Birmingham & West Midlands Convention Bureau’s Post

Summer is officially just days away! Is your business fully prepared to make the most of it? ☀️ It is a great time to take advantage of all the season offers. Here are a few ideas:⁠ ⁠ 🎉 Host special outdoor events to help bring buzz to your business. You can also partner with a local business⁠ to help promote your event. ⁠ 🏷️ Set up seasonal promotions for customers⁠.⁠ 🌷Create an outdoor area at your office to boost employee morale and improve the break space⁠.⁠ ⚽️ Sponsor local events as there are many more happening in the summer.⁠ 🚢 Take advantage of the tourist season if you are in a tourist-friendly location.⁠ ⁠ Hot Tip: Make sure you are insured before holding any kind of event at your workplace where there is the potential for liability. Our agents at our locations across B.C., make the conversation easy and affordable.⁠ ⁠

Summer is officially just days away! Is your business fully prepared to make the most of it? ☀️ It is a great time to take advantage of all the season offers. Here are a few ideas:⁠ ⁠ 🎉 Host special outdoor events to help bring buzz to your business. You can also partner with a local business⁠ to help promote your event. ⁠ 🏷️ Set up seasonal promotions for customers⁠.⁠ 🌷Create an outdoor area at your office to boost employee morale and improve the break space⁠.⁠ ⚽️ Sponsor local events as there are many more happening in the summer.⁠ 🚢 Take advantage of the tourist season if you are in a tourist-friendly location.⁠ ⁠ Hot Tip: Make sure you are insured before holding any kind of event at your workplace where there is the potential for liability. Our agents at our locations across B.C., make the conversation easy and affordable.⁠ ⁠

We understand the challenges of balancing networking with your personal commitments. Our events are designed to be flexible and accommodating, allowing you to grow your business connections without sacrificing your personal life. Join us and discover how easy it can be to blend professional growth with your everyday responsibilities. Register as a guest and join us at our next event using the link below: https://lnkd.in/gdxNqtgu #VenusBusinesswomen #nzsmallbusiness

Feature Presentation morning at BNI 🥂 This morning, I had the opportunity to educate a room of 50 business owners on who I’m looking for when it comes to ideal clients. But I did things a little differently today. Myself and my glamorous assistant Nick Forgham did a referral tree presentation instead 🌳 I listed 4 industries I work really well with and could refer to people in the room. Anyone that wanted an introduction to those industries, popped their hands up and their name was written down. I then listed 4 industries I would love to work with this year, and businesses in the room with those kinds of clients put their hands up and we wrote them down. I now have a whole list of people that I can have a 121 with to find the best way to introduce each other to our contacts. 31 potential referrals for me to pass 29 potential referrals for me to receive SO, why not put out my list of clients I’d like to work with to my LinkedIn connections? My 2024/25 dream list is: ⭐️ Food & Drink / hospitality ⭐️ Events companies ⭐️ Hotels & Spas ⭐️ Farm parks, zoos and outdoor activities Do you work with or know anyone in this industry? Let’s have a 121 to see how we can help each other 🤩 #business #networking #graphicdesign

Getting out there with your business 👀 Been a busy old week so far getting some personal brand photos done and going to a Thrive in Business networking/support event in Brighton this morning which was great! I’ve been on a mission to do more in person networking lately. I believe it’s a great way to build confidence while raising the profile of your business and learning from insights of others. All this stuff can feel like you’re not achieving or being productive with your day, (especially when it’s an nursery day!) but it’s so important to take time to do these things. It’s not good to exist in a vacuum (def been guilty of this) What have you found to be effective at promoting your business? Do you find networking has helped?

𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐩 Networking can be daunting, especially if you’re different from others. 🤪 Here is a tip from my latest Newsletter to get you started: Before I go to a networking event, I will plan ahead. 𝟏. 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 I use online maps to check where the venue is and the routes (always have a backup route in case of traffic) to take. I even go into street view to find landmarks that will help me. Being lost and having a heated argument with my Sat-Nav is the worst way to start an already stressful event. 🤣 Read more tips in the latest Newsletter - https://lnkd.in/dn4swY5m What other things would you find helpful to prepare before going networking? When done properly and on purpose, networking is a powerful way to build relationships that will help your business succeed. If you struggle with networking or would like better results then let's have a chat. Tony Altham David Bould Linda Forster Thomas Symington Personal Brand Photographer Panagiotis Zmpigknief Zavatzki Mark Harris #Neurodivergent #Networking #ProfessionalGrowth #BeYourself #EmbraceYourWeird

Networking in Fleet// Would love to see some of you there this Wednesday, the 8th of January 2025. It’s not too late to book in, we would love to see some new faces. In fact, we are looking for the following to join our friendly network of trusted contacts and referrals: Printers Small businesses trying to get more exposure Painters and Decorators Creatives Estate Agents Website experts, SEO etc Event Planners Photographers and many more small businesses, no lockouts so all welcome. Will you be joining us at Fleet this Wednesday? Wednesday, 8th January 2025 10- 12 noon Venue: The Spice Merchant The St Crookham Village Fleet GU51 5SJ Book Here: https://lnkd.in/dX2j9uJr ** If you have trouble booking in, just let me know that you are coming along, always pay on the day ** Are you free to join us? Your host is me, Mandy Dineley, I am looking forward to welcoming you. Our Agenda: Our agenda is designed to connect you to people who can help you to achieve your business objectives. Building relationships starts at a meeting but continues with the follow-ups you do after it. Informal introductions each month. Speaker, discussions or group activity. This month we have an activity entitled : "Jumpstart Your Year: Essential Tips for Self-Employed Business Owners to Thrive in 2025" We can also share success stories and testimonials. Your investment: The cost is £15 for non-members (£12 for members), payable in cash or by card. This covers light refreshments and venue costs and is a tax-deductible business expense. Receipts will be issued. Venue: There's parking on site at the Spice Merchant Crookham Village. It really helps the pub cater for us if you can book, but we can always accept someone showing up at the last minute. See you there!

The one thing that really worries me when it comes to new business owners is how vulnerable they are to being taken advantage of. I’m sure like me, you’ve heard horror stories about people paying for services in the early stages of business that were either unnecessary or inflated in price. It reminds me of the common story that many women share about going to certain garages and being told that excessive work needs to be done on their car. It’s assumed that just because they’re a woman, they won’t have a clue. And unfortunately, this happens in business. There are people out there who will try and take advantage. This is why networking is such an important thing for new business owners to prioritise. In a networking group, you don’t have to rely on testimonials from people you don’t know. You get a room of people willing to endorse the services of other members. Not to tick a box to say they made a referral, but because they have either used that service themselves or referred them to people in their network. The accountability in a networking group means the people you choose to collaborate with are reliable and committed to delivering on their promises. Members get to know each other’s strengths and business practices, making it much easier to identify trustworthy suppliers and partners. 📢 If you want to come and visit a networking group that’s focused on sharing knowledge and building long-term, strategic connections, DM me to find out more Your Business Matters networking events in your area. #businessroom #connectionsclub #networking #businessnetworking #yourbusinessmatters

The one thing that really worries me when it comes to new business owners is how vulnerable they are to being taken advantage of. I’m sure like me, you’ve heard horror stories about people paying for services in the early stages of business that were either unnecessary or inflated in price. It reminds me of the common story that many women share about going to certain garages and being told that excessive work needs to be done on their car. It’s assumed that just because they’re a woman, they won’t have a clue. And unfortunately, this happens in business. There are people out there who will try and take advantage. This is why networking is such an important thing for new business owners to prioritise. In a networking group, you don’t have to rely on testimonials from people you don’t know. You get a room of people willing to endorse the services of other members. Not to tick a box to say they made a referral, but because they have either used that service themselves or referred them to people in their network. The accountability in a networking group means the people you choose to collaborate with are reliable and committed to delivering on their promises. Members get to know each other’s strengths and business practices, making it much easier to identify trustworthy suppliers and partners. 📢 If you want to come and visit a networking group that’s focused on sharing knowledge and building long-term, strategic connections, DM me to find out more Your Business Matters networking events in your area. #businessroom #connectionsclub #networking #businessnetworking #yourbusinessmatters

I've just come off a great group call with Shelley Bosworth and many different topics came up in conversation, one of which was networking. It was great to hear so many different thoughts, likes, dislikes, and everybody contributing their tips and advice to get the most out of attending the various kinds of events that are on offer. One of the points I mentioned was about business cards. We all have them and hand them out like smarties, but to what end? Make it your aim to collect more cards than you give out. Why? Because the networking event itself is just the very beginning, it's the spark that will either ignite the fire; or immediately burn out! What is important is what you do after ' the fortune is in the follow-up'. Giving your business cards out in the hope that someone will contact you can be a futile exercise; and one which can cost you a lot of money in business cards! Put yourself in the driving seat by taking the contact details of the people you meet, and actually contact them afterwards instead of waiting for them to get in touch with you. Take control of the connection you have made, pick up the phone, send an email, arrange a 1-2-1 meeting, connect on their socials etc. Not enough people do this so it will immediately give you an advantage and help you to stand out from the gazillions of people we all meet when we're out networking. And if you're looking to connect with some new groups of people and expand your business network, it just so happens that I have quite a few you can choose from! Take a look and come and join us, I promise you won't regret it! https://lnkd.in/d68N_YM5