Abacus Hotels are delighted to have been nominated for the second year running as a finalist in the 2016 Group Travel Awards in the category ofMost Group-Friendly Hotel Chain or Group. Best Western Plus Orton Hall Hotel & Spa in Peterborough, one of the hotels in the Abacus group, has also been nominated in the category of Best Individual Hotel for Groups.
The Group Travel Awards are decided by the readers of GTO magazine and have earned an enviable reputation as the most distinguished and respected event serving the group travel market; they reflect a highly valued endorsement from customers in this most important market sector. The voting procedure for 2016 has entailed a voting form appearing in the joint November/December issue of GTO and in the January 2016 edition, together with online voting.
The awards ceremony; celebrating their 20th Anniversary, will be held at The Park Plazza, London and will be hosted byChristopher Biggins.
Julie Gibson, Sales & Marketing Manager said “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected as a national finalist in these prestigious awards for the second year running. This reflects not only on our range and quality of facilities but also recognises the excellent care and attention to detail shown by our teams.”
TaxAssist Accountants, the successful and award winning UK franchise with a Support Centre based in Norwich, is pleased to announce that it has smashed through two milestone figures, now servicing the needs of over 60,000 clients across the UK, with a combined fee bank of over £40 million. This news follows on from TaxAssist recently hitting another milestone, having recently passed the 200 TaxAssist Accountants mark.
Phil Sullivan, Group Operations Director of The TaxAssist Group, was full of praise for the Accountants in the network and the Support Centre staff. “Reaching these milestones is a phenomenal achievement. The figures are testament to the commitment of the accountants in our network and the dedicated staff at the Support Centre, who work so hard to provide a first class service to our accountants, who can in turn, offer a first class service to their clients.”
“We continue to see double digit growth year after year, and the pace of our growth is increasing. The latest 10,000 increase in clients has come in only 19 months, half the time it took to grow from 40-50k. These figures can only endorse our business model and strengthen the TaxAssist brand.”
TaxAssist Accountants is the UK’s largest network of accountants specifically servicing the needs of small businesses and the self-employed and is the UK’s leading accountancy franchise. It also operates in the Republic of Ireland and recently expanded to Australia. Further expansion is planned both in the UK and overseas.
Established in 1995, TaxAssist Accountants is now recognised as the UK’s 24th largest network of accountants in the UK. The head office is on the Broadland Business Park, just outside Norwich, where it employs 40 people. There are two TaxAssist Accountants operating in Norfolk, one in Norwich and one in Attleborough.
Following the success of last year’s Norfolk Developers Conference (Nor(DEV):con), which attracted an unprecedented 263 speakers, delegates and sponsors, Nor(DEV):con 2016 promises to continue the record breaking trend. Run by Norwichbased web, mobile and enterprise software services provider Naked Element, the Winter conference is in it’s fourth year and will bring together delegates and companies from across the whole professional spectrum.
The conference is a meeting of minds for business and technology experts, who’ll come together to explore the fundamental role technology plays in the East of England’s economy. Nor(DEV):con will take place from Thursday 25th to Saturday 27th of February 2016 at the King’s Centre on King Street in Norwich.
Back by popular demand, the conference will feature the dedicated business presentation stream to highlight how essential technology is for the wider business economy. The 2016 agenda is peppered with businesscentric sessions (indicated by blue briefcase icons). Paul Grenyer, Nor(DEV):con organiser, said, “Once again we’re proud to lead the way with Nor(DEV):con, now in it’s fourth year. It’s all about helping the tech community to reach out to the wider business community to demonstrate how we can all work together for stronger, more efficient businesses. Norfolk continues to be tipped as one to watch in the UK’s technology sector and is already considered a centre of technical excellence. Today technology is so ingrained and intertwined with the local economy that one cannot exist without the other and Nor(DEV):con is a celebration of this.”
The contentrich conference will feature keynote speeches, workshops and talks from industry influencers, including:
Jon Bradford, Managing Director of Techstars in London, cofounder of F6S and tech.eu, will present ‘Silicon Broad: Bridges not Valleys. Jon will talk about how tech ecosystems evolve, tie that into tech and tech startups in London and the rest of the UK, and then talk about how this relates to the Valley. Jon will wrap up the session with advice for soon to be tech startups.
Matthew Draycott will be presenting ‘The Myth Buster…The Real Secrets to Building a Growth Business’. Matthew will discuss his philosophies for building effective high growth companies. Based on his own experience he will focus on five key tasks which he believes every owner and management team should be engaged in if they hope to build a successful, rapidly growing business.
Norwich based Axon Vibe will be Nor(DEV):con’s Elite sponsors. John Fagan, CTO at Axon Vibe said “We are excited to support another great local technology event and welcome any opportunity that builds on Norwich’s reputation as a Tech City. We hope we will further cement Norwich’s position on the national and international stage by choosing Norwich as the platform for launching our mobile app SoJo A live view of your world globally in 2016.”
The conference features a programme packed with interactive sessions demonstrating the latest and greatest advances in technology and will give businesses a real insight into how they can use technology to add value to their own business. The popular dinner and evening wine reception gives delegates the chance to network as well as a thought provoking Q&A sessions with the speakers.
For more information, sponsorship opportunities or to book tickets, visit www.nordevcon.com
Today (Wednesday 27 April) is known as Administrative Professionals Day, the perfect opportunity to recognise and celebrate the work of secretaries, PAs and all types of administrative assistants working all over the world.
Here at Pure we are strong advocates of all those working in office support roles. Because we recognise these positions as being integral to the success of an organisation, we’ve built a dedicatedprofessional office recruitment teamwith an outstanding track record of providing effective temporary and permanent office recruitment solutions.
Those working in professional office support roles are often the unsung heroes of many organisations and there are still many misconceptions among the general public about the level of responsibility which comes with these types of roles.
Nowadays many PAs and executive administrators make key decisions and manage big budgets every day. They work alongside chief executives and leaders and in a recent survey of more than 1,700 PAs and secretaries, 16% said their boss regularly took their recommendations on business decisions. In many cases, PAs in particular have become among the most powerful people in a company. Another recent survey showed that three quarters (76 per cent) of PAs were privy to confidential information such as mergers and acquisitions long before the rest of the company.
Our Professional Office Recruitment team is dedicated not only to helping local employers find effective temporary and permanent office support, but also to supporting the on-going career development of those working in this field. Many networking and training events held across the region are mainly designed for managers, directors or HR personnel. We believe the hard-working, ambitious people working in professional administrative roles should be included in the networking and training scene, and we have been hosting targeted events for a number of years now.
So, if you’re working in an office support role, keep an eye on ourevents pageand follow us onFacebookandTwitterfor details about future events we’ll be creating just for you – because we think administrative professionals should be celebrated all year round!
We are proud sponsors of the next East Anglian Society of Chartered Accountants (EASCA) welcome event, which will be held on Friday 6 May to celebrate its recently qualified members.
As we specialise inAccountancy recruitment, we are always delighted to support events which champion the exceptional up-and-coming talent we have in this region. The EASCA’s welcome event is a fantastic opportunity for those who have worked incredibly hard throughout their Association of Chartered Accountants (ACA) training to celebrate their achievement with their peers.
The fun, informal event will take place on the River Cam and includes one of Cambridge’s most iconic activities – punting! Invites have been sent to those who have become professionally qualified in the last three years, encouraging them to attend the celebrations and to bring a guest with them.
As well as punting along the scenic river, the free of charge event also includes a Pimms reception on arrival. This will give guests the chance to meet with other recently-qualified ACAs from the region and to hear from Andrew Ratcliffe, national president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
The Pimms reception starts at 6pm at The Granta Pub’s beer garden, overlooking the river, followed by punting from 6.30pm. The evening will culminate with a barbeque and music from 7pm. If you haven’t yet booked to attend, it looks like it will be a great evening and we’d encourage you to come along. To register your place visithttps://bit.ly/1JKfwKn
The multi-award winning Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia picked up further accolades yesterday at the British Council for Offices (BCO) awards ceremony. Successful in two award categories; Corporate Workplace and Innovation.
Its 7th annual regional award, the BCO was established in 1990 and is the country’s leading forum for the discussion and debating of issues affecting the office sector. The recognition for The Enterprise Centre is testament to the quality of working space offered within the building to the business community. A visit to all buildings was an intrinsic element to the selection process and the judges’ visit to the building on 8th February clearly impressed them.
Offering flexible work space options from offices suites to co-working desks and virtual tenancy, The Enterprise Centre is an inspirational building. At near 100% occupancy since opening in June 2015 a vibrant and dynamic community has already formed. The original vision to become the location of the region’s most successful green business hub is already in evidence, primarily supporting the SME and start-up community.
Not solely concerned with office space, The Enterprise Centre is also a creative and impressive location for exhibitions, events and conferences with facilities including a stunning roof-top terrace, 300-seater lecture theatre,seminar and meeting rooms.
Following success at the East Anglia and Midlands ceremony on Thursday in Birmingham’s prestigious Town Hall, The Enterprise Centre will now compete at a national level in a bid to win the property sector’s highly respected ‘Best of the Best’ award at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House in London on 4th October.
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We’re working alongsideCommunity Sports Foundation&Sellebrity Auctionthis year to promoteJamie’s Game 2016at Carrow Road later this month.
Jamie’s Game, the Community Sports Foundation’s annual celebrity football match features stars of TV, music, film, and sport, as well as several ex-Canaries.
The event has raised over £200,000 for the Community Sports Foundation in total, helping the charity to engage with thousands of people every year, including disabled and disadvantaged people of all ages, using sport as the tool.
TV’s Calum Best and YouTube star Jim Chapman will each be a captain this year, and their teams will feature a number of surprise players to be announced in the build-up to the big day.
Since Jamie’s Game first launched in 2013, over 25,000 people have enjoyed the thrills and spills of high-scoring games, and some top half-time musical entertainment.
TheNorwich Fashion Weekcampaign went live on our digital signage networks across Norfolk yesterday afternoon which will be viewed by 500,000people per week with launch of our fourth screen.
Norwich Fashion Week was created in 2010 to celebrate and promote the vibrant fashion scene in the city. It brings together Norwich’s nationally-recognised, independent retail offering, and the city’s thriving student fashion design community, plus professional practitioners in fashion and beauty.
The BBA Digital Media network intends to increase awareness of such a fabulous event held in our fine city, and its great to be involved. The event stretches from March 10th – 17th hosting five different shows, the retailers show, the hair show, the vintage show, the designers show finishing with the fashion excess.
LinkedIn has become the world’s largest professional network and it is a fantastic tool for job seekers and for employers looking for new recruits. Whether you’re actively looking for a new job, or just looking to build a stronger network of professional contacts, your LinkedIn summary can make you stand out from the crowd. It could even be how your dream employer finds you!
Employers who are researching candidates, or looking for new employees, will be searching the internet and LinkedIn profiles are likely to be in the top few results. The summary section is the most read piece of these profiles, so it should never be left blank. We all know that first impressions count, but with just 2,000 characters (and that includes spaces!) allowed, how do you create compelling content? Here’s our tips to writing or updating your LinkedIn summary.
1.Enticing summary
Start with an opening which will make people want to read on. This doesn’t mean you need to write something overly witty or clever. That often looks like you’re trying to hard anyway! Simply summarise who you are and what you do e.g. include the industry you work in, the level you work at, how many years of experience you have and examples of companies you’ve worked for. This will make people want to read on as it will quickly establish if you are someone with the skills and experience they want in their network, or within their organisation.
2.Avoid jargon and over-used buzz words
When you are putting words in black and white there is a temptation to use technical industry jargon, or to rely on over-used buzz words, because you are not sure what to write. This can sound really unnatural. Think about how you would describe yourself, and what you do, if you were chatting to someone face to face, and try to use a similar language and style. This will make your summary far easier to read and will come across as much more authentic.
3.Be yourself, just at your best
Just like your CV, your LinkedIn summary is a time to promote yourself. It’s important to highlight your achievements, experience and skills. Make sure it is an accurate reflection of yourself, but don’t be shy about showing what you have to offer new business contacts or potential employers. Always write in the first person, but if this makes you feel too much like you’re bragging, break it up with some external examples, e.g. people say I am…
4.Balance personal with professional
Your summary is a great opportunity to express your personality and to include details about your values, passions and life experiences. Potential employers will be interested in looking at how you would fit with their organisation’s culture, as well as at your skills and experience. Keep it balanced so your personal achievements don’t overshadow your professional ones by aiming for a 70% professional, 30% personal, split. You can also express your personality and personal working style when explaining more about your professional career path. Think about including references to why you love what you do, how you got into your career or why was it something you wanted to do from a young age.
5.Write for people – not robots
Many articles about writing LinkedIn summaries focus heavily on including lots key words to make it as search engine friendly as possible. There’s a danger that if you become too focussed on this you will end up repeating words unnecessarily or squeezing them in when they’re not really needed. This won’t sound natural, or make for appealing reading. As long as you include details about job roles, the industry sector you work in, the skills and qualifications you have, the key words which could help potential employers or business contacts find you will all naturally be in there.
6.Break it up
Even with a limited word count, it is important to make your summary as clear and easy to read as possible. Make the key points jump out and break up the text with sub headings, for example include a heading of ‘career highlights’ and then list examples in bullet point form.
7.Keep it up to date
Once you’ve gone to the effort of writing a good summary, make sure you keep it up to date. Your summary should evolve with you and your career. Don’t forget about it until the time comes to update your job or employer details. Review it regularly and add in any new achievements or highlights.
City College Norwich is launching an innovative new course, the Level 3 BTEC in Information Technology and Computing, which has been designed in close conjunction with information technology employers to provide a pathway for young people into this diverse and exciting sector.
Starting in September 2016, this 1-year course is designed for 16 to 18 year olds who have an interest in developing their digital skills in order to move on to a wide range of tech careers.
There will be a chance for young people to find out more about the course, talk to College staff, as well as some of the employers who have been involved, at the Information Technology and Computing Open Event on Wednesday 11th May, from 5:30pm to 7pm, in the StartUp Lounge at City College Norwich, Ipswich Road, Norwich, NR2 2LJ.
On completing the course, students will have the key knowledge and skills sought by information technology employers and will be extremely well-placed to move on to IT and computing-based Apprenticeships, a second year of Level 3 study, or on to degree courses in areas such as computer science, computer programming and website development.
With technology sector job roles and opportunities changing so rapidly, City College Norwich staff have spent a lot of time talking to local employers to ensure that the course content, and the skills the young people will develop, align with the skills that employers are looking for in their industry.
The course covers key areas of information technology, including programming, website development, mobile app development, IT systems, creating management information systems, and using social media for business. There will also be the opportunity for students to carry out some work experience with the local employers who have helped shape the course.
In developing the course, staff at the College have also spoken to young people in local high schools to find out more about their current digital skills and their knowledge of the career opportunities in the information technology and computing sector.
As City College Norwich’s Principal, Corrienne Peasgood, explains, the course has been designed to take account of the feedback from both groups:
“Rather than simply offer an existing computing qualification, we have tailored this course according to the specific skills that information technology employers have told us they are looking for. At the same time we have been talking to tech-savvy young people to ascertain where their skills and interests lie, so that we can provide an effective bridge between the two. It’s about providing young people with the right skills to go out and secure the huge range of opportunities that exist both within the tech sector, as well as in IT-based job roles across many other industries.”
John Gostling, Operations Director at Norwich-based Breakwater IT, is one of those who has had an input into the new course. Mr Gostling commented:
“Our team of enthusiastic, committed and talented engineers play a central role in our business and I am really pleased to see that City College Norwich has developed this course with a clear focus on the skills that employers are looking for. As a former City College Norwich student myself, it was a privilege to be asked to be involved in the development of this exciting new course.”
For more information about the Level 3 BTEC in Information Technology and Computing, prospective students or their parents can contact the Advice Shop at City College Norwich on (01603) 773773 or email information@ccn.ac.uk.