Member News

Traditional QR (quick response) codes have had mixed reviews since rising to fame in modern day advertising. Haunting our streets, magazines and everything in-between, some people like them, many ignore them and others mistrust them. The question is: are the 2D black and white cubes taking over our cities due for a re-think?

Customised & Colourful

Customised QR codes, a creative and colourful adaptation of the original QR code, help achieve a much better link-through rate than traditional codes. Colour and branding beats the ‘everyone’s got one’ look and gives scanners a much better indication of where the link is leading to. Customised QR codes also look a hundred times better within advertising – especially when colour and design integrates with the look and feel of a campaign.

Despite this, pitching any sort of QR codes has been a challenge in a market rife with uncertainty, mixed awareness and negative PR (widespread stories of hoax codes linking to computer viruses for example).

Better, Faster, Stronger?

In response to the QR code situation, several experts and tech-giants Samsung are paying close attention to an alternative: NFC (Near Field Communication) to rival QR codes.

Technologically superior, NFC is hot-topic right now among tech-circles and is demanding to be noticed.Superior – yes but there’s still the problem of education. In terms of consumers knowing what it does and what is can do for business.

NFC wins on so many levels.Your QR code has a number of standard mobile challenges. Not all mobiles have inbuilt scanners and your consumer may well be challenged with ‘one step too far’ by not immediately being able to scan your carefully designed custom code with their phones’ scanner. Until all smartphones have a scanner feature, sadly you will always be up against it on this one.

Enter the NFC tag. It looks like nothing else, comes with a short call to action (‘Tap Here’) and once you’ve tapped sends you to a destination associated with the original information.

From a marketing perspective it’s brilliant and for an on-going basis – a cost saver.

~ You’re reading a promotional poster and NFC takes you to a promo video ~ You’re at a meeting and NFC lets you download an event guide ~ You’re at a railway station and NFC rings the local taxi service

There are endless possibilities. The user doesn’t have to search for info. No more wasted print costs. There’s an immediate two-way gratification – information shared and received. It’s win-win.

With the technology improving by the day, NFC has the power to connect the public and for businesses to employ a quicker, more cost effective means of providing the customer with the information they are keen to share.

Whatever you want to share with your customer, NFC can make it easier, quicker and cheaper. Tap your business into the power of NFC.

For more information on how NFC can work for YOUR business, please visit our site here

It’s official – We are now a fully-fledged BEST WESTERN Hotel

You can see the signs… no literally! We now have all of our brand new signage up outside the Hotel for all to see that we are a proud member of the Best Western Group, the new signage has given a lift to the exterior of the Hotel and gives that extra sense of reassurance of the quality of our Hotel and high standards.

As you may or may not know, to become a part of the Best Western family there are lots of standards that we have to meet, quality, training and products all need to meet the BW criteria and we did it! We passed the scrupulous checks with flying colours!

You can now benefit from great things when you choose the BEST WESTERN Brook Hotel

• Free Parking
• Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel bedrooms, conference suites and public areas
• Complimentary use of our resident gym
• Best Western Rewards – collect points each time you stay and dine to use on free breaks and meals at ANY Best Western worldwide!
• Complimentary upgrades when you sign up to Best Western Rewards
• Business Account scheme
• Corporate Rates
• Leisure Breaks – at least 10% discount when you book at least 2 nights
• Family Friendly schemes
• Fantastic, friendly staff so you will always receive a warm welcome and service with a smile!

Best Western Brook Hotel has 81 en-suite spacious bedrooms including a Luxury VIP Suite, Bar with 24 hour service for residents, Classic dining in our Brasserie Restaurant, Coffee Lounge, Bar with Sky TV and a fantastic location being just a few minutes drive from the A47, 10 minutes drive from the city centre and also Norwich International Airport.

Best Western Brook are increasing occupancy and rates for their bedroom bookings and getting more and more people coming in for meals, weddings and events which has meant increasing the staffing levels across the Hotel employing staff and there are still growths to come.

Bonding with the locals… The Hotel welcomes non-residents for drinks in the bar, meals in the restaurant and coffees in the lounge. Also developing closer working relationships with local businesses such as Lintott Control Systems, Kettle Foods and Norfolk Fire & Rescue on the business estate and across to the Airport Industrial Estate.

Whilst it seems that Summer has only just arrived we are already taking bookings for Christmas with Festive Menus available from £12.95 in our Restaurant, Classic Dinner Dances from £19.95, Corporate Party Packages from £15.00 and for a New Year’s Eve to remember celebrate in style with an arrival drink, fantastic four course meal all in our Filby Suite seeing in the New Year and beyond till the early hours.

If you would like to find out more details on the Hotel you can pop in anytime or call the team on 01603 741161, they are a friendly bunch and will be happy to assist you with anything you need, any time of the day

Specialised Management Services Ltd (SMS) announces that they have successfully delivered a topside control systems package for the Panyu Field in record time by accelerating the manufacturing time by 4 weeks to meet the client’s fast-track delivery request.

Through expert knowledge of hydraulic control systems and strong project management experience, SMS were able to decrease lead-time by increasing their pool of labour, working additional shifts and expediting suppliers for improved delivery times; this in turn guaranteed the tight schedule could be accomplished, providing the client reassurance, along with exceptional customer service.

The contract was awarded by OneSubsea GmbH (Formerly known as Cameron GmbH) in September 2012 and consisted of 2 Topside Umbilical Termination Units (TUTUs) and a production Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) for installation on the Panyu 34-1 platform. The Panyu Field is located in the South China Sea approximately 200km south of Hong Kong in the Pearl River Basin.

Dave Howlett, General Manager of SMS, comments ‘SMS has built a strong relationship with OneSubsea and has worked with them for the past 5 years with year on year growth. The development of this relationship has been underpinned by the hard work of the SMS team and great communication between the two companies.’

SMS previously supplied the South China Sea region when OneSubsea awarded a contract for a topside controls package consisting of 2 off TUTUs a HPU and a Testing and Flushing HPU for the Liwan 3-1 platform in the Liwan field located about 300km southeast of Hong Kong in March 2011.

The systems were designed, manufactured and tested at SMS’s Great Yarmouth facilities.

On Friday 5th July 2013 Emkay went along to Silverstone to the second day of the Formula Student competition. We have supported Formula Student entrants for the past ten years offering them sponsorship to help them get their car designs onto the race track!

Take a look at our Facebook page to see the photos of our day!

Check out our photos from our Formula Student 2013 Silverstone Visithttps://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.480218818736829.1073741831.120…

NORWICH, Thursday 4th July 2013 – Norwich Airport Passenger Action Group (NAPAG) goes live

Richard Barker, Chairman of the Norwich Airport Passenger Action Group is delighted to announce that their activities have ‘gone live’ with the launch of a new website to facilitate improved communication between the group and Norwich International Airport passengers.

Additionally the group has recently installed informative notice boards within the airport terminal building to increase passenger awareness and, highlight the group’s purpose, findings and achievements to date and encourage passenger feedback.

Whilst wholly independent of the airport, the group is in regular communication with the airport management team to collectively consider steps that can or should be taken to improve or enhance existing standards and services and also discuss issues such as flight schedules and new destination opportunities. However, what had been lacking until now was the ability to effectively communicate actions and progress with passengers.

In 2012 the Group undertook a survey of passengers and are repeating this process on an annual basis, not only as a further line of communication but also to build up comparative records upon which to act – the results of the survey, conducted on one day in June last year, can now be seen on the website and notice boards. Of the 367 passengers who took part, the vast majority considered their airport experience to be excellent, good or satisfactory. Areas for improvement were also identified and completed actions from these include improved retail offering in the terminal, improved signage throughout the airport and the installation of a covered shelter for arriving passengers ensuring they remain dry in the wettest of conditions.

Richard Barker urges passengers to get involved with the group, via its website, by e-mail, by responding to the questionnaire or via comment pages available at one of the notice boards. “Help us help you” urges Richard Barker on behalf of the group. “We are solely here for the benefit of passengers and because we believe passionately in this significant regional asset, we believe it is in everyone’s interests to seek to improve it still further so that it provides a service which can be said to be not just satisfactory, nor good, but excellent. This is our aim and by working together and listening to what the passengers tells us, the group hopes to emulate that ideal”.

-Ends-

Notes to editor:

The Norwich Airport Passenger Action Group (NAPAG) was founded in 2011 as an independent body whose aim is to improve the passenger experience at Norwich International Airport.

The Group is chaired by Richard Barker, a Suffolk-based solicitor who has been a frequent flier to worldwide destinations from Norwich International for many years. The group is comprised of regular travellers from Norwich International and all members give their time voluntarily.

The Group is independent of, but is recognised by, the Airport and holds several meetings a year with senior management to advise on areas in which the passenger experience can be improved or enhanced.

Contact details:

Richard Barker Debbie Edwards NAPAG chairman Norwich Airport (Marketing)debbie.barton@barkergotelee.co.uk marketing@norwichinternational.com 01473 611211 01603 420650 / 01603 4288

We would like to invite Norfolk Chamber Members to join us at our next seminar :-

Friday, 12 July 2013 – 8:45am to 10:30am

Norwich Seminar – Friday 12th July 2013

Investment: Managing Risk in the New World Order

We’ll be running two sessions, one at 9.00 and another at 12.30 – each will qualify for 1 ½ hours of CPD for both Solicitors & Accountants.

Places are limited so please confirm your place at www.chadwicks.co.uk or call me on 01603 251687

Of value to both professional advisers and private clients, our seminars aim to give you a good introductory understanding of issues underpinning some of our more important financial decisions. The tone is relaxed but professional and discussion among the group is encouraged. Richards curiosity & passion makes a potentially humdrum subject engaging and thought provoking.

This month we are focussing on the financial crisis and how it exposed shortcomings in financial risk management. We will look at new approaches that build on the experience of the last few years and introduces behavioural finance as an explanation for some of the problems we have faced.

Starting by looking at how we make decisions, we will use a behavioural approach to explain common investment mistakes and how we can be better prepared to avoid them. We will also look at effective ways of using technical analysis to improve risk/return ratios before considering how we can apply this to reduce downside risk.

By the end of the session you will have a better understanding of your own investment decisions and share our healthy cynicism towards much of the fund management industry’s marketing hype!

We expect each seminar to last around an hour and a half with a further 30 minutes for questions and discussion. Chadwicks are approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as accredited CPD providers.

A light lunch or breakfast will be available.

The seminar is free of charge but places are limited.

The seminars are held at our offices where there is ample free parking.

For more details and to register please visit https://www.chadwicks.co.uk/contact-us/seminar-registration/ or call me on 01603 251687

Latest Job Vacancies: BEST WESTERN Brook Hotel are looking to recruit new team members to join their busy Hotel in the following areas…

Housekeeping – looking to recruit 2 room attendants on a permanent basis working anything from 9am to 4pm (sometimes earlier, depending on how busy the Hotel is) from 3 to 5 days a week including Saturdays. Experience preferred but not essential as full training will be given.

Bar – looking to recruit a part time bar attendant working flexible hours depending on the needs of the business so from 15 to 30 hours a week approx, includes evenings and weekends plus more hours could also be available for weddings and events at the Hotel. Restaurant – looking for full and part time waiting staff to join our friendly team, flexible hours including evenings and weekends

To apply for any of the above positions please send you CV and covering letter detailing which position you are interested in applying for to the Hotel at 2 Barnard Road, Norwich, NR5 9JB or email enquiries@brookhotel.co.uk

We would like to invite Norfolk Chamber Members to join us at our next seminar :-

Friday, 12 July 2013 – 8:45am to 10:30am

Norwich Seminar – Friday 12th July 2013

Investment: Managing Risk in the New World Order

We’ll be running two sessions, one at 9.00 and another at 12.30 – each will qualify for 1 ½ hours of CPD for both Solicitors & Accountants.

Places are limited so please confirm your place at www.chadwicks.co.uk or call me on 01603 251687

Of value to both professional advisers and private clients, our seminars aim to give you a good introductory understanding of issues underpinning some of our more important financial decisions. The tone is relaxed but professional and discussion among the group is encouraged. Richards curiosity & passion makes a potentially humdrum subject engaging and thought provoking.

This month we are focussing on the financial crisis and how it exposed shortcomings in financial risk management. We will look at new approaches that build on the experience of the last few years and introduces behavioural finance as an explanation for some of the problems we have faced.

Starting by looking at how we make decisions, we will use a behavioural approach to explain common investment mistakes and how we can be better prepared to avoid them. We will also look at effective ways of using technical analysis to improve risk/return ratios before considering how we can apply this to reduce downside risk.

By the end of the session you will have a better understanding of your own investment decisions and share our healthy cynicism towards much of the fund management industry’s marketing hype!

We expect each seminar to last around an hour and a half with a further 30 minutes for questions and discussion. Chadwicks are approved by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as accredited CPD providers.

A light lunch or breakfast will be available.

The seminar is free of charge but places are limited.

The seminars are held at our offices where there is ample free parking.

For more details and to register please visit https://www.chadwicks.co.uk/contact-us/seminar-registration/ or call me on 01603 251687

These days the majority of us are growing ever more conscious of the need to control our businesses better. Unfortunately, watching doesn’t always mean knowing.

Psychologists state there are 2 ways to watch something – ‘overtly’ and ‘covertly’. Research concludes that the winning modern businesses will be those who are transparent in both their purpose and their method in overt observation. In watching in the open, so everyone knows the who, what, when and why.

Taking this approach, why might you choose to track your people or your products?

There are obvious ones:

• Saving money on unnecessary worker or logistic costs
• Being billed for hours that haven’t actually occurred
• Knowing where and when your workers clock in and out
• Access to work records, tasks done and hours accrued
• Ease of reporting, pulling down information and collating time sheets
• Seamless integration with payroll systems
• As evidence for customers or clients paying for your service

They’ll be others of course depending on your industry, but proof of time and attendance systems are meeting a growing need to keep a tight rein on company finances. Those workers who resist or resent the integration of these systems might be seen to be those likely to abuse existing in-house systems that rely on trust.

Essentially, a business that integrates tracking saves money. When all is said and done, money that stays in the business means the business can stay in business, keep their staff and move forward.

If you’re left standing still by money lost in inefficient systems then that’s exactly what you’ll be left with – a business that stands still.

For more info on how NFC tracking can help YOUR business, click to view our site

Lucas Hickman Smith designed four affordable homes for Saffron Housing Trust at Colton near Marlingford. The site is on the southern edge of the village with views out across open countryside as it falls away to the Yare valley, and is also very prominent in the approach to the village from the south. The design took this view as its starting point.

The massing and broken roof line of the four houses are designed to emphasise a slight rise in the land on the approach along the Barford Road from the east, and the steep pitch ensures that the pan-tiled roofs are the dominant element in the composition when viewed across the fields from the south. Construction materials are locally appropriate – pan-tiles, red brick, black weather-boarding – but the buildings are clearly contemporary.

Detailed design for the project was led by LHS, working to Wellington Construction under a ‘design and build’ contract.

More info on our website here.

Ashton KCJ hosted its first Charity Golf Day at Weston Park Golf Club near Norwich on 19 June.

19 teams took part in the highly successful ‘Midsummer Golf Classic’, raising funds of just over £1,900 for three charities which Ashton KCJ is supporting through a Charity of the Year partnership – Nelson’s Journey, Macmillan and Magpas.

The event brought together a wide range of businesses and professionals from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The day included a 9 hole Texas Scramble and putting competition, followed by an 18 hole competition in the afternoon. The weather was unusually kind, and the players enjoyed a long sunny afternoon’s play on the excellently maintained course.

The winners of the 18 hole competition were HSBC, with Shorthose Russell taking second place and Churchgate Accountants coming in third.

In the evening, guests were treated to a three course dinner and prize giving ceremony, followed by a short presentation by Colin Lang, Chief Executive of Nelson’s Journey. The Norwich-based charity provides bereavement support to children and young people who have lost someone close to them, such as a parent or a sibling. We were also delighted to welcome Martin Goymer, who owns Weston Park, as a guest at the dinner.

Thanks go to everyone involved in helping to raise such a substantial amount of money and to Chris Ginn at BDO for his generous donation of a signed Nottinghamshire County cricket shirt as a raffle prize.

Following a strong third year of growth for Big Sky Additions we are very pleased to announce that we have secured the services of Tina Maguire.

Tina will be working in partnership with us continuing to provide an unrivalled level of industry knowledge and exposure to the Norfolk Accountancy market. Recruiting across all sectors at all levels from clerical to Senior Qualified both Temporary and Permanent staff we are a whole service specialist Accountancy Search & Selection Agency.