NetWorth

Yesterday, Trefor and I attended the “Showcase, Market and Sell” event which took place at Eastwood Hall.

The day was run by the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce and was also supported by Business Link.  The event was one of a series of days that were run across the county, funded by Nottinghamshire County Council from the emda Single Programme.

A spokesperson from the DNCC said that “the day was to enable delegates to meet other local business people and to build relationships within Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, but also to take advantage of the very useful advice available on the day”.

Training Sessions

There were 3 training sessions run by Jonathan Nunn of Individual Team Performance which looked at the following topics: 

1.       Marketing for a Competitive Edge 

2.       Business Planning & Finance 

3.       Generating New Sales and Customer Retention

Overall, the training delivered by Jonathan was very good.  He has an enthusiasm for his subjects and an energy that can’t help but pervade the room!  Within the initial section on Marketing for a Competitive Edge, it was a little disconcerting to note that Social Media wasn’t actually referred to as a marketing technique.  After a great chat with Jonathan after the event, the exclusion of Social Media was pointed out and we duly offered our services should he need to fill that gap in any way.

The workshops were very well run and they included plenty of opportunity for delegates to make their own notes and to begin exercises that could be continued when they returned to work with their colleagues.  In many ways, this gave us food for thought in a few key areas and I have no doubt that many people will be returning to work to the start of a few interesting conversations!

Trefor and I elected not to take part in the second session being offered, as we decided to use that time to interview a few people who were exhibiting at the Showcase day.  The interviews we carried out were with Paul Roberts of Quadrant Visual Solutions, Cllr Keith Girling from Nottinghamshire County Council, and Jonathan Nunn from Individual Team Performance – these are available in other posts on this website.

The last session run on generating new sales and customer retention offered very good insights into how to achieve more sales and the effectiveness of your meetings / contact with potential sales customers.  It also touched on the psychology of selling, reminding people how we feel when we are “sold at”.  The main thing I took away from this session was to remember to focus on the customers problem, whether they realise they have it or not, and then offer them a solution or two from our services!

Networking Time

There was some time to network at this session over lunch and in the coffee break between the second and last session.  However, you may have to be well versed in “speed networking” to be able to speak to more than a couple of people throughout the day and speak to many/any of the exhibitors at the event. 

Having said that though, this wasn’t just a networking event, but a seminar also.  In my opinion it was well balanced – I could always use more time to network but that’s because I love to talk with people!

I spent a while during lunch chatting with Steve Harris from Bear IT who works out of a business innovation centre not far from where we are based.  Steve went along to one of the other days that had been run similar to this one, and he came back to catch a session he missed at the earlier venue he attended. I think this speaks volumes about the quality of the training on offer.

The Venue - Eastwood Hall

If you are thinking of holding any kind of conference, event or seminar which should be preferably close to Nottingham, and / or Derby, I’d seriously consider Eastwood Hall.  It is an impressive venue which is easily accessible from Junction 26 of the M1, and the hospitality services provided by the Hall were second to none.  The buffet lunch was both excellent and plentiful with ‘proper’ coffee available throughout the day. 

Would I recommend anyone else go to an event like this?

In short – yes.  It’s always good to take advantage of workshops that cover this kind of material, as there are always advances in the techniques covered and sometimes you just need a boost of energy to help you look at your own products / services from a different perspective!  Add to that the chances you get to network with local businesses and the possibilities are endless!

If you see such an event offered in the future, grab it!  The free events offered by the DNCC always fill up really quickly – and with good reason.  They are well put together, with fantastic opportunities to refresh your knowledge and meet people who may just be in a similar situation to you!

All in all – a very good day with many thanks to DNCC, Nottinghamshire County Council, Business Link and Individual Team Performance!