End of July
2011
Welcome to this week's Business Banter blog
Remember the cold snap we had at the beginning of the year? or, at time of writing this, over 200 days ago!! That means there's only 160 odd days to go to 2012. Scary isn't it.
Good to report that during these 200+days, the Business Banter continues to offer an increasing number of businesses an outlet to develop their own network of contacts and, as ever, you can see the outcome of these on a weekly basis as quite business meetings take place in and around Esquires Coffee House in Glasgow and the Caffe Nero in Edinburgh of which more soon.
Business Banter Birthday Bash
With a big thanks to Colin Abercrombie at 5th Column Digital Design for the graphics here and every other website he's created for me over the past five years.
Business Banter Birthday Bash
Friday 2 September 2011
Venue To be confirmed
Kick-off - 16:00
Played to a finish. Extra time and penalties if required.
Please RSVP here
There have been over 450 business people come along to the Business Banter since its inception at the end of August 2010. It would be fair to say that for some they came, the saw but we didn't manage to conquer them as they didn't feel it suited there business needs and never returned. For an increaing number though it has become a regular entry in their diary. Whether regular equals weekly, monthly or whenever time permits is kind of irrelevant because they realise the flexible approach and informal nature of the events ensure they will always be welcomed back.
To celebrate one year of the Business Banter when, between God's City Glasgow, that's why it starts with a G, the capital and Ayr we have organised and ran coming up to 100 Business Banters, we're inviting all who have came along, and others who keep meaning to come along, to attend our Birthday Bash on Friday 2 September. To help us manage the arrangements for this, especially selecting an appropriate Glasgow City Centre venue, I'd be grateful if you could RSVP here.
Scotland event awards 2011
Self praise is no praise and I'll always live by that standard. Having said that there is an opportunity to register whether the Business Banter has been as successful as we think it is by voting in the Scottish Event Awards. If interested, see below, the straightforward nomination form can be accessed here. Would be nice for everyone who has helped evolve the Business Banter get a bit of recognition too.
The Scottish Event Awards are offering you the opportunity to vote for the individual you feel should be awarded Event Professional 2011. This award is given to an individual who has stood out from the crowd, gone the extra mile for clients, shown innovation and creativity and is admired by their colleagues and industry peers. If this sounds like someone you know then now is the time to reward them with the recognition they deserve by nominating them for the Event Professional 2011. This is your chance to be a Scottish Event Awards judge this year, make your nomination count.
Other Events
A couple of events to report on in this week's blog post.
Edinburgh Business Banter
It would seem that the core group who regularly attended the Edinburgh Business Banter are keen to keep something going and have asked me to re-instate the LinkedIn Events pages and keep them in the minds of others from across the country who may be in Edinburgh of a Tuesday morning and fancy joining them in Lothian Road's Caffe Nero between 0800 and 1000.
A quick visit to the Business Banter home page will allow everyone to RSVP to each Edinburgh Banter so that they can guage who's coming along. Hope to make a re-appearance myself in the coming weeks too. Delighted to report that from the core group Kallum Russell secured a job with an Edinburgh-based company called "Codeus" (http://codeus.net/) who specialise in applying artificial intelligence to businesses to improve their efficiency. So if you know of anyone who may need such a thing, send them Kallum's way.
PowerLunchClub
The PowerLunchClub meet monthly in God's city and also the capital and last week I was privileged to listen to HSBC's CEO in Scotland John Rendall. Really good to have confirmed that HSBC has really strong Scottish Roots from its inception in the Far East to the present day where there is more than a fair sprinkling of Scots on the main board of directors.
HSBC have a clear expansion plan for Scotland and I think we can look out for more branches opening up across the country in the months ahead.
I was so beguiled by the talk I went down to the HSBC branch in Buchanan Street and opened up a business account. To be fair Banterer Charlie Bowie had already organised that but why ruin a good story with a fact.
The picture to the left here doesn't really do John justice. He wasn't demonstrating a Highland fling to confirm the company's Scottish heritage, nor was he giving us an example of the interest rates and charges the bank will levy to customers. More likely he was at the time of the snap demonstrating the principals of sound financial management that ensured HSBC didn't get into the same mess as a couple of it's High Street rivals.
Social Media Week
Hope to feature the Social Media Week here on a regular basis. This is a key series of events acorss Glasgow this week and glad that Tim and Daniella have such a pivotal role in pulling ot all together.
Please see below a blog post I wrote for Tim and Daniella. In the weeks that follow we'll develop the different Banter events running that week and look forward to working with and sharing ideas with fellow Banterers.
It would appear to me that sometimes far too much reliance is based on the ‘Media’ aspect of Social Media and less on the ‘Social’ aspect. I don’t mean here the fun filled ‘social’ elements that take place in pubs and restaurants with groups of fellow Tweeters, LinkedIn groups, Facebook and the like.
What I do mean is the heavy reliance and time resource people seem to put in to developing their social media strategy. Getting the 140 characters just right, updating the LinkedIn profile just often enough to keep in our contacts mindset. Starting and responding within discussion groups, etc., etc.
While from a geographical, time and cost perspective it would be impossible to actually meet with your virtual network of contacts, there is genuinely nothing to beat face to face meetings and that’s why I think Social Media Week Glasgow offers such a wide diversity of opportunities to enhance the quality of your business network and not just the quantity of followers you can add into the equation.
Think Different Business Banter, which was established at the tail end of August 2010, was a direct result of wanting to meet some of the people who had for whatever reason LinkedIn or followed me on Twitter ‘blind’. I wanted to make contact with them but why should they respond so positively I wasn’t sure. Was it a numbers game for them as well?
Using our experience of organising events and my own thoughts on what had worked and what hadn’t in the other networking groups I was a member of, I decided that Think Different Business Banter would offer a casual approach to developing a business network.
Over 450 business people have attended to date and there is now a regular buzz in Esquires on a Thursday morning as 50 or more people, brought together through the media, have quality social contact. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea or coffee but is a tangible success of how using the appropriate tools that the technology provides us can add value to the meetings and larger events currently on the go.
If there is one concern I have of Think Different Business Banter, it is in the diversity of sectors which are covered by Banterers each week – financial, legal, coaching, graphic and web design, office supplies, event management, marketing, etc., etc.
I have taken the opportunity that Social Media Week provides to develop 4 additional events that week which will look at the social media aspects as they relate to Construction, Legal/Financial, Telecoms, and a combination of PR/Marketing/Graphic and Web Design, in addition to the regular event which will enable other groupings to discuss their social media use, or lack of it.
Over the coming weeks we will develop each of the four new models and I hope that this divergence will provide focus for the discussions on each day.
Before we go on to talk about the Business Banter newbies last week just a further reminder that the Business Golf Association event is taking place on 25 August and I'd really appreciate any help in getting this event into people's mindset for that date. While the Business Banter remains a free event, it'll be the success of the BGA and a few other events I'm looking to kick start in the coming months which will help fund the time and resource in putting the Business Banter together.
Click on the image below to find out more about the event and how to get involved.
The Business Banter this week
This week's forthcoming Business Banters are at the usual times and places.
Edinburgh, Tuesday, Caffe Nero, Lothian Road 0800-1000
Glasgow, Thursday, Esquires, Hope Street 0800-1000
Newbie Corner
This is the area where we introduce the newbies to the Business Banter Community. We've also created pages for the newbies in the Who's Who section of the Business Banter website, so if you want to find out more visit their pages here. If you have a Banter Cup beside your name it means I couldn't find a photo of you.
While I have LinkedIn with many of you, I'd be delighted to accept an invitation from any I haven't connected with to date.
Anne-Marie Campbell, Volunteer, Dressed for Success
The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and life. Our programmes transition women towards self-sufficiency by addressing their social and economic needs in relation to work, home and community. Each woman is a success story: She has gone from unemployment to economic independence.
Rowan Maclachlan, Architect, rlmac architects
Chartered architect practice founded in 2009, with a focus on high quality domestic projects. When appointed we are responsible for making our client's project come to life, whether the client has a clear vision of the project from the outset, or seeks creative and professional guidance to help define the brief. We have strong experience within the private housing sector, including the repair and conversion of existing buildings, often Listed properties in Conservation areas. Our cumulative past experience has been gained within residential (private and social housing), commercial and retail sectors.
Rob Beer, Director, Vacuum Cleaner Bags
About vacuumcleanerbags.co.uk. I've been selling vacuum cleaner bags online since 1999. The Bag Lady is not associated with any vacuum cleaner manufacturer, and wouldn't want to be! It's a sad fact that there exist in the world today literally thousands of different types of vacuum cleaner bags. What a joke! Why can't vacuum cleaner manufacturers settle on a few standards? The reason is to force us consumers to buy only their replacement bags (as no others will fit) producing thousands of bags, and a nightmare for the rest of us. But why should they care if we waste days looking for the one we need? Life is complicated enough already, so I aim to make your 'on-line experience' as pain free as possible. I try to provide a place where you can buy bags for any vacuum cleaner in the UK. If I don't have the one you want, I will try to find it, not just for you, but for the next customer who may need it.
Tina, McKay Flooring Ltd.
The products and services we offer include
The supply of quality hardwood, granite and speciality floor coverings across the UK from this website, and from our central Scotland showrooms
The installation of our flooring in homes across Scotland
Dust free sanding and resealing of existing wooden floors
Supplying and installing hardwood floors in commercial premises across the UK
Installation of parquet block and marquetry
Supply and fitting of acoustic subfloor systems
Supplying and installing Junckers sports flooring - we're one of only two Junckers approved contractors in Scotland
Carly MacGregor, Herbalife
For more than 26 years, Herbalife has been at the forefront of nutritional and weight-management science. Herbalife is one of the largest global network marketing companies; it pursues a mission of 'changing people's lives' by offering weight-management products, nutritional supplements, energy and fitness supplements and outer nutrition products to people seeking a healthy lifestyle. Herbalife's products are brought to you by your independent distributor who uses & understands the products and will help you achieve your goals.
Restart Corner
Good to welcome back, after so many months Kirsten Smith a Partner with Consultancy52 Limited. The last time she came to the Business Banter we were still in 2010 and the cold spell hadn't even kicked in. She claims that she has been dying to come back on a more regular basis but Thursday is her day off!Consultancy52 are a Scottish management, training and consultancy company. They deliver consultancy projects throughout the UK on time and on budget to meet and, wherever possible, exceed their customers stated requirements. So there!! ;-0 Hope to see more of Kirstin in what remains of 2011.
Musical Interlude
With all the Hacking stories doing the rounds, and let's hope Coulson gets his comeuppance in Glasgow, thought I'd insert this little bit of brilliant paranoia from JJ Gilmour, Spy, from the Southside Festival 2010.
Twits of the week
Forget about FFs or Friendly Fridays as they're called. This is the 'A' list of Twits this week from the Business Banter Community. So thanks for all the mentions using the #TDBB hash tag this week
Marie Macklin, Klin Group - @MarieMacklin
Brian Canavan, Aperture Marketing - @aperturemarket
Esquires Coffee House - @PeekayPenguin
In the Spotlight
Think Different Business Banter is all about building business relationships and the Spotlight pages provide an opportunity for Banterers to tell us all a little bit more about themselves and what services or products they offer their clients. Providing this information online also gives Banterers an opportunity to update us all on changes to their company's services, special promotions, links to other media stories and the like. Find out more about how you can Get in the Spotlight.
This week the Spotlight falls on Bronagh Bell Click on Find out more to read the whole interview. Click on the photos below to see who has been put in the Spotlight so far:
Hot Desk Office Space
As some of you who have visitied our offices in St Enoch Square will know we have ample space to work in. To maximise the usage of this working space we are offering opportunities for Banterers and others within their network of contacts to share this space on a flexible footing. Details of the offer can be found by clicking on one of the images below. Colin Abercrombie, Clare McLeod, Norma Corlette and Jennifer Sutherland are already using space on a part-time basis. Come join us!! ;-)
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Until later this week
TUESDAY - EDINBURGH
THURSDAY - GLASGOW
Take care and keep busy
Jacky
Previous Blog posts can be found here
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