A dozen of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs, including Lloyd Dorfman, Martyn Dawes, Julie Meyer, Austin Healey, Tim Levene, Tim Leeson, Kevin Godlington, WIll King and James Caan shared their insights and views on growing businesses during tough economic times.

The speakers and delegates were joining by industry experts from leading backers of SMEs including the likes of IBM, Crowell and Moring, Microsoft, Smith & Williamson, AVG, Nabarro and Barclays Business who debated a range of pressing issues including the importance of cloud computing to small business and the complexities of securing investment during times when lenders are more risk averse than ever.

A major aspect of the day was interactivity with over 2000 tweets from 220 individuals and businesses ensuring there was no shortage of interaction between the audience and those presenting. Mobile communication giant Orange who are one of the key supports and information providers for small businesses add to the day by ensuring all attendees had voting pads to contribute their views to a range of topical issues including the 50p rate of tax and the performance of political leaders.

With 'Dragon's Den' style pitches from EuroTRX, EyeSee360, BetCafe, Wonder Sale, Plus Trading Solutions and LabelSneak, delegates got to watch real companies pitch to the 'dragons David Scholtz and Diana Nye from Ariadne Capital and skillfully negotiating questions from the audience. 

The days Interactive City exhibits included exciting demonstrations from the likes of MedWorm, BloomVC, Montague Healthcare and RM2 Partnership all SMEs with innovative businesses looking to accelerate their growth.

On what was an exceptional day for one of the UK's largest entrepreneurial communities and single quote from Theodore Roosevelt used Lloyd Dorfman, founder of Travelex in his speech rang out loudest:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."