IoD Members are invited to the IWA’s Conference on Tuesday 1st May 2012 on the topic ‘Connecting Wales with the world of finance.’ To find out more, please download the attached document.
WELSH business leaders look to future with student membership innovation THE Institute of Directors has developed a ground-breaking link-up with Cardiff Metropolitan University.The university is the first in Wales to pilot a student level membership that will strengthen links between Welsh enterprise and the next generation of entrepreneurs.IoD Wales director Robert Lloyd Griffiths said: “Our members are eager to identify, cherish and nurture the next generation of leaders; this partnership is an effective way of doing just that.”Professor David Brooksbank, Dean of the university’s Cardiff School of Management, said: “This new and creative initiative sees the IoD and Cardiff Met being innovative and actually doing something rather than simply talking about doing something.”The student membership scheme, facilitated by a deal between the IoD and Cardiff Met, is one of a small number across the UK and the only such IoD scheme in Wales.Robert Lloyd Griffiths said: “It will be available to students across the university including, of course, those at the excellent Cardiff School of Management.“We look forward to students meeting and mingling with our members; all stand to benefit a great deal from the partnership.“I’m excited by this pilot scheme which could be rolled out across other strong academic centres in future years.”David Brooksbank said: “We’re glad to be taking the lead on this scheme in Wales alongside a select number of counterparts in England.“Cardiff Met prides itself on its extensive and growing links with business: the Management School alone has well over 250 businesses in its network and we place more than 500 students with local companies every year.“We want to produce graduates who have the attributes that business is looking for; they need to hit the ground running when they enter the workplace and IoD student membership will help them to make an early impact.”The IoD is the UK’s longest standing organisation to support business leaders, with over 100 years of service in raising professional standards. It holds the world's largest network of senior level professionals, with hundreds of members across Wales. Members meet regularly at events and on training programmes; officers lobby at all levels of government.Cardiff Met provides education and training opportunities of the highest quality, and has been independently acclaimed for its high academic standards and student satisfaction. Its five academic schools specialise in art and design, education, health sciences, management and sport.
IoD North Wales Members are invited to an IoD North West Breakfast “The Ultimate Legal Update.” The event takes place on Thursday 26th April 2012 7.45am – 9.30am at The Plaza, Old Hall Street, Liverpool. The event is free of charge to IoD members so to book your place, please go to: www.iod.com/northwest/events
We know that whilst keeping pace with legislation is important, you’ll have other things to focus on than just new Employment or Health and Safety regulations.
Join IoD North West in Liverpool for a concise legal update to bring you up to speed on new legislation. Presented by Bibby Consulting & Support’s Consultancy team, this event will provide a clear insight into the latest changes in legislation as well as help you to demystify other laws which have been around for a few months
There will be plenty of opportunity to get your specific questions or concerns answered, either in the open forum or privately.
Learn more about your legal obligations in two hours than you could find on the web in two days.Understand how each of the new regulations affects your businessLearn how to avoid tribunal claims and stay on the right side of the HSE
Click here for booking form
CLICK HERE FOR LETTER FROM REGIONAL DIRECTOR
CLICK HERE - ENGLISH
CLICK HERE - WELSH
If you want 40 minutes of free one-to-one advice on how to make your business successful online book your place at the Google Juice Bar now.Google Juice Bar sessions are a way to ask as many questions as you like about growing your business online. Chat with a friendly advisor about any aspect of online, from setting up a free website to advanced online marketing. Appointments are available throughout April daily at Saint Line House in Cardiff Bay, the Juice Bar will be visiting venues throughout South Wales in the coming weeks so visit www.gbbo.co.uk/juicebar to book now.
To give you a flavour of a Google Juice Bar session the team have compiled a list of answers to some of the most commonly asked questions:
What is a hashtag?A hashtag is anything written after a hash symbol (#) with no spaces between words. For example, #ThisIsAHashtag. Hashtags work on Twitter and Google+, if you click a hashtag on twitter, or search in Google+, you can see every post from the past week containing that hashtag. Using hastags is a way to tag your posts with topic categories so that people outside your direct network can find and enjoy relevant posts.Using a unique hashtag is a useful way to get a physical audience together in the online space during a conference or campaign, for example the #GWBO tag for Getting Welsh Business Online!
What is trending?On Twitter you'll notice hashtags listed in the trending topics at the bottom left of your homepage. If you can generate enough interest in a hashtag other tweeters will use it too, you can use this as a free way to raise awareness of your business. #FreeStarbucks is an example of a business using a hashtag to trend globally. Use hashtags.org to analyse trending hashtags you might want to get involved with.
What should I post on my Facebook business page?Anything relevant to the community who "like" your business. Use imagination and common sense to make the most interesting posts possible. Try to think like your audience - what would make you like or comment on a post? Aim to create an entertaining user experience that will grab attention and remind them of your brand/business. Try not to post for the sake of it, and don’t spam your audience with constant adverts for your services.People tend to engage with photos and videos more than with plain blocks of text. If you have a blog it's a great idea to link to your posts on your Facebook feed.
What are ‘keywords’?Keywords are words or phrases which describe your product or service that Google looks for when it’s indexing your website. Keywords will help Google decide how relevant your website to people searching, and thus where your site ranks on the search results.If you choose to use Google AdWords to advertise your business online your keywords will dictate how much money you spend and how many people find you.
What keywords should I use?Consider what a potential client will be entering into the Google search bar. Making a keyword as unique as possible and relevant to the user is vital. A keyword that is too broad ends up putting you in competition with every other company in your industry. Google AdWords has a keyword tool to help you along the way.
What is Click Through Rate (CTR)?Click Through Rate (CTR) relates to Google AdWords. It's a percentage of the number of clicks divided by the number of ad impressions. CTR data can help gauge the relevance of keywords to the ad text. CTR has a big impact on quality score, so maintaining a good CTR by having relevant keywords for ad texts is important because a good quality score will lower your cost-per-clicks.
Can I target Adwords to be shown only in my local area?Yes, when creating a new campaign on Google AdWords you can target to specific cities, towns and areas etc. by selecting 'let me choose...' in the Locations and Languages section.
CLICK HERE
IoD Wales is delighted that Leadesrhip & Management Wales are one of their sponsors for 2011 & 2012.
(LMW) prides itself on being a one-stop shop for LMD and creates bespoke resources specifically designed to respond to the needs of businesses in Wales. Their Vision (To create an environment where every business in Wales is aware of, understands, engages with and can benefit from leadership and management development (LMD)) is quite short and if you have even less room people often use 'LMW is a one-stop shop for leadership and management development.' The Network Locator Tool and the Course Directory are two examples of this, providing users with the information they need to tailor their LMD. The website also includes information and advice on what funding is available via the Enhancing Leadership & Management Skills Programme (ELMS) to support LMD and who is eligible to apply. For further information please go to: http://lmw.org.uk/en/about-us
Join us at our First Wednesday Club which is for both members and potential new members of the IoD. Enjoy and benefit from our networking events, the ‘First Wednesday Club’ is a chance for you to network informally and also to learn from an expert speaker.As the name suggests, we plan to meet on the first Wednesday of every month, at the Park House Club, in Cardiff.The event starts at 5.30pm, with a guest presentation from 6pm to 6.30pm.The event will conclude with an opportunity to network further, finishing by 7.15pm.The purpose of the presentation is to both inform and entertain, and we already have a range of informative and interesting speakers lined up for the first few events. For First Wednesday Club event details please go to our events page and book your place now!
We are delighted to announce that the University of Glamorgan are sponsors of the First Wednesday Club.’ For future events please go to our events page.
Is yours a small- to medium-sized business, employing less than 250 staff, and based in Wales? Have you considered sending graduate staff (possessing a minimum of NVQ4 or equivalent) on training that could have a clear benefit for the business, but the cost is too great? In which case, the GO Wales GTD fund may well be able to help!
GO Wales can provide match-funding up to £1,500 per staff member, and up to a total of £5,000 per business.
If you’d like to find out more take a look at the information on the GO Wales website at www.gowales.co.uk or telephone 0845 225 60 50 or email info@gowales.co.uk
As a member you are automatically assigned a branch and encouraged to give your views on local issues and take advantage of networking opportunities in your area. All members are welcome to attend events at any branch.