By Jane Williams, Business and Development Manager, HeadStorm Marketing
As the ‘new girl’ at HeadStorm Marketing every day is a new experience, and this Monday is no exception. Having come from the public sector, joining a private business is an exciting new chapter.
My role is business development, which is helped significantly at HeadStorm because it is such a widely known and respected Leicestershire company.
In fact, HeadStorm was one of my suppliers. Life is very different on the other side of the supplier/customer coin but I’m enjoying every minute.
Monday sees me meet the training arm of one of the region’s chambers of commerce. I’m talking to them about helping to market their services, to increase the numbers of employers sending their employees for training.
I spend much of Tuesday in a planning meeting about a campaign called Apprenticeships and Beyond. There are five events scheduled for March to see how apprentices can be encouraged to progress onto higher qualifications, including degrees.
Apprenticeships are hot news, with the Government backing them with extra funds. Many local economies pinning hopes on Apprenticeships to provide the next generation of skilled workers. The Mercury’s own current 100 Apprentices in 100 Days campaign is to be applauded.
Tuesday ends with a committee meeting of ProCon Leicestershire, the network of property and construction professionals. HeadStorm has worked with ProCon for eight years now, helping make its annual awards night one of the key dates in the Leicestershire business calendar.
The committee meeting, held at the contractor Hallam in Oadby, covers various issues including topics and dates for the ProCon events programme for 2011 and the date of the awards ceremony later in the year.
Wednesday includes a debrief with Hammonds, the furniture company HeadStorm has worked with for many years. We hear great feedback about the 2010 staff conference, which saw us transform a warehouse into a showcase for its new ranges.
Thursday is a day in the Leicester office, beavering away on a big tender which HeadStorm is competing for. It’s for a national awards scheme, and taps into many of the skills we have. Tendering is a painstaking process to make sure we get across our expertise in depth and in a lively format without missing key attributes the potential client will look for.
Friday includes the vital task of progressing an update of the HeadStorm website. The new site will be live soon, so do check out www.headstorm.co.uk in the near future.