For the record, the details of certain past events which were held at Normanby Gateway are listed below. Gateway Briefings are free of charge but spaces are limited and so should be reserved in advance.
Click here for current and forthcoming events.
| Thursday 13 November 2008 at 5.30pm |
| A highly effective way to resolve disputes |
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Sue Bayram is an experienced commercial mediator accredited through The Academy of Experts and working in the field of alternative dispute resolution. She has built up a successful regional practice from her base in North Lincolnshire and tonight will be sharing her experiences so that you can understand what mediation is and how you can use it to your benefit both personally and professionally.
Mediation is a low cost but effective way of resolving disputes at mutually agreed times and venues to suit all parties. It generally does not involve the emotional or financial cost of legal proceedings and it can be private - something which a court case by definition is not. Of course you may not have any potential disputes at the moment and have absolutely no intention of getting into any, but it is a fact of commercial life that they happen and, when they do, it is as well to be aware to be aware of the options. The knowledge you learn tonight could help you, your organisation or a friend at a difficult time. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 9 October 2008 at 5.30pm |
| A refreshing alternative |
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Most people have heard of psychometric testing (even if they think that it sounds a bit daunting and are not quite sure what it is anyway) but few have probably yet heard of TetraMap. This could be about to change. Traditional psychometric tools are not fun and are typically restricted to use by HR professionals. The resulting assessments tend to pigeon hole people based on a single moment in time and so do little to develop an ongoing understanding. TetraMap is different. It has been developed in New Zealand over the past 15 years and its use is now growing around the world. Whilst it is a psychometric instrument it provides more of a motion picture than a snap shot; it is easily comprehended and promotes an understanding of your business, customers and staff in a different and deeper way based on metaphors from nature.
And it's fun! Andrew Mills runs Babel Consulting - a business devoted to helping others develop and grow. He is a certified TetraMap facilitator and so is the ideal person to explain how you and your organisation could benefit from this refreshing approach. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 11 September 2008 at 5.30pm |
| How to master this new opportunity |
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After our summer break we return with our second briefing by Jon Williams that relates to promoting your business through search engine visibility. Pay-per-click advertising is the key ingredient that has fuelled the massive rise in Google's revenues and similar services are offered by other major search engines so it must be popular. Why? The answer lies in the product's unique blend of immediacy, simplicity and subtlety coupled with an unprecedented level of user access, budgetary control and available feedback. And, unlike other major forms of advertising, a small business has exactly the same opportunities for exposure as a large one.
Jon will begin by showing how a GoogleAd appears to prospective customers and what happens when they click on it. He will then demonstrate how you can create your "campaign"; how to produce an effective advertisement within the allowed framework; how to develop search terms and how to monitor and manage your spend. If all goes to plan we will even set up and activate a Google first page link for a member of the audience that will be active by the end of the talk. Do come along to find out how your business can make the most of this new opportunity. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 12 June 2008 at 5.30pm |
| The weakest link in data security |
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The loss of 25 million sensitive personal records by HM Revenue and Customs in autumn 2007 may not have been malicious, but it does serve to highlight how breaches in information security are often much more than technical IT failures. At this briefing you will hear fascinating examples of how extensive IT security infrastructure can easily be bypassed with even the most basic social engineering techniques and how malicious attackers can use advanced psychological methods to manipulate your staff into aiding and abetting security breaches.
Ian Mann of ECSC Ltd has extensive experience of all aspects of information security and is a regular speaker on the subject. He promises to entertain us on this challenging topic, and by the time you leave you may even begin to think like a criminal! Perhaps a good idea if you really want to improve your security. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 15 May 2008 at 5.30pm |
| Visibility through search engine optimisation |
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For many businesses, an increasing proportion of their introductions, if not actual sales, come from customers locating their websites through search engines. And in many people's eyes the key search engine on which it is important to rank well is Google. So what does it take to get to a top ranking? This is the subject matter of two related talks by Jon Williams, the first part of which tackles the strategies and techniques that can be adopted in order to ensure that coveted visibility.
Jon runs Metanym, a successful web design, development and hosting company and he has first hand experience of the practical application of different methods for promoting websites. This briefing is therefore for anyone who wants to understand these techniques better and to collect hints and new ideas with a view to applying them to promote their own organisation. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 10 April 2008 at 5.30pm |
| Why you need to take branding seriously |
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Trademarks and brands matter to most businesses. They are a vital tool for a successful company and can become valuable assets - indeed many businesses have been sold on the strength of their brands alone. So what exactly are trademarks? What do you need to bear in mind when selecting a brand name? What can be registered? Why bother? And how do you actually go about it? Finally how do you avoid accidentally infringing some other organisation's trademark (which could be disruptive and expensive if you discover late in the day) and how can you stop someone else using yours?
Keith Loven founded Lincoln-based Loven Patents and Trademarks in 1989 and has since built it into a thriving specialist firm who provide full protection for intellectual property of all kinds. At this briefing he will share his considerable experience with us, illustrating the answers to the above questions with practical case studies and showing exactly why you need to take branding seriously. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 13 March 2008 at 5.30pm |
| Writing and distributing a better press release |
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Regular coverage of your company's name and messages in the trade press, newspapers and special interest magazines is a powerful business tool with credibility and value often far in excess of an equivalent sized advertisement. But how do you find the right publications and editors, what do you tell them and how do you grab their attention so that your message gets delivered, understood and published? Writing and constructing a press release can sometimes seem daunting for the uninitiated, but with a proper constructivist approach to it, the rewards for your company can be outstanding, leading to increased awareness and ultimately more profit.
In this briefing, Faye Colver of Epworth based Bounce will demystify the whole process. She is a publicist with many years of experience in media relations and has a wealth of knowledge about what journalists are looking for, techniques for writing in a lively and professional way and how to access databases to ensure that the resulting release reaches the right people. In short he will explain the dos and don'ts of publicising your company through the construction and targeting of press releases. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 7 February 2008 at 5.30pm |
| Four secrets of successful public speaking |
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Most of us fear making a complete and utter fool of ourselves in front of friends, colleagues and people that matter, and we have powerful emotional memories from childhood of being embarrassed. These anchored memories are dramatically recalled and reinforced every time we think about speaking in public. So what can we do about it? For a positive answer do come and listen to Rikki Arundel this evening!
Following on from a successful career in sales and marketing communications, Rikki was founding president of the Professional Speakers Association in the UK and has now developed a straightforward, and highly practical, four stage approach to public speaking that anyone can master. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 6 December 2007 at 5.30pm |
| Anatomy of a spin-out |
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WildKey was launched in 2006 by two academics at Oxford Brookes University and a software partner in North Wales. The company provides "keys" on handheld PCs that enable the non-expert to accurately identify plants and animals such as butterflies, pond life and creatures on the sea shore. Targeted initially at schools, the company has also cultivated some unexpected markets such as HM Revenue and Customs and outdoor visitor attractions.
Dr Neil Bailey is one of the founders. He will give the story of WildKey from its inception, through launch and its first full year as a spin-out company. There are bound to be some lessons here for us all. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 8 November 2007 at 5.30pm |
| Interpreting acquiescent and resistant non-verbal communication |
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Andrew Greenslade M.Ed. is a former long-serving police detective and special branch officer, whose duties included royal and diplomatic protection, undercover work and all other aspects of criminal investigation. Not surprisingly his work has made him an expert at interpreting body language in all its forms.
How can this knowledge be of use in business? Well, have you ever wondered if that potential customer is serious or wasting your time? Have you ever considered whether that supplier really can deliver as they promise? Have you ever wanted to know which of your customers is silently screaming at you that they really would like to buy if only you moved to close the deal? This evening Andrew will share some of his insights so that you can make more accurate judgments. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 11 October 2007 at 5.30pm |
| Narrowcasting on a budget |
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If you subscribe to a podcast on iTunes, or similar, you can effortlessly download audio files on your favourite subjects for later consumption at your convenience. But did you realise how straightforward it is to make professional sounding podcasts for the whole world to tune in to?
Carolyn Mumby learnt in the best possible way by recording her own podcasts for "The Managers' Club". Tonight she will explain what a powerful tool they can be for promoting your business or personal interest, where and how to start and traps to avoid. If all goes to plan we may even record a live podcast as a demonstration. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 13 September 2007 at 5.30pm |
| Continously creating impact with your written word |
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Standing out in a crowded market place is tough. And so we instinctively call in professional designers to help us with our logo, letter heading, business cards and corporate brochures. But what about the everyday and more mundane such as letters, emails, terms of business, quotations, proposals, reports, price lists, handbooks and procedure manuals? Experience shows that a well designed document is much easier to read, understand and appreciate than the same words that are presented with little regard to visual impact - and conveys a much more professional image.
Craig Hymes is a graphic designer with 15 years experience and he is passionate about bad design as well as good. With the use of memorable examples, he will show us how we can all improve our customer and internal communications by attending to some quite simple principles. This evening you will learn techniques that you can apply at no cost but with significant benefits. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 12 July 2007 at 5.30pm |
| Perfect for a summer evening |
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We take a break from our traditional technical and business topics this evening for a wine tasting led by John Atherfold. To describe John as experienced is a serious understatement. Falling in love with wine at the age of 15 on holiday in France, he trained as a sommelier in the 1950's, maintaining his passion throughout his career as a teacher and headmaster. On retiring in the 1980's he turned his hobby into a full time business.
This evening John will invite us to taste a range of wines whilst providing informative and entertaining background about them. At the conclusion wines will also be available to drink or purchase. For those of you thinking of driving afterwards, John has confirmed that if you merely taste the wines being discussed then you will be well within the legal limit. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 14 June 2007 at 5.30pm |
| Check out your intellectual property rights |
Every business has unique skills and / or products that differentiate it from its competitors. What are yours? Do you protect them adequately? This free patent clinic includes:
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| By prior appointment. Contact Normanby Gateway if you are interested in attending. |
| Thursday 17 May 2007 at 5.30pm |
| A practical guide |
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Many will have read newspaper articles about people who now make their living by accessing millions of potential customers on eBay. Others will have actually used eBay to buy specialist articles or sell surplus household items. Some of you will have even considered how it could be used as an adjunct to your existing business. But what does it really take to be an expert eBay seller; how do you build and sustain your reputation and how can you trust those you deal with?
Fortunately for us one of the most successful eBay businesses in the UK is based locally and Trevor George, the man behind it, is coming to talk about his practical experience. Trevor's core business - British Jurassic Fossils - may be highly specialised but the lessons that he applies are largely general. If you have ever wanted to know more about using eBay, now is your chance. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 8 March 2007 at 5.30pm |
| Making the most of your digital camera |
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Most of us take photographs. And many of us use such photographs, or would like to, in aspects of our business. But somehow they are never as good as the ones that professionals take and now that digital cameras are ubiquitous and software tools to alter the original image are widely available, customer expectations for quality images in manuals, brochures and on websites are very high indeed.
Penelope Barlow is a professional photographer skilled in everything from action sports events to studio portraiture. At this briefing she will share some of her experience with us, aiming to pass on tips and tricks from which we can all benefit. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 8 February 2007 at 5.30pm |
| The work of the Prince's Trust |
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The Prince's Trust is a well known name but how much do you know about what they actually do? How do they help young and disadvantaged people succeed in building a productive place for themselves in society through self-employment? What roles can members of the local business community play?
Helen Howard is Regional Head of Business and Awards Programmes and has been with the Trust for over three years. Roughly two thirds of the people who report to her are business managers or volunteer support managers and the balance manage the awards made to young people or groups of young people to further their training or support projects. Being so involved with its core activities, Helen is thus ideally placed to explain the work of the Prince's Trust in Yorkshire and Humberside. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 14 December 2006 at 5.30pm |
| Are you ready for what is coming next? |
| Simon Atkinson is Head of Learning Development at the University of Hull. Formerly Head of eLearning at the University and previously responsible for professional developments in online teaching methods at the Open University's Institute for Educational Technology, Simon has a long standing interest in the deployment of ICT in learning organisations. From early roles with L'Oreal in the late 1980's in marketing and logistics, through international micro-enterprise development in the 1990's, Simon has increasingly focussed his interests on the strategic management of ICT for learning in organisations regardless of sector. In this presentation he will ask whether technology is good, if size really matters, and if you are ready for what is coming next. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 9 November 2006 at 5.30pm |
| Growing a web based knowledge business |
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Barrister Carolyn Mumby founded Employment Law Essentials (ELE) at the end of 2004 after leaving her role as Legal Services Director of a national employment law consultancy. With the help of technology and marketing partners I-Think Design, ELE launched a solution specifically for People Managers within small and medium sized businesses. In effect the toolkit is an "HR Assistant in a box".
In this briefing our speaker will detail her recent experience of building and growing a successful web based business to provide a specific expertise and in particular she will share her insights into those techniques that could be beneficially applied to other enterprises with similar knowledge-led characteristics. As Carolyn says, "The big challenge is to see it from the perspective of our clients and then find sustainable ways of meeting their expectations." This is a strategy for the creative and innovative. Delegates are advised to think BIG! |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 12 October 2006 at 5.30pm |
| How to locate the right equity investors for your business |
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Asset backed finance and bank loans provide many businesses with the resources that they need to expand. But in other situations risk (ie equity) finance may be needed and for the smaller business that has already tapped into the available resources of family and friends, this can be a challenge.
Unconnected private investors, or business angels as they are often known, can provide a practical solution. But how do you find one that is suitable? What do they want in return and what might they be able to do in addition to provide extra capital? Chris Duggan, a successful businessman and business angel himself, is the chairman and managing director of Techknol Developments and former Lincolnshire representative of Beer and Partners - the largest UK network raising equity finance on behalf of smaller companies. He is therefore ideally placed to explore this subject and answer any questions that you might have in a very practical way. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 14 September 2006 at 5.30pm |
| The story (so far) of the region's own showcase station |
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Launched in February 2006, propeller is the new regionally based digital satellite TV station designed to showcase a wide variety of new talent from around the UK. It will be broadcast to a potential audience of millions throughout Europe from studios in North Lincolnshire, and small and medium sized businesses will be given the opportunity to work on the channel to promote their own skills and develop their staff.
Dawn Simpson, the Project Development Director, is at the heart of this exciting new initiative and so is incredibly well placed to share with us the story of propeller from concept through launch to everyday operation. Who knows, your business might even be able to feature in Commercial Break, the planned technology news magazine! |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 8 June 2006 all day |
| Profit from ideas and check out your intellectual property rights |
Every business has unique skills and / or products that differentiate it from its competitors. What are yours? Do you protect them? This free patent clinic includes:
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| By prior appointment. Contact Normanby Gateway if you are interested in attending. |
| Thursday 11 May 2006 at 5.30pm |
| Motivating yourself, individuals and teams |
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A challenging and entertaining evening looking at how to get the best out of people, including yourself. Personal and team motivation has become a critical development area for every successful company and this evening's seminar is designed to help you maximise the potential of your business.
Subjects covered will include:
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| A Gateway Briefing |
| Wednesday 12 April 2006 at 5.30pm |
| Bespoke software for all sizes of business |
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Phil Webster is a director of Triangle Infotech Limited and has over 20 years of software development experience. He maintains a passion for continually looking for new and better ways of delivering systems and is a specialist at making sense of data and at solving business and administrational problems.
At this briefing he will demonstrate a range of systems that transform data into valuable information that can enhance businesses and their performance. In particular he will show how it is practical for all sizes of organisation to achieve an exact fit with their requirements and how newer technologies, such as handheld devices and web based systems, are being incorporated into bespoke solutions.
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| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 9 March 2006 at 5.30pm |
| How to deliver near perfection |
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You have probably heard the term "six sigma" but you may be less clear what it is or how it could benefit your business. Put simply it is a methodology for delivering near perfect products, services and processes. A pipe-dream? Not at all. It was pioneered by Motorola but is now widely used throughout the manufacturing, healthcare, financial, internet, utilities and software sectors not only in the USA but worldwide.
Mark Lansley is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and a chartered engineer who works for BMG (Breakthrough Management Group). He is thus perfectly placed to give us not only an introductory overview but he can also help us to identify typical projects and potential benefits within our own businesses. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 9 February 2006 at 5.30pm |
| Protecting yourself and your business |
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What do you need to understand and how do you assess the risks you are taking with your business? Are you the wrong side of the latest threats? Impacting on all areas of your business, information security includes your online security, use of the Internet, email and even the ability of your competitors to obtain your critical business information.
This briefing will guide you through each area, in a non-technical way, to help you identify where you are vulnerable and outline simple measures you can take away to improve your security. Our guest speaker, Ian Mann, helps small e-commerce start ups to major blue chip organisations and the government. Ian is senior security consultant and founder of ECSC Limited, who are one of the few organisations to hold full certification to the British Standard for Information Security - BS7799. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 19 January 2006 at 5.30pm |
| Some New Year tricks to enhance your message |
| Making sure that you really are heard by those who matter is a challenge shared by large and small organisations alike. How is it possible to stand out from the crowd, get noticed and grab the attention of potential customers? Steve Short of Corporate Magic Presentations has some interesting answers. He starts our programme for 2006 with a seminar on marketing designed to help you get your important massages across to your target audience using creative and effective techniques. As an award winning speaker and a member of The Magic Circle, Steve promises to make this evening both entertaining and memorable. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 10 November 2005 at 5.30pm |
| A road less travelled |
| Chris Watson, from Endor Learning and Development shares his experience of the journey towards developing, from scratch, a new, innovative software solution designed to address business needs - related to building employee commitment in the workplace. Tracking the contacts and connections he has made from idea conception; design and testing; investigating funding opportunities; developing and refining a prototype; through to launching the product in the marketplace. Chris provides fellow entrepreneurs and innovators with a route map for success. Outlining how to expand and seize the opportunities that inevitably come your way, enabling you to speed up and realise your own goals and commercial aspirations. Attendees will also be offered an opportunity to test this unique process, which guarantees to increase both performance outputs and, the levels of engagement from each and every diverse employee within your organisation. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 13 October 2005 at 5.30pm |
| Live, practical demonstrations of innovative business applications |
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This briefing incorporates a paperless office system, affordable bespoke software and Hull University's e-learning tool for business. The format will comprise three short presentations followed by breakout groups so that you can get a detailed understanding of the ones that interest you most.
Triangle Infotech creates bespoke business solutions at affordable prices. Peter Williams will demonstrate how his company achieves an exact fit to client requirements (including incorporating newer technologies such as handheld devices and web-based systems) using examples drawn from the areas of supply chain and management information. All businesses need to keep a multiplicity of records. Imagine if you could keep all of them, including phone conversations, in a secure, accessible and logical fashion at an affordable cost. Paul Shuker of The IT Dept achieved it for his former business and now shows you how you can do the same in a practical and cost effective way. Simon Atkinson of the University of Hull will demonstrate MERLIN which is a fully hosted environment designed for sharing resources, discussion and collaborative learning. It is widely used by communities of practice, businesses and learning and social networks. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 8 September 2005 at 5.30pm |
| The future business benefits and implications of Radio Frequency Indentification Tagging |
| The UK government report, "ELECTRONICS 2015 - Making a Visible difference", has identified RFID as a significant technology with a UK world-class capability in providing application and product solutions in both the private and public sectors. Increased media publicity and an impending roll out throughout Wal-Mart stores worldwide are helping to drive its adoption. Unfortunately, the increased visibility of RFID over recent years has been accompanied by a great deal of hype, misunderstanding, confusion and misinformation. Ian Smith of Aim UK will explore the opportunities that RFID technology is likely to hold for your business and that of your customers or suppliers. In this briefing we will also expand upon its potential functions within industry (particularly food processing and transportation) and in relation to traceability and stock control. Ignore it at your peril! |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 11 August 2005 at 5.30pm |
| A revolutionary internet broadcast solution |
| Zeecast is an exciting new technology that has been developed locally in conjunction with Sony Europe. It enables companies and other organisations to launch their own internet TV operation remarkably economically. Content can be assembled on a central server, then distributed to multiple IP addresses simultaneously. And, whilst it works particularly well for national franchised networks, it can have other applications. Andrew Mckinnon of East Coast Media will explain how it operates and what opportunities it could generate for local companies. Do come along to understand how Zeecast could be useful to your business. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 14 July 2005 at 5.30pm |
| Experience the benefits of belonging to a collaborative online business community |
| Imagine an organisation with no unnecessary hierarchy, no ruthless political games or hoarding of knowledge to gain status and control. Where ideas are encouraged and information is shared freely. A group of like-minded people who feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves. This is no longer a business management guru's dream. Technology has made the evolution of such communities a reality. To demonstrate Alan Kaye of Ecademy provides a case study of a fast growing on-line global business community, supported by a web portal and face to face events nationally. He will explain how such a venture can benefit its 50,000 members (some 85% from SMEs) by enabling them to share expertise, knowledge and contacts. Because the community contains business people with almost every conceivable skill, together they create an environment out of which some of the best ideas can emerge. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 9 June 2005 all day |
| Profit from ideas and check out your intellectual property rights |
Every business has unique skills and / or products that differentiate it from its competitors. What are yours? Do you protect them? This free patent clinic includes:
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| By prior appointment. Contact Normanby Gateway if you are interested in attending. |
| Thursday 9 June 2005 at 5.30pm |
| Getting ahead of the game |
| We are delighted to welcome Victor Benady, CEO of the Bafta-award-winning digital ideas agency, Randommedia. Marketing is no longer as straight forward as it used to be, the web has changed all of that. These days there are more variables to choreograph than ever. Discover the secrets of online creativity and integrating a cross media campaign from one of the leading developers of website concepts, viral digital games and multi-media advertising campaigns. Learn how Randommedia evolved to become a leading player in its field, with an enviable roster of clients across the entertainment, education, property and consumer goods sectors. Victor will also share his experiences of starting out as an entrepreneur, giving insight into the challenges he overcame and in turn providing us with the inspiration to succeed. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 12 May 2005 at 5.30pm |
| Where could technology take us? |
| This briefing is aimed at providing business leaders and entrepreneurs with an insight into the future applications of current technology research. Our guest speaker is David Hogg, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Leeds, who has earned an international reputation for his research on computer vision - in particular the key technologies for the automation of visual surveillance and monitoring. David will encourage us to envisage and assess the medium-term future of intelligent systems in service robotics and the internet. Delegates will also be able discuss how these developments might impact business and provide new entrepreneurial opportunities. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Wednesday 13 April 2005 at 5.30pm |
| How to grow and groom your company to be ready for early stage finance |
| Small, growing businesses generally need risk capital, firstly to get established and later to fuel their expansion. So would you like to be able to present a 10-minute highly professional pitch and, as a result, attract the interest of potential investors? Andrew Burton from the Yorkshire Association of Business Angels will discuss the growing and grooming process and investor expectations. What are the essential pieces of information that they must have? For example, what is more important: glowing sales projections or the track record of the management team? As well as surveying the sources of risk equity funding, Andrew will also provide specific information on the dti's £5 million Viking Fund, set up to invest in early-stage, mostly technology-based businesses in the Yorkshire Forward region. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 10 March 2005 at 5.30pm |
| The experience is everything! |
| Do you already belong to one, or perhaps several, web communities as part of your work? How useful do you find them? Why are they of benefit and what factors do you find annoying? You may be considering joining or subscribing to a particular online network or newsgroup. Or perhaps setting up a web community, as either a customer relationship strategy, or to improve the flow of staff communication and performance. This session, led by Michael Pearce of I Think Design, explores many of the issues you need to be aware of and outlines some of the technology advances afoot that are set to dramatically change the landscape of knowledge-sharing and innovation. Michael's team has been busy considering the challenges their business clients face when developing such web communities and, as a result, they have evolved a new, integrated and multifunctional platform with a customised interface. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 10 February 2005 at 5.30pm |
| ... and the reality of managing one |
| No longer a futuristic prediction, organisations that are essentially fluid and flexible are the survivors in the 21st Century. You may have a business with staff who work from home or with a mobile workforce. Perhaps you belong to a club or professional association. Or maybe you are part of a bigger team of diverse individuals from different businesses or the public sector collaborating on a specific project, supply chain or industry cluster. Whatever you are trying to manage, the issues are complex and solutions to these were, until recently, only affordable by large corporations. Andrew Appleton and Martin Owen of Global Systems will introduce the latest trends and technology developments that enable smaller businesses to remain responsive by dramatically simplifying their systems for tracking information and communications. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 20 January 2005 at 5.30pm |
| Find and keep your perfect customers |
| How can you improve your customers' understanding of what you can do for them? Why are some organisations better at retaining business? What strategic partnerships will really enable your company to move forward faster? These are some of the questions David Regler of Attitude Engineering will consider and discuss in our first event of 2005. This briefing is also designed to help you gain a better understanding of other attendees' businesses goals. Together, we share ideas on how to tune into the profitable opportunities for business that will come your way in the New Year. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 9 December 2004 at 5.30pm |
| A Christmas Social and talk about the digital industry sector in Yorkshire / Humberside |
| This will be an informal networking event where members can improve their knowledge and networks within the local ICT / digital / new media community. There will also be a short talk from Bill Boffin of the Regional Development Agency - Yorkshire Forward. Did you know for example that the Yorkshire and Humber region has over 13,000 companies in its digital sector? This sector has about 100,000 people working in it with an average turnover per employee in excess of £88,000 and a margin of over £40,000. This is roughly three times the regional average for businesses. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 11 November 2004 at 5.30pm |
| Be as secure as you possibly can be |
| What do you need to understand, and how do you assess the risks you are taking with your business? Are you on the wrong side of the latest legislation? Impacting on all areas of your business, Information Security includes your online security, use of the Internet and email, and even the ability of your competitors to obtain your critical business information. This presentation helps you identify where you are vulnerable and the practical, preventative measures you can take to safeguard your systems, your pocket and (most importantly) your business reputation. Our guest speaker, Ian Mann helps clients from small e-commerce start-ups to major financial institutions and the British Government. He is Senior Consultant and founder of specialist information security provider ECSC Ltd, who are one of the few organisations to hold full certification to the British Standard for Information Security (BS7799). |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 14 October 2004 at 5.30pm |
| E-business expansion and leadership in the digital age |
| At this event we take a closer look at entrepreneurship and consider if they have typical characteristics that make them successful? We also consider ways to make your business more enterprising and hear from Ajaz Ahmed, the co-founder of Freeserve, as well as many other successful business enterprises, who will present his views on the importance of leadership in creating an entrepreneurial & innovative culture. Over coffee attendees can, if they wish, share some of their war stories and offer practical advice to one another. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 9 September 2004 at 5.30pm |
| How effective do you think you are at connecting? |
| Amidst all the talk of developing connectivity, and online networks, we must not forget the importance of our links to people. This is still essentially where the real value and goodwill of a business resides. Despite this, most professional people still struggle to make the most out of their networking and the ability to generate referrals - and the ICT industry can be fiercely competitive. Networking gives you the edge. Rob Brown is a professional networker with Kintish, the UK leaders at showing people how to become confident and dramatically improve the results of their networking. Rob will demonstrate at this event how to be much more effective at finding and identifying new business or partnership opportunities. Building solid relationships and networks is the key to creating your own luck in business! |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Thursday 12 August 2004 at 5.30pm |
| The future of online interactions with customers and suppliers? |
| Many of us already conduct a great deal of our business electronically, but how will this evolve? What will the future of e-commerce look like and how can we begin to plan for this? Rana Tassabehj, a lecturer and author of the new book 'Applying E-commerce in Business', will aim to address some of these questions. In particular we will discuss how some of these future trends apply to the way we shop online and what will be the implications for our existing and developing online purchasing systems. |
| A Gateway Briefing |
| Tuesday 13 July 2004 at 4.00pm |
| A business briefing on a new market opportunity |
| The purpose of the event is make local businesses aware of opportunties to sell within the defence industries, explain the procurement processes and how collaborative working can benefit all parties. It is part of the "Meet the Buyer" initiative sponsored by E-suppliers. |
| By invitation only; contact 01724 275000 if you would like to apply for an invitation. |
| Thursday 17 June 2004 all day |
| Check out your business idea and intellectual property rights. |
| Every business has unique skills and / or products, which differentiate it from its competitors. What are yours? Do you protect them? This book able clinic includes a free personal consultation with an experienced patent attorney from Appleyard Lees, a patent search, and advice from the Design Enterprise Centre of Hull University. Consultations are held throughout the day. It is planned to hold similar patent clinics on a regular basis in the future. Getting to grips with protecting your idea, could prevent competitors from stealing your business. |
| By prior appointment. Contact Normanby Gateway if you are interested in attending a similar event in the future. |