Invitation for small business leaders to participate in the Amazon Innovation Accelerator programme
We are delighted to invite you to participate in a free and exclusive programme for small business leaders, which has been especially designed to help businesses in the West Midlands innovate and grow. For the first time, Amazon will open its doors to its state-of-the-art Fulfilment Centre in Peddimore and share learnings alongside Amazon Web Services and Made Smarter West Midlands. You will benefit from tailored and practical workshops to help you innovate more effectively, adopt new technologies and transition into more sustainable practices.
Only 20 businesses will be successfully enrolled into the programme, therefore please secure your place now.
If you are interested in participating, we require you to nominate one senior representative from your organisation to participate and complete all of the following activities that will take place from October until December 2023:
- Attend two all-day workshops
- Benefit from three hours of free mentoring with a senior Amazon leader
Details
The two all-day workshops will take place at 17th of October 2023 9.45am-6.00pm and 15th of November 2023 9.45am-6.00pm at Amazon’s Fulfilment Centre (EMA4), Minworth, The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Please find an agenda at the bottom of this email. Beverages and lunch will be provided for all participants.
In between these two all-day workshops, you will also obtain three hours of mentoring support with a senior member of Amazon UK’s Senior Leadership Team. Individuals from this team are responsible for leading Amazon’s Fulfilment Centre network across the UK and represent both, a diverse range of backgrounds and industries.
To attend please RSVP to madesmarter@cwgrowthhub.co.uk. Participation is limited to 20 places for this programme so please sign up quickly to avoid disappointment.
Best wishes,
Amazon, AWS & Made Smarter West Midlands
Amazon supports over 12,000 small businesses in the West Midlands to grow and export. It has also invested over £3.2 billion in the West Midlands since 2010, including creating over 6,000 full and part-time jobs.
Made Smarter is a programme backed by world-renowned businesses and the UK government. We connect makers to the digital tools that can transform everyday business operations. It is delivered by the West Midlands Combined Authority in partnership with the CW Growth Hub, WMG, and MTC.
*Both workshops will be held at Amazon’s Fulfilment Centre in Peddimore
Agenda
October Workshop Agenda: Culture of innovation and an introduction to digital transformation – 17th October 9.45am-6pm | ||
Time | Item | Content Description |
| 9:45 am | Arrival | Participants arrive at EMA4 |
| 10:00 am | Welcome & Intros | Amazon and Made Smarter leaders will greet participants and provide an overview of the day. Participants will also be invited to introduce themselves, their business and why they have decided to participate in this programme |
| 10:45 am | Amazon workshop – Amazon’s approach to innovation | Amazon will provide a session giving insights into how we continuously improve and innovate in our Customer Fulfilment Centres. We will look at innovation in three different areas: Safety, Employee Experience and Operational Performance. Participants will get chance to workshop their own ideas and hear from a senior Fulfilment Centre leader in a Q&A. |
| 12:30 pm | Lunch | |
| 1:00 pm | Amazon workshop – Key skills workshop | During this workshop, we will host a tour of one of our Fulfilment Centres, to show innovation and technology in practice. We will answer your questions on the evolution of innovation and how we have been able to scale through continuous improvement. |
| 2:00 pm | Amazon workshop – Culture of Innovation – Overview | Amazon leaders will provide an overview of the business’s culture of innovation, as well as highlighting best practice that participants can apply with their own businesses. |
| 3:00 pm | Break | |
| 3:15 pm | Amazon workshop – Amazon’s Culture of Innovation – Frame the Challenge | AWS and Amazon leaders will train participants in a series of helpful processes to help them identify and address key business challenges. |
| 4:00 pm | Break | |
| 4:15 pm | Made Smarter workshop – Digital transformation for small businesses | Made Smarter will provide an overview of the digital transformation approach they take with small business manufacturers and what practical learnings participants can apply. |
| 5:00 pm | Survey and mentoring next steps | We will invite participants to provide feedback on the day’s activities and how they intend to apply learnings. Made Smarter and Amazon will then provide an overview of the mentoring portion of the programme – Participants will be invited their preferences for an Amazon Mentor based off a list of candidates. |
| 6:00 pm | Close and networking reception | |
Slingshot