FRANK CARSON TO BE GUEST SPEAKER FOR ANNUAL LUNCH
Over half the tickets have already been sold for this years Chamber Annual Lunch which includes a delicious four-course meal and wine with a high profile guest speaker and great networking opportunities. Tables of ten can be booked for the Lunch at a discounted rate and issuing an invitation to the event is a wonderful way to say thank you to valued clients or loyal staff.
The Annual Luncheon, which is always a sell-out, has a tradition of attracting excellent guest speakers. In recent years household names such as Tom O’Connor, Barry Cryer and Stan Boardman have all been very well received by the Leicestershire business community. For 2005 the Chamber is delighted that it is the turn of Frank Carson to provide some light-hearted entertainment to the 500 plus audience and we’re sure that he will more than live up to the job.
The 2005 Annual Luncheon will follow the Chamber’s AGM on Friday December 2nd at the Midlands Conference Centre, Leicester City Football Club from 12.15pm-4pm. Prices start from £47.50 for members and include a four-course meal and a half bottle of wine per person, tables of ten can be booked from £450.
For more details or to make a booking contact the chamber’s events team on Tel: 0116 247 1800 or visit www.chamberofcommerce.co.uk and click on what’s on/eventsBusiness Women's Link Networking Evening
Date: 18th October
Time: 6pm-8pm
Venue: Holiday Inn Leicester
Cost: £17.63
Another popular networking opportunity for Leicestershire businesswomen.
Regeneration Update Seminar
Date: 3rd November
Time: 7.30am-9.30am
Venue: Leicester Tigers Ground, Leicester
Cost: £25.00 Chamber Members / £35 Standard, includes full English breakfast
Export Foundation Course
Date: 15th November
Time: 9am-4.30pm
Venue: Chamber offices, Charnwood Court, New Walk, Leicester
Cost: £160 +vat Members / £200 + vat Standard, includes lunch
Beginners course giving an overview of export documentation procedures and practices.
AN EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT ON DISABILITY AWARENESS TRAINING FOR ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES!
RNID, the largest charity representing the 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, is urging businesses to take action to ensure they comply with regulations outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)- legislation which aims to end the discrimination that many disabled people face.
Businesses must make sure that they are not in breach of the DDA when providing services to deaf and hard of hearing people. This is why RNID is offering £100 discount on the full cost of Disability and Deaf Awareness Training for all businesses in the area.
This training course aims to raise awareness of what is meant by disability, and is recommended for all businesses in the industry in order to offer an equal service to all customers. The course helps to identify potential issues and possible solutions so that people with disabilities are not discriminated against. Businesses that successfully complete the training will also receive a Disability Awareness CD Rom - a handy reminder of the topics covered in the course.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, up to a third of all small companies still do not fully understand their obligations under the DDA. A report published this month shows awareness of the Act among small employers has risen only slightly over the past year, from 58 per cent to 63 per cent.*
Michael Cox, Development Manager for RNID's Employment Training and Skills Service, says: "It is essential that all companies and organisations, no matter what their size, realise the DDA will effect their business, and they could face litigation if they are found to be in breach of the Act. RNID is offering Disability and Deaf Awareness Training at a special price, which will not only allow businesses to improve their knowledge of how the DDA will affect them and how to improve general accessibility, but staff will also receive training on how to communicate effectively with deaf or hard of hearing staff and customers and, indeed, any person with a disability.
"The disabled pound is worth £50 billion in the UK and businesses could be losing out by not considering the needs of all of their customers, as well as putting themselves at risk of litigation under the DDA."
The normal cost for Disability and Deaf Awareness Training ranges between £650 for a half day and £850 for a full day, both for up to 16 people. For further information on Disability and Deaf Awareness Training, and to take advantage of this special offer, contact RNID Training Services on Telephone 020 7296 8060, E-mail: trainingservices@rnid.org.uk or visit the website, www.rnid.org.uk.
Please quote 'Business Training offer' when making your booking. Offer ends 6 January 2006.
A consumer watchdog is warning businesses to be on their guard against possible scams that some disreputable energy brokers are using.
The warning comes after energywatch received complaints and calls from firms wanting help and advice on the issue.
Energywatch's business service believes that some brokers are targeting new businesses in an attempt to sign up customers and earn commissions.The watchdog said that the rogues are especially targeting pubs, hotels and restaurants as they use a relatively high amount of energy for a small business and therefore are more profitable.
Energywatch business spokesperson, Karl Brookes, said: "One of the dodgy things is disreputable brokers pretending to be independent. They ring up offering to help find the best deal possible but they really only represent one or two firms and then try to pass them off as the cheapest."
He added that it was unfortunate that some shady brokers were harming the reputation of the industry as a whole, which included a lot of good ones.
The watchdog advises all businesses, but especially new ones to be careful what they say over the phone when negotiating energy deals - it could represent a binding verbal contract.
Members can use the free service from Utility Auditing in conjunction with Leicestershire Chamber to help them get the best deals on energy. For more details call the Chamber office on 0116 247 1800.
Energywatch's business unit can be contacted on 0845 9060708 or email: business.enquiries@energywatch.org.uk
Networking Evening with Leicester College
Date: 15th November
Time: 6pm-8.30pm
Venue: Freemans Park Campus at Leicester College
Cost: £25 Chamber Members / £35 Standard
Attendance & space for a display stand: £55 Chamber Members / £65 Standard
Hosted by S4B, the commercial training arm of Leicester College, this event gives members an opportunity to reserve space
for a display stand, exchange company literature over a glass of wine and gain an insight into the work of both S4B and
Leicester College.
Integra Presentation with Nighat Awan OBE
Date: 16th November
Time: 6pm-8.30pm
Venue: TBC
Cost: £32.50 Chamber Members / £42.50 Standard
Nighat counts four highly successful and diverse companies amongst her business achievements. Currently the CEO of the Shere Khan Group of restaurants she was the 2005 winner of the Entrepreneur category in the Asian Women of Achievements Awards.
For more details or to make a booking contact Kam Atker at Leicestershire Chamber on Tel: 0116 204 6614, email: atker.k@chamberofcommerce.co.uk or visit our website at: www.chamberofcommerce.co.uk
BUSINESS INSPIRATION
The winners of the Leicestershire Business Awards 2005 are opening their doors to inspire local businesses to aim higher in the Business Showcase 2005 series. The seven successful companies will be sharing best practice, providing a benchmark for other businesses and discussing their awards application experiences.
You can discover the impact the awards have had on the winners and gain an insight into the strategies behind each organisation’s outstanding achievements. Sponsored by Search Consultancy and Fusion Corporate Finance, the events are held at each winner’s premises with a presentation, question and answers, refreshments and a tour where appropriate.
Commenting on the value of the series Eileen Richards of Search Consultancy said: “The Business Showcase series provides a rare opportunity to get an inside view of the best local businesses and they are invaluable for companies applying for the 2006 awards. The events also offer the chance to expand your network of business contacts.”
The series starts on 2nd November with Stocks Taylor Benson, winners of the Sales and Marketing Award, and concludes on 14th December with Transmitton Ltd, the Leicestershire Business of the Year 2005. Between those dates there will be events at Pall-Ex (UK) Ltd, Ashfield Healthcare Ltd, Power On Connections Ltd, Stride and Labelsco Ltd.
For full details of all the events in the series contact Caroline Birchall at Wow Effect Ltd on 0845 130 2866, email info@woweffect.co.uk or visit www.bizawards.co.uk.
British Polish Chamber of Commerce 2005 UK Roadshow
Polish Market Opportunities: Manufacturing, Services, Property
Wednesday 9 November, Quality Hotel, 166 Hagley Road, Birmingham
Thursday 10 November, Eversheds offices, 70 Gt. Bridgewater St, Manchester
Price: £25.00 BPCC members, £45.00 non-members
Since Poland joined the single European market, it has become increasingly attractive to UK businesses seeking to reduce their cost base and increase their competitiveness. With labour costs substantially lower than those in the UK, Poland is also becoming a desirable location for sourcing and out-sourcing. Poland has many British manufacturers and service sector companies. The ready availability of skilled and highly motivated employees, low corporate taxes and an excellent location at the very heart of the European continent make Poland a sound investment location. At the same time, with a population and GDP larger than those of all of the other EU Accession countries combined, the Polish economy also offers new market opportunities for UK exporters.
The British Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC) has once again assembled a panel of Polish market experts to cover key aspects of doing business in Poland. The road show agenda is designed to cover sectors of greatest interest to British business; focused workshops on manufacturing, services and property will give delegates in-depth insight into market opportunities and practical information regarding market entry. Case studies will show how UK companies are already successfully doing business in Poland.
Register to attend by fax on: 0208 563 00 26 or by E-MAIL at london@bpcc.org.pl
Registrations must be received by Monday, 7th November 2005.
Fore more details contact: Anna Maria McKeever, British Polish Chamber of Commerce, Tel: 020 8563 0044, e-mail: manageruk@bpcc.org.pl
Or visit: www.bpcc.org.pl
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS AWARDSThe East Midlands International Business Communications Awards are open to language providers and regional businesses of all sizes. The awards recognise those companies and organisations that can demonstrate trading success in non-English speaking countries through having developed effective language and cultural strategies. Exporters should be able to demonstrate that by overcoming language and cultural barriers they have improved their international trade performance. Language providers should have delivered effective international communication solutions to clients.
For more details visit www.embica.co.uk. Closing date for entries is October 28th.
www.haveyoursay.co.uk
In addition, the evidence base for the RES is available on the Intelligence East Midlands website
http://www.intelligenceeastmidlands.org.uk/
EUROPEAN QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK
The Department for Education and Skills is consulting on the European Commission's proposal for a European Qualifications Framework. This proposes to be an enabling framework, to be implemented on an entirely voluntary basis that will allow qualifications in different countries to be able to relate to each other. Responses are required by 23/11/2005
European Qualifications Framework
UPDATE ON THE DTI'S ENFORCEMENT WORK
The Department’s Legal Services D2 (LSD2) section has 15 lawyers, two trainees, 17 law clerks and a team of 80 investigators and administrators in the Investigators Officers Section (IOS), all working to improve confidence in the UK’s business network by enforcing corporate and insolvency laws.
D2 also pursues confiscation orders, to deprive convicted defendants of the proceeds of their criminal acts, and seeks compensation for victims of criminal wrongdoing. For the year ending March 2005, DTI obtained confiscation orders totalling £437,983 and compensation orders totalling £280,687.47.
About the DTI #2 - Legal Services 'D2'
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