Take a peek below. We’ll be adding some more photos when we get done.

Registration will be between 6 and 6.30pm. The Refresh team will greet you and ensure you are registered. At 6.30pm there will be an introduction to the event with any announcements. After this, it’s up to you to get out of the event what you want.

There will be developers with their laptops out sharing code and working on problems. There will be freelance developers and designers looking to connect with agencies. There will be photographers looking to offer their services to others. There will be business owners who may be recruiting. Most importantly there will be creative people networking with their peers.

Sound good?….then register now for FREE.

Refresh Teesside meet at 6pm on the second Wednesday of every month in the function room upstairs at Capaldi’s Restaurant, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough.

There will be light food, kindly provided by Capaldi’s, during the evening. The bar will be open. The event officially finishes at 9pm.

The site was launched last month. Feedback (and more importantly the results) has been brilliant. Bookings for exhibitors is up with the organisers already exploring more space in the exhibition hall to accomodate demand, and interest from delegates is flooding in.

You can vist the site at www.conferenceandhospitalityshow.co.uk.  If you’re one of the UK’s top Hotel brands, conference venues and suppliers to the Meetings and Events Industry then may we suggest you get yourself booked up.

This event will be held in connection with the Federation of Small Businesses, and will bring together Connect members and businesses for 4-5 key presentations regarding:

• Business support – what is and will be available
• How small businesses can use tech/digital companies to better market their business and who is out there within our Connect membership (including @easbynow discussing social media and ‘Building your company’s digital footprint)

There will be networking with food and drinks as always.

More details TBA in the meantime email Laura.Harrison@codeworks.net or ring 0191 490 9136 to register interest

Since its formation in 2008, in the midst of the economic recession, the Stokesley-based agency has gone from strength to strength. Offering brand, creative, marketing and web services it is now regarded as one of the leading agencies in the North East. This year has seen Better win a number of high profile contracts with clients such as Five Lamps, Business & Enterprise Group, Northumbria University, The Trout Hotel, The Assembly Rooms, Cleveland Fire Brigade and Gentoo.

In its first three years, the agency has also extended its reach internationally. On the back of great work for UK & Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG), Better were selected from other European agencies for the design and development of a new website for the Swedish SAP User Association (SAPSA).

As the client base has continued to grow, Better have doubled in size by investing in its studio team and now employs eight people with a powerful mix of skills in brand, digital, design and marketing.

The eight-strong team also includes six graduates from the North East’s universities.

Mark Easby, Managing Director said; “Our consistent growth of over 30% year on year over the last three years has been exceptional. This year we’re set to exceed our projections again with the last 6 months being our best period so far. We have continued to see a growth in demand for our services as businesses across the country look to market their way out of the recession.”

“In this environment clients demand a return on their marketing investment and our clear focus on results means our customers continue to have the confidence to invest their marketing budgets in Better. We are proud to have developed long-standing relationships with a number of clients and have become brand partners for national companies such as MPI Offshore, NDI UK and Anabas. Our work on all aspects of their online and offline communication has helped them build a strong place in the market whilst increasing visibility for their products and services.

The agency is passionate and committed to the development of the region’s businesses. They have backed this up through contributing directly to the skills of over 300 SMEs and Start Ups by sharing their knowledge delivering marketing workshops and seminars at a number of regional events including Marketing:TheArtOf, CIM, Service Network, Entrepreneurs Forum and more recently the Keeping Your Business Fit Conference.

Better has also embraced social media and is at the forefront of new web technologies. This has seen them form a partnership with Explain, a Newcastle-based market research business, to develop and launch Better Communities. The product is a bespoke private online community platform which allows companies to gain insight and feedback from their customers. The online platform encourages customer engagement and collaboration though discussion areas, focus groups, polls and surveys backed up by powerful profile reporting and analytics.

Mark Easby said: “We understand how social media and web technology is developing, and see private online communities as a key tool for brands to communicate with their customers to drive loyalty, engagement, innovation and co-creation.”

Since its launch earlier this year, Better Communities is already being used by brands such as Northumbria Water, Scottish Power Energy Networks, and HOME Group with many others interested in the platform.

Even with financial growth, the flurry of new clients, success in The North East Business Awards and recognition of it’s team through the Culture for Success Awards, the agency has set itself ambitious growth plans and is looking forward with excitement to the next three years!

This year’s ‘Marketing: the art of‘ conference will give give you expert insights into how to dramatically improve your digital marketing strategy.

A number of keynote speakers will be there to inspire you throughout the day, and local marketing experts (including our MD, Mark Easby) will help you to explore how you can develop your own digital marketing strategies effectively to win new customers, build brand recognition and grow your business, in a series of interactive workshops.

The workshops will include:

• Web analytics: shaping online marketing strategy from analytics data
• Developing your social media strategy
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) explained: no jargon, just clear, actionable info and advice
• Rediscover email marketing: customer, content and… chaos?
• Conversion rate optimisation (CRO): turning website visitors into customers
• Developing your mobile marketing strategy
• Creating the marketing a-team
• Lights, camera, action, are you ready for your close up? Reputation management in the digital age

If you’re relatively new to digital marketing, there will also be a number of breakfast workshops on offer to get you started.

Whether you’re a digital marketing novice or you’re an experienced digital marketing professional, there will be workshops and keynote speakers relevant for you.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to find out the very latest in digital marketing and don’t get left behind!

The cost to attend is £120+VAT per person. To book or call Karen on:  0191 281 5777 or email:  businesslink@btob.co.uk.

For more information and a full programme, please go to www.marketingtheartof.com.

Please note that places are limited and are getting booked up quickly.

The conference was well attended and I enjoyed meeting the other speakers and attendees throughout the day. The conference was hosted by Sarah Coburn, who injected humor as well as the steely determination to move the conference along.

The conference was opened by Alastair MacColl, Chief Executive, Business & Enterprise Group (If there were an example of a North East business success story it surely has to be it’s growth and movement into new sectors.) and the first speaker was Damian Hughes, Founder of the LiquidThinker Company. Stand out content for me was identifying four basic emotional needs; To belong, To be safe, To be valued and To be in control and the instinctive reaction we have when any of these needs are threatened – Flight, Freeze or Flee. He referred to this as Monkey Brain! It was interesting to see how this related to business performance and personal development.

Roger Flynn, who shared some of his collected knowledge working alongside Richard Brandson and for the likes of the Prudential and the BBC. It’s refreshing to see that here was a business leader who didn’t surround himself with complex business models and was prepared to change the businesses he worked in by throwing out the rule book and believing that an organisation can change itself by listening to the people who work operationally within the business.

Listening Talking Energising Supporting Embracing on social media. NOT hard selling.

My own small contribution to thinking strategically about using social media instead of playing at it went down well judging by the Twitter comments and those who came up to me afterwards. 3/4 of an hour is just too short a slot to cover the subject matter but I liked the fast pace of the session and the questions afterwards.

It was good also to catch up with a few pals; Shaun from Vector 76 (Hope the new office works out for you), Julie from Sharpe recruitment and Heather from Marketing Geni.

I think they are putting all the presentations on the website for download so keep an eye out and have a look, lots of good bite sized goodness for you to take in at your leisure.

I did take a few photo’s throughout the day which I’ve put here. Sorry for the quality of some, the lighting was terrible, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Over 50% of delegates attending the workshops answered “Social Media”. With such interest in this area, the programme was put together to include a Master Class on the subject delivered by Stokesley based brand & design agency, Better. Declan Metcalfe, Marketing Director is delivering the master class which will give the big picture on Social Media, looking at strategy, case studies of successes and how to make Social Media really work for your business and include Better’s own story of success.

Date: Wednesday 14th September 2011
Time: 8:30am
Location: The Hilton, Newcastle Gateshead

Declan says; “Businesses need to be as visible as possible in a tough economy. They need to be seen where their customers are making decisions and that is increasingly online. Who would make a purchasing decision without checking out the company or the product online first? It’s become the norm.

As a means of communication the growth of some social media tools is unprecedented. It’s a new space that offers businesses huge opportunities to understand their customer and create deeper high value relationships with little investment other than time.

I think the conference will give the people attending the chance to see how other businesses, like our own, are successfully using social media to grow their profiles online and apply some of the practical advice to their own businesses. I’m sure everyone will leave with ideas they can implement immediately and I find that a really exciting prospect.”

Business Link’s Fighting Fit conference consists of a full programme of keynote speakers, practical workshops and showcases of best practice, with the theme of the conference being around managing and implementing change.

Jess Faith, Event Coordinator for Business & Enterprise Group (BE-G) who deliver the Business Link service in the North East says: “Fighting Fit 2011 has been put together using feedback from attendees at the workshops that have been running throughout the year, therefore we are certain that it will be relevant and meaningful to the audience. Speakers Damian Hughes, Author of The Liquid Thinker and Roger Flynn previously of Virgin Group PLC will provide inspirational and motivational keynotes both with a wealth of experiences to share.”

“Based on feedback from last year’s conference, we are really pushing the networking aspect of the event, with 300 delegates from regional SMEs, we are embracing social networking with the use of a Twitter Forest and people can start tweeting about the conference and even arranging a “Tweet Up” by using #FFit2011 and following us on @kybfightingfit.

Tickets are only £35 (inc VAT) including lunch, refreshments and parking. Full details of the Fighting Fit 2011 conference can be found at www.keepyourbusinessfightingfit.com/ffit2011.

Tweeting, hash tags, mashable, SEO, tiny URLs – these are all terms that a few years ago didn’t even exist, yet today they play a fundamental part in organisations’ marketing strategies. Due to the popularity of this workshop in 2010, Service Network is repeating (and enhancing!) this event which will take you through the step by step process of developing a digital footprint for your business. A digital footprint is a collection of activities and behaviours recorded when an organisation interacts in a digital environment. It includes the recording of activities such as clicks on e-newsletters, visits to a web-page, tweets and Facebook updates.

Our MD, Mark Easby (@easbynow), will expertly guide you through the key areas you need to understand in today’s digital world:

1. Why you need to develop your digital footprint.
2. How to listen to the internet – how to find out where your audience is and what they are talking about.
3. How to join in – what choices you have to make, how to think strategically and why you have to be committed to the task.
4. What to do when your audience talks to you – you need to learn how to develop a conversation.
5. How to measure your channels.
6. How to stay ahead of the competition.

We are also delighted to be joined by Jayne Graham from work space finding service, Space on Tap who will share how they have used digital media channels to help increase their brand’s profile and recognition not only in the North East, but nationally too.

There will be an interactive discussion and panel Q&A session at the end of this event, giving you the chance to quiz our digital media experts.

After this event, you will have the confidence to go back into your business and start listening, engaging, interacting, recording, sharing and discussing digital information in a very human way. You will also come away with an understanding of how social media can work for your business and will be empowered with the energy to create a successful digital footprint for your organisation.

Can you get involved in this event?

We have an opportunity to showcase one more regional business at this event on 13th October by offering the platform for you to present your digital media success story to our audience and take part in the panel discussion. If you feel that your organisation has a good social media story to tell about how it has helped to propel your business to great heights, we’d love to hear from you.

To put your company forward for this event, please email Sarah Thackray at events@service-network.co.uk.

Cost:
Free to Service Network members and £45 + VAT for non members. Includes breakfast and refreshments.
To avoid a cancellation fee of £35 + VAT please inform the Service Network team in writing at least 48 hours before the event if you register but can no longer attend.

Event Registration:
Please contact Sarah Thackray on 0191 244 4031 or email events@service-network.co.uk

Julie Moore who takes up the role of Studio Manager, joined Better from Codeworks, one of the North East’s leading membership organisations and conference creators. Julie will work closely with Better’s designers and developers on client projects and support the accounts team to ensure the company maintains an exemplary focus on creativity and customer experience.

Mark Easby, Managing Director, said: ”Julie brings a wealth of project management experience, having an outstanding track record in managing internationally recognised conferences in the digital sector such as DIBI and Gateshead Digital Summer and was part of the Thinking Digital team. She’s a gifted communicator, organiser and will bring those skills to bare on our clients projects.”

“Julie is an highly experienced, self motivated manager who shares the company’s drive to succeed.”

Julie has already got her teeth into a number projects for key agency clients as well as the agency’s new community platform, Better Communities. She is also hard at work further streamlining and evolving the company’s project process.

Speaking of her new role, Julie Moore said: “I am really delighted to have joined the team at Better. They’re a young company with an established reputation in the region with a growing profile nationally. Add to this their exciting new digital community platform that is already being taken up by national and international organisations and this was exactly the kind of company I wanted to join.”

Julie’s appointment is the third new team member at Better in the last twelve months, a testament to its continued growth. The company puts its commitment to customer care, transparency and staff development as factors in its growth and its recent award at the Service Network Culture of Success Awards 2011.

Better has also won a number of national and international accounts in the last twelve months including Scottish Power Energy Networks, Northumbria Water, The Trout Hotel, Home, Crafter’s Companion, UK & Ireland SAP User Group and the Swedish SAP User Association.

You can follow Julie on Twitter at @MissJulieMoore or keep up to date with Better through @Better_Studio.