After Dinner Speakers: Simon Woodroffe, Eddie Jordan, Erasure

YO! Sushi is a lifestyle brand that has grown out of the initial restaurant concept where eating is turned into a complete entertainment experience. The company was two years in development before the first restaurant opened on London’s Poland Street. Now the focus is on the international market where Simon is busy developing deals to take the YO! brand across Europe and into the United States. Simon’s current projects include YOTEL! which has been described as a cross between a Japanese capsule hotel and British Airways first class, Body YO! - a Japanese health spa, a YO! To wear clothing range and two new books. In 2000 Simon won ‘Group Restaurateur of the Year’ at the Catey awards and YO! Below was awarded the Design and Art Direction award in the Design for Leisure category. In 1999 Simon won Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Ernst & Young) and became part of the CBI / BCC Ambassador of Entrepreneurism campaign, with which he is still actively involved. He was also a finalist in the Real Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year. For YO! Sushi he has received awards from Design Week (Best Restaurant), Marketing Week – Design Effectiveness Awards 1998 and Best Web Site for Hospitality Solutions 1999. The Book of YO!, published by Capstone was released October 2000 and became WH Smith Travel’s best selling business book in the same month. Simon left school at the age of 16 with 4 ‘O’ levels in the days when they used to do peace signs and mean them. He went on the road with the likes of Rod Stewart and The Moody Blues before becoming a stage designer for many of the concerts of the 70’s and 80’s.