That Winning Feeling
2011
Welcome to this week's Business Banter blog
Even although this week's Glasgow Business Banter felt quieter than usual we still managed to attract 9 newbies to the event and details about what most of them do are included later in the blog below.
For those that follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn you will have seen that we managed t
o win a tender to deliver a series of events across Scotland in October with the Scottish Housing Regulator. Brand new client too so hopefully we'll be able to establish a long term relationship with them. The events will be held in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dumfries and Aberdeen with an audience of between 50 to 120 people at each. We're managing much of the process from invitation through online and offline registration, venue search and management, AV management, evaluation and a range of other event management services. The Scottish Housing Regulator regulates all social landlords in Scotland protecting the interests of tenants, as well as people who face homelessness. Should be an interesting project to work on.
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 increasing 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.
Banterer News
Congratulations to Maria McHugh who is expecting her first child in a few months time and took time out to revisit the Business Banter last week. Belated congratulations too to Kim McAllister who became the first Business Banterer to develop a new member of the family since attending the Banter!! ;-)
Jim Henderson
Jim has asked me to bring the following course being run by Shirlaws to the Banterers attention.
Time add money are the two commodities most business owners want more of - and find hardest to achieve. The unique Shirlaws frameworks and techniques enable business owners to remove barriers to growth, and achieve their business and personal objectives: ready to catch all of the upturn.
For the first time, we’re offering the award-winning Shirlaws approach in a 5-day workshop series. Over 5 days, across several months, systematically work through the Shirlaws methodology, which has transformed hundreds of businesses (and the quality of life for their owners) across the world.
For a detailed synopsis click here.
Susan Anderson
Susan is running her regular First Thursday event as follows:
4th August 5.30 - 8.30 in McPhabbs
(or as late as you want to stay). No need to be there for 5.30 - simply drop in when it suits. We use the downstairs room to make it easier to find us! If it's a nice evening we'll have the doors open to the summer. As ever there are no presentations, elevator pitches, ice-breakers, or compulsory anything. And NO compulsory costs. Just a friendly bunch of people you might want to do business with.
Adam Kelly, Fundraising Executive, Action on Hearing Loss Scotland (the new name for RNID Scotland)
Action on Hearing Loss Scotland is the new name for RNID Scotland. We are the largest charity in the UK working with hearing loss and hearing health. We work for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced and where people value and look after their hearing. There are 850,000 people who are deaf or hard of hearing in Scotland. It is estimated that 1 in 6 of the population has some degree of hearing loss. We build confidence and empower people with hearing loss to become more active citizens and be less socially isolated. On Tuesday 30th August 2011 we are holding an event in The Body Shop on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. This will take place between 7-9pm and will involve makeovers, fun and play with products, soft drinks, nibbles, and also a raffle, there will also be a discount on products for all guests. Tickets are priced at £5 with all proceeds to Action on Hearing Loss Scotland.
If you are interested please contact Adam on 0141 341 5351 or email adam.kelly@hearingloss.org.uk
Craig Cowbrough
Craig is a bit of an irregular Banterer but no reason not to add his video below or message to entice him back on a more regular basis.
Getting the right message out to the right people is fundamental to success across all business sectors. Understanding this is one thing, doing it effectively to improve your business performance is another. Cowbrough Communications can help you achieve this by offering effective support where and when you need it. We make sure the people who need to hear you get the message loud and clear. Our support is tailored to suit your needs using the most effective media channels to deliver real results for your business.
Janine De Fence
The Interface app, ‘InterfaceOn’ has been designed to compliment Interface’s current work in matchmaking academic expertise with companies requiring research and development solutions.
Users can take advantage of becoming a part of Interface's online community. Not only will the app users increase their awareness of the scope of ways to work with universities and higher education institutes, but also learn about the business benefits it will generate.
By way of tailored push notifications for events, funding calls and news threads, existing and new Interface businesses will be engaged and in direct contact with the university sector, encouraging long-term engagement and collaboration.
The app will enable users to create an individual profile so that customised multimedia content such as video testimonials, podcasts and text case studies can be accessed by various search strands, for example by industry sector or the geographical location of the company or academic institution.
InterfaceOn is an output of a JISC funded project titled, OPEN Biz which will be comes to an end this July.
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. Given that nobody used it last week it begs the question why, but hey ho.
A quick visit to the Business Banter home page will allow everyone to RSVP to each Edinburgh Banter so that they can gauge who's coming along. Hope to make a re-appearance myself in the coming weeks too.
Social Media Week
Hope to feature Social Media Week here on a regular basis. This is a key series of events across Glasgow
during the week 19-23 September and glad that Tim and Daniella have such a pivotal role in pulling it all together.
To help look at how Think Different Business Banter could make a valued contribution to Social Media Week I met up with Liz Taylor, Benedetto Bordone, Martin Little and Frank Cozzo last week who, along with Bronagh Bell and Colin Abercrombie, will help me shape the five events we are running during the week.
The basic outline for each event is as follows. Start at 0800 with 5 or six micro presentations around 9 o'clock and then, after a general Q&A session, open networking until 1100. Like the Business Banter itself they presentations will not be sales pitches and anyone who delves into that area will just get hooked from the presentation area!! ;-)
As ever each event will take place in Esquires Coffee House and we hope to have social media expertise from across the spectrum - construction to telecoms, marketing to hospitality, finance and legal to the creative sector. More details will be available each week and hope that the wider Banter community will find one or more of the events of interest to them that week. So whether you are interested in finding out more about the social media tools themselves or how a variety of companies are utilising them to develop meaningful content for their target audience then I hope you'll find out more at these events.
The Business Golf Association
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.
Laura Jamieson, Solicitor, Miller Samuel LLP
Laura is a newly qualified solicitor at Miller Samuel and joins the growing list of her colleagues who come along to the Business Banter on a regular basis now.
Miller Samuel operate from a central office in Glasgow, but their reach is global. As the only Scottish member of the International Lawyers Network they offer their clients access to quality assured advice in any international jurisdiction.
They work for individuals, public sector organisations, private and listed companies, entrepreneurs, financial institutions and insurers.
They build strong relationships with their clients and make a difference to them by understanding their specific needs. They get the job done, on time and within budget.
Their consistently high standard of service is independently and externally audited through LawNet and they have achieved and maintained ISO9001:2008 certification.
Miller Samuel LLP are proud supporters of the Scottish Spina Bifida Association.
James Van Beusekom, Head of Business Development, and Joanna Holloway Invoice Finance, RBS.
Couldn't find a photograph or LinkedIn details for Joanna so we'll have to do with a photo of James - definitely not as pleasing on the eye to the editor but there you go!!
RBS Invoice Finance is part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and is the largest provider of invoice finance solutions in the UK. Our network of offices across the UK means that we are able to offer our customers a personal service that's responsive to local needs. Our team consists of dedicated Relationship Managers, who match business objectives to effective products and solutions. They work with our customers on a day-to-day basis; they are ably supported by named assistants who ensure the smooth and efficient running of our financial services.
Colin McDermott, Managing Director at The Online Print Company
David Strain, Franchisee at The Online Print Company Glasgow
David has just taken on the franchise for The Online Print Company and is obviously looking to expand his network of contacts in the area.
The Online Print Company is unique – we offer easy and affordable online printing, without sacrificing quality or customer service.
Why? Because printing doesn’t have to be complicated – affordable print doesn’t have to be low quality
How? Behind The Online Print Company is a central team who manage and take care of order processing. They are complemented by our franchise colleagues, who are based locally throughout the UK. While you can simply place your order and upload your artwork, our franchise colleagues are also available to help refine your requirements.
Ed Cafolla, Hypnotherapist researcher
Now there is a job title that lends itself to a lot of questions. I'm sure we've all wondered how certain people are more prone to go under a hypnotherapists spell than others and I'm sure we've all got stories to tell about some of the things people have done when put under. Maybe Ed can put it all in perspective and maybe I'll have some more time with him on his next visit to find out more.
Raymond MacHugh, Managing Director, Keywest
Keywest are a creative agency delivering excellence in:
Graphic design, Website design, Advertising, Social media
We enjoy the challenges of working in such a diverse and exciting sector and relish the prospect of producing fresh and effective work for our clients. Our ideas and our designs are focused on achieving results. We have the experience and creativity to deliver for you and your business.
We believe our ongoing relationships with clients are testament to the added value we deliver every day. Our experience is wide ranging: identity, brand guidelines, websites, advertising campaign, plus anything you can print basically.
Natalya Zhdanova, student
Natalya was introduced to the group by Robert Calder who has recognised the important aspect networking has in the development of business skills for students finishing university. Natalya seemed to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and hope she gained some kind of insight into how groups like Business Banter support the economy by providing vital support and business development opportunities.
Musical Interlude
The Glasgow Pavilion is not a venue I've frequented very often but on 25 April 1982 I attended one of the best concerts I've ever been to The Cure.
The full set list for the night was as follows:
Intro:
Airlock
Mainset:
The Figurehead, M, In Your House, Cold, The Drowning Man, A Short Term Effect, The Hanging Garden, Siamese Twins, Other Voices, Three Imaginary, Boys, Primary, One Hundred Years, Play For Today, A Forest, Pornography
Encore 1:
10.15 Saturday Night, Killing An Arab, All Mine
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
Charlie Bowie - @charliebowie
Evelyn Laurie - @redEvelyn
Diane Holden - @fwDiane
John Clark - @JI_Mgt
Ross Muschet - @WmAndersonLtd
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 visited 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!! ;-)
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.
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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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