< Previous East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk HOSPITALITY C orporate events are an important ingredient in building lasting relationships with clients and employees - vital for a business’s growth. They offer a personal method of strengthening bonds and loyalty while enhancing brand recognition in a way that social media, emails and phone calls cannot replicate. From employee teambuilding days to product launches, celebratory parties, fundraisers, seminars and conferences, all these events require some basic event management to succeed, from research and planning to gathering feedback. Here, Business Link takes you through some useful tips for organising your unforgettable event. To start, those arranging corporate events should nail down the occasion’s purpose; what you wish to accomplish. To provide a meaningful experience, consider why you are hosting an event and set goals and objectives - are you looking to attract new customers, educate, or reward staff for example. From here you will be able to decide the kind of event most suitable for your audience, select what will resonate with them, and this will guide everything from decorations to speakers. Deciding your target audience is also key - will it involve executives, potential or long-term clients, or is it an internal party? When you are able to pinpoint your audience, you can work out the ideal way to reach them, establish how many guests to invite, and arrange an event program that is tailored to them, their interests and needs. At the beginning of the planning process firms must additionally set a budget, which will determine the kind of event you can organise. It is wise to have a cushion for unexpected extra expenses that arise. With a budget in hand, deciding where to allocate funds and what may require more resources to reinforce the event’s purpose is next. One will need to balance money to ensure the budget isn’t blown on a single aspect, perhaps decorations to the detriment of entertainment and refreshments, or not being able to afford a tech crew. With all this considered it’s time to select the event’s theme or topic and format, with an event that is interactive and varied, such as a conference with roundtables, panel discussions and networking, much more likely to be a success. Themed events can help narrow down your choices for other aspects of the event, for instance food, and make it more cohesive, but should also align to your event’s goals, featuring memorable activities. One will then be ready to choose a venue to suit your event, its mission and size. Venue choice can have a major influence on attendance and will set the tone. Providing a location that is unique and exciting can boost numbers, adding to an event by offering an experience that departs from the overdone to make a lasting impression. This will give guests something to talk about too and make them more likely to discuss the event once it’s over. However, where the venue is positioned must be factored in. It’s all well opting for a quirky manor house in the countryside, but in order to achieve the best attendee numbers it is usually advisable to seek somewhere convenient with good accessibility that is close to transport and accommodation if necessary. For those with lower budgets, Planning for success For corporate events to be successful, solid planning is essential. 50-51.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:30 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link consider holding events at less popular times and days, such as organising breakfast seminars, and securing the venue plenty of time beforehand to take advantage of any price deals for advance booking. The ‘when’ is of course another important factor - will your guests prefer to set aside time on a weekday, weekend, evening, or afternoon? While looking for a venue remember to enquire about equipment, what will be provided for you and what you will have to source and set up yourself, such as audio-visual elements, stages and lighting. You may further need to make a decision on in house or external catering, with in house tending to work out cheaper and simpler. When picking food ensure to think about dietary requirements, whether you will be offering a set menu or asking attendees to choose beforehand, and how you want the food to be served - on trays with canapés, as a buffet or sit-down meal. In preparation for the day, you will also need to contract any necessary reputable specialists - caterers, audio-visual technicians, photographers et cetera, as well as booking any speakers, presenters and entertainers - and draw up the agenda for the event, sharing this with your team and determining who is responsible for what. When it comes to the agenda, look to form a balance between giving guests freedom and keeping them engaged with a schedule and variety. Use of technology to help your event go off without a hitch should additionally be considered. There are plenty of event management software options to streamline planning but also for creating interactive features during the event like live polls to boost participation. In the lead up to the event, make sure to promote it creatively. For smaller occasions a simple invitation may be enough, however for a larger soirée you might want to do something louder with emails, ads, social media, blogs, promo videos, adding events to industry listings, getting sponsors and media on board, and encouraging the business’s team to promote the event when visiting clients. Ensure to create a website for the event or a new landing page on your own site and in promotion use the same hashtags and branding across platforms and consistent messaging. After the event is over, there are a couple of final checkboxes to tick off to evaluate your success. A debrief with your team and gathering feedback from guests are important and will allow you to uncover whether the event met its original goals and objectives and if it had an impact on attendees. The lessons learned from this will be crucial to refining your next event. © stock.adobe.com/Jacob Lund 50-51.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:30 Page 2 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk RENEWABLES COP27 and various organisational bodies are telling us we need to start thinking about the environment, and this need not be an expensive thing. The East Midlands has great potential in the environmental game, and it’s an avenue worth exploring. W ith COP27, the climate change conference in Egypt in November 2022, renewable energy is big news everywhere instigating countries to discuss actions that can be taken towards achieving world-wide collective climate goals - as previously agreed under the Paris Agreement and Convention (COP21) conference and adopted by 196 parties. The launch of a five year program to improve and promote climate technology means significant work has to be done on mitigation (limiting the extent to which the climate changes) with countries communicating their emission reduction targets, and how these will be achieved, and through adaptation and resilience (adjusting to current and future climate change impacts), in essence, detailing ways to reduce vulnerability, build capacity to adapt and to integrate climate adaptation into policies and planning. The three key issues are: * to ensure the rise in the global average temperature is kept ‘well below’ 2°C, ideally to 1.5°C (compared to pre- industrial levels) * to increase the ability to adapt to climate change and build resilience 52-54.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:31 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link RENEWABLES * to align finance flows with ‘a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development’. Currently the Earth is already approximately 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 19th century, and as emissions continue to increase and to ensure global warming rises no more than 1.5°C – emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. The UK Government’s new Net Zero Strategy sets out how the Government intends to halve UK emissions and eliminate them by 2050, this hopefully being an affordable, achievable plan that will bring jobs, investment and wider benefits to the UK and hopefully to the East Midlands. Three of the main measures involve new buildings being oriented to minimize HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) loads; shades and overhangs being used to reduce direct sunrays and energy efficiency measures through EPC regulations and using renewable energy measures - all being implemented. Renewable energy is energy that’s derived from natural sources that replenish at a rate more than it is used. In our region fossil fuels – oil, gas and coal are non-renewable resources and are already positioned in the region and to balance them and open further options for investment in the East Midlands renewable energy opportunities will be good for the region, and ultimately the world. Renewable energies are all also generally cheaper now such as; solar, wind, geo-thermal, hydro-power, ocean energy and bio energy - and they can all possibly generate three times more jobs than fossil fuels - several companies are 54 Á © stock.adobe.com/lovelyday12 52-54.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:31 Page 2 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk RENEWABLES already investing in the renewable energy market in our region. Aura Power has approval for a 49.4MW solar farm in Grimsby with its aim to generate approximately 94,000MWh/year, helping significantly to contribute to local targets and to the UK’s overall Net Zero and Energy Security targets. Plans have also been announced for a £2bn tidal barrier scheme across The Wash between Lincolnshire and Norfolk, with an 11-mile barrage from Gibraltar Point, near Skegness, to Hunstanton, generating tidal energy and protecting homes and businesses from flooding; 1,200 jobs could be offered by developers, Centre Port Holdings, and the “hydro-electric dam” and about 15 tidal turbines under the water will produce enough energy to power 600,000 homes – all to be developed in sympathy with the local wildlife habitat. James Sutcliffe, chief executive officer of Centre Port Holdings, said, they want to utilise The Wash’s, “tidal area of 780 sq km for renewable energy production” and “because we can shut down the turbines, which have sluice gates in them, we can then stop…damaging the countryside and preserving The Wash as it is today.” SSE, being one of the UK’s leading gas and electricity providers, has already invested £1.7b on energy security and sustainable energy projects and here in Lincolnshire the new gas-fired power station in North Lincolnshire, Keadby 2, will be operational in December and is planned to be Europe’s most-efficient gas plant. Alistair Phillips-Davies, the chief executive states, “cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy is coming, it just needs to be built, and SSE is building at pace,” and these further investment plans will create tens of thousands of jobs and “deliver greater financial security to families and improved energy security for everyone.” The UK Government has also confirmed the West Burton Power station site, in North Nottingham, a coal-fired power station owned by EDF, will be the home to an inventive STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) prototype energy plant. Fusion will hopefully be a safe, low carbon and sustainable part of the world’s energy supply and is aimed to put net electricity on the grid. Fusion energy is sustainable, low carbon energy and based on the same processes that power the sun and stars. Creating thousands of highly skilled jobs during construction and operations, and attracting other high-tech industries to the region, and apprentices from many employers every year. In Brigg, Centrica Business Solutions is also starting work on a plant that could provide energy storage for 43 onshore wind farms across the country providing a battery storage facility that should be able to provide enough energy for a full day’s consumption to 11,000 homes, or around 15 percent of homes in North Lincolnshire. Tomorrow’s engineers and investors in renewable energy are not forgotten in our region either as Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, one of the UK’s leading technology innovators for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy and Engineering UTC (University Technical College), Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, have launched a new facility at the college to inspire students to access high quality STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teaching, and the facility also provides a space for businesses across the Humber and Lincolnshire area to inspire young people to think about a future in renewable energy. Alongside all this, with East Midlands wide open spaces, good coastal access to the River Humber and North Sea and careful consideration - there is no reason not to see our region becoming a leader in the building and development of renewable energy. © stock.adobe.com/Tobias Arhelger 52-54.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:31 Page 3FEATURES Engineering Spotlight Business Travel & Leisure Printing & Packaging Training & Apprenticeships Meet the Experts REGULARS Commercial Property Motoring Corporate Hospitality Watch out too for the latest news from across the region in every sector Next month in February 2023 - Deadline 25th January Visit us at www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk where you’ll find the latest news as it breaks – and why not subscribe to our newsletters so you can have the latest news emailed to your inbox 55.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:32 Page 1 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk month, creating a hybrid approach to this network which is usually in-person. From sole traders to housing associations, construction and property businesses come together to talk all things construction. There will be breakout networking rooms, industry conversations and lots of new connections. For more information visit www.lincs-chamber.co.uk/events/ construction-jan23/ What’s New in Email Marketing Monday 23 January Online Are you looking to identify what’s working and what’s not in email marketing? If so, this session is for you. Join the event as it explores all the latest developments in email marketing, and learn how to use the latest tools and features to maximise your campaigns. For more information visit www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk/events/whats- new-in-email-marketing/ How to Create Engaging Social Media Content Tuesday 24 & 31 January Online This masterclass is available to Local Skills Improvement Plan Employer Focus Group - Louth Friday 13 January The Priory Hotel, Louth The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) is a critical new project being led by Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to assess and realign skills supply and demand across Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland. The views of employers of all sizes, sectors and locations across Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland will influence the changes the report will recommend to local training provision. If you are an employer within Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland, book your place on this - or any of the other focus group sessions from this series - to help inform the research on this most important issue. For more information visit www.fsb.org.uk/event- calendar/lsip-employer-focus-group-louth- 13jan2023.html Lincolnshire Construction & Property Network January Tuesday 17 January Online This popular Construction & Property Network takes place online via Zoom this events businesses, partnerships, sole traders, and registered charities, with a trading address located within Greater Lincolnshire. Delivered by Caroline Wilson, owner of Hot Toddi Social Media Marketing, this two-part, creative, and interactive masterclass will focus on how to help you achieve engagement with your existing and potential customers, leading to opportunities for generating more business, how to raise your company and brand awareness and let the market know about your products or services. For more information visit www.businesslincolnshire.com/events/ev ent-details/?id=4131&navigated FromSearch=true Leicestershire Manufacturing Network Tuesday 10 January Space Park, Leicester The Leicestershire Network forms part of the umbrella East Midlands Manufacturing Network which is led by East Midlands Chamber. The East Midlands Manufacturing Network unites local manufacturing companies, to enable members to harness the cross-industry, business, engineering and manufacturing knowledge necessary to evolve and expand. The network provides members with opportunities to share their experiences with other industry professionals and obtain unique insights into new technologies, resources and information. For more information visit https://bizgateway.org.uk/events/leicestershire- manufacturing-network-meeting-10-jan/ © stock.adobe.com/andranik123 © stock.adobe.com/jeson 56-57.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:33 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link Carbon Footprinting - The Next Steps Wednesday 25 January Online So you’ve produced your first carbon footprint, now what? This webinar will help organisations use the available information to prioritise the areas of focus for reducing their carbon emissions and the associated financial benefits. For more information visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/ connecting-you/industry-focused-events/ sustainability-and-low-carbon-events/ sustainability-and-low-carbon-events2/ ?VariantID=5476# Securing your Business Online Thursday 26 January Online Delivered by Guy Lewis, Managing Director of GLTV, and director of CDI Alliance, this masterclass will focus on the importance of understanding how to protect your business from cyber-attacks and security breaches. There are some very simple steps that can be taken to improve security and processes within the office environment. For more information visit www.businesslincolnshire.com/ events/event-details/?id=4133&navigated FromSearch=true Your Business Expo Northamptonshire Wednesday 8 February Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire Your Business Expo brings businesses – both large and small – start-ups and local organisations together to encourage networking, collaboration, support, conversations and partnerships. At the How to Build a Culture that Gives You the Edge Friday 20 January Online A team’s culture is the ultimate differentiator of success. Get it right business success will be accelerated. Get it wrong the business will struggle. This session will share the characteristics of a high-performance culture, before taking attendees through a process to define their culture, using the latest thinking from both thought leaders and exemplar cultural companies from across the world. The disciplines of establishing and maintaining the defined culture are then explored. For more information visit www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk/events/how-to-build-a-culture-that-gives-you-the-edge/ A Practical Guide to Developing a Strategic HR Plan Tuesday 31 January Online The adage that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail also applies to HR in SMEs. Many businesses react to HR issues, and by the end of the session you will leave with: a clearer understanding of how HR can contribute to the business and the seeds of a HR plan to implement back into the business. For more information visit www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk/events/a- practical-guide-to-developing-a-strategic- hr-plan/ one-day Northamptonshire show you will make new connections, be inspired and network with hundreds of like-minded professionals to help grow your business and build important new business relationships. Exhibitors, workshops, networking events, free seminars and keynote speakers focus on helping you with sales, marketing, innovation and growth. Whether you’ve been in business for a long time or you’ve just started, you will find a wealth of opportunities to expand your knowledge and build your business. For more information visit https://yourbusinessexpo.co.uk © stock.adobe.com/REDPIXEL 56-57.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:33 Page 2Here’s Frazer’s collection of the weird and wonderful ‘news’ that came his way over the last few weeks. And finally The world of Frazer 58 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk It’s coming home…or is it? A business has been left with 18,000 England World Cup winners T-shirts in what Frazer would postulate was probably not the most sound investment. The firm was so convinced that the Three Lions would return from Qatar victorious that they printed the tops prior to the quarterfinals; a very questionable choice with the team’s last win in the 60’s, and a decision clearly made with heart over head! With a 2-1 loss to France, Frazer thinks that the shirts, printed with ‘England, Cup Winners 2022, It’s Finally Home’ on the back, are not going to be flying off shelves, though apparently a few have been sold. After pre-releasing the shirts online ahead of an expected win, the webpage for the product has now been updated in perhaps the best way, stating: “Well…this hasn’t gone to plan! Thanks to some dubious decision making, England’s cup dreams are over until the next tournament. We have reduced the price of these unique items as we certainly won’t be getting any more! So wear it with pride, add it to your collection, use it to clean the windows…we don’t know.” A new way to improve productivity Watching funny videos at work may sound like a timewaster, but a new study that has hit Frazer’s desk shows this could in fact improve productivity! Researchers say that when employees view a silly YouTube clip or receive other positive interventions, they become more engaged, creative and helpful towards co-workers. Furthermore, using this method to distract from difficult tasks and daily demands helps to reduce stress levels. The researchers suggest that employers could make daily recommendations of videos or send out a joke of the day to bring some positivity into the workplace. So, next time you see your colleagues or employees chuckling at a video perhaps it should be embraced instead of scorned — so long as it doesn’t lead to a downturn in performance of course! An odd job At a festive luncheon in Lincoln last month, Frazer heard of an odd new job listing. A ‘rat czar’, or ‘director of rodent mitigation’, is being sought who is disturbingly “somewhat bloodthirsty.” Someone with “a general aura of badassery” and “swashbuckling attitude” is also desired to take home a salary of up to £140,000, while the more regular requirements of excellent communication and highly motivated seem rather doable in comparison. adobe.stock.com/ wernerimages adobe.stock.com/ Jelena adobe.stock.com/ Sasha Strekoza 58.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:34 Page 1LINCOLN PROPERTY & BUSINESS INVESTMENT EXPO Well targeted, professional events aimed at the Construction, Property, Business, Investment, Finance, Professional Services and related B2B markets. The events have everything you require for a great day of networking and business generation. Face2face route2market – the opportunity to meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road. For further Information contact tina@businessshowsgroup.co.uk Register now businessshowsgroup.co.uk 26th April 2023 The Bentley Hotel, Newark Road, South Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 9NH Exhibition & Network - Property & Construction related industries - FREE TO ATTEND 59.qxp_Layout 1 06/01/2023 10:34 Page 1Next >