On the 11th March Speed Networking Berkshire partnered with Donnington Grove Country Club and Generate UK to host a networking event which saw 37 business professionals from the Berkshire area meet in unique circumstances in a serene and tranquil environment.

Speed Networking is a unique concept which sees individuals meet other individuals through one to one speed meetings. You literally have 90 seconds each to inform each other of your business and to discuss the opportunities or synergies between your two companies.

The idea is not to push your business too hard, it’s to engage and see where the potential opportunities lie. It might not be the person in front of you who represents the opportunity; it may well be a business partner, a colleague or friend that denotes the opportunity?
After round one where half of the room had met each other there was a break for refreshments as this style of meeting whilst enjoyable can be pretty exhausting.

Generate UK were exceptionally proud to partner and sponsor the event and following the break we presented and discussed ways for businesses to increase internet revenues. Throughout the 15 minute presentation Generate UK discussed why online marketing represents such a good option for companies and highlighted the different activities available to help generate more from a website.
In summary the presentation focused on:
•    Increasing Traffic
•    Increasing Reputation
•    Increasing Conversation

Through increasing your internet footprint via quality content you can significantly increase online traffic and reputation, and through analytics an organisation can set realistic objectives to monitor and increase online conversion rates through enquiries and sales.

Following the presentation the event resumed to the second round of meetings. Speaking with people after the event the feedback was extremely positive and these were comments from people who were new to Speed Networking.  Speed Networking is a simple yet effective concept and represents a great way to network.  The event was certainly a worthwhile exercise and on a personal note it really opened my eyes to how other businesses operated.  I would certainly recommend any professional who wants to meet new people and engage with different businesses to attend.

Generate UK met Speed Networking Berkshire last year whilst attending an event themselves and after a number of meetings and discussions which were based on similar values, principles and objectives in business the two businesses seemed to be a good fit to form a professional working partnership.

Drawing on a current relationship with Generate UK, Donnington Grove Country Club hosted the event which represented a fantastic opportunity for the Country Club to show 37 local business professionals the meeting and conference facilities available at Donnington Grove.

The event showed why business partnerships can be exceptionally fruitful and forming successful alliances can only enhance reputations and potential opportunities for business.

Successful partnerships are borne from two companies who possess similar business values however, be warned we would strongly advice companies looking to partner with other organisations to do their research first, as it’s your reputation at stake and certain affiliations could possibly be more damaging than prosperous.

I have to admit that it was unusual for me to be out of the house quite so early on a Sunday morning but this particular trip was for a good reason.  I was off to support the Generate UK leadership team in the Reading Half Marathon, one of the biggest of its kind in the world.  It was an early start to what was to become a really lovely day.

As I stood on a street corner munching my way through a sausage and egg mcmuffin and clapping between mouthfuls, it struck me just what an impressive sight 16,500 people running through Reading town centre really was.  It also crossed my mind that I might miss the Generate UK team that I had so wanted to support in the masses.

I needn’t have worried however; I spotted them as soon as they turned the corner in their matching burgundy vests emblazoned with the “Tommy’s” logo.  Tommy’s, the charity that Generate UK were proud to be supporting fund research and provides information on causes and prevention of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth.  Joe and Mike seemed to be in good spirits and looked like they were enjoying the run.  They were running at a good pace but didn’t stop for a chat as both of them had their sights set on achieving a good time.

After watching the Generate team run off into the distance I stayed in place clapping and cheering other competitors.  The novelty costumes always amaze me especially on what was becoming a particularly warm day, there were a couple of Smurfs, Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Scooby Doo and a Giant Bear to name but a few.

I took a walk to the ten mile mark, an area of the course that I am told feels to the runners as if the end is nigh, one way or another!  At this point you are able to watch the runners coming towards you for approximately half a mile.  It’s incredible; there are some that have barely broke a sweat whereas some look close to death, unfortunately by this stage Joe was firmly in the latter camp!
I am pleased to announce that Mike and Joe both finished the race, Mike with a time of 1hr 51, Joe with 1hr 58 beaten at the finish line by the two Smurfs.  Whilst both suffering from fatigue Generate UK were incredibly proud of their achievement and the £600 raised for Tommy’s will certainly go to helping a worthwhile cause.

WELCOME to Generate UK’s Festive Online Marketing Workshop.

Date: 9^th December 2009

Time: 9am-12.30pm

Venue: Donnington Grove Country Club - click here for directions

A workshop designed to help participants understand and embrace a number of key online marketing activities.

The workshop will be dynamic and focused on sharing experiences with clients, partners and each other providing the dos and don’ts when it come to implementing a proactive marketing strategy!

The workshop will discuss:

• The principles of SEO – what are they?
• Business Blogging – to blog or not to blog?
• An effective website – do you have one?
• Email marketing –does it work?

The workshop aims to be delivered in an informative yet relaxed atmosphere helping Marketers and business owners become more knowledgeable when looking to contribute to their online marketing strategy for 2010.

On top of this you’ll have a chance to network with industry professionals through an hour of speed networking! Plus you’ll be entered into a special draw to win a round of golf or dinner for two!

The workshop is limited in numbers so please register here to avoid disappointment or call 01635 550431 to book your space.

www.generateuk.co.uk

The seminar titled “Increase your Internet Footprint” was delivered by Generate UK on Wednesday April 15th at Donnington Grove Country Club and was summed up by one delegate, “The information was fantastic and I’ll certainly be using much of the content to help me increase my own web site’s Internet presence, thanks!” Sara Hodkin, Group Marketing Manager, Fish Brothers Swindon

The seminar was designed to help businesses understand what online marketing opportunities there are available to them (many of which are free) to help increase their web site footprint on the internet.

30 attendees were present to soak up the fantastic surrounding, friendly atmosphere and great content. The slides are available to download here, if you attended or registered for the event please check your email as a password has been provided to you.

Generate UK commenced by providing their top ten tips to increase a web site’s footprint. Initially it is important to understand exactly what an internet footprint is, why it is important and how it can be good for a business.

A number of online activities were then explored including Business Blogging, Online PR, Link Building, Online Advertising, the power of Video and File Sharing, Search Engine Optimisation empowering local optimisation, utilising Forums and Online Communities, the power of Social Media, offering Content to increase reputation and various ways to offer content online encapsulating podcasts and RSS feeds.

Before implementing these activities Generate UK explained that it is vitally important to have your web site correctly set up and the basic requirements were discussed. This included the visibility of a web site through the correct web language and the different browser technology people use, how accessible it was, looking at a web site’s navigation and how Google interoperated it as well as W3C standards. Making a web site easily found should be at the top of the agenda and how important on-page optimisation is, in particular keywords and the processes that any web manager should undertake. Lastly Generate UK discussed the importance of content and how content can play a massive part in helping a web site grow and advance within the search engines.

After light refreshments Generate UK explored a number of tools available to the attendees specifically through Google search engine and how these could impact a web site. These tools included Google Blogger, Local, Knoll, Alerts, Feedburner, Orkut, Analytics, Webmaster tools, PPC (Pay per Click) advertising and Youtube!, now owned by Google and the third biggest search engine.

PPC was next on the agenda and Generate UK demonstrated how PPC can significantly increase a web site’s presence immediately within the search engines. It was at this stage when Generate UK invited Peter Meherne to the stage to discuss his experience of PPC. Peter is from Plain Words, a professional authoring and training company providing technical and business-related writing services and training to a wide range of industries. Peter explained that Plain Words have been using PPC to promote their services for a number of years and have experienced the pains and rewards from PPC. Peter went on to explain that keyword research should not be taken lightly and this process should be continually monitored. This can be done by understanding your keywords and phrases and approaching your keyword research through a more targeted approach rather than a too generic attitude, thus saving money and increasing your conversion rate.

After a well earned lunch break, Mark White from Better Business Blogging a partner to Generate UK talked about the Social Media, how it’s all around us in personal and business lives and the positive effect it can have on businesses. Mark explored the multitude of social media platforms available online to businesses and how a business can re-use the content within different social mediums to increase their reputation, brand and the opportunity to be seen.

Mark summarised by telling the delegates that social media is here, and is here to stay and it’s the businesses who embrace social media that will be the businesses who succeed online.

Generate UK summarised the event and after a question answer session and a free prize draw for a free round of golf or dinner for two, the seminar drew to a close with all of the delegates going home more knowledgeable within the online arena and ready to put their new information into practice.

The lucky winner of the draw was Peter O’Brien from Business Engineering Ltd, who selected a meal for two at Donnington Grove rather than a round of golf. A voucher is heading your way Peter; we hope you enjoy the meal.

For more information on Generate UK seminars please call 01635 551431 or send your details to info@generateuk.co.uk