Founder, owner and creative driving force behind all things YO!, Simon Woodroffe left school at the age of 16 and spent 30 years in the entertainment business. His production companies in London and Los Angeles designed and staged concerts for many artists during the 70′s and 80′s, including The Moody... Read more
Founder, owner and creative driving force behind all things YO!, Simon Woodroffe left school at the age of 16 and spent 30 years in the entertainment business. His production companies in London and Los Angeles designed and staged concerts for many artists during the 70′s and 80′s, including The Moody Blues, Madness, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and George Michael. In the 90’s, he spearheaded the development of television deals to show huge international rock concerts worldwide, including Nelson Mandela concerts and shows for Amnesty International.
In 1997, Simon Woodroffe founded YO! Sushi, a conveyor belt sushi bar. The concept was to make eating a complete entertainment experience and featured call buttons, robot drinks trolleys and Japanese TV. The first restaurant opened on London’s Poland Street and became an overnight phenomenon. Today it continues to expand both at home and abroad.
YO!
In 1999 Simon won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and became part of the CBI/BCC Ambassador of Entrepreneurism campaign, with which he is still actively involved. In 2001 he was awarded the accolade of Best Venue at the Retailer of the Year Awards. In recognition for his contribution to hospitality, Simon was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2006.
Simon has further developed the YO! brands including YOTEL, the world’s most revolutionary hotel that opened in 2007. YO! Home: Simon’s re-invention of the city apartment launched at the 100% Design event in London in September 2012 and YO! Zone: part spa, part cafe, part bar and part nightclub is in development.
His television appearances include the BBC 2 Dragons’ Den as one of the panelists, who make and break the dreams of would-be entrepreneurs as they pitch their business ideas for financing, Discovery TV’s VIP Weekends with Ian Wright, ITV’s Homes & Property and ITV’s The Millionaire’s Club.
Simon Woodroffe is in great demand as a speaker at corporate events talking about entrepreneurship, customer service and creativity, and has shared the inspiring story of his entrepreneurial success worldwide.
AWARDS
2001 Retail Interiors Awards Best Food & Supermarket Design for Edinburgh
2001 Retail Interiors Awards Most Outstanding Retail Experience for Edinburgh
2001 Theme Best Marketing Award
2000 Group Restaurateur of the Year
1999 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
1998 Marketing Week Design Effectiveness Award
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT SIMON WOODROFFE’S PUBLIC SPEAKING
• “’The most honest and human presentation from a person of great maturity.’ ‘brilliant’ ‘passionate and refreshing’ ‘gave me loads of inspiration’”
Enterprise Masterclass
• Wonderful presentation – motivational, educational and radical
Accenture
• Great approach – good mix of people stuff and business stuff
Merrill Lynch
• “I was very pleased with Simon and I look forward to working with him in the very near future.” Paver Downes.
• Your presentation was absolutely superb and thoroughly well received…..a great inspiration ! Banks Sadler
• Yo were fantastic! A big,big thank you from the Hallmarks team
Hallmarks Business Development
• Our sincere thanks – your presence really helped pull the theme together !
Yellow Pages
• His inspired, passionate speech literally gave me chills down my back.
Branding America
• The best speech I have heard in this building in ten years.
Institute of Directors
• A huge thank you for your talk. It was highly inspirational and exceptionally well received from discussions afterwards
Sainsburys
• High rating – unscripted from the heart – very powerful
Caradon Trend
• Very down to earth and inspirational
Institute of Management
• Extremely interesting liked the personal approach
CIPFA
• You have inspired a lot of people to grab opportunities around them and have the courage to think outside the box
GlaxoSmithKline
You can book Simon Woodroffe through London Speaker Bureau by submitting the enquiry form on this page or calling our team. One of our consultants will respond promptly with Simon's current availability, speaking fees and any specific requirements for your event.
Simon Woodroffe's speaking fees depend on the event format (in-person or virtual), the location, the length of the engagement and the level of customisation required. Please contact London Speaker Bureau for an up-to-date fee quote for Simon tailored to your event.
Simon Woodroffe speaks on a range of business, leadership and industry subjects. Talks can be shaped around your audience, industry and strategic objectives - share your event brief with London Speaker Bureau and we will work with Simon to align the content with your delegates and goals.
London Speaker Bureau can book Simon Woodroffe for events worldwide, subject to Simon's schedule. Please send us your event date, location and format and we will confirm availability and handle travel and logistics on your behalf.
Virtual and hybrid keynotes are now a standard part of the speaking industry. Please contact London Speaker Bureau to confirm whether Simon Woodroffe is available to deliver a virtual session for your event and on which platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, a bespoke studio or your own).
Most keynote speeches run between 45 and 60 minutes, often followed by a 15-30 minute Q&A. Other formats - shorter conference slots, panel appearances or longer workshop sessions - may also be possible. Share your agenda with London Speaker Bureau and we will confirm what Simon can accommodate.
London Speaker Bureau will brief Simon Woodroffe on your audience profile, sector and objectives so the keynote can be shaped around your event. The level of customisation possible depends on the speaker and the lead time - contact us with your brief and we will confirm what Simon can offer.
Simon Woodroffe delivers keynotes in English. If you require simultaneous interpretation or a multilingual format, please mention this in your enquiry and London Speaker Bureau will arrange it for you.
Simon Woodroffe's areas of expertise include a range of business, leadership and industry subjects. To get a clear sense of Simon's style, credentials and how they engage an audience, please review the biography, popular talks and any videos or testimonials shown on this page, or request a detailed speaker brief from London Speaker Bureau.
Simon Woodroffe can be booked through London Speaker Bureau for corporate conferences, leadership events, internal team meetings, association gatherings and private client engagements where expertise in a range of business, leadership and industry subjects is relevant. Details of Simon's background and previous engagements are included in the biography above; contact us if you would like a more detailed list of past clients or case studies.
Beyond keynote speeches, many of the speakers on our roster also take part in workshops, executive masterclasses, panel discussions and fireside chats. Contact London Speaker Bureau with your preferred format and we will confirm what Simon Woodroffe is able to offer alongside or instead of a keynote.
We generally recommend enquiring at least three to twelve months in advance to secure your preferred date with Simon Woodroffe, particularly during peak conference seasons. Where possible we also accommodate shorter lead times - please contact London Speaker Bureau to check Simon's current availability for your dates.