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!

Good Luck Helen!

This week has been a very momentous time in the BBS office. Helen has headed off on maternity leave to await the imminent arrival of her brand new bundle of joy! We all wish her the best of luck and are very much looking forward to visits from her and the new Harris little lady soon (yes that’s right we are placing all the odds on a new little girl and stocking up on the pink baby-grows!)

To say farewell in style we paid a visit to our favourite restaurant Sanmini’s in Ramsbottom. The food was amazing as usual and it is no coincidence that we chose an Indian for Helen’s last supper…. I think 9 months is slightly excessive to expect 6 women to wait for a new baby! Unfortunately, our plan was foiled and it appears the baby is holding firmly onto the entrance date of the 29th of July… Let the countdown continue!

Back in the swing of things

After a good couple of months of being back at BBS, I feel that I am back into the routine of working 9-5, 5days a week. I have just finished my final year at university studying BA Hons Business Studies and I am now just waiting for my final degree classification. Fingers Crossed that I pass!

After living the student life for the past year, it has been that little bit more difficult getting up early to make sure I am on time for work. Having been used to perhaps waking up at around 11:00 a.m. for the past year (minus the occasions where I did have 9:00a.m. start lectures), I am now up and out of the house for 7:35 a.m. (something my parents can’t seem to get their heads around)!

After a year away from BBS, it feels like I have never left the place and it is great to be back in the office with everyone. Everything in the office is as I left it and even the people on the bus every morning haven’t changed. It is great to see that BBS have been bringing in new clients over the past year including Stars in Waiting and Hall’s Bakery and I am looking forward to all the new opportunities that BBS can offer and working with the BBS team again along with their new clients.

Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards 2010

BBS have successfully completed the event management of the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards for the 6th Year running with the client saying “it was the best awards lunch so far”.
Credit needs to be given to the presenter - Michaela Strachan who did an excellent job and the venue – Mecure Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa for their food and impeccable service.
The BBS team did a fantastic job on the day of event ensuring the awards were running smoothly with each member playing a vital role in the delivery of the project.

The Trip of a Lifetime

My visit to India was an amazing experience. I had so much fun but it was far from a relaxing holiday in the sun!

Temperatures reached 48° and everyday for 3 weeks there was some sort of activity or agenda. As you may remember from my blog previously I also went to attend the event on the new Bhuj temple opening. It was an outstanding event with thousands coming from all over the world.

The last couple of days were spent in Mumbai, shopping, visiting the bazaars, National Park, Taj Hotel, Gate of India and Bhandra (home to the Indian film stars and shooting sets).

Considering I hadn’t been to India in 12 years, I don’t think I’ll leave it as long in the future, 2 weeks in February or March when it is a lot cooler perhaps!

Sanmini's- The Taste of South India

The BBS team have recently discovered a gem of a restaurant nuzzled in the streets of Ramsbottom. The first authentic South Indian restaurant outside of London, the restaurant presents amazing food that could literally transport you to the streets of India. Run by a local family, the parents are Doctors by day and at night they open the doors of Sanmini’s to the North West. The family will be there to welcome you most nights and provide valuable insight into the culinary specialties of the area.

The food is not what you would expect from a typical Indian and is likely be a pleasant surprise even for those cautious around the cuisine. The food is light, highly flavoured and the spice can be adapted to suit all tastes. As an introduction, at lunchtimes rather than the usual menu a ‘thaali’ (tasting plate) is the offering and a vegetarian or meat option is provided. Examples of dishes you can expect are medhu vadai (deep fried blackgram doughnut cakes) and masala dosai (a flat pancake filled with spiced potato). You can find the full menu here: http://bit.ly/d5D19g.

And you don’t just have to take BBS’s word for it, Sanmini’s was nominated for ‘Best Newcomer’ in the Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2009!

What a great day it has been for us all here at BBS!

BBS for the past few months, have been working closely on the Lancashire & Blackpool Conference Ambassador Programme and today has been the day we have been working towards - the exclusive launch event for the Ambassador Programme at Northcote Manor where a number of high-profile, influential business and healthcare professionals attended. The day was a huge success giving the Lancashire & Blackpool Conference Team the ideal platform to attract more meetings and conferences to the area.

Watch this space as I’m sure there will be great things to come from this!

Today we also celebrated Danielle’s 22nd birthday with a home baked chocolate cake and some well deserved champagne! We all wish Danielle a very happy birthday and hopes she has a great time celebrating, not just today, but by the sounds of it, for the next week!

Lancashire and Blackpool Mystery Shopping Presentations

Brighter Business Solutions helps run Lancashire and Blackpool Conferences and Meetings in conjunction with Visit Blackpool and the Tourist Board. Over the next 2 weeks we will be busy travelling around Lancashire and distributing mystery shopping results to venues in the Lancashire and Blackpool Conference Directory.

All venues were mystery shopped on three sections:- Telephone, Website and Site Visit. BBS will be start each session with a presentation as to the purpose of the mystery shopping exercise and then will conduct one to one sessions with each venue personally in order to go through their results with them.

Overall the results were very good so there will be some very happy people walking away from these sessions. I am sure the venues are excited to see their results and all will be revealed soon!

Fresh Faces at BBS

This month BBS have welcomed back into the breaches a familiar face and also a brand new face. Lesia was one of our placement students last year and after completing her BA (Hons) this month in Business Studies we are delighted that she has chosen to return to us full time as Sales and Marketing Assistant. We wish Lesia the best of luck in the upcoming months as she awaits the results of all her hard work over the last four years.

We have also welcomed Nathalie to the team. Nathalie will be joining us as part of her degree at the University of Bolton in International Tourism Management. During her time with BBS she will be working to support us with the upcoming Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards in June and also completing a project on the development of the Kids Fun Ideas Show into school trips.

Jet Setting

On Sunday 9th May I will be jetting off to India for three weeks to visit my Mum and Dad’s home country. It is a visit I have been looking forward to for many, many years. The last time I went to India was in July 1998 when I was 10 years old.

I will be flying with my sister Hina and my Dad stopping over in Doha for a few hours, before arriving at Mumbai Airport.

One of the main reasons for the visit it is to attend a once in a lifetime event: The opening of the new Bhuj Temple. The event promises to be attended by thousands of saints, devotees and dignitaries from across the world.

The original temple was built in 1823 and the Gujarat earthquake in January 2001 destroyed much of the city of Bhuj, including the northward facing side of the Temple. I along with thousands of others from around the world will be travelling to the event to enjoy the celebrations, so stay tuned to hear all the stories on my return.

Bhav, Project Executive

HRD 2010

The BBS Team have recently returned from 4 days in London promoting Lancashire and Blackpool Conferences and Meetings at the HRD exhibition. HRD offers practical solutions for the learning, development and organisation needs of a company. It attracts all the top suppliers involved in this area including training courses, training venues, learning and development, leadership, coaching and more.

The team had a highly successful few days. At the exhibition, the newly built exhibition stand created a very positive impact on our presence at the show and was welcomed by a good reception of people and some really good enquiries. And away from the exhibition the team made good use of the glorious sunny weather by starting the day with a 2 mile run through the streets of London and finishing with a well deserved bite to eat and a glass of wine.

Well done team!

The Benefits of Virtual Reception

The concept of the Virtual Reception and indeed the Virtual Office is growing in popularity in recent times. The main reason for this popularity spurt is quite simply that economically it just makes sense! Engaging with a virtual reception service can be a fraction of the cost of hiring and training additional staff.

A virtual reception service can range from handling calls simply when your company’s own line is busy to being the complete first point of contact for your business. It is flexible and can ensure that you are offering the best quality of customer care possible and BBS can help. Whether you are a sole trader, a smaller company or a large organisation there are benefits.

For sole traders:
Can work from own home saving time, money and valuable resources but still maintain a professional first impression. Will also create the appearance of a larger organisation.

For smaller companies:
Can ensure that the staff you have are spending their time where they are needed and concentrating on what is important rather than answering calls. Can also cover periods of sick leave or holidays where you need that extra boost.

For larger organisations:
Can prevent potential customers from having to wait in a queue for their query to be dealt with or hitting an answer-phone message when the main phone line is busy.

The Lancashire and Blackpool Venue Show 2010

Brighter Business Solutions helps run Lancashire and Blackpool Conferences and Meetings in conjunction with Visit Blackpool and the Tourist Board. The Venue Show is our annual buyer event held by the conference team giving you a unique opportunity to meet a cross section of conference venues from across Lancashire and Blackpool all under one roof! From historic halls seeped in history to the largest theme park in the UK we’re confident we can meet all your requirements.

The show took place on Thursday 25th March 2010 at Park Hall Hotel, Leisure & Conference Centre, near Chorley. Our aim was to create an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere in which you can do business. This was created by entertainment such as jugglers and fire-breathers and canapés throughout the day.

The event was a success with visitors walking away with plenty of information ready to plan their next meeting, conference or event. And as an added seasonal extra they received a special Lancahire and Blackpool chocolate Easter egg.

Spring Cleaning

The last few weeks have been very busy for the BBS team. Many of our clients have scheduled in for their databases to be cleansed. Spring is officially the season for database cleaning! Clients large and small have been making sure that everything is up-to-date before they carry on into the year.

Data cleanses are a very important task and one that is often neglected. A question needs to be asked, how much do you rely on your computer database? For most companies it is their most important tool so in order to make sure it is working to their advantage it needs to be regularly updated. Companies move, telephone numbers are changed and people leave. To work for you, your database needs to be aware of these changes. Here are a few more of the benefits:

 Increases efficiency of data
 Reduced waste from mailing to inaccurate contacts and duplicates
 Improved company image
 Improved response rate
 Ensures efforts are targeted

So don’t waste time and money… It’s time for spring clean!

Live Life 2010

This week you will find the team in Heywood distributing leaflets for Live Life 2010, the big healthy living show at Heywood Civic Centre organised by HMRPCT and Rochdale Council. The show will be held next Wednesday the 10th of March from 11am to 8pm and will provide a great host of ideas for a healthier lifestyle including a range of free interactive demonstrations and activities. If all that wasn't enough, Ricky Tomlinson from The Royale Family will also be popping in over the course of the day. I wonder if we will find him making the most of the free health checks available!

You will find the girls this week located in Morrison’s Supermarket and Dunnes Department Store talking to customers to promote the show and handing out flyers. The team also networked with retailers in Heywood in order to get their involvement in our promotion by asking them to hand out leaflets to customers and display posters in their shops. This was achieved with great enthusiasm by the retailers emphaisising what a great cause this is.

The team are at present just about managing to keep their eyes off the bargains in the shops in order to spot potential visitors to the show. Why not come over and grab your leaflet and find out more?

CHASE 2010

After a nice relaxing week off last week I have a very busy one ahead. Next week I will be attending the CHASE 2010 Exhibition on behalf of Lancashire and Blackpool Conferences and Meetings to promote the destination and it’s new Conference Guide.

It will be held at The Business Design Centre in Islington, London. A new venue, which I am excited to see. The exhibition is over 2 days and is a Charities and Associations Exhibition. CHASE is the premier business to business exhibition for the not for profit sector.

Come and visit us at stand 14 from the 23rd – 24th February 2010, 9.30 – 4pm!

Kids Fun Ideas

As most are already aware, our sister company Daisychain Ltd is responsible for the Kids Fun Ideas Show exhibition which aims to provide parents with a one-stop-shop for fun ideas of things to do with the kids over the holiday period. It has been a great success and to expand on this we are now working alongside them as they create the new permanent home of kids fun ideas at www.kidsfunideas.com.

The website is now live with an activities page including computer games and colouring pages, a blog, a days out directory and of course information about the show. BUT this is not the end of Kids Fun Ideas! Over the coming month this will grow to include a recipe section, a games directory, a video area, a messageboard and so much more! This is such an exciting time for everyone at BBS and Daisychain and as always we love to share the excitement and so invite any contributions to what you would like to see included in this new venture. All suggestions can be sent to info@kidsfunideas.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Fighting Fit at BBS

All the team at BBS have been on a health kick since the beginning of 2010 and progress is looking good.

Healthy eating and exercise is on the agenda again this month too. Healthy body is a healthy mind.

Bhavina is making sure she eats her 5 fruit and vegetable a day, Ruth is attending the local community aerobics class, Danielle is getting up before the lark to do her workout dvd, Andrea is back doing her gym classes and swimming and Helen walks to her daughters school twice daily to take and collect her daughter.

BBS has also turned into Noel Edmonds Swap Shop with recipes flying across the office. One of the team tries a healthy recipe and if it is a success then it is passed to the rest of us to try. The latest recipe being Egyptian Soup – this went down a storm with the team – Email us and we will share the secret recipe with you – info@brighter-business.com

Come on everybody get those knees up!

My Night in Blackpool

Last week I attended the Lancashire & Blackpool Conferences & Meetings, venue Referral Scheme Launch Event at the Barcelo Imperial Blackpool. It was a little overwhelming when I got out of the car as the gusty wind blew through my hair and I could hear the fierce waves lapping. Blackpool fresh sea air still takes my breath away.

Once inside, the hotel was beautiful and the conference room was set out nicely overlooking the infamous seafront. The event went well and there was a fantastic turn out. So good to see people enthusiastic about keeping business within the destination.

There was a quick competition, followed by a prize draw, where a lovely attendee won a luxury Lancashire and Blackpool hamper full of treats. The event was promising and it was great finally putting some faces to the names.

The Week in Networking

The snow has gone, the ice has gone and the rain - well that is still here but you can not have everything. This can mean only one thing: It is time for January networking to get a show on the road!

The latest spell of networking began last Friday at Oswaldtwistle Mills Business and Conference Centre for their new event, Hotpot for Hotshots. This was a well worthwhile event. The event was attended by over 75 business people from the surrounding areas. A good networking slot followed by a short but very informative talk on social media and a delicious hotpot courtesy of Thyme Restaurants made for a couple of hours well spent. I would certainly attend this again (even if just to make the girls jealous with my hotpot tales!)

On Wednesday I also had the pleasure of attending my first Business Over Breakfast meeting in Ramsbottom. Although the early start was a slight shock to the system, it was encouraging to see so many businesses from the area working together and helping each other out with referrals. In this difficult time I think a few more of us could use some BOB club friends. And perhaps a few more of us could do with a BOB club breakfast!