Events aren’t about collecting cards; they’re about curating circles. In 2025, with hybrid networking the norm, that human spark—shared laughs over funding fails—still seals deals faster than any LinkedIn DM.
One of the key speaker Mark Clisby, Managing Director at Yell during his seminar gave quite informative knowledge about predicting potential customers and how insights and data can be used to contact the business. He also discussed the options available for marketing to dominate your local search. Many other key speakers like Angus Findlay, Luke sartain, Stephen Clark and Simon jacobson had an interesting seminar in Digital zone.
Timeless Takeaways: From 2016 Olympia to Your 2025 Playbook
Peeling back the layers, The Business Show 2016 gifted Megrisoft (and Aprajita) a toolkit that’s aged like fine Scotch:
- Embrace Cross-Sector Synergies: E-commerce and accountancy aren’t islands—blend them for holistic growth, like automated billing that feeds ad retargeting.
- Master the Timing Game: Keynotes nailed it: Strategies succeed when synced with trends. Today, that’s hopping on TikTok Shop before saturation hits.
- Digital Literacy Pays Dividends: That Google session? It primed us for data-led marketing. Pro tip: Audit your Google Analytics weekly to spot shifting user intents.
- Network with Intent: Quality over quantity. Follow up within 48 hours—Aprajita’s rule that turned expo intros into enduring partnerships.
- Finance First, Scale Second: From telecom trims to FX fluency, smart money moves fuel bold bets. In 2025, layer in crypto hedging for global e-com.
These nuggets propelled Megrisoft’s evolution—from 2016’s digital upstarts to today’s AI-savvy squad powering 500+ UK clients. If you’re an SME plotting your next leap, events like this (shoutout to the modern Business Show iterations) are your accelerator.
Let’s Keep the Momentum Going: Your Invite to Connect
Reliving 2016 reminds us: The best business stories start with showing up. At Megrisoft, we’re still all about turning event energy into enduring results—whether it’s SEO audits inspired by Google Garage vibes or bespoke strategies for your e-com empire.
Fancy a chat on weaving these lessons into your 2025 roadmap? Drop Aprajita or the team a line at hello@megrisoft.co.uk. Or join our newsletter for fresh takes on UK business trends. Here’s to the shows that shape us—and the successes they spark.
From the Megrisoft Team
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