Lochaber Chamber of Commerce joins forces with The Oban Times to launch Ideas Week
LOCHABER Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce a media partnership with The Oban Times as a headline sponsor of Ideas Week 2016 and as the key partner for Around Lochaber in 80 Tables.
Lochaber Ideas Week is organised each year by Lochaber Chamber of Commerce to celebrate business, education and community through a gathering of exceptional talks, workshops, competitions, discussion and networking opportunities.
Ultimately, Lochaber Ideas Week is a catalyst to stimulate fresh initiatives and ventures, creating new connections and points of collaboration designed to enhance the area we live in.
Chris O’Brien, destination manger with Lochaber Chamber of Commerce, said: ‘ This is a fantastic partnership with a media organisation that is well placed to partner with us on our mission to promote collaboration among the Lochaber business community, and act as a voice for them on important issues locally and nationally.
‘ This association will also provide the perfect platform for Lochaber Chamber of Commerce to keep the Lochaber public well informed about The Outdoor Capital of the UK (OCUK)!
‘Under the OCUK brand we publicise, sponsor and promote Lochaber as a tourism destination. We do so through our website www.outdoor capital.co.uk and through a range of other collaborative marketing initiatives and activities. We promote Fort William and Lochaber as the best place in the UK for everyone to experience the outdoors with a view to developing local jobs and wealth and encouraging sustainable economic growth.’
Nicky Murphy, advertising director at The Oban Times, said: ‘I’m delighted that The Oban Times is playing a major part as headline sponsor and media partner for Ideas Week. This year looks to be the biggest yet and we are delighted to be able to support this fantastic opportunity and we look forward to helping deliver an incredibly successful Ideas Week that everyone in Lochaber can enjoy.’
Lochaber Ideas Week runs in par- allel with Global Entrepreneurship Week and Scotland’s Towns Week.
Attending Lochaber Ideas Week will allow participants to become part of a diverse community of practitioners from Lochaber, the Highlands and the UK. Lochaber Ideas Week offers a unique platform to share ideas, hear ideas on the next big projects in the Lochaber region and provides a multitude of opportunities. You won’t want to miss it.
This year’s programme, running from November 14-18, looks to be the best yet, with high-profile speakers, inspiring workshops, the return of Dragons’ Glen and much more. Around Lochaber in 80 Tables with The Oban Times – Speed Networking event. This is a lively, fast paced event brought to you by The Oban Times which is a lot of fun. Participants have brought business information, lots of good humour and a warm welcome to one another – and fancy dress at least once (thank you, BC Technologies).
Over the past three years Around Lochaber in 80 Tables has connected more than 200 businesses to new business contacts and contracts, and its past success has earned it a place in the 2016 Lochaber Ideas Week programme once again.
Networking can be one of the most powerful and productive activities an individual can do to launch and manage their career or business. Around Lochaber in 80 Tables is a structured and fastpaced networking event where participants interact with others in a series of brief one- on- one information exchanges.
This type of event can provide exposure to a lot of people in a short amount of time. It is a way to let others know who you are and what you are looking for, whether new customers or clients, business or sales leads, or a new job.
The event leader, Laurence Young will ring a bell, sound a buzzer or blow a whistle to indicate the beginning and end of each round. Once the round begins, you introduce yourself and your purpose for being there, share your business card and, perhaps, business brochure. A few questions and answers back and forth can quickly clarify if there is any potential for a follow-up phone call or meeting. At the halfway point, the conversation switches to the second person. After a second exchange of information, the event leader rings a bell and you move on to the next person. The event culminates with time allowed for open networking. We guarantee you will have fun.
The fast pace of this kind of event contributes to a high level of energy in the room. The goal is to meet new individuals who can directly help you. But it doesn’t stop there: each person you meet has a network of people they know and it may be one of them who is a good match. By networking at Around Lochaber in 80 Tables you potentially ‘plug in’ to the people they know, extending your ability to expand your business.