It has never been so important than presently to instigate detailed mechanical and electrical design of services in buildings at an early stage in a project.
Traditionally, M & E design would be undertaken by the main contractor’s appointed consultant or sub-contractor and could be based around a loose performance specification. Now, with the need to assess a building’s energy demand to satisfy current building regulations and the requirement to reduce CO2 emissions, it is a prudent client that agrees to undertake detailed M & E design during the early stages of a project.
The upfront design of building services will enable a specialist energy assessment to be carried out, simulating a building’s energy use and its impact on the environment, which in turn will assist the designer to provide a cost effective solution which satisfies legislation at design stage and negates the need for costly changes during the construction phase.
Careful planning and design of services will ultimately result in a completed building which not only conforms to Building Regulations but also provides the end user with a comfortable and environmentally friendly building, designed for purpose and without the unexpected costs associated with Greenwash*.
*Greenwash: An insincere addition of renewable energy systems to a building as an afterthought without an appropriate feasibility study or careful design process, potentially costly, inefficient and unsuitable for purpose.
Walking up to the doors of The Boathouse delegates were treated to the sight of not only a motorbike from Norfolk Blood Bikes but also their car, both of which are used to quickly get blood products, samples, and other super important supplies from one hospital to another. The beautiful setting outweighed the drizzly weather and there was a lovely buzz as delegates got to know one another before the main event.
Once seated delegates networked on their tables, coming up with ideas of their business plans for 2020 ahead of Rachel Blackburn from US2U Consulting‘s presentation on building a robust business plan. The breakfast was absolutely delicious and so generous that some were even defeated by it! After breakfast Rachel was up, skilfully trimming her 2 hour presentation into 15 minutes to give delegates the key areas to consider when building their business plans. The main areas she encouraged delegates to consider were: identify clear goals; understand your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (and not to be afraid of the threats), compile competitor analysis so you can really understand what they do and how you can be different and better, and practice saying your elevator pitch out loud so you sound confident.
Delegates left full and feeling confident with their business plans and how to make 2020 their year!
Big thanks to the lovely guys from Norfolk Blood Bikes for being our featured charity, bringing their fabulous bike and car, and talking to delegates about the super important work they do across the county. Massive thanks to Rachel Blackburn from US2U Consulting for being our presenter and to The Boathouse for being our excellent venue as always.
If you’d like to get some of Rachel’s tips you can find all her slides here.
We have all heard talk of having the right mindset, so it must be easy, right??
What if you were able to understand why you think the way you do? And how great would it be if you knew you could change that easily and effortlessly to get you the results you want?
Aims:
To gain a greater understanding of why we behave the way we do and who we can’t disrupt unhelpful patterns and develop positive strategies for success.
Learning Objectives
To get out of your own way!
Who should attend:
Business owners, Leaders, Jet fighter pilots
Bio about the trainer:
Solace Coaching was founded in 2015 by Paul Ward, a personal development coach with experience working with a variety of clients both in business and on a personal basis. Paul has an extensive background in management, both in-role and on an advisory basis.
Paul has been able to take this experience and combine it with his training to develop unique solutions to common problems faced by business owners and managers. Paul focuses on people within the business, helping them to overcome barriers that stand in the way of their own personal development, and the development of their business. Through the use of NLP and Motivational Maps®, Solace Coaching is able to develop a complete understanding of any hurdle, and work honestly with individuals and businesses to overcome these issues. Often, those within the business can be afraid to speak truth to power which can be highly detrimental. Not with Solace Coaching. We’ll provide reliable, non-biased reports which show exactly where you can improve to achieve that which you want to achieve.
An amendment to Permitted Development Rights (PDR’s) means that as of 6th April 2012 planning permission is no longer required to install Solar PV panels on non-domestic buildings.
Ground mounted systems up to 9m2 will also be able to proceed without planning permission.
As with all permitted development rights the following must be met for Roof Mounted and Ground Mounted systems.
Roof Mounted
The array must not protrude more than 200mm from the surface that it is on i.e. roof slope or wall. If it is a flat roof the solar array must be less than 1m in height above the highest part of the flat roof excluding any chimneys.
The Solar PV must be more than 1m away from the external edge of roof or the joint of the wall that it is on.
If situated on article 1(5) Land (National Park, area of outstanding Natural Beauty, a conservation area etc.) the solar array cannot be mounted on a roof slope or a wall fronting a highway.
Planning permission WILL BE required is the Solar PV is on an existing building, on a building with the cartilage of a listed building or upon a site designated a scheduled ancient monument.
Conditions
The Solar PV equipment must, so far as is practicable, be sited so as to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building.
The Solar PV equipment must, so far as is practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area and Solar equipment no longer needed for micro-generation must be removed as soon as is practicable.
Ground Mounted
Only solar with a maximum solar surface area of 9m2 can be installed.
Only one ground mounted solar system can be present within the curtilage of any one building.
The solar must not exceed 4m in height.
The Solar must not be installed within 5m of the boundary curtilage.
Planning permission is required if the solar is within the curtilage of a listed building or on a site designated as a scheduled ancient monument.
Conditions
The ground mounted solar must, so far as is practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area and
Ground mounted solar which is no longer needed for micro generation must be removed as soon as is reasonably practicable.
Fear sometimes drives business decisions you wouldn’t normally make. Fear of the unknown can lead us to ignore market trends and opportunities, not good for the future of the business!
So it is the case with Social Media for many.
A fear of the natural inclination people have to network, to be social, aided by the speed and connectivity the web offers. Suddenly putting the advantage of the in the hands of the customer. A lack of understanding around the psychology of Social Media has businesses confused to the point of inaction.
It’s still early days for Social Media and many of the platforms are still developing, but the threat this time isn’t just from competitors. It’s from the customers themselves. They now have the ability to influence your business and the way you operate, if you don’t react positively they may well take control.
Dissatisfied with the council’s slow and out of date Council House Exchange website, tenants have taken matters into their own hands. Using Facebook council tenants have created the Councilexchange Hull profile*, enabling more than 1500 tenants to arrange their own house swaps.
Although they still have to go back to the official website to complete their transaction one of the tenants told Hull Daily Mail:
“I bid for houses every fortnight and use the council exchange website but don’t get anywhere.
“It’s easier on Facebook because it is instant and you can message people straight away.”
Whilst Hull City Council are happy for tenants to arrange their own exchanges they have obviously been caught wanting in terms of service to their customer, the tenant.
They now have a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on this initiative, learn where they can improve their service and come out on top.
Hull City Council could even look at ways of leveraging Facebook themselves saving time and money, fear of the unknown will probably stop them though.
Are you looking for opportunities to improve your business using Social Media? Or is fear of the unknown giving your customers, and possibly competition, the upper hand?
*The sharp-eyed amongst you may have noticed that tenants have created a Facebook Profile, when they should have in fact created a Facebook Page or Group. A common mistake, made by many businesses too.
Understand the key elements of security related risks and practical steps required for implementing an effective security strategy.
About this training course
Almost half of all organisations in the UK fall victim to cyber security breaches every year, often leading to personal data breaches, interruption to business, financial loss and reputational damage.
Many businesses still mistakenly consider Cyber Security a technical IT problem, but more and more are realising that Cyber Attacks such as Ransomware and business email compromise (BEC) represent a key business risk requiring visibility and focus at the executive level.
This non-technical, workshop based course is designed to help business owners and senior leadership teams to understand the key elements of Cyber and Information Security related risks, and the practical steps required for a comprehensive Cyber Security strategy appropriate to their business.
This course will include both presentation and group exercises and focuses on:
Understanding Cyber Security from a business perspective
The planned requirement for consequential improvements to dwellings when undertaking extensions and conservatories has been axed. The Government has scrapped plans for what was dubbed a ‘conservatory tax’ which would have required homeowners to make additional (potentially expensive) energy efficiency measures for home improvements, forcing them to pay for extra insulation or sign up to the Government’s “Green Deal”, which provides loans to install energy-saving insulation that must be paid back with interest.
There is little surprise the proposals have been scrapped. For someone replacing their windows which will improve energy efficiency, it is difficult to understand why they would then have to pay to have further energy efficiency measures implemented when the windows would already be improving efficiency. Of course, this means some people would decide not to make these home improvements at all, which would impact the construction industry as well.
Another key point of the consultation is the overall CO² maximum design targets have decreased from what was expected for 2013. The Government’s suggestion for dwellings is now a reduction of the 2010 CO² target by 8%.
Considerations need to be given to the economic impact changes to building regulations have.
Do you know the difference between the types of agent and distributor and their roles? Knowing the differences and where each one may be appropriate is essential for avoiding potential costs of getting it wrong.
This half day course covers the vital area of agency and distribution. It examines the differences, EU legislation, and finding, appointing and motivating you partners and highlights the pitfalls and costs.
Aims • To have an understanding of the difference between agents and distributors and their roles • Know what EU laws have to be considered when appointing agents • Know what to consider when appointing an agent or distributor • Understand the advantages and disadvantages of each • Understand the legal implications of appointing agents and distributors
This course also covers: how to find agents or distributors, sources of help, changing an agent or distributor, sample agreements, memorandum of understanding and how to minimise legal costs.
Who Should Attend? This course is suitable for anyone involved in the export or import process such as; accounts, purchasing / buyers, freight forwarders, shipping, goods inward staff and many more.
Testimonials “This course has given me a greater understanding on how agents and distributors work and the contracts and stages involved with finding one suitable.”
“A greater understanding and more confidence when dealing with agents and distributors.”
Cancellation Policy 15% of fee payable if delegates cancel more than 7 days in advance. If less than 7 days the full fee is payable.
One of the ‘core 10’ courses accredited by British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Candidates achieving Pass or Merit in the course will receive a certificate. Those who pass 6 individual courses will achieve a nationally recognised Foundation Award in International Trade.
As commented in our article found under ‘News’ I feel that the Government could have been bolder in its Queen’s speech content.
However the area that gets me most aerated is the constant tinkering or should I say meddling with employment law. What may be possible to cope with from a larger business point of view is a nightmare for smaller businesses.
The plans for more flexible parental leave will allow women who want to return to work earlier after having a baby to do so, by transferring some of their maternity-leave entitlement to the baby’s father.
Ministers have chosen to ignore the fact a complex new system of shared parental leave brings massive complexities and huge uncertainty for employers. At a time when Norfolk businesses are trying to cope with a very challenging economic situation they are hit with these proposals.
While most businesspeople identify with the idea of gender-neutral parental leave, they’ve warned time and again that the government’s proposals are unwieldy, difficult to understand, and fraught with potential complications.
Businesses may now be exposed to endless appeals, legal challenges and grievances. The government has promised to cut red tape, but continues to tinker with employment legislation, bringing uncertainty and costs to businesses. If shared parental leave is introduced the government must ensure that the possible patterns that can be requested are limited to reduce complexity.
Do you know which documents are necessary for an international shipment? Documents are there to help get the goods into the destination country quickly and efficiently. They also offer benefits to both the exporter and their overseas customer.
This full day course looks at export documentation and explains why they might be required, what content is required and the benefits they offer.
Aims • Understand which documents are necessary for an international shipment • Know the key pieces of information required for each document • Understand the importance of preferential trade agreements • Know how to complete the documents • Understand the rules of origin • Know the difference between shipping documents and what they are used for • Identify sources of information with regards to these documents
Who should attend? This course is suitable for anyone involved in the export or import process and who are involved with the preparation of documents such as; accounts, purchasing / buyers, freight forwarders, shipping, marketing, customer services, goods inward staff and many more.
Testimonials “Norfolk Chamber always makes us feel very welcome. The course was as good as always and I now have more knowledge on the industry and export documentation.”
“The content of the course was very goods. I got clarification of the documentation required and how they are used at different stages of an export.”
“Very good course, would recommend.”
Cancellation Policy 15% of fee payable if delegates cancel more than 7 days in advance. If less than 7 days the full fee is payable.
One of the ‘core 10’ courses accredited by British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Candidates achieving Pass or Merit in the course will receive a certificate. Those who pass 6 individual courses will achieve a nationally recognised Foundation Award in International Trade.
“The Customer is KING”. No matter what size your prospect is, it is really important to do your research. The more information you have about your market, your prospect’s business, the better prepared you will be and you will demonstrate an interest in their business. Also look for the best type of customers for your business – don’t sell to everyone. Your customer list is vital for success.
” What makes your offering different? “
Profile your customers be they existing or lapsed. It is likely that 80% of your income will come from 20% of your customers. Find out who these are and get a database that matches this.
Your customer list is really important to get right – they are your lifeblood so it is important to nurture and develop this list.
Ensure you know your own product/service extremely well – especially the advantages and benefits that will be relevant to your prospect.
What is your USP (Unique Sales Proposition)? Ascertain as far as you can the main or unique perceived benefit that your product or service would give to your prospect – what makes your offering different?
Why it is that your existing customers buy from you?
Understand what other competitors are able to and likely to offer; and which ones are being considered if any.
Message
Once you understand who you are talking to – and once you have segmented and profiled the database, which could be several different groups – you need to think about what messages will be most relevant.
You need to think how each particular segment will react to your offer. The objective is to get them to buy your new product or service – NEW being the operative word. If something is not new or different; why should anyone want to buy it – providing of course you have ascertained that it is relevant to them.
Any message needs to switch on the emotions in a person. It needs to appeal to their desires and get them to do something.
A.I.D.A – Attention Interest Desire Action
So when targeting one of your selected segments, rather than have a headline which says:
“This “product/service” will give you the edge you have been looking for”
Say instead for example:
“7 important reasons why your competitors will be sorry that you bought “this product/service”.
You can test your message with small campaigns that leverage the internet with different headlines. You can then monitor and measure results using a system so your communication can be working day and night.
It’s time to Break the Mould and be seen to be different. People like to buy the unusual not the ordinary.
Media
All very well to have your market and your message – but how are you going to get it out there?
Traditionally companies blanket the media options using, to name but a few, newspapers, radio, email, leaflets and direct mail and where they can afford it, TV. Not a bad thing to do but the targeting can be too broad.
You need to talk to only a sample of those watching and reading this media so a lot of your budget is being wasted on people who either don’t want your offering or clearly don’t need it. So you need to break down a) where your market is; the Geographics b) who your market is; the Demographics and c) the Psycographics; what your market is interested in – and then choose the media to fit the message more tightly.
Do you want to save time and money when producing your export documentation? Creating documents online with e-zCert is the way forward.
This half day workshop will show you how to apply for your documents online taking you through every step of the application. We will also show you tips and tricks to save you time and money.
Aims: • To be able to create your export documentation online with ease • Know what supporting evidence is required and acceptable • Learn how to store data for future applications • Know how to apply for EC and Arab Certificates of Origin, EUR1s, ATRs, Uploaded Documents and ATA Carnets
Who Should Attend? This course is suitable for anyone responsible for the raising or issuing of export related documents.
Testimonials “This workshop gave me a better understanding of e-zCert and why different documents might be required.”
“e-zCert is definitely an easier way to complete and create your export documentation.”
Cancellation Policy 15% of fee payable if delegates cancel more than 7 days in advance. If less than 7 days the full fee is payable.
One of the ‘core 10’ courses accredited by British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Candidates achieving Pass or Merit in the course will receive a certificate. Those who pass 6 individual courses will achieve a nationally recognised Foundation Award in International Trade.