Business Consort

 

Business Consort Networking Forum Blog!   Business Consort, The Premier Networking Forum are pleased to announce that we now have over 1.2 million subscribers & host over 130 events a year including training courses. Very good reasons to celebrate our 5th anniversary!   Take a look at our 5th Birthday event photos   Watch our latest event video filmed at Aston Martin & see what our events can do for you!     Member Testimonials - Hear what our clients say Iain Duncan Commercial Director, HSBC  “I've been involved with a couple of events that Dawn has organised via Business consort, she has a great knack of being able to create the right environment for productive networking, with certainly the 2 events I've been to being at fantastic venues” July 24, 2009 Matthew Ager from Get Recruited “We have worked with Dawn for over a year, she is very personable individual and a superb networker/event organiser. Highly reccomended!” August 26, 2009 David Fisher International Sales and Product Manager , Cardinal Health  “Dawn worked wonders for our business” August 11, 2009 Vanessa Augustus , Director , EQR Consulting “I have recently delivered a market research workshop for Dawn McGruer and the Business Consort Team and love their approach to marketing and facilitating business networking events. I have found Dawn's online forum is also a powerful method of promoting my business and making new contacts. Dawn's business has grown quickly, as she has created a fantastic portfolio of events which attract a variety of business owners across the country. The new magazine 'Mingle' is informative and great for keeping up-to-date with the latest tips and business advice.” July 23, 2009 Why don't you drive your business forward by joining Business Consort?   Call me Julie, Events & Membership Manager to find out about getting your business really noticed through working with the Business Consort team & to take up this fantastic membership offer  - Already a member? Call or email me as we have a special offer only available to members!   Tel: 0800 334 5784 www.businessconsort.com

Fantastic music video from RSI Videofied systems
We are pleased to be official installers in the North West of England



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The world of commercial sponsorship has changed dramatically since the credit crunch.  Firms are

now looking for a better R.O.I than ever before and it is those marketing companies out there who are

prepared to think outside of the box are the ones that are succeeding.

 

We know very well that it is no longer about putting a sticker on the car and hoping it

gets seen as it whizzes past at 140 m.p.h.  It can involve the following:

 

Major Brand Exposure                                    Image Building

Guaranteed TV coverage                                Advertising Campaigns          

Corporate Hospitality                                     Opportunities for new business meetings

Media campaigns                                           Product endorsements                                   

Sales promotional campaigns                                    Consumer incentive programs                      

Mobile campaigns                                          Social responsibility

 

On the other side there are multiple companies out there who only want to put a sticker on the car for visual purposes only so they can use that medium heavily in all their PR campaigns/associations with Motorsport and to impress clients.

If this is something that appeals please ring me now for more details 07979695550

I can get them to you today!

Recently I was involved in a joint presentation on Risk Assessment at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) along with George Wedgewood, chairman of the IOSH Technical Committee and fellow member of the IET H&S Policy Advisory Group. As one of my core skills is Dynamic Risk Assessment I am concerned that so many people view risk assessment as complex and bureaucratic.

Risk assessment is seen as a barrier to people doing things, preventing them fromtaking any risks at all and viewed as either restrictive or as a huge wad of cotton wool to wrap everyone up with.

Far from being restrictive or over-protective, risk assessment is exactly what it says – it’s for identifying and assessing risks. Risk assessment requires that risks are recognised and that reasonable steps are taken to reduce them, but it isn’t necessary to attempt to remove risk altogether – that is completely unrealistic.

Dynamic Risk Assessment takes it a step further so that work doesn’t have to stop to carry out a risk assessment every time circumstances change. It empowers the worker to assess the situation and make good quality decisions about what action to take to accommodate the risks.

Normal risk assessment is carried out strategically and is generic at that level. At mid-management level it can be more specific – but it doesn’t have any flexibility, it’s a static assessment and workers are rarely involved in the risk assessment process. It’s time they were and Dynamic Risk Assessment is the tool to do it!

Even the phrase ‘Dynamic Risk Assessment’ is misunderstood – managers see it as excuse for allowing people to act on ‘gut-instinct’. However, whilst Dynamic Risk Assessment incorporates an intuitive approach to risk assessment, it still has to be part of a system, with feedback and debriefing.

It allows for the acceptance of mistakes – but also provides for the investigation of those errors so that the system can be improved. In other words, it’s a key element of continuous business improvement!

Ah the joys of winter, a choice of days spent sitting outside in the cold, for hours,  looking for that elusive bird (feathered before you ask) or, setting up work flow and storage/back up systems for the new year.


oh yes and the phone calls asking if I can photograph a wedding, from 9AM until midnight for £250.00, as its only a matter of "pushing a button" isn't it.


Hmm decisions

Email, internet usage and electronic communication are used more and more in everyday business. In fact, for 94% of all business they are an absolutely essential tool. They’ve brought a whole new world of ways to save money, time and hassle – from online banking to instant messaging and e-business. Email especially is a fast, easy and cheap way to get your message out to customers, partners or suppliers. Yet email and web access is also a gateway in to your business – and keeping that gateway secure is just as important as the lock on the front door, the CCTV or the security guard in the doorway. As all businesses rely more on IT, the security risks are increasing. In the last 2-3 years cyber criminals have uncovered new and sophisticated ways to infiltrate and harm any and all kinds of networks. Targeted Trojan attacks; increased by nearly 800% in 2008, according to some reports. Spammers also managed to crack CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart), distributing malicious spam through trusted web-based email providers by creating hundreds of accounts with the sole purpose of distributing spam. 6 out10 emails are spam which now originate from these email services. The proliferation of dangerous spam and infected websites means that no business is safe, it’s no longer the big targets (like banks and large corporations) which are vulnerable. The very fact of being connected to the internet and using electronic communication places any business at risk. The true costs to business from threats like those mentioned above are far greater than merely the financial implications. In addition to direct cost there are: • Cost of computer downtime • Lost productivity • Lost sales More importantly is the possibility that your confidential corporate or customer information could fall into the wrong hands. Take for example the recent data breach in America, which was disclosed by Heartland Payment Systems in January 2008, that breach affected millions of customers, and caused the company’s stock to lose 42% of its value and to close at a 52 week low. The financial loss was painful, but the loss of customer trust and the company’s reputation may yet be even more harmful. Businesses of all sizes face similar challenges today, but the difference is, small and medium sized organizations do not have the IT budget or resources to deliver real levels of protection needed today. So where does this leave small and medium businesses when it comes to security? Part of the answer must be, security that is simple to install, easy to use and manage, and above all, effective. It is also a common challenge to find IT solutions that minimize total cost of ownership, while making sure they improve productivity and customer service. Any company regardless of size needs to be free to conduct their business without worrying about security headaches. Five security tips that will help you secure your information network, business data and reputation. 1. Ensure you have a multi layered defence 2. Educate your employees and users about security risks 3. Control all web access 4. Stay ahead of threats 5. Know your legal obligations

Contact me if you want to find out how to plan reducing your bills by 50% or more.

I add 3-4 blog posts a week here and promote through linkedin, Twitter, Ecademy and Business Scene.

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