member

Larking Gowen and Adnams invite you to their tourism survey seminar to discuss the results of their 10th annual tourism and leisure business survey.

Speakers from Adnams, Visit East Anglia, Larking Gowen and business owners like you will share their insights and discuss the issues affecting the sector.

Who should attend? Tourism and leisure business owners in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex who are interested in understanding the bigger picture in the tourism and leisure sector.

Where and when? Wednesday, 20 April 2016 – 3.00 pm – 6.00 pm Octagon Barn, Hospital Rd, Great Plumstead NR13 5FH

Registration commences at 3.00pm. A full afternoon tea will be served promptly at 3.30pm. Guests are invited to join us for networking and drinks between 5.00pm and 6.00pm.

Leading research company Ipsos MORI has taken a journey into the minds of the region’s business leaders to discover their concerns and strategies for growth. The research, commissioned by Price Bailey, also reveals how business leaders feel about EU membership and international trade, uncovers their perceptions of leadership and explores the challenges of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

MORI and Price Bailey will be presenting the full results of the research at Dunston Hall on Tuesday, 26th April at 5:30pm

They will be joined by an expert panel of business professionals including James Sproule of the Institute of Directors; Tim Pike, Deputy Agent for South East and East Anglia at the Bank of England; and Maxine Dolan, formerly Group Leadership Development Director at Tesco who will offer valuable insight into the findings from this bespoke, real-time research and provide their expert opinion on the economic landscape for the region.

The event will also provide a valuable opportunity to network with other regional business leaders.

For more information and to book your place, go to www.pricebailey.co.uk/leaders

What: What’s your biggest time management challenge?

When: Wednesday 16th March 2016, 6.30pm to 9pm

Where: The King’s Centre, King Street, Norwich, NR1 1PH

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/225119249/

Speaker: Ermine Amies (@Sandler_Ermine)

Frustrated by not enough hours in your day? Annoyed that you don’t get everything done on time? Over committed? Drowning in email? Procrastinating when you don’t want to? Not making progress on the really important projects at home or at work?

Ermine has stepped in to replace the speaker who cancelled. This hands on session will help you work out how to take control of your time management hell. If you were at Ermine’s sold out session at NorDevCon, come for a top up and be ready to make a plan to succeed this spring.

If you didn’t go to NorDevCon, then you may have heard Ermine got rave reviews. You’ll be provoked into thinking about where time goes and some practical steps to take to get back into control and improve your results.

Ermine’s no nonsense approach makes this session suitable for everyone – from founders and CEOs to new hires. Her good humour and deep understanding of how the human psyche plays games means you’ll have fun too.

What: Building Serverless Applications with AWS & Hackathon 101 – Lessons Learnt

When: Wednesday 13th April 2016, 6.30pm to 9.30pm

Where: The King’s Centre, King Street, Norwich, NR1 1PH

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/229484964/

Ian Massingham of AWS returns to Norfolk Developers to give his cancelled NorDevCon 2016 session. Building Serverless Applications with AWS Ian Massingham (@IanMmmm)

It is important that you spend as much time as possible on what differentiates the application or service that you are building. Managing infrastructure can detract from this goal. Attend this session and learn how you can let AWS do the undifferentiated heavy lifting for you whilst you focus on building a robust, scalable and highly available applications and services by utilising AWS services such as AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon S3 and more. Forget about infrastructure and focus on your code and the outcomes that you want to achieve.

Ian Massingham

Ian Massingham is a Technical Evangelist at Amazon Web Services and has been working with cloud computing technologies since 2008. In his role he works to increase the awareness of AWS cloud services and works with customers of all sizes, from start-ups to large enterprises, to help them benefit from the adoption of AWS.

Ian has more than 15 years’ experience in the IT industry, covering operations and engineering within hosting and cloud service providers.

Hackathon 101 – Lessons Learnt Tom Morgan (@tomorgan)

If you’ve never been to a hackathon before, the concept can be daunting. A deadly combination of technical snobbery and social awkwardness? Who wants to spend their free time doing that?! I’ve finally confronted my worst fears and attended my first hackathon – and it was not at all what I expected. Now, I’d like to dispel what I believe are commonly-held myths by those who have never been, as well as dispense some advice to first-time attendees. I’ll keep it light and (hopefully) entertaining, and will cover what I think our team did well, what we could have done better, who we should have listened to, and what was completely different to what I expected.

Tom Morgan

I’m a Skype for Business MVP, working for Modality Systems, a software development company in Norwich. In March, I took part in the Hacking Health hackathon together with a team of other devs and QA from Modality, plus some pharmacy students and business experts we meet at at the event. Our solution (MediPhone) won the People’s Choice award.

The Silver Pound : a Golden Opportunity

Conference at the King’s Centre, Norwich on Friday 13th May

Norfolk has one of the oldest population profiles in the UK. This conference explores the economic opportunities presented by the ‘silver pound’, and aims to inspire local businesses and entrepreneurs to take advantage of this growing market with innovative products, services and collaborative ventures.

The event is FREE to attend and includes refreshments and a light lunch. Please note there will a £25 charge if you sign up but don’t attend.

Speakers include:

• George Freeman MP, Minister for Life Sciences, a passionate advocate of the importance of technology in caring for older people.
• Haidee Bell, Head of Design Programmes, Design Council, discussing their Design Challenges which have stimulated innovative design for older people, and have led to projects to support entrepreneurs to bring their designs to market.
• Jackie Eveleigh, from the East of England European Partnership, will present the EU policy picture and discuss the EU funding potential around the Silver Economy.
• Entrepreneurs at different stages of developing new products and services aimed at older people share their stories and experiences.

There will be a group discussion on potential business opportunities, and we hope to develop an ongoing network of collaborating businesses.

The Conference is helping to deliver the Norfolk Rural Development Strategy, which identified the ageing population in Norfolk as an important economic opportunity to drive rural growth.

Follow this link to register for the conference, or contact Madeleine.Mitchell@norfolk.gov.uk with any queries.

Please join Norfolk’s food and drink community for an evening of relaxednetworking,ideas sharing and delicious canapés.

Our guest speakeron Monday 18 Aprilwill beVictoria Savory, Head of Marketing at Adnams.

Click here to bookyour place for an eveningwithAdnams today.

Price:just £10.00 a person – this includes delicious canapés and a drink. (A small amount also goes towards the cost of maintaining the volunteer run Meetup group.)

Where: The Library Restaurant,4A Guildhall Hill, Norwich NR2 1JH

This is a great opportunity to meet people working inNorfolk’s food, drink and hospitality sectors. We are particularly keen to see growers, producers, distributors and restaurateurs. However,we welcome anyone with a professional connection to these sectors.

Although Adnams is a Suffolk company, it has strong links with Norfolk’s farming community. Much of the barley for its award winning beers and spirits comes from Norfolk farms. It also runs shops and pubs across our county andis the headline sponsor of the Norfolk Food & Drink Festival.

Besure tofollow @NorfolkFDN on twitter,like our facebook pageand share this information with your social media network -because we are stronger together.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday 18 April for an eveningwith Adnams. Remember to book your place today.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT – MAKING THE MOST OF IDEAS

Will Taitt from Hethel Innovation joins us for a workshop all about making as much as you can from your ideas.

Join our workshop to find out more.

Book on the Second Floor now – it’s free!

Vernon Castle Room, Business Library

Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library

The Forum, Norwich, NR2 1AW

Tel: 01603 774740

Email:businesslibrary@norfolk.gov.uk

When: Thursday, May 12th, 6.30pm to 9.30pm.

Where: The King’s Centre, King Street, Norwich NR1 1PH

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/229344509/

Cross platform mobile development with the power of Xamarin

Are you a .NET developer? Do you develop for mobile platforms or would you like to get started but you don’t know how or where? Then you should join Christos Matskas as he shows you how to get off the ground with mobile application development using the power of Xamarin and explains how to build powerful, full-featured, native applications that can run across all platforms. You will learn how to speed up your development cycle, reduce overhead costs and create “the one codebase to rule them all”.

Introduction to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform

Microsoft Azure is Microsoft’s application platform for the public cloud. With over 60 service to choose from, Microsoft’s open source cloud platform is enabling developers and companies to develop solutions that can run faster, scale better and work more reliably than ever. With full support for all major languages and easy to use SDKs, Azure is the best platform for mobile, desktop and cloud-based application. Join Christos in this session for a guided tour around the platform and find out how to leverage the different services to create powerful and reliable applications.

Christ Matskas@ChristosMatskas

Christos Matskas has been working as a software developer for the last 12 years. He is an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of SoftwareLounge, a software consultancy firm. His portfolio includes collaborations with some great companies such as MarkIT, Lockheed Martin and Barclays. Over the years he has worked on numerous exciting projects from mobile applications to data crunching back-end solutions. He writes about his adventures in software development on his blog https://cmatskas.com. Christos is an advocate of Open Source Software and a regular contributor to numerous projects. He’s passionate about public speaking and he regularly speaks at conferences and user groups about .NET, the Cloud, mobile applications and software development in general (.NETFringe, DevWeek, MDevCon, SwanseaCon, Software Architect).

Remembering them at dawn as the birds begin to sing

If you’ve not yet discovered the peace and beauty of hearing the birds wake and sing at first light during a Dawn Chorus Walk in the stunning Norfolk landscape, now is your chance.

There is nothing like hearing the birds gradually awake in various stages, being able to recognise the species through identifying their songs, and see them in their own habitat, as well as observing other wildlife and fauna that make these areas their homes.

Sunrise is also conducive to reflection and memory, perhaps of a loved one you have lost to cancer, or even for helping to come to terms with this illness personally..

Big C has paired up with Pensthorpe Natural Park in the tranquil Wensum Valley, near Fakenham and RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, to give two different opportunities to offer this experience on Sunday April 17th and Sunday May 8th.

You’ll need to set your alarm to be up before the birds, but will be rewarded by a unique experience, no two sunrises or dawn choruses are the same, hot drinks enroute and at Strumpshaw a breakfast bag is included in the ticket price.

Ben Lewis is the warden at Strumpshaw Fen. He has been listening to birds and learning their songs with his dad since he was six years old. He explained the reserve is an area of special scientific interest (SSSI) and managed to encourage its potential for wildlife. The 2.4km non strenuous walk will cover four or five different habitats – wet woodland, meadows, riverbanks, reed bed and open water – offering a good opportunity to see and hear a wide range of bird and mammal species indigenous to those areas including marsh harriers, the booming Bittern, Cuckoos, Reed Buntings native species like the Thrush, as well as migrants from Africa – the Chiff-Chaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap. Chinese Water Deer may be in the meadows and possibly otters around the riverbank. The woodland floor will hopefully be a sea of bluebells.

Ben will help you identify the birdsong, sometimes with the use of his iPad recordings so no need to worry if you do not know their distinctive calls and songs. Here is your chance to hear, identify and discover them.

“To see and listen to the dawn chorus is a good reason to get out of bed at this time of day. We will try and break the sounds down to identify what and who we can hear. It will change as we visit the various habitats, the weather will also have an impact,” he said.

Over at Pensthorpe, the 700 acre site that was twice voted Norfolk’s Best Large Visitor Attraction, conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats is the single most important focus of the work. With a diverse range of habitats, its Norfolk Natural Park is nationally recognised as a breeding site for many species and numerous types of bird. Sightings include 16 Whooper Swan, large flocks of Goldfinch and Siskin, Woodcock, the short-eared Owl, Marsh Harriers and Bitterns.

It is also home to the most important river in the East of England from the Test to the Humber which is designated a Special Area of Conservation due to the presence of important and rare plant fish species. The walk will take you beside the chalk stream to see natural brown trout, water vole, otters and kingfishers along to the wader scrap where more surprises await. “You never know who is going to turn up on this large pool of water with views across to the wet meadows beyond,” said operations director Mark Noble. “There is little light pollution so we have stunning sunrises and it is a wonderful sight as the birds come to life, feeling the sun on their wings.” Waterfowl sightings have included Teal, Widgeon, Shelduck and Shoveler.

“Pensthorpe is a special place with a beautiful landscape and a very different feel and an opportunity for people to get away and have space and time,” said Mark.

Tickets cost £15 at Pensthorpe, to include a two hour warden tour starting at 5.30am and hot beverage, (breakfast is available separately from 8.30am at the café) and £20 at Strumpshaw which includes a two hour warden tour, breakfast bag with hot beverage and starts at 6.15am.

For full details and to book tickets visit www.big-c.co.uk/events/dawn-chorus

For further press information contact: Stephanie Renouf, PR to Big C on 07785 551193

Remembering them at dawn as the birds begin to sing

If you’ve not yet discovered the peace and beauty of hearing the birds wake and sing at first light during a Dawn Chorus Walk in the stunning Norfolk landscape, now is your chance.

There is nothing like hearing the birds gradually awake in various stages, being able to recognise the species through identifying their songs, and see them in their own habitat, as well as observing other wildlife and fauna that make these areas their homes.

Sunrise is also conducive to reflection and memory, perhaps of a loved one you have lost to cancer, or even for helping to come to terms with this illness personally..

Big C has paired up with Pensthorpe Natural Park in the tranquil Wensum Valley, near Fakenham and RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, to give two different opportunities to offer this experience on Sunday April 17th and Sunday May 8th.

You’ll need to set your alarm to be up before the birds, but will be rewarded by a unique experience, no two sunrises or dawn choruses are the same, hot drinks enroute and at Strumpshaw a breakfast bag is included in the ticket price.

Ben Lewis is the warden at Strumpshaw Fen. He has been listening to birds and learning their songs with his dad since he was six years old. He explained the reserve is an area of special scientific interest (SSSI) and managed to encourage its potential for wildlife. The 2.4km non strenuous walk will cover four or five different habitats – wet woodland, meadows, riverbanks, reed bed and open water – offering a good opportunity to see and hear a wide range of bird and mammal species indigenous to those areas including marsh harriers, the booming Bittern, Cuckoos, Reed Buntings native species like the Thrush, as well as migrants from Africa – the Chiff-Chaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap. Chinese Water Deer may be in the meadows and possibly otters around the riverbank. The woodland floor will hopefully be a sea of bluebells.

Ben will help you identify the birdsong, sometimes with the use of his iPad recordings so no need to worry if you do not know their distinctive calls and songs. Here is your chance to hear, identify and discover them.

“To see and listen to the dawn chorus is a good reason to get out of bed at this time of day. We will try and break the sounds down to identify what and who we can hear. It will change as we visit the various habitats, the weather will also have an impact,” he said.

Over at Pensthorpe, the 700 acre site that was twice voted Norfolk’s Best Large Visitor Attraction, conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats is the single most important focus of the work. With a diverse range of habitats, its Norfolk Natural Park is nationally recognised as a breeding site for many species and numerous types of bird. Sightings include 16 Whooper Swan, large flocks of Goldfinch and Siskin, Woodcock, the short-eared Owl, Marsh Harriers and Bitterns.

It is also home to the most important river in the East of England from the Test to the Humber which is designated a Special Area of Conservation due to the presence of important and rare plant fish species. The walk will take you beside the chalk stream to see natural brown trout, water vole, otters and kingfishers along to the wader scrap where more surprises await. “You never know who is going to turn up on this large pool of water with views across to the wet meadows beyond,” said operations director Mark Noble. “There is little light pollution so we have stunning sunrises and it is a wonderful sight as the birds come to life, feeling the sun on their wings.” Waterfowl sightings have included Teal, Widgeon, Shelduck and Shoveler.

“Pensthorpe is a special place with a beautiful landscape and a very different feel and an opportunity for people to get away and have space and time,” said Mark.

Tickets cost £15 at Pensthorpe, to include a two hour warden tour starting at 5.30am and hot beverage, (breakfast is available separately from 8.30am at the café) and £20 at Strumpshaw which includes a two hour warden tour, breakfast bag with hot beverage and starts at 6.15am.

For full details and to book tickets visit www.big-c.co.uk/events/dawn-chorus

For further press information contact: Stephanie Renouf, PR to Big C on 07785 551193

Do you need to find partners and funding to expand into Europe or beyond? Are you already working or looking to expand into international markets?

This event offers SMEs the opportunity to find out more about us and what we do to support SMEs in developing their businesses.

Whether it is finding out about funding opportunities such as

Horizon 2020, Eurostars and Eureka, sourcing new technology or innovation to move a business forward, looking to license or sell technology to reap the commercial benefits or help businesses finda partner to work with.New Anglia Growth Hubis co-hosting this event and offers free and impartial support for growing businessesin Norfolk and Suffolk. With access to a wide range of local and national business support services, you can find out about grants, finance, exporting, manufacturing advice, digital support, training, coaching and much more.

The New Anglia Growth Hub is supported by the European Regional Development Fund. Specialist Advisers from Enterprise Europe Network East and New Anglia Growth Hub can meet you face-to-face to discuss your needs and then signpost and refer you to sources of help and support.

Why Attend?

• Discuss your plans 1-1 with our advisers and address your questions about how to get access to funding and partners in Europe and beyond.
• Network in an informal environment over lunch – there will be ample time for questions and to discuss how to take ideas forward.
• Visit Norwich Research Park – an international centre of excellence in life and environmental science research with world-class expertise in the research and development pipeline.
• Find out more about us and what we can do for you and your business.
• To benefit from this workshop, businesses should have been trading for approximately one year, looking to expand beyond the UK market, and open to diversify their business model.

Agenda

12:30 Lunch on arrival

13:00 Introduction to Enterprise Europe Network and New Anglia Growth Hub

13:30 Find partners and funding to expand in Europe and beyond

14:00 Q & A session

14:30 Close