FAQs

If you’re attending our UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival in Sunderland between Monday 2nd-Friday 6th June, here are some key things for you to know before you arrive.

Firstly, you can see the latest event & speaker schedule on our ‘Schedule & Tickets‘ page.

Additional, useful information about our event & each day can be found below…

Day 1 (INSPIRATION) – Monday 2nd June (8am-late)

Taking place at The Fire Station theatre in Sunderland city centre, this is our main conference / the biggest event of the week & we highly recommend that you attend this day if you can.

(The Fire Station contains a 550-person capacity auditorium so there is room for everyone, unlike the other venues we are using on Days 2-5 which are more like 150-200).

With arrivals, registrations, exhibitors & refreshments from 8am, the show will begin at 9am prompt so we would appreciate it if you can arrive no later than 8.45am & be seated in the auditorium just before 9am.

We will then have a full day of keynote speakers (including Daniel Priestley & Paul Mort), panel discussions & fireside chats (including Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies MBE & Kat Bond from Xero) running right through until 5pm, followed by an after party / networking drinks until late.

Will there be food available over lunch?

Street food & table service food will be available to order in The Foyer bar (where the exhibitors are located) & the Engine Room bar / restaurant from 12pm onwards.

There will only be a short window when there are no talks / presentations / panel discussions taking place in the auditorium but there will be exhibitors, networking, 1-2-1s & book signings in The Foyer, The Engine Room & the Xero Business Lounge / FIRESIDE between 12.30pm-1.30pm.

When can I meet / have my book signed by Sara Davies, Daniel Priestley, Paul Mort, etc?

Who will be Exhibiting?

  • Daniel Priestley, Paul Mort & Ann English will be doing book signings in the Xero Business Lounge between 12.30pm-1.30pm
  • Sara Davies will be doing book signings in the Xero Business Lounge between 4.15pm-5pm
  • PLEASE NOTE: At present we can’t guarantee that books will be available to buy on the day so if you would like to have a book signed by one of the authors, please bring your own copy with you!

Day 1 Exhibitors who will be present all day & keen to meet / help you include:

(All of our Exhibitors provide excellent products & services for startups & established SMEs so we recommend speaking to them all if you can. Most of them will also be present on all other days across the week).

(Please plan your day by looking at the Day 1 schedule here).

Arriving & getting around

Sunderland is a compact, highly-walkable city & all our daytime venues & after party / networking venues are located just a short distance from each other.

  • If you’re driving, we recommend parking at the Riverside Multi-Storey Car Park or St Mary’s Multi-Storey Car Park which are both just a short walk from our venues on Days 1, 3 & 5. (The Riverside Multi-Storey Car Park is usually less busy & also slightly less expensive).
  • On Day 2, the Sunniside Multi-Storey Car Park would be your best option for parking.
  • On Day 4, there are 1000 free parking spaces outside The Stadium of Light where our event will take place.
  • If you’re arriving by train or Metro (undergound/overground light railway), head to Sunderland Station.
  • If you’re arriving by bus, head to the Park Lane Bus Station.
  • If you would like to stay in the city, we recommend staying at the Holiday Inn – Sunderland City Centre which is the newest hotel in Sunderland & the closest to our venues. You can also get a guaranteed room rate of just £85 per night (bed & breakfast) if you book here (remembering to change the dates).
  • (The Premier Inn Sunderland City Centre, Travelodge Sunderland Central & Hilton Garden Inn Sunderland are also good options but not as close to our venues, except for the latter which is next to our Day 4 venue).

You can see all our daytime venues, official after party venues, car parks, public transport hubs, recommended hotels, food & drink establishments on the Google Map below:

Day 2 (GETTING STARTED) – Tuesday 3rd June (9am-late)

Our daytime event will begin at The British Esports Performance Campus on Athenaeum Street in the Sunniside area to the East of the city centre. On arrival, you will have the opportunity to go on a tour of the building & then again during the lunchtime period.

After lunch, we have 5 x workshops for you to choose from:

  • Video content creation for social media (with Howell Media)
  • Starting & growing your podcast (with Cluarantonn Podcast Services)
  • Building a tech product / automating your services to scale your business (with Wubbleyou)
  • Pitching for funding or investment masterclass (with the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator)
  • How to start & grow a successful social enterprise or community interest company (at Diego’s Joint just a short walk from The British Esports Performance Campus)
  • Once workshops have ended, everyone is invited back into the main event space at the British Esports Performance Campus to hear some pitches in front of a panel of business experts, funders & investors

Food will be available during lunchtime from Diego’s Joint (delicious sourdough pizza) but we also recommend the nearby Pop Recs / Sonny’s Coffee & Kitchen, Port Independent & Crave.

Our official after party / networking drinks will take place at Diego’s Joint from 5.30pm onwards.

(See the full Day 2 schedule here).

Day 3 (FUNDING & FINANCE) – Wednesday 4th June (8.15am-late)

Our daytime event will take place at the City Hall with free coffee / tea on arrival & later in the day.

During the lunchtime break (12.30pm-1.30pm), you will be given the opportunity to go on a tour of the spectacular new Maker & Faber buildings – two brand new Grade A office blocks situated directly behind the City Hall & overlooking the river & Wearmouth Bridge – plus The Beam office right next door.

There will be an opportunity to book private 1-2-1 meetings in the afternoon with the Investment Managers from Northstar Ventures in the Business Lounge at the Holiday Inn Sunderland – City Centre hotel opposite City Hall. (Please email Naomi Allen Seales to arrange this).

Once the daytime event is over, the official after party / networking drinks will take place at The 3 Stories bar & restaurant (just a 5 min walk from City Hall) from 5.30pm-late.

(See the full Day 3 schedule here).

Day 4 (GROWING & SCALING) – Thursday 5th June (9am-late)

Our daytime event will take place in The Founders Bar, a newly-opened event space inside The Stadium of Light (home of Sunderland AFC).

This is a 15-20min walk from the city centre across the Wearmouth Bridge. If you’re driving, there are 1000 free parking spaces outside The Stadium of Light. If you’re travelling by transport, head to St Peter’s Metro station which is slightly closer than the Stadium of Light Metro station (an 8 min walk vs 14 mins).

There will be a selection of food, coffees, teas & soft drinks available from inside The Stadium of Light throughout the day & a bar serving alcohol will be open inside The Founders Bar from 4pm onwards.

(The Founders Bar is uniquely located at ground level which leads straight out onto the football pitch so you will have the opportunity to go on a short guided tour of the ground at several points during the day).

(See the full Day 4 schedule here).

Day 5 (KEEP GOING OR PIVOT?) – Friday 6th June (9am-late)

Our final daytime event will take place at Hope Street Xchange which is located back in the city centre.

Some free food & drinks will be provided on arrival & during the day (thanks to The University of Sunderland).

Once the daytime event has ended, you are all invited to join us for a celebratory closing party / networking drinks at the gorgeous Saba Maison de Luxe Indian restaurant (just a short walk from Hope Street Exchange).

(See the full Day 5 schedule here).

Stay Informed!

We will be sending emails & posting regular social media updates on a daily basis leading up to & throughout our UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival.

Please keep an eye out for any emails we send & ensure you are following us on all of the social media channels that you use via the links below:

We would love to see you posting your own thoughts, photos & videos in the days leading up to & during the UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival so please tag us in / @mention us & remember to include the #UKSSW hashtag.

Thank you for reading & we look forward to seeing you soon!

Paul Lancaster
Founder & Event Producer
UK Startup Week & Scaleup Week
https://ukstartupweek.com

Not got a ticket or want another?

We still have a small number of tickets left which you can buy on Eventbrite or via the booking form below:

Register on Eventbrite
UK Startup & Scaleup Week