The Business Network Birmingham December 2023 Digital Newsletter

BUSINESS NETWORK BIRMINGHAM

NEWSLETTER Issue 003

December 2023

Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas...

Amazingly another year has flown by and we head into the festive season. Where does the time go?

In our final newsletter of 2023, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope that you enjoy the celebrations this month. All members of the network work extremely hard throughout the year and deserve to take a well earned break to spend quality time with family and friends during December.

Have a wonderful break and thank you for your enthusiasm and support.

November Networking Thank you to everyone who attended our November lunch. It was yet another busy event with just under 50 senior contacts attending.

Many thanks to Todd from Spaghetti Agency for his excellent seminar entitled “Understanding The Power Of Social Media Consistency”. As ever Todd’s seminar was really well received by those who attended and was packed with great tips.

Forthcoming Lunch Event Dates

Thursday 7th December 12.00pm - 2.30pm

Thursday 18th January 12.00pm - 2.00pm

Thursday 15th February 12.00pm - 2.00pm

All Events Will Be Held At Edgaston Stadium

December Festive Entertainment Mysterious Magic To Dazzle & Amaze You Neil Edwards From Elegant Magic Every year at our December Festive Event we enjoy some fabulous, fun entertainment. And this year is no different. Sit back after lunch, relax and enjoy the incredible magic performed by Business Network member Neil Edwards from Elegant Magic. As always Neil will leave you baffled, amazing and in awe of his mind-blowing magic. Its not to be missed..!!

www.business-network-birmingham.co.uk

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Meet The Members: Martin Hill from Sandler Training Name: Martin Hill Position: Managing Director Company: Sandler Training West Midlands Sector: Training & Development Services Member Since: July 2022 Based: Redditch, Worcestershire Contact Number: 07982 248462 Description: Clients Work With Us To Grow Their Business Building Winning Sales Teams & Better Sales Management

www.westmidlands.sandler.com

Celebrating 125 Years - Miele One of The Business Network Birmingham's’ newest members is celebrating an amazing 125 years trading.

As a family company now run by its fourth generation, Miele remains true to its responsibility to its products and processes, its employees and business partners and towards conserving natural resources.

This is reflected in the materials they choose as well as in the design and production of their machines.

All of their customers benefit from innovations 'Made in Germany' which set standards throughout the industry, as well as from award winning product design for ergonomics and functionality, all benefiting from low consumption and running costs.

You have the reassurance that Miele Professional develops the best and most inspiring solutions for their customers. Their guiding principle of 'Immer Besser' has been at their core for the last 125 years and continues to be at the heart of what they do, ensuring reliability and quality for all of their solutions.

Find out how Miele Professional can benefit your business www.miele.co.uk/p/

www.business-network-birmingham.co.uk

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Merry Christmas To All Our Members Welcome To Our Newest Members: A very warm welcome to our newest members of The Business Network Birmingham.

On Poynt Creative - Dan Poynton An Award-Winning Graphic Design & Branding Agency Based In Leicester Tel: 0116 2533457 www.onpoyntcreative.com

Miele - Charles Robards Premium Laundry, Dishwashing & Ironing Equipment - Care, Hospitality, Dental, Veterinary, Marine Tel: 01235 233523 www.miele.co.uk/p/

Thank You To Our Renewing Members: A big thank you to our members of The Business Network Birmingham renewing for another year.

MSH Support - Mathew Setchell Professional, Proactive IT Support For A More Efficient Business Tel: 07375 497173 www.mshgroup.co.uk

Hypnos Contract Beds - Max Wood-Ives Manufacture Market Leading Beds, Headboards, Sofa Beds For Hotels, Apartments & Student Accommodation Tel: 01332 497111 www.hypnoscontractbeds.com

IT Made Simple Ltd - Chris Hodgkiss Preventing You From Being The Next Victim Of Cyber-Crime Tel: 0121 8228686 www.it-madesimple.uk

www.business-network-birmingham.co.uk

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Networking Tip Of The Month: Speak To A Stranger During the open networking make a point of speaking to someone you don’t know. We all like our comfort zones, and it’s easy to talk to people we know every month. Instead look for someone you haven't met before, go over, smile and say hello. It really is as easy as that...!!

Festive Christmas Event - Thursday 7th December It’s almost the end of another year, and at The Business Network Birmingham we always finish with a bang at our December Festive Event. In addition to the normal high-quality networking, we enjoy some festive fun in the final hour to end the year. We finish 30 minutes later at 2.30pm.

We begin the fun with some magical entertainment from amazing network member Neil Edwards from Elegant Magic. John Street, founder of our Charity Of The Year - free@last will speak before our annual Christmas Charity Draw with every penny raised going to the charity.

Please bring a prize for the draw and £10.00 cash plus your business card to enter. If everyone brings a prize, then everyone will win a prize (suggestions include chocolates, wine, bubbly and other fun stuff....)

Key Points To Remember:

No seminar, 12 noon - 2.30pm, normal event until 1.30pm, festive menu.

Please bring a prize for the draw & £10 cash Final hour includes magical entertainment by our amazing magician Neil Edwards and our annual Christmas Charity Draw in aid of free@last.

Gallery - November 2023 Lunch Thank you to our official photographer, Steven Havers from Havers Business Photography for the excellent images of our events - www.haversbusinessphotography.com

www.business-network-birmingham.co.uk

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Success Story: Network Member Lilac Howell Help Mitie Secure £280m Long-Term Contract We’re always delighted to hear when one of our members has a success story to tell, whether or not it’s through contacts made in the network. It often highlights the quality of the service being provided by our member and their level of expertise.

This month Anthony Howell from Lilac Howell has given us his first hand account of the work they recently carried out for Mitie, and how it helped his client secure a multi-million pound contract.

Anthony writes: “In June 2022, we travelled to London to discuss producing a film. The brief was a simple one. Network Rail, one of MITIE’s most valuable clients, had put their IFM contract up for tender; a contract Mitie had held for the last 10 years and were keen to retain. How were we going to convince Network Rail, using the persuasive power of film, that MITIE had the right blend of services and approach that would secure this important contract?”

“The feeling was, that despite everything MITIE did on behalf of Network Rail, the latter didn’t fully appreciate what the former did for it across its managed stations in the UK. This quickly became the theme – do you actually know what we do for you and also, what we could also do as part of a new contract?

We set about writing a compelling narrative, in partnership with David and his team and scoping out a powerful storyboard. Filming took place over 3 days in London and the South East, starting at Kings Cross station, in September 2022.

The story was squarely focused on showcasing everything MITIE do on behalf of Network Rail and potentially, what additional services could be included as part of any new contract. From professional cleaning and maintenance of stations, and commercial premises…”

“The film was edited and completed in October and MITIE first aired it….and used it extensively across all its social media platforms and at events they hosted and attended.

The belief within MITIE was that it definitely got the right message out there.

In January 2023, it formed part of the official response to the Network Rail tender. In June 2023, MITIE were informed that they’d been successful in its efforts to retain this valuable contract.

A contract that would start on October 1st, 2023, for four years, with an option to extend for another year, worth £280m.”

At Lilac Howell, we believe in the power of film to reach a wider audience quicker and with greater cut-through than more traditional methods of communication. Film is memorable, engaging and above all, impactful. MITIE clearly think so. So, if your business wants to be heard amidst all the noise, we can help you harness the persuasive power of film in your communications.”

“Without doubt, this film had a significant influence on the outcome of this very important tender. From initial concept to final edit, and everything in between, Ant, Steve and all the team at Lilac were exceptional.”

Kelly Parish, Strategic Account Director, Business Services, Mitie

www.business-network-birmingham.co.uk

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Focus On Our Charity Of The Year: free@last Our amazing Charity Of The Year for 2023 has been free@last founded and run by the energetic and inspirational John Street. The focus of our December Festive Lunch is to highlight the incredible work done by John and his team in Nechells, and to raise some valuable funds via our annual Christmas Charity Draw. Thank you in advance to everyone for participating. free@last is committed to providing opportunities, activities, mentoring and support for children and young people in Nechells, and to further their interests by working with their families, other agencies and relevant professionals.

Below are a number of current ways you can support John and our amazing Charity Of The Year

Big Build Ball 2024 – it would be nice to have a Business Network table

😉

Oddball Run 2024 – 2 day fancy dress car challenge.

Join Club 3000 – Support free@last financially by joining our monthly giving Club 3000. Individual membership is £10 per month, and business membership is £30 per month.

Do you enjoy running, inflatable challenges or bungee jumps? Well, why not enjoy these activities whilst raising money for free@last. www.runforcharity.com/charity/freelast to see what events you can access around the UK and Europe.

www.business-network-birmingham.co.uk