The Evening Standard has announced the return and expansion of SME XPO, with the launch of a new event, The Office.
The third year of the SME XPO in 2024 will see 30% more exhibitors on the show floor and a 50% rise in visitor numbers, with more than 6,000 SME leaders expected to attend over the two days of the show.
Launching alongside next year’s exhibition, The Office will offer free education sessions, partner-led workshops and exhibition space and an opportunity for key buyers and purchasing influencers from the UK’s top employers, commercial real estate professionals and managers.
The 2023 SME XPO, which took place alongside The Watercooler, saw a 74% increase in visitors on the previous year with over 4,100 visitors attending.
All three events will take place from 23-24 April at ExCeL London. Confirmed speakers include Theo Paphitis, former Dragon from BBC’s Dragon’s Den; Tim Martin, founder of Wetherspoons; Rochelle Humes, founder of My Little Coco; Charlie Bigham, founder of Charlie Bigham’s; and Tim Oldman, founder and CEO of Leesman. Confirmed sponsors include HSBC, Barclays Eagle Labs, Workday and Eurostar.
Claire Farrow, head of content and programming at The Office, said: “The Office has been designed as the go-to event for employers seeking to upgrade their spaces and create well-designed workplaces that place wellbeing at the centre of the back-to-office strategy, inspire creativity and support new ways of working.’’
Rich Mead, interim managing director at Evening Standard, said: “Since the launch of SME XPO in 2022, it has been incredibly exciting to watch the exhibition go from strength to strength and see its audience grow so rapidly. Following the pandemic years, the success of SME XPO and ES Live’s other events demonstrates that demand for in person experiences has never been higher.”
