Pastures New

August is a time of change in the BBS offices. After 5 years based at 58 Square Street we will be moving to brand new offices in Princes Court, Ramsbottom on the 27th of August. Also, after 12 months with BBS as Business Development Executive, Danielle will be moving to pastures new on the 20th of August. Danielle is returning to her degree specialty of law and will be spending 3 months in Las Vegas volunteering with the Children’s Attorney Project. We wish her the best of luck with her new venture and can’t wait to hear all the stories!

As is always the case when one person moves on an opportunity arises. BBS are currently looking to bring in an individual in an administrative role to support our ever-busy team. We hope this will take some of the pressure off and ensure our time is fully dedicated to delivering excellent results for our clients.

It's a Girl!

BBS now have a new member to our family – Helen gave birth to a little girl on Monday 9th August 2010 at 09:09. Poppy Matilda Harris weighs 7lb 15 oz. Helen and Poppy are both doing well. Poppy’s big sister Molly is looking out for her little sister already making sure she is fed and watered.

Poppy has had her first visit to the BBS offices this week and in an office full of women she went down a storm! Everyone had a little cuddle and Poppy was happily passed around- we can already tell she is going to fit in fine.
BIG congratulations to Helen and Phil!

Office Move

We are currently in the process of moving offices after 5 years, of being at 58 Square Street. Don’t worry were not moving too far, only up the road.
The team are very excited about the move and to a new start.

Stay posted to find out our new address!

London Olympics 2012

Last week Andrea and I attended the North West Annual Conference for the London 2012 Olympics. It was a truly inspirational day. It included talks from the movers and shakers of the NWDA, NHS, Northwest Steering Group for the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games and McCann Manchester (the official marketing company of the Olympics). Alongside this we witnessed the ‘Be Inspired Awards’, these were received by individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to delivering a legacy in the North West. It was refreshing to learn that the Olympics was about more than just impressive new buildings and up and coming athletes but also that so many of the local community have got involved via the ‘Inspire’ programme.

Along with all the inspirational talks, we were also able to learn how companies across the UK could get involved via the ‘CompeteFor’ site. For the first time there is an official website for the publication of Games-Related business opportunities encouraging transparency and equality throughout. Any business can register on the site to access the supply chain opportunities generated by the 2012 Games and all you have to do is register some general details to create a user account and then complete and publish a full business profile to be matched with the opportunities. If you haven’t already done so then the first step is to visit: www.competefor.com. Simple!

Graduation Day

“A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the key to success.”Robert Orben

On Saturday 17th July 2010, it was my turn to be one of those thousand students who was dressed in the identical cap and gown. It hadn’t really sunk in that this day had finally arrived. I had a mixture of feelings when I woke up on Saturday morning. I was excited to see all of my university friends again, but there was a part of me feeling nervous! What if I tripped up on stage? What happens if my hat falls off?

We arrived at my university and the first port of call was to collect my mum and dad’s tickets along with my hat and gown from the hall. As I got into the hall, there were about 5 little old men with tape measures around their necks wearing waistcoats and bow ties (something I wasn’t expecting). I went over to one of the men, Derek, and he fitted my gown onto my dress and gave me my hat. When I had on the full outfit, I was dreading to see what I Iooked like. I stepped outside to meet my parents – their faces said it all. My dad had a huge grin on his face, as for my mum…well she was nearly crying.

I then had my photographs taken. By this time, we were then getting reminders that we had to be seated soon in the auditorium. All the students took their seats at the back of the auditorium, whilst guests were sat at the front. The ceremony started with a small procession from the dean and the chancellor etc. After a few long speeches, it was then time for the students to go up on stage. Row by row, people were making their way towards the stage. Before I knew it was my row that was moving. Although I had waited an hour before it was my turn, when it was my turn, my moment of glory lasted around 45 seconds. As presumed, my name was pronounced in a way that even my mum didn’t recognise that it was me on stage. I felt a huge sigh of relief the second I stepped down from the stage. The ceremony ended with another small procession into another room where refreshments and food were being served. All the students…sorry graduates, went straight for the champagne and from then on, it continued to be a fantastic and memorable day!

World Cup is Over

Good News Ladies - We can now gain control back of the TV remote to catch up with the programmes we have missed whilst the World Cup 2010 has been on our television.

Although I have to say that BBS followed the fixtures and results closely but this was mainly due to having a sweepstake running in the office for the winner and runner up of the World Cup. A bit of healthy competitive football banter was a daily occurrence in the office for the last month – no red cards were given out during this period I can assure you.

I am pleased to announce the winner of our sweepstake was Bhavina and the runner up was Nathalie. Well done girls!

And as for England’s performance… I am sure that if BBS completed satisfaction surveys with 100 England fans, the analysis report would not be that favourable towards the squad.

They think it’s all over – It is now!

Eventia Summer Summit

On Sunday Ruth and I travelled up to Glasgow to attend the Eventia Summer Summit on behalf of Lancashire & Blackpool Conferences & Meetings. After a long journey we eventually made it to a very gusty Glasgow. We were thrown right into the activities with a Drinks Reception that evening which was an excellent opportunity to network with other destinations, buyers and suppliers.

Monday we had an eventful day attending seminars and taking part in breakout sessions at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC). The SECC was an impressive venue and the speakers were educational and enlightening. Dr Dominic Swords, Leading Business Economist and a representative from Google, gave an interesting talk about the way forward with YouTube.

Monday evening we attended a dinner at the Old Fruitmarket, one of the Glasgow Concert Hall’s venues. As the name suggests, the venue previously housed the fruit market in the City and it still retains the period charm of that time with cobbled streets and a vaulted roof. The atmosphere was exceptional. The Eventia team were dressed for revelry and put on great entertainment throughout the night.

Thank you Eventia for a fantastic informative and fun couple of days. I can’t wait till next year!