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WELCOME LEEDS BUSINESS WEEK: BQ SPECIAL FEATURE

Geoff Shepherd, Head of Yorkshire Mafia

Leeds is the 3rd largest city in the UK. It has a thriving business community, a large number of forward thinking stakeholders and a wealth of business networking groups.

We believe that it is a great place to live and do business, says Geoff Shepherd, head of Yorkshire Mafia

However, when we took a holistic view of the city we saw that there was no glue holding all of these wonderful things together. The business community was predominantly operating in silos and, outside of council funded agencies, little was done to bring the business community together. The Yorkshire Mafia, being the largest and fastest growing business membership organisation in the North of England, brings over 14,000 people together face to face each year and we felt well-placed to pick up the mantle and bring another compelling event to Leeds.

But, we wanted to go further than just helping businesses come together. We wanted to bring everyone else in too: charity, social enterprise, culture, arts, local government, education and the public sector.

We’re big enough as a membership group to undertake a mammoth task like this and that’s what we set out to do. However we can’t do it alone, we firmly believe that We are Stronger Together (it’s our strap line) and we called on other organisations to help us.

We imagined the week as a modular city wide MBA meets Edinburgh Festival for Business – and then we put out a call for support.

The response has been nothing short of tremendous. We have organisations such as SkyBet, PwC, Salesforce.com, Agenci, Leeds City Council and Leeds City College, Barclays, Northern Ballet taking part. Over 60 organisations are providing great events and terrific content for others to share in and learn from. It’s a hugely important event for Leeds but it’s not just about Leeds, this is not a navel gazing exercise. We’re inviting people from other areas and we want our content to be carried across Leeds City Region’s boundaries. There are some amazing businesses taking part and we hope that Leeds Business Week will help

carry their messages far and wide.

At Leeds Business Week people can attend seminars such as Agenci’s powerful talk on how hackers target businesses and why, Salesforce.com will deliver a key note on using social media to drive business growth, Barclays are helping businesses trade internationally and raise finance, Leeds City Council is talking about how we can all benefit from taking on apprentices and Leeds City College is hosting a whole day of events aimed at helping young people enter the world of business.

Leeds Business Week is open to everyone and 99% of events are free to attend. Delegates must register via http://leedsbizweek.com and then select the events they wish to attend.

From early morning to late at night, from social media to social events to an insightful Leeds City Summit panel Q&A which allows anyone to ask anything of some of Leeds’ executive leadership, there’s something for everyone. We’ve got events in Chapel Allerton, the train station, Morley, and loads in the city centre.

Why should someone attend Leeds Business Week? I think it’s more a case of why wouldn’t you? You can network with thousands of other businesses and make some marvellous contacts, you can accelerate you own business thinking and take really useful content away to implement in your own organisation, gain an overview of key issues affecting the business community and learn how you might address them, quiz the senior stakeholder leadership of the UK’s third largest city, get real practical advice on to how to develop and improve areas of your organisation, gain competitive advantage from what you learn and accelerate away from your competition.

Leeds Business Week is taking place on 23-27 September 2013. http://leedsbizweek.com

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SPECIAL REPORT | AUTUMN 13

COMPANY PROFILE

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Internet pioneer leads store celebrations Zak Patel, Founder of O2 Franchise at Talk Direct, would like to welcome you to the grand opening of The O2 store in Leeds We are very honoured to have Ajaz Ahmed, the founder of Freeserve for the inauguration of our new store opening at the heart of the new Merrion Centre and Leeds Arena on Friday 27 September 2013, 12pm to 2pm.

Ajaz Ahmed is the founder of Freeserve, which was once the UK’s largest internet company. You can hear Ajaz’s story from the eureka moment he had and how he created a multi-billion pound company from scratch in just three months, and how it entered into FTSE 100. The company was eventually sold for £1.6bn in 2001 to France Telecom. Ajaz is a born and bred successful Yorkshire businessman and regularly takes part in public speaking in Yorkshire, the UK and America.

Ajaz will be cutting the ribbon to celebrate our brand new refurbished O2 store in Leeds. The O2 Merrion store offers a little extra, it has a meeting room which can be hired free of charge and used by business clients in Leeds City Centre irrelevant of the mobile network you are on.

The concept is designed for the use for our local

Zak Patel, founder of O2 Franchise at Talk Direct

You can hear Ajaz’s story from the eureka moment he had and how he created a multi-billion pound company from scratch in just three months, and how it entered into FTSE 100

Come to our grand opening • A Sony phone manufacturer will be there to showcase their brand new phone launch and give away the latest Sony Xperia Z1 to one lucky winner (only released the day before). A water proof phone, 20.7 megapixel camera and 2.2 GHz processor. Just pop your business card in the draw during our grand opening and the winner will be announced at 2pm on the day.

• Advertise your business for free to 1/3rd of the UK population (33 million people) using O2 Priority Moment Local App. • O2 Guru - Want to know more about the latest iPhone and iOs7? Unsure how to set your business up on Twitter? Want to know how to install a programme on your laptop? Whatever the issue may be, our O2 Guru is here in store, online and over the phone. No charges, no catches. This is a complimentary business service from O2. We will have a Guru on site to help you from setting up your phone emails to showing you a demo, so we can help you understand your new phone.

• Free professional Linkedin profile photo for you to connect with all your business customers.

• Business buffet lunch will be provided as well as a fantastic O2 goody bag for all the delegates to take away.

This will be a great opportunity to network and mingle.

Please register on the website below and we’ll look forward to meeting you on our opening day. http://tinyurl.com/meetgreettweet

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business customers, entrepreneurs or a new start up. The Workshop in the store has a brand new state of the art meeting room (2000 Sq ft), which caters for 12 delegates with an interactive smart board, conference call facilities, complimentary tea/coffee, an O2 Guru on hand to help and free O2 wifi.

The store also has work space if you are looking for somewhere quiet to work or meet a client. All this is offered for free to any business.

Habib Khatib - Marketing Operations Manager O2 Talk Direct Leeds Ltd (Telefónica UK Limited Franchise) M - 07803 860 252 habib.khatib@retail.o2.com

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Unlocking business potential 100 hours of high quality, practically focused business and management education - designed specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners - by world-class international, national and local experts in entrepreneurial learning The curriculum focuses on developing the practical skills and knowledge that you require as your business grows.

“A great course, very well run, practical and thought provoking. It has challenged me and opened up the next chapter of leadership and growth for my company.” – Mary Ahern, Alkemygold Ltd. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME The 10,000 Small Businesses programme is targeted at small businesses and social enterprises with clear ambitions to expand. The goal of the programme is to provide you with the tools and resources to help you lay the foundation for long-term sustainable growth and job creation.

You will receive: • Approximately 100 hours of business and management education • Support to develop a Growth Plan customised for your own business • One-to-one business advice • Unique networking and peer learning opportunities • Specialist workshops WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS? As part of Leeds Business Week, Professor Nigel Lockett of Leeds University Business School - and the academic leader for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme in Yorkshire - will be delivering a session with the help of two of the programme’s alumni.

“There’s little doubt that growth is important.

We will be discussing why governments are so interested in it and how we designed 10,000 Small Businesses to support it. We will draw on the recent progress report, my personal reflections as the academic leader and perhaps most importantly hear from two entrepreneurs running high growth businesses.” – Prof. Nigel Lockett

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INTERESTED in discovering MORE ABOUT THE 10,000 SMALL BUSINESSES PROGRAMME?

Professor Nigel Lockett.

Fantastic experience, I have learned such a lot that I can apply to my business and I feel so much better equipped and confident to take my business to the next level Jo Thompson, Spectrum Cleaning Solutions Ltd

You are welcome to attend one of the following Open Events we are holding across the Yorkshire region.

Tuesday 15 October 9am Held at Pinsent Mason, 1 Park Row, Leeds Wednesday 23 October 6pm Held at Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), Brunel Way, Rotherham Wednesday 6 November 6pm Held at Cedar Court Hotel, Rooley Lane, Bradford Wednesday 13 November 6pm Held at Holiday Inn, Tadcaster Road, York Wednesday 20 November 6pm Held at Pinsent Mason, 1 Park Row, Leeds We are currently recruiting for Spring 2014 For more information about the 10,000 Small Businesses Programme applicant details, or to register your interest in one of our Open Events; please use the details below: http://business.leeds.ac.uk/working-withbusiness/10000-small-businesses/ Or email: g.clark@leeds.ac.uk Closing date for applications is 29 November 2013

Speaker: Professor Nigel Lockett Hosted by: Leeds University Business School Venue: The Carriageworks - Room 2 Address: 3 Millennium Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 3AD Start Time: 13:00 End Time: 13:45 The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme is fully-funded by the Goldman Sachs Foundation, and is delivered by the Leeds University Business School.

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LEEDS BUSINESS WEEK

INSIGHT

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five days... numerous opportunities “We’re delighted to support Leeds Business Week. Leeds City Council plays an important role in the city’s business community, bringing stakeholders together and providing useful signposting and support services. We’re listening to our city’s businesses and offering the real, practical support you need. Leeds Business week offers a huge event programme and we are looking forward to being involved in a number of events throughout the week.”

Cllr Richard Lewis - Executive Member for Development and the Economy, Leeds City Council Business group The Yorkshire Mafia is the founding and driving force behind Leeds Business Week. As well as bringing regional stakeholders and organisations together to deliver a compelling programme of events The Yorkshire Mafia is delivering five standout events of its own: covering business for young people, engagement with key city executives, a business meets social drinks evening to unwind and mingle with other delegates from Leeds Business Week and a day long programme dedicated to technology in business. The Yorkshire Festival of Business will also return, for its second year, where leading businesses come together to deliver great content around raising finance, increasing revenue, managing your brand and a host of other business issues.

Geoff Shepherd, Chairman of The Yorkshire Mafia says “Leeds Business Week is an enormous melting pot. New business relationships will be formed, suppliers found, customers will be won, competitors greeted, disparate networks brought together and large and small organisations from all sectors will share amazing knowledge and content.

Everyone is coming together to support each

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other, meet each other and share content and ideas. It’s a very firm step towards getting the Leeds City Region united not only in business but as a wider community. Who knows where we can take this in years to come! Outside of our annual Buy Yorkshire Conference it’s the biggest business event in Leeds, Yorkshire and the North of England. We’re hoping that attendees will leave the week with new motivation and inspired to implement some of the things they’ve learned. Events like this are hugely important not only for those in attendance but for the city and the region.

The economic impact of bringing together so many people and so many types of organisations is staggering.”

Monday Tech That!

Everything you wanted to know about Business Technology but were afraid to ask. Digital media, cloud computing, social media, video, the online user experience, marketing automation and CRM, a guide to the Twittersphere, how to manage LinkedIn in 15 minutes a week and much more. Tech That! is aimed at organisations who want to understand how and why they should be using technology and social and digital media.

Tech That! is sponsored by Salesforce.com, the multi-billion dollar enterprise computing leader. As part of their contribution to the programme, Salesforce.com’s Ginger Kidd (Senior Campaign Manager Integrated Marketing and SMB) and Anna Bratton (Account Executive) will be delivering a seminar ‘Grow Your Business, Build Your Brand, Become a Customer Company: How to Drive Business Growth with Social Media’. During the session attendees can learn how to harness the power of social media to enable them to listen to

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their customers, publish engaging content and reach new audiences. Rob Wilmot, ex CTO of Freeserve, will be delivering a Keynote session on how to develop a useful approach to LinkedIn, Rob’s session will help to show you how to get started, and what the benefits are of using LinkedIn.

Tuesday 24 The Youth Festival of Business Geoff Shepherd comments, “In 20 years time it will not be today’s business leaders that shape our financial future and dictate the prosperity of our national economy.

It won’t be them creating employment opportunities, generating wealth and driving UK PLC forward. It will be today’s youth.

Events like this are wonderful because they get our young people thinking and talking commercially. Having the opportunity, support structures and encouragement to get on in business was not really around when I was at school and initiatives like this are long overdue and in short supply. These young people are our future leaders and it’s amazing to have the chance to help them become good ones!”.

Sponsored by Leeds City College, some terrific organisations such as Rockstar Games, Virgin Media Pioneers, Search Laboratory, Golden, Opta and Propaganda have come together to deliver a first class learning platform for young people to engage with.

As part of the event Leeds City College will be holding a special networking lunch for regional employers. The lunch will be produced by college catering and hospitality trainees, a keynote speaker will engage attendees and businesses will have the opportunity to network with college students.

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Wednesday 25 The Yorkshire Festival of Business

Thursday 26 The Yorkshire Mafia Drinks Evening

The Yorkshire Festival of Business is a shot of business vitamins for SMEs, particularly in these media-driven days of doom and gloom.

All organisations across the region are invited to attend a free one-day showcase event to improve their business knowledge in key areas by attending high-calibre workshops on a variety of different topics.

Sponsored by Salesforce.com, Agenci, Barclays and Leeds City Council, the YFOB will be packed full of seminars and workshops delivered by genuine industry experts who, like The Yorkshire Mafia business group, want to create a more connected and well-informed business community as well as give businesses in Yorkshire knowledge that will ensure they have a competitive advantage.

Some things are more enjoyable when they are shared and experienced with others.

Being in business is no different and building good business relationships is not only a necessary part of any business strategy, it’s a healthy and rewarding thing to do. It gives you an opportunity to share your concerns, find common ground with likeminded peers and really boost your personal and professional network. Sure, business is a serious thing but needn’t be and rarely should it be sombre. We all understand the importance of spending time with one’s peers, putting names to faces and being introduced to others with mutual interests.

The Yorkshire Mafia brings together over 14,000 business people face to face each year. As part of Leeds Business Week we’re gathering together to let our hair down a little and get to know each other in a relaxed and sales free environment. We’ve partnered with Chaophraya in Leeds to deliver a warm welcome to our guests.

It’s a beautiful venue, just minutes from the train station, and we’ll be treated to a welcome drink and a selection of delicious canapés.

As usual, there’s a strict “no-selling” rule in place allowing genuinely pressure-free relationships to develop and flourish.

“We love working with the Yorkshire Mafia and Leeds Business Week is a further opportunity to engage those that matter to us most; genuine businesses who are innovative, forward thinking and focused on growth. At Barclays we are consistently putting customers’ and clients’ interests at the heart of everything we do. Leeds Business Week provides us with the opportunity to support businesses, to improve business knowledge and expertise in key areas”.

Caroline Pullich, Head of Relationship Banking North East Region.

INSIGHT

Friday 27th: The Leeds City Summit Sponsored by Farnell Landrover, The Leeds City Summit brings together leaders from the private and public sector for an open audience Q&A discussion. Run in the style of BBC Question Time and moderated by a great Chair, it’s a brilliant opportunity to ask questions and engage in a discussion on what’s happening in Leeds. On the panel will be: Tom Riordan, CEO of Leeds City Council; Andy Clarke, Chairman, Leeds and Partners and President & CEO, Asda Stores Ltd; Professor John Fisher, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds and Leeds and Partners Board Member; Tony Hallwood, Aviation Development and Marketing Director of Leeds Bradford International Airport; Gerald Jennings, Portfolio Director of Land Securities; Hilary Benn, Leeds Central MP. “I’m really looking forward to taking part in the Leeds City Summit Panel during Leeds Business Week, to showcase what the city has to offer. At Leeds and Partners, we constantly strive to raise the profile of the city as a leading destination for inward investment, business and leisure tourism. Leeds Business Week is the perfect platform to show people that the city really is a great place to live and do business in.”

Andy Clarke - Chairman, Leeds and Partners and President & CEO, Asda Stores Ltd.

Event Sponsors:

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SPECIAL FEATURE | AUTUMN 13

INSIGHT

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Mitigating business risks in a digital era Digital media has helped kick start many small enterprises. But as much as it can be an ally it can also pose a major business risk Yorkshire IoD has partnered with Leeds Business Week and is using it as a launch pad for the hugely successful Business Bite programme in West Yorkshire, to tackle the issue of digital media.

Safeguarding your business against digital risk will look at the real and imagined threats from digital and social media with George Hall from Jermyn Consulting and Sara Ludlam from Leeds based corporate lawyers Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley.

Starting at 5.30pm on Monday September 23 at the Rose Bowl, the two hour bite-sized learning session marries industry experts and academics to find out about and debate the issues which can affect their organisations.

In keeping with the theme of Day 1 of Leeds Business Week, industry expert, George Hall of Jermyn Consulting will force business leaders to face the reality that their low cost IT storage may be leaving their business at risk.

George runs one of the UK’s top business risk and information security consultancies advising major IT businesses and leading universities on how to safeguard data. He will analyse how the use of publicly available cloud storage for keeping sensitive data leaves many companies at risk.

Discussing issues of confidentiality, availability of space and what could happen if it all went wrong he will provide real insight and offer alternatives means of protecting data.

Sara Ludlam advises clients and ensures they understand what they can and cannot use from the web and also how their own information is at risk.

She will aim to clear up the misunderstandings regarding what is “free” to use and try to clarify the differences in terms such as “in the public domain” when talking about information available on the internet

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Gary Hetherington

This is the Wild West as one client said to me this morning - tracking fraudsters and taking action against them can be very difficult if not impossible compared to “royalty free” and “open source” which may allow use of certain copyright works.

Sara will also tackle topics including on-line fraud and stealing of website and company identities.

“This is the Wild West as one client said to me this morning - tracking fraudsters and taking action against them can be very

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difficult if not impossible,” she said.

If it all sounds as though it belongs to another world, join George and Sara and West Yorkshire IoD at the Rose Bowl to demystify the myths and understand how you can protect your own organisation.

Gary Hetherington is one of the world’s leading sports business directors. He took over Leeds Rugby at a time when it was in the doldrums on the pitch and in the boardroom.

The turnround has been dramatic.

The team has won numerous honours including the World Series Championships and the Superleague. Significantly he has introduced the same high level of commitment and professionalism to the boardroom, driving through change that has secured the organisation’s off pitch financial future.

On Thursday September 26 at Headingley Carnegie he will share his method of working, the discipline he instilled at Leeds and the way that model has been adopted by other sports organisations and how it can be translated to every boardroom, no matter what business you are in.

The breakfast will provide a fascinating insight into organisational change and offer inspiration while giving delegates the chance to network in one of the UK’s top arenas for success. n Starting at 7.30am the breakfast will close at 9.30am for effective diary management.

To book either event visit www.iod.com/yorkshireevents or telephone Susanne Foxley on 0113 243 0152 Contact for further comments or to arrange interviews: Carmel Harrison 07714 708 271 Carmel.harrison@ch-communications.com

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COMPANY PROFILE

Yorkshire and the Humber Institute of Directors - the guiding light for business leaders The work of the Institute of Directors – and specifically its fast-growing Yorkshire and Humber region – will come under the spotlight during Leeds Business Week.

Yorkshire and The Humber IoD is committed to supporting its members through two key planks of director development and lobbying.

As the premier business lobbying group in the UK, Yorkshire and the Humber IoD is determined to develop strong links with decision makers at every level and contributes to the Local Enterprise Partnerships.

IoD members have been asked for their opinion on a diverse range of topics that have been fed back to both regional administration centres and Westminster to help formulate policy on matters which directly affect business and growth.

In the same way decision makers have sought the opinion and insight of members of the IoD through formal and informal structures such as surveys and events encouraging open and honest debate.

IoD branches across Yorkshire have attracted speakers including Lord Green the Trade and Industry Minister who spoke to 100 members and non members about the importance of international trade and encouraged them to start their own personal export journey.

Similarly, Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls addressed members in Wakefield recently to outline his strategy for growth and answer questions while asking them about the issues which affected their businesses.

Smart and effective business leaders understand they must continue their development and learning journey if they are to grow their organisations.

The IoD is the first choice provider for director learning through its Certificate and Diploma courses which lead to Chartered Director status.

Leeds Metropolitan University is the IoD’s learning

Suzy Brain England, Regional Director, IoD

partner in Yorkshire and during 2014 will support the Business Bite and Masterclass programmes that have already been a success in East Yorkshire and The Humber.

Short sessions of real learning encourage business leaders to enrol for accredited courses which can help develop their business in strategic planning, marketing, financial awareness and knowledge of their roles and responsibilities as a director, critical in an environment of scrutiny and legislation.

The inaugural West Yorkshire Business Bite will be held at Leeds Metropolitan University during Leeds Business Week at the Rose Bowl on Monday September 23 at 5.30pm. Full details on www.iod.com/yorkshireevents.

As the premier business lobbying organisation in Yorkshire the IoD is keen to find those who aspire to be winners through its Director of the Year awards 2014.

In 2014 the event will be held at the Queen’s Hotel on May 1 at a breakfast event which will enable

As the premier business lobbying group in the UK, Yorkshire and the Humber IoD, is determined to develop strong links with decision makers at every level and contributes to the Local Enterprise Partnerships

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business leaders to celebrate the best of Yorkshire business achievement and still get a full day’s work done.

Applications from members and non members are invited in six categories. These are: Young Director, SME Director, Public Sector Director, Large Company Director, Entrepreneur, and Non Exec Director. To apply visit www.iod.com/yorkshiredotya2014.

You can also buy tickets for the breakfast celebration by visiting www.iod.com/yorkshireevents.

Previous winners have testified how entering helped them focus on their business and its achievements; being short listed helped raise their profile within their peer groups while winners said it helped their businesses grow and spurred them to take their organisations to the next level.

Membership brings with it a number of advantages.

• You will become part of the UK’s largest and oldest membership organisation for directors and professional leaders • You will have the opportunity to meet and network with 36,000 members across the UK • You will be part of a respected and influential body • You will benefit from advice, guidance and support gained from over 100 years of business experience • You will have joined an organisation which is acknowledged world-wide as a leader in business and corporate governance.

Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. @IoDYorkshire

www.iod.com/yorkshire Email: iod.yorkshire@iod.com Tel: 0113 243 0152

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Employers must prepare for automatic enrolment of pensions now, says Easby Gale & Phillipson’s Paul Reeves You’ve probably already seen or heard one of the many “Workplace Pensions: We’re all in” adverts, which are appearing on TV and radio at the moment. The adverts are part of a national auto-enrolment initiative, which aims to ensure all UK employers are able to offer a workplace pension, and automatically enrol their workers into it, by 2018. Although we’re only a few months in to this five year workplace pensions roll-out plan, the Department for Work and Pensions is already estimating that over one million people have already joined company pension schemes as a result of the auto-enrolment initiative. As an employer, you will need to understand your automatic enrolment duties, the impact on your business and the changes you’ll have to make. There are requirements for employers before, during and after automatic enrolment and heavy penalties for non-compliance, which can all bring an additional burden on

the resource and time of the member of staff acting as your pension scheme administrator.

As an employer, these are the three main points to consider: • The issue of compliance - Irrespective of how many people a business employs, doing nothing is not an option.

• The administrative burden - especially for employers with a high staff turnover.

• Cash-flow considerations - perhaps not immediately, but for many employers adding typically 4% to payroll costs by 2018 (plus the cost of administration) will be significant.

Starting with larger employers, medium sized employers (50-249 employees) will have to start complying from April 2014 and employers with 49 or fewer staff will start to fall into the net from June 2015. To begin with, the contribution levels required by auto-enrolment will be relatively low,

starting at typically 2% of an employee’s pay (with the contribution split equally between the employer and the employee). But the minimum contribution rises quickly, so that from October 2018 it is typically 8% of an employee’s pay. If you haven’t already, it’s worth looking on The Pensions Regulator website to find out when your staging date is. This is the date the new automatic enrolment duties come into force for your business, and most importantly, it’s the date this becomes a legal requirement for you. Even if you have an existing staff pension scheme in place, you’ll need to review your current pension arrangement to see if it qualifies as an automatic enrolment scheme, as it may need to be amended to meet the criteria for a qualifying scheme under the new law.

Don’t under-estimate the steps involved and the timescales required to sort everything out in that time.

Developing a competitive advantage: Help at hand for Yorkshire and Humber businesses The University of York has teamed up with the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce to deliver a series of short courses aimed at equipping local businesses with the skills they need to succeed. Under the new initiative, discounts of up to 60% are available to Chamber members and Yorkshire and Humber-based businesses with fewer than 250 employees, allowing local businesses of all sizes to access quality training on their doorstep.

The half-day and one-day courses starting in September, which include negotiation skills, social media and developing a successful bidding process, will be delivered by Associates with the University’s Corporate Training Unit all experienced industry professionals.

The courses, which also include developing and leading teams, and advanced marketing, were developed in response to a survey which asked

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local businesses about their training needs and priorities.

Amanda Selvaratnam, Head of Continuing Professional Development at the University of York, said: “This is an exciting new initiative which allows us to reach out to more local companies with professional training that can make a real and measurable difference to their business, helping them to develop a competitive advantage.

“We are particularly keen to engage with more small and medium-sized businesses from across the region and to help them to develop their strategic and practical skills.”

Len Cruddas, chief executive of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber, said: “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the University of York. The new courses complement our current training provision

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and we would encourage members to review the skills of their people, particularly as the economy shows signs of improving, enabling them to gear up for future growth.”

For those wishing to gain a qualification, many of the University of York training courses for business are accredited by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

By completing the appropriate courses and assessment, delegates can achieve a full level 5 certificate. Each year Associates and University academics run more than 300 Continuing Professional Development courses, training around 2,000 people. All the short business courses will be held on the University’s new £750m Heslington East campus extension. n To book a place or find out more, visit www.york.ac.uk/shortcourses, email cpd@york.ac.uk or phone 01904 435 213

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INSIGHT

Tweet in haste... repent at leisure Too many tweets can lead to a nasty publicity spat, as law firm Lupton Lee & Priestley explains It seems that no event of any importance can escape a social networking scandal, and the recent death of Baroness Thatcher is no exception. Step into the limelight Sgt. Jeremy Scott, a Metropolitan Police officer who tweeted remarks celebrating her death, which the Daily Mail got hold of and turned into a front page story. Sgt. Scott then resigned and the Met released a statement deploring his remarks and saying it was right and proper that he resigned, leaving a strong suggestion that had he not resigned he would have faced disciplinary action for bringing the force into disrepute.

This amazingly was the eighth such resignation from the Met in the last five years brought about by a social networking scandal not to

mention seven straight dismissals for social networking issues.

This case comes hot on the heels of Paris Brown the 17 year old Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, who had to resign after the Mail on Sunday published tweets she had made before she took up the position, which her boss Ann Barnes admitted were “rude, offensive, unpleasant and unacceptable”.

Barnes tried to stand by her young charge but once the power of the national press is let loose heads have a habit of rolling, as Miss Brown and Sgt. Scott found out to their cost.

Your social networking history is published to the world and can come back to haunt you. It is all very well to restrict comments to “friends”. However, “friends” have a habit

of falling out and doing strange things like passing comments to the press. Both these tales are salutary reminders that employers should have robust social networking policies in place. These should be linked to your disciplinary process and should have clear rules about posting offensive comments which could be traced back to your business.

Employees should also be aware that posting derogatory comments about their employer could result in disciplinary action. n For further help or advice on any employment law issue, please contact Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley’s expert Diarmuid Deeney on 0114 252 1098 or diarmuid.deeney@lf-lp.com

Social media requires engagement not just presence, argues Darren Wiseman With any marketing strategy, you need to know what your objectives are, to be able to justify your budgets and turn a profit.

Lots of companies forget that Social Media is a great way to engage with not only new and potential clients, but is a fantastic way to re-engage with existing ones to drive sales both to and from offline. Here are a few ways that Social Media can be applied for profit.

Working with a café which had a good following on Facebook, by posting a “buy one get one free voucher for a coffee” things started to happen and this approach became integral for increasing sales at quiet times. Not only did people take up the offer, but usually brought a friend and had a cake to go with their coffee and chat.

A butcher with two shops, put prominent signs up in store and hundreds of the existing clients started to follow them on Facebook. Through regular “Facebook only offers” being promoted

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to collect at the shop they were able to bring back those existing customers, along with new ones. This was as a result of the buyers commenting on the great deals. Then their friends saw this and bought too (social proof), not only driving repeat sales but attaining new clients. With a typical average spend of £20 a week a new client can be worth £1,000 a year to the butcher not counting Christmas buys, ROI is very favourable if you know your numbers. Using Twitter for coupons or new product releases can generate great business; Dell announced in 2009 on the New York Times Blog that from 2007 to 2009 alone they made $3 million in sales using that technique and another $1 million through people clicking on to web site offers on top. You too could offer vouchers etc. to come in store, buy online at a discount, the possibilities are endless.

Speaking for the CIM at Manchester University in 2012, alongside Sage and O2, a co speaker

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told me how a former company he worked for had used LinkedIn and Twitter to successfully land a multimillion pound software contract.

By researching in industry journals they identified companies with budgets to invest in infrastructure and software. As a team they followed and connected with the business managers, decision makers and team of the target company. Then watched, listened and learned about them through social media.

This allowed them to understand issues the company were coming up against and used social media to compliment their offline marketing and reinforce their ability to supply the required solution. He was sure that without the use of social media they would not have secured the contract. n Darren Wiseman runs social accelerator with Sally Trousdale in York. www.socialaccelerator.co.uk

SPECIAL FEATURE | AUTUMN 13

SUMMARY

AUTUMN 13

Plenty of reasons for optimism Our ability to meet whatever economic challenges are thrown at us is something we’re very proud of here in Leeds, writes Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council.

The enterprising resilience of the people and the city go right back to our history as the “city of a thousand trades” which attracted people like Michael Marks, Thomas Spencer, Montague Burton and their like to trade in Leeds. Make no mistake, like the rest of the country, these are testing times for the city and its residents. They are also a huge challenge for Leeds City Council which is going through the kind of upheaval and fundamental change that manufacturing experienced in the last two decades. But despite unprecedented savings being made in our budget, the Council has been more determined than ever to play our part in helping businesses thrive. The fortunes of business and the Council are intrinsically linked, not least because local services are paid for via business rates and council tax.

We’ve already seen some huge success stories come to fruition this year; a year which has continued to see us buck both national development and retail trends. September saw the opening of the spectacular new first direct Leeds Arena, our world class music venue which has already hosted Bruce Spingsteen and Elton John. The flagship Trinity Leeds retail development opened in March and recently welcomed its ten millionth customer, further enhancing the city’s already impressive retail offering.

The upcoming Victoria Gate scheme is set to welcome John Lewis to Leeds, the Merrion Centre is being redeveloped and the Council is investing in the famous Kirkgate market where Marks and Spencer opened their penny bazaar. We’re working hard with our Leeds city region partners to establish the biggest Enterprise Zone in Europe in the Aire Valley and Leeds and Partners are securing jobs and investment for the city. Yorkshire Building Society, Plusnet, the College of Law and a growing number of others have chosen Leeds for expansion recently. There’s more to come in 2014, not least the World’s largest annual sporting event the Grand Depart of the Tour de France. We’re consulting on supporting the growth of 70,000 new homes over the next 20 years - building homes in deprived areas and helping first-time buyers on to the property ladder through an innovative partnership with the Leeds Building Society. We’re giving residents access to superfast broadband and we’re also working to modernise our transport infrastructure, with plans ongoing to build and establish our New Generation Transport system and upgrade Leeds Train Station.

But it’s the people of Leeds that are our most important asset, and at the heart of all our initiatives, both now and in the future, will be making sure this is a city where people live better, longer, more fulfilling lives. A healthy economy needs a thriving and skilled workforce, and a vital part of that involves us tackling poverty and deprivation, helping people out of financial hardship and getting them into jobs, training and employment, all of which will have inevitable benefits for local businesses. n Come along to Leeds Business Week and help us give a future to

SPECIAL FEATURE | AUTUMN 13

young people. Find out more at www.leeds.gov.uk/business The Leeds City Summit 27 SepTember At The Carriageworks, 3 Millennium Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 3AD, hosted by: The Yorkshire Mafia. Time: 10:00 to 11.30am.

Bringing together leaders from key stakeholder bodies in the city for a Question Time-style Q&A discussion with an audience of business owners.

ON THE PANEL • Andy Clarke, President & CEO of Asda Stores Ltd and Chair of Leeds and Partners • Professor John Fisher, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds and Leeds and Partners Board Member • Tom Riordan, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council • Gerald Jennings, Portfolio Director of Land Securities • Tony Hallwood, Aviation Development and Marketing Director of Leeds Bradford International Airport • Hilary Benn, Leeds Central MP Register your attendance now at http://leedsbizweek.com

Short courses for business Winning public sector tenders Thursday 10th October 9.30am - 4.30pm Negotiation skills Thursday 24th October 9.30am - 1.00pm Developing an effective social media strategy Tuesday 12th November 9.30am - 4.30pm Follow-up webinar 10th December 9.30am

Booking and course listings

available at www.york.ac .uk/ shortcourses

Improve your sales skills & win more business Thursday 28th November 9.30am - 4.30pm

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For more information visit www.york.ac.uk/cpd or call 01904 435102

developing your competitive advantage

11/09/2013 13:34

LEEDS BUSINESS WEEK

AUTUMN 13

EVENTS

Upcoming events at a glance Buro Happold & Leeds College of Building That! Building Modelling Information in Construction

Malmaison Leeds and find out how Teesside University can support your business and deliver measurable impact in terms of competitiveness, productivity, profitability and sustainability.

Date: Monday 23 September

De Vere Group – Networking Evening

Venue: The Leeds Club - The Northern Room

Date: Thursday 26 September

Address: 3 Albion Place, Leeds, LS1 6JL

Venue: Cuvee Leeds

Time: 12:00 – 12:45

Address: Waterman’s Place, Granary Wharf, Leeds, LS1 4GL

A seminar discussing how new technology, BIM, can be used to increase productivity and reduce risk in the construction industry. BIM is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. The resulting building information models become shared knowledge resources to support decision-making about a facility from earliest conceptual stages, through design and construction, through its operational life and eventual demolition.

Time: 17:00 - 19:00 An evening networking event centred around the importance of a good work / life balance and how essential good health & wellbeing is in balance with your working life. De Vere Oulton Hall, Village Leeds North & Village Leeds South will be hosting the event at Cuvee Leeds.

Crafthouse – Glorious Yorkshire Food Date: Tuesday 24 September Venue: Crafthouse Address: Level 5 Trinity Leeds, 70 Boar Lane, Leeds, LS1 6HW Times : 15:30 - 17:00

We mean business

The Executive Chef and suppliers will talk about the produce and its Yorkshire provenance. Delicious canapés will then be served along with Yorkshire beer tasters. This will be an interactive session with an opportunity to ask questions and find out why sourcing local produce & supporting local suppliers is important to our business.

Lloyds TSB – Assessing the Foundations of Recovery Date: Wednesday 25 September Venue: The Carriageworks - Room 2

Be inspired – contact us now

Address: 3 Millennium Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 3AD Time: 14:00 - 14:45

T: 01642 384068 E: business@tees.ac.uk tees.ac.uk/spark

Delivered by: Adam Chester, Head of UK Macroeconomic Research Register your attendance now at http://leedsbizweek.com

TeeS side University Date: Wednesday 25 September Venue: Malmaison Address: 1 Swinegate, Leeds LS1 4AG Time: 07:30 - 09:00 Are you looking for cutting-edge expertise to solve a business problem or implement strategic change? Do you need new skills and know-how to take your business to the next level? Join specialists for breakfast at the

LEEDS BUSINESS WEEK

A spark of inspiration

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SPECIAL FEATURE | AUTUMN 13

Business interests across Yorkshire, the North East, Scotland and the West Midlands?

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ISSUE TWENTY TWO: SUMMER 2013

LET’S CRACK CRIME Stopping corporate criminals in their tracks DOWN BUT NEVER OUT

Why taking the knocks and fighting on pays off

BROADENING HORIZONS

Maximising the opportunities of superfast broadband

PACKING A PUNCH

How a small force has delivered big things for Newcastle

DOUBLE AGENT The chameleon careerist with two vital missions on his hands

BUSINESS NEWS: COMMERCE: FASHION: INTERVIEWS: MOTORS: EVENTS

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FLYING THE FLAG Around the world with the colliery kings ROLLERCOASTER RIDE The theme park boss who wants to go faster ISSUE EIGHTEEN: AUTUMN 2013 YORKSHIRE EDITION

Providing the inside track on what drives leading businesses and business people, BQ offers a unique and refreshing mix of business news, commentary and profiles of the most inspirational entrepreneurs across Yorkshire, the North East, Scotland and the West Midlands. Published in four separate editions with content unique to each area, BQ aims to get to the heart and soul of business people to find out what drives, inspires and motivates them towards their ambitions.

Each quarter BQ also brings its readership a wealth of regional business intelligence and information, whilst looking ahead to forthcoming events and reporting on recent developments that will have a significant impact on the business landscape.

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ISSUE TWELVE: SUMMER 2013

PROFIT AND MOSS ACCOUNT Door is open for the right kind of deal VOICE OF AN ANGEL Investor making a difference

LIVE DEBATE Getting serious about giving

VISIONARY DEVELOPER Long and wynding roads

HEALTHY OUTLOOK

SOMETHING BREWING An old county brand gets better with age

Swiss businessman Martin Velasco’s healthier world vision

INNES BOOK OF RECORDS

TOP DRAW

Amor Group tuned up for a challenge

BUSINESS NEWS: COMMERCE: FASHION: INTERVIEWS: MOTORS: EVENTS

Cartoon man’s vision for big screen success BUSINESS NEWS: COMMERCE: FASHION: INTERVIEWS: MOTORS: EVENTS

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ISSUE THREE: AUTUMN 2013

WHEELS OF FORTUNE From back streets to a booming market

LIVE DEBATE Creating a future for our talented youth CARRYING ON REGARDLESS Property man’s long game reaps rewards SHINING EXAMPLE Silver linings amid the gloom

ISSUE THREE: AUTUMN 2013: WEST MIDLANDS EDITION

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There are a number of subscription packages available to ensure best value for you and your business.

SUPRA HERO The rapid rise of a true pioneer

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To place your order visit www.bq-magazine.co.uk/subscribe BQ is no ordinary business publication. With unique content and a style determinedly its own, its aim is to inspire, enlighten and empower, embracing and reporting business success wherever it is found. Order your copies today to ensure you don’t miss out.