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ANS launches Digital Ambition Fund

Blog

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27/09/2022

Digital transformation specialist ANS has created a £2m pot of funding to ensure SMBs can thrive and fulfil their digital ambitions, despite the cost-of-living crisis, rising inflation and a looming recession.

The “ANS Ambition Fund” is designed to help small and medium-sized organisations deliver on their digital ambitions and drive their businesses forward during challenging economic conditions.

Businesses can apply for funding to cut the costs associated with digital transformation projects across a range of technologies, including Public Cloud platforms and Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

ANS has mobilised its huge ecosystem of suppliers and partners to contribute to the pot, while offering direct discounts itself. The £2m funding pot is available for the next 12 months and businesses with fewer than 300 employees can apply for a contribution to eligible projects contracted to be undertaken by ANS.

Three-quarters of small and medium-sized UK companies are worried about the long-term impact of the cost-of-living crisis, soaring energy bills and rising inflation, according to a recent survey by Barclays.

ANS CRO Richard Thompson said: “With the current economic conditions, it’s understandable that some SMBs are considering pausing digital investment. But these projects are often absolutely critical for businesses to compete during the tough times – making them faster, smarter and more efficient.

“Thanks to the strength of our relationships up and down the channel, we’ve been able to activate our partners to release a huge amount of funding that SMBs simply wouldn’t have been able to access alone. We’ve also put our own hand in our pocket to offer discounts, remove up-front costs and strip away complexity with fine-tuned automation.”

Core to ANS’s business model and strategy is a commitment to ‘democratise’ technology, making innovative tech accessible to all organisations.

The firm recently announced the launch of a new Public Cloud service for SMBs, cutting the cost and complexity of Public Cloud adoption for small businesses. It also offers a simplified, automated and tailored Dynamics 365 sales CRM for SMBs at a fraction of the usual cost.

CEO Paul Shannon said: “Already this year we’ve released a range of services that help SMBs, so the ANS Ambition Fund is the next natural step. We’ve pledged to always be there for the underdog, and when times are tough that’s the moment for us to step up.

“Business owners can’t afford for inflation to stifle their digital ambitions, or cause them to lose a yard against the competition. Standing still is moving backwards when larger competitors continue to invest in improving their technology. We want this fund to fuel, enable and accelerate the digital growth of UK SMBs, and I’m confident it will do just that.”

Find out more about the ANS Ambition Fund

Greater Manchester launches Your Home Better to help residents with energy crisis

Energy

Sam Allcock

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27/09/2022

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Greater Manchester launches Your Home Better to help residents with energy crisis

Your Home Better is a new scheme for homeowners in Greater Manchester to enable them to futureproof their homes to combat increasing energy costs as well as reducing carbon emissions.

The retrofit scheme brings together a consortium of experts on behalf of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is aimed at homeowners in the region. Your Home Better offers expert advice on the changes people can make to their homes as well as helping residents find suitable qualified contractors. The scheme then provides a retrofit coordinator to support the householder and make sure that the work is delivered to a quality standard.

The initiative will enable people to explore a range of options from small measures to a whole house zero carbon retrofit. Greater Manchester has a target of reaching net zero by 2038. Our single largest source of carbon is home heating and to stay on target we need to be retrofitting measures in around 61,000 homes per year.

Retrofit means making improvements to the existing building to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. The measures could include installing thicker loft insulation, a range of approaches to wall insulation, fitting solar photovoltaic panels (PVs) and battery storage, installing triple glazing or switching to a heat pump.

Councillor Martyn Cox, GMCA lead for Green City Region and Waste and Recycling, says: ‘Your Home Better can support residents on a journey to create more energy efficient homes in Greater Manchester. Just about all homes in the city region have the potential to use less fuel for heating lighting and appliances. By planning ahead and making changes to your home, whether that is reducing how much energy your home uses through better insulation or installing solar PV and batteries you are going to see those benefits in years to come.

‘This is about not only reducing energy bills for people but also looking at our carbon footprint and working to reduce that together.’

Your Home Better has a number of tools online to help residents make a plan for improvements. This will take into consideration the type of property you live in as well as your overall budget. There are different levels of plans with a basic for single improvements or a more detailed house plan for more extensive retrofit solutions.

Charlie Baker, Consortium Director of Your Home Better, says: ‘We know that this is something that can improve people’s lives immeasurably. We are working with a range of experts including University of Salford to ensure that we have a trusted offer for residents to provide affordable retrofit to reduce energy bills and carbon. We are particularly keen to see people come forward for solar PV panels and batteries.

‘We also know that most people don’t have a lot of money to invest in retrofit, so we are working with our partners social enterprise Lendology CIC to offer a socially minded way of lending money to make this an affordable option for homeowners.’

The scheme is not free of charge and does require the investment to come from the individual household. The plan will show what improvements you can make and it will give you an estimated annual fuel bill saving as well as the estimated tonnes of CO₂ saved annually if you make these retrofit improvements.

To find our more about the retrofit measures, including solar PV panels, visit https://yourhomebetter.co.uk

Drones – the ‘end’ of Britain’s silent killer

Green

Sam Allcock

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27/09/2022

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Drones – the ‘end’ of Britain’s silent killer

One of the world’s leading experts in drone technology, Robert Garbett, today called on the UK Government to support the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) plea for Britain to “rise up and act to protect the health of our most vulnerable people” (Dr. Maria Neira, Director at WHO) by confronting the global threat of air pollution, which “is killing 7 million people per year and shaving over two years off the average life expectancy.”[1]

Robert Garbett, Founder of Drone Major Group Limited[2] stated:

“Lives can be saved, disease in the youngest reduced, the oldest and most vulnerable members of society protected, as well as saving the NHS millions by replacing many of our delivery vans, trucks and heavy goods vehicles with battery-powered drones.”

“It is glaringly obvious that the use of drones in the UK’s most polluted cities can rapidly and economically improve the quality of air we breathe and mitigate the lethal consequences of air pollution.”

“The UK has the knowledge to become the global driving force in drone technology, starting in our largest cities, potentially with a pioneering maritime drone initiative in London on the river Thames that would decarbonise the city’s logistics and freight industry. The technology is available now and the huge health, environmental and economic benefits to the UK and its public should be a priority.”

“This technology can be deployed in any city with a river in the UK, and beyond. Its adoption will dramatically reduce the number of delivery vehicles on our roads, massively improve air quality, reduce congestion, make roads faster and more efficient, and improve our wellbeing.”

“Today, approximately 89% of all goods transported by land in Great Britain are moved directly by road transport, which is one of the UK’s most polluting industries. The exciting and necessary benefits of a drone initiative of this kind will reduce the logistics industry’s dependence on road travel through innovative, cleaner technology and will advance the Government’s bid to cut pollution in the UK’s most crowded and congested cities. The UK should become a world leader.”

“A maritime drone delivery system on the Thames would not require any new building infrastructure and would instead involve maritime drones carrying freight, to travel along the river to a series of pontoons equipped appropriately for lifting freight onto shore.”

99% of the global population breathes in polluted air every day. In September, a breakthrough study by the Francis Crick Institution in London found that air pollution uncovered the link between car fumes and lung cancer in non-smokers. Another study by Imperial College London proved that approximately 4,000 Londoners died prematurely in 2019 because of long term exposure to air pollution, with poor air quality found to cause permanently stunted lungs in children.

According to Dr Maria Neira of the World Health Organisation, “the benefits of cleaner air (will) extend beyond our personal health, to the collective public, environmental and economic health. And, like the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, air pollution calls for speedy, coordinated cross-border political leadership.”

Robert Garbett added:

“City Hall now predicts that over 550,000 Londoners will develop diseases caused by poor air quality by 2050, a tragedy which according to Air Quality News, could cost the NHS and social care system in London alone over £10.4 billion by 2050.

“Research published in the scientific journal, Patterns, found that a single delivery of a package by drone accounted for 84% less greenhouse gas emissions than a diesel truck, and used 94% less energy.

“An end to the disastrous impact of poor air quality on our health, the environment and our economy impact is plain to see! If we implement maritime drone technology systems in our major cities, we can clean up our air, future-proof our vital logistics industry and capitalise on one of the UK’s biggest opportunities for growth in clean technology. The longer the UK takes to act on the solution to air pollution, the greater health and environmental risk the British public will face.”

Financial distress amongst SMEs leads to 67% rise in those seeking mentoring support

Thought Leaders

Sam Allcock

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27/09/2022

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Financial distress amongst SMEs leads to 67% rise in those seeking mentoring support

Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance, the U.K.’s first and only provider of personal guarantee insurance (PGI) has seen a sharp rise in small businesses contacting its mentoring and advice service for support due to financial distress, outpacing the volume of calls it received during the height of Covid-19 hospitalisations[i].

From 1^st January 2022 to the end of August 2022, Purbeck saw a 67% increase in businesses utilising its support and mentoring services compared to the same period in 2021 – a period that covered the third national lockdown and the steepest rise in Covid-19 admissions to hospital. So far in September, calls to the service are 80% up on 2021.

Todd Davison, MD of Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance said: “Purbeck is used to supporting businesses in financial distress – this is part and parcel of the insurance we offer – but clearly many firms have been deeply concerned about making ends meet in the face of rising costs. While news of a slight easing of Consumer Price Inflation in August was welcome, economists warn it is likely to rise again later in 2022. Cancellation of the planned rise in corporation tax and a reversal of the 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insurance contributions may help many small businesses in the coming months and we welcome news of the widening of eligibility for the Start-up Loan Scheme^[ii].

“At Purbeck, we have helped many entrepreneurs behind start-up businesses secure personal guarantee backed loans, knowing that if their venture fails, their personal assets will be protected. In fact, around 1 in 5 applications for Personal Guarantee Insurance were from start-ups in Q2 2022.”

Personal Guarantee Insurance mitigates the risk of signing a personal guarantee backed business loan. This means if the business does fail, 80% of the loan will be settled by the insurance rather than the business owner’s home, savings and other personal assets being called on to settle the debt.

The level of cover is based on a fixed percentage of the personal guarantee the company director wishes to insure. This is dependent on whether the corresponding finance facility is secured or unsecured.

Personal Guarantee Insurance also does a lot more than pay out following a claim. Policyholders are offered access to free mentoring and support services if the business gets into financial distress, plus the huge benefit of expert guidance at the point the debt needs to be settled.

[i] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/current-covid-patients-hospital?country=GBR

[ii] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a-hand-up-for-start-ups-33000-new-loans-for-small-businesses-as-900m-government-scheme-widened?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=752efb07-87ca-47cf-8a95-e8f2cf30b558&utm_content=daily

Award-winning children’s podcast takes flight with Virgin Atlantic

Sam Allcock

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27/09/2022

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Award-winning children’s podcast takes flight with Virgin Atlantic

Not-for-profit participatory arts organisation, Made By Mortals, is spreading its wings after joining Virgin Atlantic’s entertainment offering as the airline’s first inflight children’s podcast.

Virgin Atlantic teamed up with the Manchester-based CIC to offer its young passengers an unforgettable flight experience with its award-winning podcast, Armchair Adventures.

Led by directors Paul Hine and Andy Smith, Made By Mortals work alongside elderly people and those with mental health conditions across Manchester and the North West, bringing their experiences to life through participatory music and theatre sessions. Made By Mortals works with a diverse range of people who would typically not engage with the arts and are at risk of exclusion and isolation for many reasons, which became particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the 2020 pandemic saw millions of people restricted to the walls of their homes and deprived of vital social interactions, Made By Mortals recognised a crucial need for an outlet which people, young and old, could turn to for unity and a sense of support. As a result, Armchair Adventures was born: a fun, interactive podcast for children, created by older people.

The Armchair Adventures podcast, and associated activities including schools’ workshops, art installations, activity packs and a live theatre show, takes listeners on a journey of the imagination. Each adventure is inspired by the experiences, knowledge and passions of its elderly participants and expressed through drama, music, movement, and song.

Andy Smith, Director at Made By Mortals, said:

“When the pandemic hit, we wanted to keep the connection between the older people and younger generations that we had established through our theatre productions and workshops. We wanted to keep giving the participants the purpose many of them gained through creating the productions for the young people.

“We decided that since we couldn’t take the shows out to children anymore, we’d provide a podcast for them, an interactive and fun arts and culture experience. We quickly adapted to Zoom, upskilling the elderly people, setting them up on the software and equipping them with cameras and microphones – that’s where Armchair Adventures was born and even fully produced for its first few episodes!”

Described as a ‘positive podcast’ by BBC Radio 4, Armchair Adventures is a journey of the imagination. It follows the story of Connie, a young girl whose family-run travel agency is at risk of going bust as a result of the pandemic, so working with her customers, who are portrayed by the group’s elderly participants, they create an alternative to a traditional holiday – an adventure from the armchair.

The news of the partnership comes shortly after Armchair Adventures took home the Bronze prize for Best Family Podcast at this year’s British Podcast Awards. This is the latest addition to the podcast’s growing trophy collection, which has previously picked up awards from the Digital City Awards and Manchester Publicity Association Awards.

Cathy Walters, Manager of Inflight Entertainment at Virgin Atlantic, said:“We love the story of Armchair Adventures, which brings different generations together through this fun, interactive podcast. We’re really proud to have them as part of our entertainment line-up and I’m sure children will enjoy letting their imaginations fly while onboard.”

Paul Hine, Director at Made by Mortals, added:

“The partnership is a really nice fit. Virgin Atlantic is going on a physical journey, and Armchair Adventures is a journey of the imagination. There’s a synergy between the brands, even despite their difference in scale.

“We are determined to change the perception of participatory arts and people viewing it as simply a nice thing to do. Partnering with Virgin Atlantic definitely helps us do that.

“When you bring a group of over 65’s together under one roof, you’ll undoubtably be amazed by the journeys they have been on, the stories they have to tell and the lessons they picked up along the way.

We believe in giving people a place to share their stories which can not only help bring them together and find purpose, but also educate and inspire young people in the process.”

Armchair Adventures took flight with Virgin in July and can now be enjoyed on flights across the world.

Made by Mortals continues to work with groups of people in Manchester to create further episodes for series three of Armchair Adventures, which launches on Thursday 6th October. New episodes are released twice a month. You can listen to Armchair Adventures for free on all podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts. You can also listen on your Google Home, Alexa or directly on the Armchair Adventures website www.Armchair-Adventures.co.uk

BRUNTWOOD ANNOUNCES HEADLINE SPONSORSHIP OF GREATER MANCHESTER GREEN SUMMIT

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Green

Sam Allcock

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27/09/2022

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BRUNTWOOD ANNOUNCES HEADLINE SPONSORSHIP OF GREATER MANCHESTER GREEN SUMMIT

Manchester-headquartered leading commercial property group, Bruntwood has announced its headline sponsorship of the Greater Manchester Green Summit.

The event, which is now in its fifth year, will bring together residents, businesses, policy makers and community groups to look at how the city region can accelerate action against its five-year environment plan. It will take place on Monday 17 October at The Lowry, Salford Quays.

Bruntwood has committed its support, sponsoring the summit and hosting a number of fringe events in partnership with SSE Energy Solutions, that will seek to further explore the themes of the day’s sessions. It is the first year that such events have taken place, and it is hoped that they will allow participants to share knowledge and network further.

The summit was established in 2018 by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. This year, it will feature interactive sessions based around key themes including the natural environment, transport, low carbon, sustainable consumption & production and sustainable lifestyles, with speakers, exhibitors and delegates coming together to consider how we can all better collaborate on innovative solutions.

Discussions between participants will also touch upon the key challenges facing the region from implementing new policy and embracing future innovations to industry adaptation at pace and individual lifestyle changes, all of which will be vital as we push to deliver a carbon neutral Greater Manchester by 2038.

This year, there is a renewed focus on engaging young people around climate change. This will see a youth-specific event held during the Green Summit, opened by the Mayor and hosted by Manchester Metropolitan University.

In 2018 Bruntwood, which comprises Bruntwood Works, Bruntwood SciTech and its joint ventures with Trafford Council and Bury Council, became the first commercial property developer to sign up to the World Green Building Council’s (WGBC) Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, part of the WGBC Advancing Net Zero programme, establishing itself as a sustainability leader within the industry.

Bruntwood built on this at COP26 where it was one of the founding signatories to the WGBC’s revised Net Zero Carbon buildings commitment which mandates that organisations take into account the whole life carbon impacts of any new buildings and major redevelopments in their 2030 targets.

As part of these commitments, Bruntwood has pledged to operate at net zero carbon in all of the areas under its direct control by 2030, with specific targets for emissions, energy usage, green spaces and biodiversity, sustainable materials, transportation, waste and water. It is also currently in the planning stages to develop Ev0, the UK’s lowest carbon new build workspace.

Alex Edwards, Sustainability Director at Bruntwood, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of all our work at Bruntwood. We know that our mission to create thriving cities will not be possible without businesses and communities across the region coming together to address the many challenges that face us in achieving Greater Manchester’s net zero goals. We all have our part to play in making this happen, but events such as these are crucial in allowing us to share knowledge and best practice, to hopefully turbocharge our combined efforts to reach these goals.

“Property plays a huge role in this challenge as one of the biggest emitters of carbon, which is why we remain committed to driving change within the industry and the wider business community. We look forward to the conversations that we will have during the event and the positive change it will bring for our city region.”

Councillor Martyn Cox, GMCA lead for the Green City Region, Waste and Recycling, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Bruntwood as one of our headline sponsors for the Green Summit this year.

“The Green Summit plays a key role in fostering the leadership and collective responsibility that is helping establish Manchester as the UK’s leading green city. The support shown by Bruntwood and our other partners is essential to making this happen, allowing us to bring together more of the city-region’s businesses, policy makers and communities to collaborate on making Greater Manchester not just a greener place but a fairer and more affordable one too.”

You can visit https://gmgreensummit2022.eventbrite.co.uk to find out more and register for your free place.

How Has Coronation Street Benefited Manchester Business?

Blog

Sam Allcock

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27/09/2022

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How Has Coronation Street Benefited Manchester Business?

Manchester is generally seen as one of the biggest and brightest UK cities outside of London – it’s the destination of choice for people heading to the north-west.

That could be because of the influential music scene that grew out of the late eighties and early nineties or the lure of seeing where the Premier League trophy seems to spend most of its time. There’s no doubt culturally, Manchester is one of (if not the) most important UK city that’s not the capital.

For many, the first exposure to Manchester will have come not through Sergio Aguero’s goals, the music of Oasis or messy nights at the Hacienda. No, for many, the first time they heard the Mancunian accent will have been on their television sets during their evening fix of Coronation Street.

The long-running soap is something of a national institution. It regular battles with Eastenders at the soap awards, but Nostalgia Central explains it had already been around for 25 years before London brought a comparable soap to our television screens. For 62 years, the street has been part of our national consciousness; Betty’s hotpot isn’t just a line from the show but a video game as well! Coronation Street has penetrated other digital media; there are online games from Gala Bingo titled Coronation Street Bingo and Cash Cobbles that play on the popular branding. There have even been spin-off shows, crossover episodes and other media that have catapulted the show to national and international recognition.

That’s all well and good, but how has the show benefitted the local community and Manchester’s growth since the eighties? There’s no doubt about its impact at a local level; businesses in Manchester class the show as a client, from commercial law firm Kuits to Hancocks, who supply the sweets for The Kabin. However, if we stand back and look wider at Manchester, it’s easy to see how the show’s impact has benefitted the area.

Granada Studios, which made Coronation Street, opened in 1954 and are also credited with delivering World In Action, Sherlock Holmes and Stars In Their Eyes. That brought talent to Manchester, which might otherwise have settled in London. Today, Manchester has a digital, creative and tech sector built upon those early foundations. Tony Warren, the creator of Coronation Street, had a vision for telling the tales of Manchester, the real Manchester, and that resonated with viewers. He opened the gate for creatives in the north-west to do the same; Tony Wilson, Noel Gallagher and Caroline Aherne drew on their Manchester upbringing and were empowered to shout about it because Warren had done just that for years.

In placing Manchester in the spotlight, and when it moved from Quay Street to a state-of-art production facility at MediaCityUK, it opened doors for people not just to thrive from inside Manchester but to come here and create their media careers. Other cities, such as Liverpool, tried to find their niche with soaps such as Brookside, but it didn’t hit, unlike Coronation Street. At first, it sold Manchester as a gritty northern city, but later it helped shape it as a place of innovation.

Of course, the soap stars live and work in the area, which also brings a certain celebrity attraction. Manchester’s nightclubs and casinos are better for the presence of Coronation Street stars, who, over the years, have become ultra-famous. Tina O’Brien, Adam Ricketts, Michelle Keegan and Sam Robertson weren’t just stars of the show; they were fashion icons, heartthrobs and celebrities. They helped drive home the image of Manchester as a cool place, not just in terms of the culture it spawned, but the nightlife happening every weekend.

It’s not a bad impact for a soap originally commissioned for just 13 episodes in 1960, but long may it continue to help Manchester’s beacon shine brightly around the country.

Mather & Co design exclusive office space in Cheshire

Blog

Sam Allcock

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27/09/2022

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Mather & Co design exclusive office space in Cheshire

[ONE] LONDON RD has now been repurposed as an exclusive co-working space offering 75 workstations and event space over three floors.

Wilmslow-based commercial interior designers, Mather & Co, are responsible for the architectural design, interior spatial design, project management throughout. Mather & Co are renowned for their expertise in designing visitor experiences across the sports, heritage, commercial, and entertainment sectors.

Kim Kherlopian, Build Director at Mather & Co: “Our vision for this project was to create a home away from home whilst maintaining a corporate and functional feel. Designing to create a flexible space, accommodating of all variety of client requirements was a challenge that we as Mather & Co overcame. The building has been carefully designed and delivered with high standards to meet demands of the everyday corporate client.”

[ONE] LONDON RD, offers business members unrivalled high-level amenities with hot desks, exclusive meeting spaces, executive boardroom, social spaces, and full digital integration throughout.

Further highlights at [ONE] LONDON RD, include fully functional kitchen facilities, large projection screens for meeting areas, charging stations with all collaborative spaces, showers, lockers, EV charging points, a gym, and massage room. The interior is flooded with natural light with a double height atrium greeting users on arrival and elegant Crittall style partitions throughout.

Mather & Co were engaged throughout the whole project, commencing with the development of the MBOSS brand graphic, the team then worked to turn initial concept designs for the redevelopment into a detailed architectural and interior spatial proposal; all the while ensuring all spaces remained multi-functional and flexible.

Mark Boler, Co-Owner of MBOSS said: “It’s been a great relationship working with Kim and the team at Mather & Co to bring our vision to life. The design team truly understood our brief and added their wealth of value and experience in suggestions around customer journey pathways, spatial layout, digital interface and business productivity touches, all factors contributing to the MBOSS brand ethos of professionally responsive.”

[ONE] LONDON RD, is the first development by new company MBOSS, owned by experienced, local Cheshire businessmen – Ged Mason OBE and Mark Boler. Flexible memberships are available with a choice of one, three or five day per week, day passes are available too for those looking for a temporary office.

RDS to Sponsor The GM Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Economic Update 2022

Business support

Danielle Trigg

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26/09/2022

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RDS to Sponsor The GM Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Economic Update 2022

The GM Chamber of Commerce’s 3rd Quarterly Economic Update of 2022 is on its way to Manchester. The event is being hosted by Chris Fletcher, the Chamber’s Policy and Communications Director, and Head of Research, Subrahmaniam Krishnan-Harihara on Wednesday 28th September at Elliot House in Manchester between 8.30-10.30am.

Fletcher and Krishnan-Harihara will be hosting the event and sharing first-hand information about the current state of the Greater Manchester economy and what will be impacting on businesses over the next few months. They will have updates on the Chamber’s key economic indicators and give views on wider issues impacting on the economy.

The event will be streamed live and the latest updates will also be available on the GM Index – the most accurate economic performance indicator around. To register please click here.

This event is being sponsored by Research and Development Specialists Ltd (RDS) – an expert in helping companies to navigate the Government’s HMRC R&D tax incentive scheme.

With a desire to become the best in their field, the in-house team at RDS focuses on understanding their clients’ businesses and current R&D projects, as well as their future planned R&D. This means that RDS can become an extension to a client’s businesses, regularly throwing around ideas, answering R&D questions and strategising – not just creating and quantifying an R&D claim at the end of year. RDS brings a huge range of business experience across multiple sectors.

The professional team at RDS are passionate about helping businesses to access all the R&D tax benefits available and although they have a process they can apply to any business in any sector, they pride themselves on their personal touch to every client.

Chris Cunnane, Business Development Manager at RDS, will be on the panel; giving an overview of the scheme, RDS as a business and sharing a case study / success story of a client that RDS met through a Chamber event – Paul Wilks, fellow GMCC member and MD of Jigsaw Controls / KTech Engineering.

Speaking of the event Chris said:

“As a company, we are really proud to be sponsoring and taking part in this event. It is seemingly the first time that an event sponsor can provide an immediate service that can really help businesses with the tough times they are facing and will continue to face for the forseeable future.

“This is crucially important data for Greater Manchester and will be reflective of the UK as a whole, so it is vital that business owners are aware of what’s coming and the fact our solution can help with these increasingly difficult times. Statistics have shown previously that businesses have seen a 45% rise in overhead costs, so now more than ever a R&D tax claim could be a lifeline for a business.”

If you would like to attend the event or for more information, contact the GMCC Events team:

E-mail: events@gmchamber.co.uk

Tel: 0161 393 4321

https://www.gmchamber.co.uk/events/q3-quarterly-economic-update-september-2022/

How to increase a visibility of posts on your business Instagram page: a 2022 guide

Thought Leaders

Sam Allcock

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26/09/2022

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How to increase a visibility of posts on your business Instagram page: a 2022 guide

In 2022, social media marketing has developed so well that now any beginner can quickly enter the platform and find their audience, monetize content and do their dream job online. This option is especially useful for businesses (small, medium and large corporations) that need a channel to attract new customers and partnerships. In this text, we have collected basic tips on how to maintain your page in the IG in 2022: we answered the question of whether to buy Instagram followers, what to pay attention to in the page management strategy and where to look for support if it seems that it is nowhere to be found.

1. Communicate with your subscribers, comment on their photos with your product or service. This greatly increases loyalty, and if your client’s page has a large number of subscribers, then your profile will be seen by quite a large number of people. Correspondence with a commercial profile is generally quite rare, so this way you can show that you really care about your customers. Moreover, it is important to communicate not only with those who comment positively, but also with those who express a negative opinion – you can not leave such messages just hanging in the air.

Use hashtags wisely: when you select the right tags, think as if you are your client. What words would you use to search for your product or service? This is what our hashtags should be. Moreover, try to make them as specific and narrow as possible – 30 tags with the widest value will not help you. Stop at 5-10, at the same time, add your own branded hashtag there (a unique tag that you came up with yourself). It will help to maintain the image and highlight your content in the general news feed of your customers.
If you feel that you are not able to gain enough subscribers to increase the weight of your account, then rely on third-party services. You can simply buy real Instagram followers and close your need, saving yourself a lot of time on more important things – for example, generating high-quality content, creating ads, communicating with customers. Such a service will help you overcome difficulties easier and faster, just try to make sure that you are acquiring real subs, because only they can have a positive impact on your profile statistics.
Never forget about involving people in the process – ask them questions, ask them to comment and share their opinions, leave likes and share with friends. But do it not with cliched phrases, but sincerely, showing that there is a creator behind the content. This greatly increases loyalty and highlights your content from the gray mass: social networks live by the principle – where there is discussion, there is life. Therefore, try to initiate as much communication as possible on the pages of your content.
There should always be advertising behind your profile: if there is no advertising, then you are not achieving success. It can be targeted advertising, or you can ask for help from bloggers (both small and large). The main thing is that somewhere on the platform there is a process of developing your content, so that information is distributed. Yes, targeted advertising can be quite expensive, but you can slightly reduce the coverage settings to save money – the main thing is that this advertising is in principle.

Summing up

In 2022, it is quite easy to promote a page in Insta, if you know the rules and follow the right tactics. Do not hesitate and use paid services – all the developed pages that you see now once started with this. Therefore, do not be afraid to experiment and try new things: buy subs, take advice from SMM specialists, if necessary, and do not forget about your own efforts, which you need to invest in your account daily.

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