GEW UK kicked off a week with over 2,000 events with simultaneous launch events in England, Scotland and Wales. The theme of this year is GET CONNECTED (#GEWConnect) and they are asking people to prove their skills as networkers by sharing a #handshakeselfie on social media. At some of GEW UK’s biggest events, there will be a Handshake Selfie Red Carpet helping entrepreneurs to get in the swing of things and take the perfect selfie.
Take a look at some of the animated GIFs the attendees created at the following link:http://gifgif.looklook.co.uk/gallery/gewuk. Even Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable got in on the selfie handshake (see above photo).
Cable headed up the official launch of GEW 2014 in the UK this morning, with an announcement that, “there is now more of an entrepreneurial frame of mind” in the UK. Speaking at London accelerator space The Escalator, the MP explained how the entrepreneur landscape had changed somewhat over the last 30 years. “Years ago, the idea of having your own business was a strange one,” said Cable before outlining how business owners are now “at the root” of “helping the country to get out of a very bad place”.
Cable was joined by Cobra Beer founder Lord Karan Bilimoria and successful young entrepreneurBen Atkinson-Willes of Active Minds.
Discussing the skills needed to become an entrepreneur, Lord Bilimoria argued it was essential to “have the guts to see it through even when others wouldn’t”, and pointed to the importance of making connections in line with the ‘get connected’ theme of this year’s GEW. The beer mogul was also quick to assert the necessity of a global outlook, stating that UK entrepreneurs cannot afford to only think locally and should instead look outwards to other markets such as India, emphasizing the ‘global’ aspect of GEW.
There are many more exciting events taking place this week as part of GEW UK, culminating in a talk from Muhammad Yunus and a closing party hosted by crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.
For more information on GEW UK’s featured events, please visit their recent guest blog post.