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Growing Manchester hotel mentoring scheme launches for sixth year

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10/11/2022

Growing Manchester hotel mentoring scheme launches for sixth year

Manchester Hoteliers’ Association (MHA) has renewed its partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) pairing students with leaders of some of the city’s biggest hotels enrolling them on mentorship programmes which is set to launch on 9th November.

Final year BA (Hons) Hospitality Business Management students will begin the scheme to learn a range of direct general manager skills including forecasting, payroll, overview costs, RevPAR and online digital marketing – all whilst working on the job.

The course has been running for six years and has been praised by hospitality students previously as ‘an advanced scheme that allows valuable insights into life as a general manager’ at some of Manchester’s leading hotels and last year resulted in ten new jobs being created for young graduates.

MHA chair Adrian Ellis, Chris Mitchell, principal lecturer at MMU and Diane Connelly, Senior Lecturer at MMU run the initiative which they say ‘has been designed to attract students to careers in the hotel industry to help with tackling the recruitment challenge the hospitality industry faces – but more importantly, to retain talent.’

Adrian, who is working as a mentor in his day-to-day role as The Lowry Hotel’s General Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting this extremely beneficial programme again this year and has been important for our industry over the past six years. The programme will create opportunities for the next generation and help our industry tackle recruitment challenges.

“Our hotel mentors are extremely proactive and engaged, allowing mentees to be guided through a real-time view of operations in key city centre hotels, giving them invaluable experience in the industry.”

Christopher Mitchell, Programme Leader for IHBM at Manchester Metropolitan University said: “The Mentoring Scheme involves MHA industry leaders assisting our IHBM students in adapting to the culture of the organisations and helping them develop their career opportunities. In this, our sixth year, Diane, Adrian and the general managers have created a learning relationship that will assist the mentees in taking ownership of their development, their skills and their knowledge by achieving the career that they value. Thanks to all GMs, for achieving the success stories and for your ongoing support!”

The MHA has over 50 members made up of general managers of hotels throughout the region. Its key objectives are being a strong voice for the hotel community, and continually improving the offering for visitors spending time in the city.

The mentor programme began on the 9th November and will continue until the end of term in May 2022.

Hotels agreed to take part across Manchester include The Lowry Hotel, Hotel Gotham, Dakota Hotel, City Suites, Hotel Brooklyn, The Edwardian and Hilton Hotel Deansgate.

TMC STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SECURES NPIF – FW CAPITAL INVESTMENT

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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TMC STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SECURES NPIF – FW CAPITAL INVESTMENT

Congleton-based award-winning marketing agency; TMC Strategic Communications, has received a £250,000 investment from NPIF – FW Capital Debt Finance, which is managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).

TMC has seen exceptional growth over the last 18 months and continues to deliver highly effective solutions to the Healthcare, Technical and Professional Services sectors for clients across the UK, Europe and North America.

With a multi-disciplinary and full service offering, TMC goes beyond traditional marketing services to create lasting positive impact, uniting pioneering companies with global audiences to educate, inspire and empower.

Led by Chartered Marketer Tim McCloud and Dr Jan McCloud Ph.D, Cheshire-based TMC has over 16 years’ experience in helping organisations achieve their commercial goals.

TMC will use the NPIF – FW Capital funding as working capital and to support the development of a new North West headquarters, designed to accommodate the continually growing team. In addition, the NPIF investment has allowed for the recruitment of six additional roles to support the wealth of new clients.

The deal was facilitated by FW Capital Senior Investment Executive Simon Berry.

Tim McCloud, TMC Managing Director, said: “Enabling us to accelerate the next phase of our growth ambitions, we have found that FW Capital are equally committed to our business goals and have already provided valuable expertise. We are grateful to Simon Berry and the FW Capital team for the investment into this exciting new chapter for TMC.”

FW Capital Senior Investment Executive Simon Berry said: “TMC is a very innovative and fast-growing company with a strong management team. We are delighted to have been able to support them with this investment.”

FW Capital provides loans of £100,000 to £750,000 to businesses based in the NPIF region with a focus on the North West, Cumbria and Tees Valley.

Andy Devaney, Business Innovation Director at Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub, said: “It’s fantastic to see TMC gaining this investment and helping to move their growth plans forward. They are an innovative company in our creative and digital sector, and we look forward to the full opening of their new Congleton HQ.”

Sean Hutchinson at British Business Bank, said: “The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund continues to provide crucial funding to Northern businesses, creating impactful change for companies looking to move to the next stage of their growth journeys. Thanks to investment, businesses like TMC are able to open new premises, provide better support to their clients and fulfill their growth potential – a key focus of the Fund.”

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

Grants up for grabs for Greater Manchester’s innovative businesses

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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Grants up for grabs for Greater Manchester’s innovative businesses

Grants of up to £5,000 available to help SMEs bring their ideas for new products and services to market.
Firms can tap into expertise from Greater Manchester’s world leading universities
Local road sweeping firm UBU used scheme to turn “waste problem” into “resource opportunity”
The Business Growth Hub has also launched its #HereForBusiness support package this month helping local businesses to manage the increasing cost of doing business.

Innovative businesses in Greater Manchester are being urged to apply for grant funding to bring their new product or service to market.

Firms with a big idea can get match funding of up to £5,000 via the GC Business Growth Hub, as well as support from a local university or research facility.

Innovation Vouchers are up for grabs by local small and medium sized businesses (less than 250 employees) with ambitions to grow.

All that’s needed is an innovative plan for a new product or service – and a willingness to invest £1 for every £1 in grant funding.

Grants of between £3,000 and £5,000 are available, with the programme open for applications between now and the end of the year.

Companies can use the funding for research and development, to access facilities or equipment and to take forward product design. Support with knowledge transfer and consultancy is also available.

To find out more and apply for an Innovation Voucher, visit: https://www.businessgrowthhub.com/innovation/services/funding.

Dharma Nurse, Senior Innovation Development Manager at GC Business Growth Hub said: “The Innovation Vouchers scheme is a fantastic opportunity for businesses in Greater Manchester to take their growth ambitions to the next level. Our local business community is brimming with ideas – and all many of them need is a helping hand to turn their dreams into reality.

“Investing in innovation isn’t always easy however, despite the R&D tax incentives which are available. Also, funding isn’t the only requirement – being able to tap into expertise and support is also vital and that’s where the Innovation Vouchers come in.”

Long-term partnerships are available via the scheme with Greater Manchester’s world class universities including The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Salford, The University of Bolton, and The Science and Technology Facilities Council campus based in Daresbury. Recognised research institutions (usually not-for-profit) can also provide expert advice and support through the voucher programme. Support is available via the GC Business Growth Hub team with all aspects of the application process and decisions are usually made very quickly.

One Greater Manchester company which has already used an Innovation Voucher to help realise its growth ambitions is UBU Environmental Ltd.

UBU helps to keep Greater Manchester’s streets clean via its fleet of 120 road sweepers. The firm converts leftover road sweeping waste into ‘soil cake’ which has until now been disposed of in landfill at an annual cost to the firm of more than £300,000.

Innovation voucher funding is helping UBU’s ongoing efforts to find a more sustainable and efficient solution to the problem – which will allow the soil cake to be used safely in a range of environmental projects such as tree planting.

Russell Mansfield, Eco-Innovation Advisor at GC Business Growth Hub: “Many years of research, development and innovation have got UBU to the position it is in today – where a waste problem can now be transformed into a resource opportunity. With help from the Innovative Voucher scheme, including support from Manchester Metropolitan University, the waste material collected by its sweepers can now hopefully be diverted from landfill.

“Instead, it can be put to good use improving our urban landscapes. It’s a win-win for the company – saving it money and reducing the environmental impact of its operations.”

Support from the Innovation Voucher scheme this year has helped UBU Environmental Ltd to fund a one-year initiative to inform the Environment Agency of the soil cake’s composition so it can be resold as a product. The GC Business Growth Hub team has advised on bringing the product to market with guidance on the Intellectual Property (IP) aspects of the planned new product known as PAS 115.

The voucher scheme enabled the firm to develop its idea, ahead of the launch of a Knowledge Transfer Protocol (KTP) project with Manchester Metropolitan University.

UBU owner Rebecca Murphy-Peers said: “I would recommend the scheme as it combines funding with support, which makes the application both valued and considered. It’s a very positive process and we are very grateful to the team of people at the Growth Hub who assisted us on this journey.

“We received a great deal of support from our dedicated advisor which was consistent and followed a systematic pathway to ensure that we were suitable for the voucher scheme. This included a full business review and considered aspects such as business planning, IP environmental impact and areas of business strength and development.

“The support has been invaluable for the business and has allowed us to set the steps in place to successfully implement the KTP with MMU. The teams work in collaboration with one another which means there is little duplication and there is a seamless transition between the funding and the implementation of the KTP.”

In partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Local Enterprise Partnership, Local Authorities and Business Representative Organisations, the Business Growth Hub has launched #HereForBusiness to support the region’s businesses.

The campaign brings together support available to Greater Manchester businesses along with practical solutions they can take to deal with energy price rises and other increasing costs.

A dedicated website has been launched which includes useful information and advice on what support is available, blogs and case studies.

OCU GROUP APPOINTS CHAIRMAN

Appointments

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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OCU Group Limited (“OCU”), parent company of O’Connor Utilities and Instalcom is further strengthening its senior leadership team with the appointment of a Non-Executive Chairman, David Taylor-Smith MBE.

The leading UK multi-utility services specialist has appointed David who brings almost 30 years of leadership experience to the business.

Based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, OCU operates within regulated and non-regulated infrastructure markets, including electricity, rail, water, gas, and telecoms.

After leaving the army in 1989, David specialised in business transformation and growth, in leadership positions in several companies in the UK and abroad. David has significant experience within B2B contracting and services firms, having held senior executive roles at several blue-chip businesses including G4S and Aggreko.

Most recently, David was Group CEO of facilities services group PHS, where he implemented an improvement plan that saw record growth over three years, and significant improvements to the firm’s cost and productivity.

Since leaving his role at PHS, David has increased his involvement with charitable work and is currently an adviser to The Royal Hospital Chelsea and to the CEO of the military charity React.

David’s appointment comes following a sustained period of growth at OCU, with further growth expected. In his role, he will provide clear strategical support to the Board, ensure that risk is suitably managed and provide oversight on the performance of management against key objectives and the values of the company.

David Taylor-Smith, Non-Executive Chairman of OCU, said:

“OCU is going through a hugely positive period of growth so being part of the team driving this forward is really exciting. I’ve had a really varied career to date and been heavily involved in the significant growth of several h businesses so I’m extremely interested in seeing how I can support OCU’s ambitious future plans.

“There’s so much opportunity in our industry right now, especially as we head closer to Net Zero and sustainability becomes an increasing focus for firms. I look forward to seeing how we can share our expertise in the renewables space and support growth with some of the UK’s leading power and telecoms providers.”

David’s new role follows the appointment earlier this year of Michael Hughes as Group CEO and news that OCU had been acquired by Triton Partners, one of Europe’s leading investment firms.

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of OCU Group, said:

“2022 has been a transformative year for OCU and we’re focused on continuing to evolve while taking advantage of strategic opportunities in our core sectors. To do this successfully, we need to have a very strong team in place. That’s why I’m excited to have David join the team, bringing with him decades of experience that will benefit OCU.

“Our key differentiator is having a strong operational and commercial culture and a customer-centric service approach. I’m looking forward to working with David to ensure this focus, that has stood us in good stead for so many years, continues for years to come.”

FREE SUPPORT FOR HOSPITALITY TO SAFEGUARD RECORD FESTIVE TURNOVER

Hospitality

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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FREE SUPPORT FOR HOSPITALITY TO SAFEGUARD RECORD FESTIVE TURNOVER

Rob Easton BSc, PgDip, MSc, MBA, Head of Environmental Health at Manchester-based Shield Safety discusses the potential £4bn revenue spike heading towards the UK’s hospitality sector during the 2022 festive period but warns venues could be at risk if they aren’t prepared for surging footfall.

With less than two weeks until the kick off of the FIFA World Cup 2022, venues across the UK can claw back lost earnings from the 2020 and 2021 festive seasons, which were severely impacted as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. This period also comes at a time when the hospitality sector is struggling with rising costs, recruitment challenges and disrupted supply chains. The prospect of a bumper Christmas period could provide the lifeline that many businesses are seeking, however, if managed poorly, the rise in trade could tip an already rocky boat.

If venues aren’t managing their safety systems in the right way, increased revenues could be hit by large penalties, due to a predicted lift in expedited reviews by police and licensing authorities throughout the festive period.

There is a golden opportunity for the hospitality industry here, as Christmas and the 2022 World Cup coincide; people are going to turn out in record numbers and for UK venues this will be the first full trading festive period since 2019. This does however need to be managed carefully to avoid an own goal. A huge increase in visitors will take place against the challenges of varying staffing levels, adapted menus, venue layout changes, more outdoor presence to mention just a few. Venues need to be prepared to avoid heavy fines for health and safety breaches, so many of which are easily avoidable.

For a venue with an average weekly turnover of £12k, fines for culpability or harm range from between £25k to £120k, with top fines equating to 6% of the entire year’s turnover.

Statutory fines for hospitality vary according to the severity of the breach, but even if a venue is not hit with a fine, the review process can and does result in significant business disruption, even closure, while investigations are undertaken. So, in the event that there is no breach, a fine is avoided but the venue has still lost potential income from having to close its doors. We are campaigning to help venues avoid this situation.

We can be fairly confident of record footfall in venues this Christmas. To put some context to this, during the last World Cup, spending in hospitality increased by 41% compared to the previous year and this shot up to 73% on the day of the England-Croatia semi final. Coupled with the Lionesses’ victory in the European Championships earlier this year, there is huge excitement for the World Cup this winter.

A recent survey from Access Hospitality found that 76% of football fans are looking for venues to watch the World Cup this winter and 30% of respondents said they would be happy to sit in a heated beer garden. This shows the scale of opportunity for hospitality but interestingly, if they have outdoor space they can adapt with patio heaters and can provide alfresco dining options such as BBQs or pizza ovens, there’s scope to really diversify, enhancing customer experience and bringing in vital revenue.

To help the hospitality industry be prepared, stay safe and avoid fines, Shield Safety has produced a free XLMAS Guide and risk assessment template, which is available to access and download for free here. In addition to the spirit of England’s last (and only) success at the FIFA World Cup in 1966, they are offering a free “Safety Net” – access to their RiskProof safety checklist software and Safety Advice Line for 66 days – the Safety Net businesses really need this festive period. You can access here.

Shield Safety also has a free webinar to help more venues learn how to prepare for the busy festive period, which can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/759076029/0d8f5f0f9a

Abbey College Manchester to Expand Sports Courses to Offer Professional Cycling

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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Abbey College Manchester to Expand Sports Courses to Offer Professional Cycling

Students of Abbey College Manchester will be told to get on their bikes next year when they enrol on the new Academic Studies with Cycling Training programme, launched in partnership with Manchester Cycling Academy.

The innovative course, which will be the first of its kind in the UK and is believed to be the first of its kind in Europe, will see aspirational cyclists from around the globe combine high-quality education with best-in-class daily professional coaching.

Students on the pioneering programme will attend academic classes in the morning where they have flexible options to study A-Levels, GCSEs, or International Foundation programme, and then have the invaluable opportunity to participate in cycling coaching at the National Cycling Centre or on the lanes of leafy Cheshire in the afternoons.

Manchester Cycling Academy has many years of elite sports experience and students will receive expert coaching and guidance allowing them to succeed on the bike and off it. The course has the flexibility to coach ‘elite’ students who are dedicated to improving their cycling performance to compete on a world scale or students who just enjoy the sport and want to get better while focusing on their studies.

Abbey College Manchester, part of the Abbey DLD Colleges group of institutions, also offer international football and basketball programmes in conjunction with IHM Football Academy, a sister organisation of International House Manchester and Manchester Giants, where students pair GCSE, A-level, and International Foundation Programme qualifications with intensive training. The college is also adding tennis to its portfolio of sports programmes, where students will be able to receive professional tennis coaching three afternoons a week at the Manchester Tennis Centre.

Chris Randell, Abbey College Manchester Principal, commented: “Our innovative Academic Studies with Football Training Programme has been hugely successful since launching a few years ago and cycling was a natural addition.”

“An increasing number of students are looking to benefit from the unique opportunities that we offer. Whether they are seeking to pursue their sporting ambitions while gaining the best possible education or are keen to reap the benefits offered by sport on providing a break from academic study, Abbey College is gaining a reputation for both innovation and excellence.” He said.

“Over the last two years, graduating students from our football programme have progressed to a variety of highly-regarded universities including University of Manchester, University of Nottingham, University of Central Lancashire, and Loughborough University to programmes such as Economics, Sports Business Management, Accounting and Finance, and Engineering.” Chris Randell added.

Manchester Cycling Academy is a growing sports education provider which delivers high quality cycling provision across the North West of England in partnership with Sports Governing Bodies, Local Authorities, Academic and Commercial Partners. They already run a successful education programme which offers a BTEC Sport programme and they also have a partnership with British Cycling to run the Sport England funded, Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE).

Stefan Hopewell, Director of Manchester Cycling Academy said: “We are very excited at the prospect of working with Abbey College and welcoming cyclists from around the world to Manchester.”

“Manchester Cycling Academy offers a wonderful experience for everyone who attends. Much of the activity will be based at the world class and newly renovated ‘Medal Factory’ which is the National Cycling Centre in the east of Manchester and on the same routes that Olympic medallists use every day. The young people who attend will be able to emulate the world’s best whenever they train.”

“Our expert coaches are used to working with elite young riders and will encourage the riders to be the best that they can be. They are experts in their fields and have a wealth of knowledge and experience meaning that they will get expert tuition, coaching and guidance throughout their time with us.”

“Manchester has regularly been voted the UK’s best sporting city and is seen by many as being one of the world’s greatest sporting destinations and we look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful home”.

The course is set to start in September 2023 and applications are being accepted now.

Abbey College is a thriving independent college in the heart of Manchester city centre, with a fast-growing and vibrant community of students aged 15-19.

With a teaching philosophy based on small classes and highly personalised learning in an academically rigorous but informal setting, the college focuses on the transition from school to university, working with students individually to achieve the academic standards and social skills required by their target and world-class universities. Abbey College Manchester also expertly prepares students for challenging courses such as medicine. The flexible programmes and personalised learning, combined with a strong academic ethos, offer a unique alternative to traditional schools.

There are 220 students at the college, comprising a mix of students from the local area and other countries. The college offers A-Level, GCSE, Combined Studies and International Foundation Programmes.

For more information on Abbey College visit www.abbeymanchester.co.uk, or call 0161 817 2700.

Endpoint Automation Services Advises Educational Institutions

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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Endpoint Automation Services Advises Educational Institutions

Endpoint Automation Services (EAS), which has an office in Manchester, will be sharing insight on how higher education bodies can leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the student experience, as part of their presence at a leading educational event.

The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) specialist, will be giving a talk and inviting universities and colleges onto their stand at the ‘Higher Education Partnership Network’ (HEPN) event at Horwood House, Milton Keynes, taking place on 14-15 November.

The HEPN event is designed to showcase best in class solutions, allowing Vice Chancellors, CTOs and CIOs in universities to gleam valuable insight and a chance to hear from the most inspirational, transformational suppliers in the sector who are able to support them in using the latest technology to overcome current and emerging challenges.

Russell Lawrie, Commercial Director at EAS explains: “A major focus for higher education bodies is enhancing the student experience from the initial admissions enquiry and onboarding process to filing expenses, submitting course-work and accessing results. Our class-leading AI technology solutions allow us to leverage conversational virtual assistants to work with educational clients to empower students to support them in self-serving, thereby undertaking all these elements on the move, whist delivering operational efficiencies for the back-office staff.

“To date we have worked with several HE bodies to support them to this effect and are keen to share our knowledge on what can be achieved with the conference delegates.”

With a business model perfectly suited to today’s business challenges, software solutions business EAS, was founded in 2015 and produces intelligent software automation solutions to organisations nationally including, educational and public health bodies (including the NHS), manufacturing industries, insurance and legal sectors.

Physical robots have already transformed the plant floor, and now software robots are transforming everything else. EAS’s automation drives efficiencies in R&D, operations, supply chain management, customer engagement, and employee productivity.

EAS specialises in producing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions, and with a background in complex IT and cloud automation, offer automated processing. Since establishing the business in 2015, EAS has achieved to date over £3 million in cost savings for its clients, through the development and deployment of software robots to replace manual, repetitive processes and freeing up valuable employee time to focus on more complex tasks.

The company achieved a turnover of in excess of £1.8m for 2021, up from £820,000 in 2020, and is now targeting sales of £2.2m for 2022.

For more information on the EAS visit: www.easuk.co.uk

THE HEANEY BROTHERS CHANNEL THEIR CARIBBEAN ROOTS WITH THE NEW SINGLE ‘TRUMPET’

Music

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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THE HEANEY BROTHERS CHANNEL THEIR CARIBBEAN ROOTS WITH THE NEW SINGLE ‘TRUMPET’

The Chase follow their explosive summer EP ‘Not The F*cking Game Show’ with ‘Trumpet’, their first release for rock ‘n’ roll tastemakers This Feeling. It comes as they prepare to play their debut headline show at Roadtrip this Saturday, a gig that sold-out in just two days and more than two months in advance. ‘Trumpet’ received its radio premiere last night, courtesy of new music champion John Kennedy at Radio X.

‘Trumpet’ sees the band’s Heaney brothers – the fiery and flamboyant vocalist/guitarist Tyler and drummer Dion – channel their Caribbean roots, infusing their indie-punk sound with authentic touches of reggae, ska and dub. The result is their best track to date, and puts a modern spin on the lineage of genre-splicing bands such as The Specials, The Beat, The Dead 60s and The Aggrolites.

The brothers’ parents play a big part in the band’s sound, both consciously and subconsciously. Their mother’s family’s roots are in St. Kitts and Nevis, while their father’s family are Scottish – a mix of influences which provides a unique and genre-expanding foundation for the band. Tyler and Dion were encouraged to play music by their father from a young age, and have been in a band together since they were just 8 and 10-years-old.

Tyler says, “I think Trumpet is our boldest statement yet, it encapsulates where we are and where we are going. It’s fun, it’s catchy, it’s silly and it’s unique. It’s inspired by the likes of The Specials and Madness. I’m buzzing for you all to finally hear this one, BLOW THAT TRUMPET NOW!”

‘Trumpet’ was written in a matter of minutes on the final day of the band’s sessions with producer Nick Brine (Oasis, Stone Roses). It needed just one final element to make it burst into life – the boisterous brass that fires full-throttle throughout. Nick put them in touch with a musician mysteriously known as Underpants Man, who worked all-night to give ‘Trumpet’ that extra special touch. The version he sent the following morning was perfect, and is the same recording that you now hear.

The Chase were formed on a Nottingham council estate by Tyler and Dion, the duo’s island roots further flavoured by recruiting their cousin Luke Childs on bass, while James Cahill contributes everything from psych-tinged keys to honky tonk piano. Their sound evolved through their early singles, taking in influences from The Beatles and old school Stax-style R&B before honing in on their sound with the‘Not The F*cking Game Show’ EP.

The band are natural in the live arena. Tyler is surely the only builder by day who performs like Marc Bolan by night, while their instinctively tight musicianship gives their raucous songwriting a real intensity. They have just completed a co-headline tour with label mates Spangled, and have previously played shows with The Skinner Brothers, The Rifles and The K’s, plus festivals such as The Isle of Wight, Truck, Y Not? and The Great Escape.

BGN launches new brand refresh and website for Oradian’s international operations

Business

News Desk

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10/11/2022

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BGN – the Manchester-based brand-led design and digital agency – has designed and developed a brand refresh and new website for Oradian – an extensible, cloud-native core banking solution optimised for financial institutions in emerging markets.

Oradian, which is headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, offers an advanced cloud banking system that can be tailored to integrate seamlessly into its clients’ operations via evolutionary APIs to provide automated lending, risk management, scoring, accounting, compliance, messaging, reporting and more. It primarily works with traditional financial institutions and fintech start-ups across South East Asia and Africa.

The core aim of both the brand refresh and new website was to help solidify the growing awareness and market reach of Oradian across its primary international territories.

A central theme developed by BGN is the widespread use of the Oradian degree symbol which expand to create the brand’s central radial asset. This radial device represents Oradian’s ability to unlock the growth potential of its customers’ businesses. The radial can be used to bring focus onto a subject in an image – i.e. a person or location to signify growth – or be scaled to go beyond the page boundaries to denote growth potential beyond any confinement.

Dave Newton, creative director at BGN, said: “As an agency we excel at helping fast-growing tech businesses position themselves – both domestically and across multiple international markets – so this project with Oradian was great to work on. The result is a brand refresh and new website that will work hand in hand to help to drive growth, create differentiation and stimulate awareness in what is a competitive sector.”

Oliver Stannard, Head of Marketing at Oradian, added: “BGN quickly understood what we needed to achieve as a high-growth SaaS business whose customers serve last mile communities in emerging markets. The result of the collaboration is a revitalised digital brand and newly developed, modern website that work seamlessly together to communicate and represent Oradian’s solutions, our team and how we help our clients to go further and think bigger.”

Discover the benefits of accepting card payments on your phone

Thought Leaders

Sam Allcock

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10/11/2022

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Discover the benefits of accepting card payments on your phone

Accepting card payments using a mobile phone is the most convenient payment option for your business as it provides your customer with a seamless, secure, and speedy buying experience. Linking external hardware to your smartphone is one way to look at it. However, it reduces the practicality as it will be hard to take payments if the hardware breaks down. The alternative yet increasingly popular way to accept card payment solutions on the phone is by using apps without the need for any external hardware, giving you flexibility as a merchant and convenience to your customer.

Some of the common ways for accepting mobile payments are:

Virtual terminal: It is a cloud terminal that processes transactions through a web-based application through a smartphone connected to the internet. QR codes and pay-by-link can be a part of the virtual terminal.
QR codes: Scan an app generated QR code with the customer’s phone camera, which opens a web page to finalise the transaction.
Payment links/pay-by-link: The merchant will send a payment URL to the customer, and the customer needs to enter their card payment on a web page to finalise the transaction.
SoftPOS: The latest generation of payment programming bypasses the need for an external card reader (mPOS) and uses the NFC technology on your smartphone to read cards and process payments.

How to accept credit card payments on an Android device?

Despite the fact that NFC capabilities have been tested on smartphones for years, they have neglected to be widely adopted when it comes to accepting payments. NFC, or near-field communication, is the capacity to transmit data between two devices within a given range without needing physical contact.

SoftPOS is currently only available for Android users. This is due to Apple’s policy of not allowing developers to create softPOS for its devices. It is alleged Apple’s payment-related Application IDs are not supported by core NFC. In keeping with this, Visa and Mastercard explicitly indicate that their softPOS modules are designed exclusively for Android.

In order to accept credit card payments on your android device, you must first open an account with a service provider that is linked to a credit card processor by submitting the necessary documentation. Unless you’re receiving payments in a payment platform-provided online account, you’ll additionally need to link a bank account.

After registering successfully, you can download the app from the Google Play store and log in to your app. You must enter and confirm the transaction amount to receive customer payments. The customer then holds their card or mobile wallet against the back of their phone until the transaction is completed. A pin pad may appear depending on the card settings of the customer. Following that, the consumer will receive a transaction confirmation through email, SMS, or app notification. The app is specifically built to use one-time dynamic cryptograms to securely process cards in accordance with EMVCo and PCI card industry requirements, making SoftPOS transactions safe and compliant.

Have a glimpse of the benefits of accepting card payments on your mobile

Accepting card payments using a specialised mobile app is not only a new method of processing payments but also an efficient one that can transform how businesses manage finances. Because of its nature and the limited availability of logistics, some businesses couldn’t accept electronic card payments. However, the deep penetration of smartphones has enabled all businesses to process card payments through an app, card machine for business improves business efficiency and streamlining sales. Some of the additional benefits are:

Cost reduction: A mobile payment system is a more convenient option for cost reduction as it eliminates the need for external hardware. A merchant can process transactions without needing a conventional and cumbersome payment infrastructure by tapping or scanning a card.
Boost sales: Taking payments through a smartphone reduces the complexity of payment processing and time, leading to a high customer engagement rate and sales.
Competitiveness: Mobile payment systems are easy to integrate and have many third-party plug-ins available to perform smooth transactions, putting the business in a better position to attract target audiences and increase conversions.
Secure: Processing sensitive credit card information needs safety as an utmost priority as it is prone to data and security breaches. Payment app developers consistently introduce new fraud-prevention tools and updates to address safety, making it the safest option compared to legacy systems.
Analysis: Accepting payments through a mobile app will not only work as a repository to store transactions but helps in analysing the financial behaviour and strength of a business and can help in future predictions. This will provide data-based knowledge to run and manage the business.
Green business: Accepting payments through mobile is an eco-friendly option as it eliminates the need for multiple hardware production. Since receipts and transaction records can be shared and saved on the phone, it reduces the need for printing additional papers and reduce carbon footprint.

Accept card payments on the go!

The introduction of smartphone apps to accept card payments has revolutionised the payment processing mechanism and is set to become an uncontested mode for payments. This benefits the retailer-customer relationship and will potentially transform businesses with opportunities for innovations such as endless aisle, click and collect, and mobile wallets with integrated loyalty.

Technologies such as SoftPOS present a compelling case among businesses to embrace technological innovations. However, the key to this process is ensuring that customers are confident about the security of mobile systems. There are clear data protection and privacy concerns when customers use mobile devices. Despite the appeal of quick and simple transactions, it has been reported that many individuals are holding back on utilising technological innovations because of security concerns.

The security apparatus of mobile payment systems is increasingly getting efficient.

Coupled with proper regulations and compliance, it will be the future of transactions. Given its limited availability, one must be careful in selecting the app. A service provider with credible history and frequent updates should be the first choice.

The purpose of accepting credit card payments on a mobile device is to make it easier for customers to pay from any location. Keeping this goal in the forefront, in addition to reducing expenses and increasing data security, is instrumental for your business’s success.

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