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Are we about to see a craft soft drinks revolution?

Posted on August 18, 2018 Written by Administrator

It’s difficult to remember what drinking beers and spirits was like before the craft drinks revolution. Suffice to say, genuinely tasty beverages that were founded on taste and creativity, rather than global branding and mass-production, were hard to come by back then. But the picture has since changed dramatically; flavour and brand character now abound in beers and spirits, and the big global brands are scratching their heads, or just buying up the craft brands to compete!

In the soft drinks market, however, the picture is very different, and is yet to experience its own craft revolution. Much like the lager market ten years ago, the soft drinks industry is still dominated by global corporate brands. The teetotallers, health-conscious and designated drivers among us, are forced to choose between a relatively small selection of global corporate soft drinks – drinks that are all fizz and no flavour!

However, a craft soft drink revolution is already on the horizon. And here’s why….

Young people are drinking less

When choosing their tipple at the bar, new generations are accustomed to being spoiled for choice. With a huge selection of craft alcohols to choose from, their palettes have not known anything other than quality refreshments.

However, despite having the choice that previous generations could only have dreamed of, not all young people are enthused about drinking booze.

Surprisingly, more than a quarter of Britain’s 16 to 24-year-olds are teetotal, compared with just over a fifth of the adult population, according to the UK Government’s ONS stats. As the Guardian highlighted, this is “a four-fold increase on the rest of the population, with just one in 10 seeing drinking as ‘cool’”.

Indeed, Dr James Nicholls, director of research and policy development at Alcohol Research UK, told the newspaper that drinking among young people has been declining for a decade, and that this is part of a worldwide trend.

So, if young people are moving away from alcohol itself, what might this mean for the future of craft soft drinks?

The move towards craft soft drinks

Big lager brands have long produced extremely similar drinks that are yellow, fizzy and lacking in pizzazz, all of which created the fertile ground for distinctive craft beers to flourish. Now, many consumers are beginning to notice that ‘old school’ soft drinks are similarly lacking in flavour and character.

While young people are drinking less alcohol – or cutting it out altogether – they still go out to socialise. Their friends enjoy a variety of craft beers and spirits while they’re left to nurse a half-pint of diet cola or a glass of orange juice.

This is a very real frustration that we hear when we speak to consumers everyday.

Why aren’t there more exciting soft drinks available? And, why have we had largely the same limited choices over the decades? they often wonder.

It’s unsurprising then, that millennials are desperate to find some more flavoursome soft drinks with a bit of personality.

With craft alcohol firmly entrenched in our drinking habits, we expect the same trends that kickstarted the craft alcohol revolution to fuel rapid growth in craft soft drinks.

But what do consumers look for in a craft soft drink? What does a craft soft drink need to deliver if it is to be part of the forthcoming revolution?

The 4 Crafty P’s

Passion: The craft movement has excited consumers’ taste buds with unique, interesting, flavoursome drinks, made with real passion. Consumers have a clear feeling that the people behind the product have put their ‘heart and soul’ into these bottles and cans to make something more distinctive, better tasting, healthier and more authentic.

Provenance: People love to know about the source of the ingredients, the story of the founders, and the people behind the product. These ‘brand stories’ (think Brewdog) create a very strong feeling of transparency and connectedness to the company, which increases their emotional commitment to craft brands.

Purpose: People like to see craft product companies as having a wider purpose and being conscious about the impact they’re having on their local community and the wider world, rather than caring solely about money.

Craft producers often strive to prove that they’re committed to local job creation, looking after their suppliers in less-developed companies, passing on a percentage of profits to charity, or helping to protect the environment.

Personality: Some people say millennials don’t like big corporate brands, but I’m not sure that’s true. It’s just that they prefer the way craft brands talk and look.

Consumers also love the distinctive personality and character that craft brands project, both through interesting packaging and through language/tone of voice. Whether it’s humour, a rebellious streak, or some other quirk, craft brands look different and communicate in a way that’s very un-corporate.

So, we can expect to see many craft soft drinks springing-up as new and current generations seek something that looks, sounds and tastes inherently different to what they’re used to.

Considering all the creativity, the entrepreneurship of small brewers and the explosion of exciting and flavourful products that were borne out of the craft alcohol revolution, we’ll have even more to celebrate as the world wakes up to the craft soft drinks revolution.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melvin Jay is the founder of Gunna Drinks, an award-winning range of craft soft drinks with less sugar but more flavour. Gunna comes in four different flavours using natural ingredients inspired from recipes around the world. In the same way craft beers have disrupted their market, Gunna is aiming to shake up the soft drinks industry. Gunna is currently available in over 3,500 outlets including the Co-op and WHSmith, and has a sales growth of 300%.

Web: https://www.gunnadrinks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gunnadrinks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gunnadrinks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GUNNADRINKS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melvin-jay-96b617

Citations

More than a quarter of Britain’s 16- to 24-year-olds are teetotal, compared with just over a fifth of the adult population, according to UK Government stats: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/drugusealcoholandsmoking/bulletins/opinionsandlifestylesurveyadultdrinkinghabitsingreatbritain/2005to2016

As the Guardian highlighted, this is “a four-fold increase on the rest of the population, with just one in 10 seeing drinking as ‘cool’”: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/23/time-please-is-drinking-becoming-as-socially-unacceptable-as-smoking

 

Filed Under: Business Advice

What impact might technology have on the business of comedy?

Posted on August 3, 2018 Written by Administrator

Have you heard the one about…? Look back in history and you’ll find people chuckling together over a shared joke. Comedy has a special place in our culture.

Comedy is increasing it seems; local comedy clubs, the Edinburgh Fringe, world-famous comedians filling giant arenas, YouTube, comedy series and Hollywood movies… However you like your comedy, there is a probably someone catering to your sense of humour.

However, despite the options out there, there are still some key challenges in the industry. Firstly, it’s a challenge for all but the very top tier of acts to make a living. It’s great that someone like Bo Burnham can go from YouTube recordings to sell-out shows, but giving comedy away for free online isn’t sustainable for most comics.

At the Edinburgh Fringe, comics usually have to pay for their own travel, accommodation and venue hire, meaning that by the end of the run they’re out of pocket. Other art forms: music, theatre, dance, literature and visual arts receive funding from the Arts Council, but comedy isn’t eligible.

In new media music has led the way embracing digital platforms with comedy lagging behind. Comedians have tended to court favour with terrestrial broadcasters, despite the limited opportunities, and seek the seriously dwindling DVD deals.

How will comedy prosper in future? Will there be a dearth of diversity as only the ‘panel-show’-worthy survive? Or will breakthrough comedians catering to a wider range of tastes find their audience with the launch of new online comedy platforms?

Grabbing New Audiences

Firstly, we predict that niche online streaming services, such as NextUp Comedy, will draw in new audiences who wouldn’t previously have considered themselves ‘comedy fans’. The online space doesn’t have the same barriers to entry as traditional comedy clubs which have had a reputation as stomping grounds for groups of ‘lads’ and stag dos.

Watching comedy online is more flexible – you can do it in your own time, wearing just your pants (if that’s what you like to do), and risk taking a punt on someone new without the humiliation of walking out of the room. You might just discover a new favourite who you’re desperate to see in person – as a result the ability to stream comedy will bring bigger and more wide ranging audiences into live comedy venues.

Creating Revenue Streams

Online video also provides greater longevity of individual shows for comedians. Imagine writing a full hour of carefully crafted material only to have it disappear after a month in Edinburgh. With much easier access to great camera equipment, when their shows are captured and preserved, new comedians will have a better chance of building an audience of fans, creating a new revenue stream, and developing a long-term comedy career.

Greater Diversity and Creativity

With greater career chances for new comedians will come a broader range of comedy. There is no one carefully curating what you watch online – the internet caters to all tastes. Giving airtime to a new ‘out there’ comedian in a club can be a risky move, and this caution has also been playing out on TV, where jokes that are considered potentially offensive or borderline are being edited out.

Legendary comic George Carlin once said “’I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.” A lot of people yearn for comedy that pushes boundaries. We see it time and time again, with comedians like Bill Hicks and Frankie Boyle; pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable helps people laugh at the harsh realities of life.

By establishing online comedy as a major platform, viewers will have a choice over what comedy they watch and comedians can be their true, unedited selves. Hopefully, this will contribute to a new golden age of comedy, where creativity and diversity are highly-valued.

Live Festival Performances

Live comedy will always have a special place in the nation’s heart and since comedians like Michael McIntyre are filling huge arenas, there’s no reason why comics won’t become the headline acts at big arts-focussed festivals like Glastonbury. Festivals like Latitude and Bestival already have dedicated comedy tents and are programming big names.

While the idea of a specialist comedy festival, in the same way we have music festivals (in fields with tents etc.), may not quite work, I think the dominance of comedy at mixed arts festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe will lead to more cities hosting comedy festivals – utilising pubs, clubs and libraries as venues.

We already see this happening with examples like Brighton and the Camden Fringe, which, although only 10% of the size of Edinburgh, have the potential to grow significantly. Then there are other places that could serve as great city-venues – Bristol, for example.

Using Technology for Comedic Effect

Technology will help comedians spread their material further, but it could also change the very nature of their acts. Using props, sound and lighting, comedians already transport viewers into different worlds, whether it’s a childhood flashback or a surreal post-apocalyptic sketch. As VR, AI and augmented reality become cheaper and more accessible, I can imagine comedians using these technologies to transport the audience even further into their weird and wonderful minds.

Far from technology leading to a dearth of creative comedy, I am optimistic that comedians will grab the technology and its creative potential. They’ll use it to help them mix things up, entertaining existing audiences and finding new one. When we look at the news we quickly realise that comedy is what we need! Thankfully technology will help spread it far and wide.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SARAH HENLEY is co-founder of NextUp, a worldwide subscription video-on-demand platform specialising in stand-up specials. NextUp, described as is ‘The Netflix of UK Stand-Up’ (engadget), showcases the full spectrum of the live comedy circuit from sketch, character and storytellers, to gag merchants, observationalists and surrealists. As well as familiar household names, there are also acclaimed rising stars and circuit legends for you to discover.

NextUp members have access to recording tickets and exclusive discounts whilst comedians are supported through a 50/50 revenue share model. If you’re a comedian interested in being on NextUp, please get in touch.

Web: https://nextupcomedy.com/

Seedrs: https://www.seedrs.com/nextupcomedy

Facebook: https://www.seedrs.com/nextupcomedy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nextupcomedy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextupcomedy/

Filed Under: Business Advice Tagged With: comedy

How health and fitness businesses can prosper by making a positive contribution

Posted on July 25, 2018 Written by Administrator

Brands that are all about health and fitness have a great opportunity to make a contribution and do good in the world.   Given that they can improve profits at the same time why aren’t they taking this path? What steps can brands take so that they both contribute and prosper?

Fitness is bigger business now than ever before. Gym membership, in the UK, has increased approximately 4% year on year from 2015 to 2018. The UK industry is worth a staggering £4.9bn (according to The 2018 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report). That is an increase of £0.6bn since 2015, and with that growth likely to increase in the coming years of data driven health and fitness, it’s the industry to be in.

Fitness apparel, for example, is no longer just about the big names; small boutique brands are appearing – each with their own unique take on what looks and feels good in the gym.. Beyond style, functionality and quality (which should be givens for every brand) – what is there to help a consumer choose one over the other?  The answer lies in choosing to prioritise social responsibility in your brand.

The fitness industry has traditionally had strong links with charity; for example, the Virgin Money London Marathon is the world’s largest one-day fundraising event. Over 75 per cent of the 40,000+ runners who participated in 2018 raised money for charity.

In UK every year there are approximately 807,000 running events. There are 100,000 members of British Cycling and over 140,000 active triathletes running, swimming and cycling. So, with such large numbers of keen people willing to push their limits in the name of doing good, why, are the fitness brands not living up to this generous giving mentality?

The answer is, of course, profit. They are there to make money. And that’s exactly where they are missing the point; doing good is also good for your bottom line.

Here are just a few profitable companies, in a variety of sectors, having a huge impact on world:

  • TOMS – For every pair of TOMS shoes brought, they provide a pair of shoes to someone in need
  • SMILE SQUARED – For every wooden toothbrush sold, Smile2 provide a toothbrush to someone in need worldwide
  • S’WELL – Providing sustainable water bottles and coolers that support UNICEFs water projects
  • ASUNO – Providing premium quality fitness and yoga clothing that supports charitable actions with every purchase
  • VITAE LONDON – Each watch purchased supplies a child with two sets of a school uniform, a bag and footwear to see them through the year in Africa
  • SOAPBOX – A one-for-one model donating soap bars for good health and sanitation with every product purchased
  • FIGS – Provide medical scrubs and other clothing, whilst donating thousands of scrubs to medical projects around the world

These companies demonstrate that doing good is good for business. And since so many fitness fans are also keen charity fundraisers it makes perfect economic sense to combine the two.

New and existing fitness brands can approach this in a variety of ways – whatever suits your business model, internal resources, and target market best:

  1. Donate a percentage of your profits. Every penny helps when it comes to charity, and if you are rocking a healthy turnover then even 1% will make a huge impact.
  2. Sponsor events. Becoming a corporate sponsor for an event is not only a huge help to the charity, it provides your company with a great advertising opportunity.
  3. Empower your employees. Support and sponsor employee fundraising days, put on an event, get your employees family and friends involved. Target your employees that are most passionate at volunteering.
  4. Buy one, give one. Adopt this into your business model. Do you have a product that could help others? Support a cause that compliments your product and donate one for one.
  5. Partner with a charity. Support a charity directly with co-branding and awareness campaigns; keep your profits but co-advertise to bring more awareness for your charity partner. Make it easy for your customers to donate, promote the charity on your website, social media and in your newsletters.
  6. Develop your story. Customers want to know the story, envelope themselves in the cause and believe that your company is seriously in it to do good, build your brand story to tell them.

All of these options not only help those in need but will also boost your brand’s social responsibility.

As the 2018 State Of The UK Fitness Industry Report confirms 1 in every 7 people attends a gym or fitness class.  That’s 9.9m people buying fitness clothing and huge potential for the fitness community to make money and change millions of lives across the world at the same time.

Consider the numbers; assume the average gym outfit costs £30, and 9.9m people purchase one outfit a year that means £297m spent on fitness apparel every year. This shows that; a) if brands donate 1% of total sale prices, it frees up £2.97m for projects every year, and b) if that small donation enables you to grab another 1% market share, it would make a massive difference to your bottom line.

If you are planning to build your health and fitness brand and develop a profitable business, looks at opportunities to contribute to charity. You’ll do good, your business will thrive and your increasing customer base will feel good about contributing too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ben Moreland is co-founder of Asuno, a Manchester-based fitness and yoga clothing brand passionate about making an impact on the world. Using the city as inspiration, the team design beautiful, premium quality, functional fitness clothing that saves lives. Every item in the range is linked to an individual charity and each purchase provides a specific action from alleviating hunger to providing access to water and helping children build an identity.

Web: www.asuno-uk.com

Instagram: @asuno.uk

Facebook: /asuno.uk

Indiegogo Community Crowdfunding: https://bit.ly/2FDtqNb

Citations:

2018 Virgin Money London Marathon: The Runners’ Stories – https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com

2018 STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT – http://www.leisuredb.com

2016 – More people are taking part in endurance sport than ever before – https://www.sports-insight.co.uk/trends-features/

Filed Under: Business Advice

Starting your business with a view to a trade sale – top tips for success

Posted on July 23, 2018 Written by Administrator

Everyone has read the stories. The company that started in a garden shed and ended up being sold to Google for billions. So many aspiring entrepreneurs and founders share this dream. However, building your start-up with the long-term goal of a trade sale takes a lot of forward planning. So where do you start?

I sold my first company, Clear Ideas, £18.4m in 2007 and here are my top five tips to help you to build your start-up for a trade sale.

  1. Start at the exit – and work backwards

You can envision a successful and lucrative exit right from the inception of your business, but do you have a clear idea of how you’ll pave the way to this end goal? The best way is to work backwards.

Start by identifying early who might be interested in buying a business like yours, then build your business with potential acquirers needs in mind. Here’re a few questions that you should be asking yourself:

  • What are the gaps in their portfolio? What sort of business would fit well within it?
  • What types of deal have they done before?
  • What would they look for in an acquisition, and what might be a show stopper for them?
  • How big would you need to be before they’d be interested in you?

With your goal in-mind, get on their radar in some capacity as soon as possible. Make yourself known to them so that they can track your progress from the start.

  1. It’s a bad idea, until you prove it’s not

Of course, you think your idea is a unique game changer. When you’ve identified a solution to a long-standing problem or have simply spotted a glaring gap in the market, it seems nothing will stop you from taking over the world.

Unfortunately for budding entrepreneurs, this is seldom the reality.

Most founders are good at selling their idea, but executing it is a completely different matter. Investors hear about incredible ideas every day, almost to the point where they’re immune to them. The thing that captures their attention is when a founder has demonstrated that the market is ready for this idea.

How do you prove the market cares about your idea? You need to challenge yourself every day to pressure test your concept and maximise your points of difference versus potential rivals. Know your audience and why they would buy your product or service; importantly, learn everything you can about your competitors so you can identify how to improve on their weaknesses. Hint – even if you think you don’t have competitors, you do. Even the first motor car had a competitor in the horse drawn carriage.

Your early adopters and supporters are crucial, so be sure to thank and nurture them regularly. But don’t ignore your critics completely. The challenges they present will give you all the insights you’ll need to raise your game.

  1. Team building 

If you have a great idea but not a great team, don’t rush to take your product or service to market. All start-ups depend on having a solid team, which will secure a strong foundation for you to launch your idea and run a successful business.

In the modern era of entrepreneurship, it’s unlikely that an individual will succeed in a new venture without an excellent team around them. Beyond the need for a wide portfolio of skills and discipline, there’s also the investor element

Smart investors invest in the team as much as the idea, as they know that a strong team will be able to overcome most challenges and work out how to make money for the business. In their eyes, the stronger the team, the more worthy the investment will be.

  1. Fundraising – start on day one and… never stop

Like any building project, your venture will cost twice as much as you originally expected, and it will take twice as long as you planned.

Unless you have the money yourself, or just get lucky, it will take much more effort than you think to raise the funds you need. As such, you’ll need to have a crystal-clear funding strategy, and review this at each different stage of development.

At each stage, make sure you understand where the most likely sources of funding will be for your evolving business. Who might the early investors be? Who can you target now that you have a proof of concept and an expanded team with new expertise? And so on.

Ideally, you’ll have one person in your team dedicated to fundraising for at least 50% of their time.

So, when you’ve closed a round of funding, be sure to celebrate your victory – just don’t stop there. Start planning the next round immediately and never stop talking to potential investors.

Understand what they’ll need to see from you to commit money to your project and be sure to stay in-touch and let them track your progress. Investors like to be kept in the loop, rather than hear from you only when you need another funding injection following a long period of radio silence.

  1. In-source value creation, outsource everything else

Everyone feels precious about the operations of their business to some extent, but it’s important to decipher what activities truly create value for you – of which you must retain control over – and which would ultimately be better to outsource.

Beyond your start-up’s R&D, programming, sales, marketing etc., everything else should be outsourced to existing suppliers. While it may feel like you’re forfeiting control to a certain extent, outsourcing does two key things that will help to define your success:

  1. It ensures that you’re able to keep your overheads very low.
  2. It ensures that you’ll spend your time only on activities that create value.

Even when you outsource certain responsibilities, you’ll still be able to keep tabs on how this aspect of your business is being run. If the company you’ve outsourced to isn’t cutting it, you can always find another.

Remember, the founders who are successful in their exit are normally the ones who planned it many years ahead. It can be a scary thing to visualise a scenario with so many unknowns, but that’s the difference between a business person and a true entrepreneur.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melvin Jay is the founder of Gunna Drinks, an award-winning range of craft soft drinks with less sugar but more flavour. Gunna comes in four different flavours using natural ingredients inspired from recipes around the world. In the same way craft beers have disrupted their market, Gunna is aiming to shake up the soft drinks industry. Gunna is currently available in over 3,500 outlets including the Co-op and WHSmith, and has a sales growth of 300%.

Web: https://www.gunnadrinks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gunnadrinks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gunnadrinks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GUNNADRINKS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melvin-jay-96b617

Filed Under: Business Advice

How is the nightclub industry responding to the threat from social media?

Posted on July 12, 2018 Written by Administrator

Online games, Netflix, home cinema, and the seemingly endless supply of mobile apps have made it incredibly easy to connect with others and to be entertained at home. Hundreds of millions are being spent on research by giant corporations whose aim is to get more of your attention. Sadly, the losers are nightclubs and bars.

Between 2010 and 2015 a staggering fifty percent of the nightclubs in London closed. In contrast the number of people going to a concert or festival has nearly doubled. Attendance increased from 15.9m in 2012 to 30.9m by 2016. Instead of going to predictable, generic club nights and bars people seem to be heading to festivals which provide a very different experience.

MyCityVenue, has had over 1.2 million people attend events through its platform. They looked at the stats around where people were going. This showed a huge shift towards fun and interactive activities. Very interestingly, for example, Halloween has become the UK’s busiest night out, and there is significant increase in festival attendance. 

True to this pattern London’s club scene is beginning to see the rise of a new type of interactive night, taking over from nightclubs. These are called experiential parties. Parties where you may find yourself walking into a futuristic fantasy world, an enchanted forest or see people apparently riding across the ceiling on floating horses!

This type of experience is a standard night at Planet Angel, one of London’s biggest parties of this kind. These events tend to sell-out quick with Rumpus, a very similar event selling out in less than 11 minutes. Rumpus is so popular in fact, Santiago Genochio, co- founder of Rumpus is working on new ways to get tickets to more people over time as opposed to all in one batch.

Even amongst festivals, you can see the focus shifting away from providing a traditional concert environment to offering festival-goers more exciting experiences.

Boomtown, one of the UK’s most popular festivals has grown immensely over the past few years as they continue their annual, immersive storyline. New festivals such as Neverworld promise more than just music and arts, including three immersive areas where you can embrace your inner child.

What are clubs doing to fight back?

Enter the rise of the mini-indoor festival. In just one night, usually from 10pm – 6am, London event organisers have shifted their formula to really focus on being immersive, fun and interactive. By creating a rounded experience and focusing on bringing the joy into the night out, they are creating a community of like-minded people: so like-minded that they’ve found people to marry, found a donor for a much needed organ transplant or found the courage to come out in this environment.

Dave Randall, who found fame as a guitarist for Faithless, was so inspired by his experience of a party night event that he wrote a song about it

This party night trend is growing and following on from early pioneers many others have come to embrace it. Here are some examples:

Imaginarium was inspired by a love for ‘rave parties, festivals, kink and performance.’ It seeks to provide its clubbers with a sensory overload of music, cabaret and outrageous, over-the-top costumes. Dru Lynch and Rob Voodoo say they created Imaginarium as, ‘a place where people can express themselves in a non-judgmental environment, to explore themselves and connect with others.’

Wonderland Events runs what they call a ‘colourful and silly.”indoor festival” club night in Brixton.’ They’re part of a rising tide of nights that put clubbers before profits (they donate all profits to charity) and clubbers’ experiences before big name, commercial DJs.

‘Wonderland is about being yourself and being among friendly, wonderful people – if someone spills your drink they’ll hug you and buy you a new one. I think once people realise that clubs exist that are colourful, creative communities – and full of smiles – they never look back.’ says Co-Founder, Mark Quest.

Lefteris Angelidis of Visual Architects says that they too have seen a sharp rise in business as clubs are turning to them and other experts to create events which are way more than a club night.

In essence these events are tapping into our need to feel excited, connected and part of a tribe. Clubbing is part of this. Over the year clubbing forgot what it stood for but now it is being re-vitalised and reimagined. Continuous innovation will make sure that niche club nights will reinvent the club industry. The result? They’ll be providing an experience that everyone can enjoy!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

William Sachiti is from Planet Angel, which has created some of the most unique and spectacular immersive events in London for the last 18 years. Only occurring four times a year, we completely transform entire venues with unbelievable decor, amazing lighting, colorful costumes and present an experience unlike most nights in London.

www.planetangel.co.uk

https://en-gb.facebook.com/planetangel/

https://twitter.com/planetangel?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg_DnSQ4Y6Y

Filed Under: Business Advice

Is your hotel or B&B getting bad reviews? If they’re WiFi related here’s what to do.

Posted on July 12, 2018 Written by Administrator

The modern traveller expects to be connected to the internet wherever they are staying. Scroll though reviews on TripAdvisor, Expedia, Trivago etc. and you’ll see that reviews frequently mention WiFi – especially if it is poor or expensive.

Whether travelling for business or leisure, people expect a quality Internet connection. Unfortunately, too many hotels and B & Bs believe all they need is a standard broadband connection. They’re missing a trick.

Why is this?

Let’s start by considering what happens during and after a stay at a hotel with unreliable connectivity.

Complaints

Reception is likely to get a complaint from the guest. “I’ve paid £XXX for this room and I can’t even send emails quickly.”

Elsewhere for Dinner

If they cannot work in their room, they probably cannot work in the bar/restaurant either, because it’s on the same connection. So, they simply go somewhere else where they can get a decent connection. The hotel loses food and beverage revenues. Approximately £70 a day is spent by business people on food and drink. That can quickly add up.

Will they stay again?

Unless they have no choice in the bookings, the chances are slim that they will stay there again. More lost revenue.

Reviews

The number one complaint about hotel rooms is the lack of free WiFi . We are all check review sites when considering purchases and we use them to help make decisions. More and more people are happy to complain nowadays, whether via social media or using a review site such as Feefo or Trustpilot. Poor reviews impact revenue.

Decent Wifi isn’t expensive

We recently upgraded the internet connection for a hotel that previously had a broadband connection. To pay for this, they needed to increase their occupancy levels by 0.2% or sell two more room bookings over the year.

Look at recent guest reviews. What are they asking for? If they are, for example, saying the WiFi needs to be improved, give them what they want and then tell everyone you’ve done it. This can be via the review site or via your email/social media marketing. This will help your occupancy rates and revenue.

Why do calls made from guest rooms cost so much?

The traditional view is that calls made from your room will cost a small fortune. This means people don’t use the phone in their room, meaning the hotel misses out on revenue. This is circular; the hotel doesn’t invest in new technology because the phone system is considered an expense and doesn’t bring revenue, people don’t use the phone because… and round it goes.

Let’s look at the options.

Maximising assets

It makes sense to get maximum benefit from all investments, so we understand why hotels keep a phone system for as long as it continues to work. However, there are costs being incurred and opportunities missed when doing this.

Legacy Equipment

Phone systems over 5 years old, and definitely those over 10 years old, lack an upgrade path and so have to have inbound lines to receive calls. A recent analysis of a hotel’s calls showed 17,000 inbound calls a month, adding up to £120 a month. Their outbound calls, to landlines and mobiles, added up to a similar value. Between them, that’s £3,000 per annum of cost because the phone system couldn’t be upgraded to use SIP connections, that provide free calls inbound and outbound.

Legacy phone systems also lack the ability to offer additional services to guests. Imagine being able to offer free calls to guests. Mobile signals are often poor in hotel rooms (due to the construction of the building) so, particularly, business people struggle to work effectively. If the hotel is in a rural location (getaway retreats with spas, for example), the mobile signal may be poor anyway, and then you factor in the building structure’s impact on the signal, making it even worse. Free calls could be a powerful marketing tool. You will probably want to charge for international calls, but they would still be far cheaper than normal.

Meeting rooms often generate considerable revenues for hotels. Being able to offer conference calls in meeting rooms would be an added value that will attract additional bookings.

Surely it involves big capital expenditure?

Between a third and half the cost of a new phone system is normally for the handsets. If an average handset is £100, a large hotel could be facing a five-figure hardware invoice, just for handsets. However, most room handsets can be used when attached to a new PBX. They don’t need to be replaced. The handset on reception and in the offices may well be replaced to provide additional functionality but that’s a relatively small amount.

Unless you’re marketing yourself as a retreat from the digital world you need the best connectivity you can get. It is more than likely to repay your efforts.

About the Author

Dave Millett has over 35 years’ experience in the Telecoms Industry. He has worked in European Director roles for several global companies. He now runs Equinox, a leading independent brokerage and consultancy firm. He works with many companies, charities and other organisations and has helped them achieve savings of up to 80%. He also regularly advises telecom suppliers on improving their products and propositions. www.equinoxcomms.co.uk

Twitter: @equinoxcomms

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dave-millett/2/17b/a94

NOTES:

  1. https://executivetravel.com/new-business-travel-study-says-average-per-diem-is-now-319day/
  2. https://www.oxbridgeacademy.edu.za/blog/top-5-customer-complaints-tourism-hospitality-industry-handle/
  3. £300 divided by 80 rooms (sold at £150 per night) and 30 days per month = 0.2%

Filed Under: Business Advice, Business Telecoms

How to turn your brand idea into a successful product

Posted on July 10, 2018 Written by Administrator

Many of us have ideas for creating new brand. In my case I dreamed about starting a health food or beverage brand. This is a growth market and one which has rapidly changing trends. Here are my tips for getting started from my experience of a successful launch.

Getting your idea into shape

Define your ‘what’ and more importantly identify your ‘why’. The ‘what’ is usually straightforward, but the ‘why’ is critical. It will form the basis of your brand story and the passion that drives you.

My “what” is simple – fresh juice. My “why” being healthy, fewer hours shopping, and less kitchen time combining ingredients to make this fresh juice for my family. That was the small scale problem dealt with.

Take it further. Ask where and when. How big can your idea get? Keep stretching it to find how far you can take it. For example, I wanted to think globally because as a parent I want to think about the future and the legacy we’re leaving our children and the planet.

Finally are there new markets you can push into in the future? For example, with INIU, we can tackle snacking. Don’t think big – think huge!

Once you have your what, why, where and when – ask yourself, “what would just one step before that huge idea look like? And one step before that?” etc. The answers will created your plan.

Scoping the market

To figure this out you need to test your idea or product on as many different and diverse people as possible, listen to the feedback and adapt if you need to.

Even with a small test-group, if people want to buy it, you could have a market. Then it’s time to widen the net, start testing larger focus groups.

Investing in market research is an investment in the fine-tuning of your product. Everything from public demand and target markets to key geographical locations can come from market research.

Always research your competition. You will need to have a crystal-clear picture of what’s happening in the market you hope to enter. That ecosystem could make or break your idea. Look for any competing products, their pricing, their market share; and look at past and present trends in food, drinks, health foods, and shopper behaviour. Do you fit into recently past trends? You don’t want to start a new business in a declining field or find that your ideas is already out there.

Moving into production

Having validated your idea you need to turn it into a product where will you produce it?

We worked with professional nutritionists to get our ingredient combinations so that they not only taste great but are also good for you. Engage experts to help you – even if you think you have the knowledge in-house, bringing external expertise into the process is a good idea; you don’t know what you don’t know!

Don’t be tempted to set up your own production facility. It’s best to find a reliable production facility that can scale in production as your demands do.

Expressing your brand

You are launching a new brand with its own identity. It’s important to start thinking about this early on, and to trademark it so that the results of your hard work are protected.

Know what makes you different to and better than everyone else. This differentiation will be vital when targeting your chosen consumers.

With limited resources you need an effective way to reach your target market. Work with influencers who love your product. Treating your customers well and they’ll become brand ambassadors, sharing your message over social media. Also, look at options for PR, social media, blogging, YouTube, paid advertising and exhibitions. Although your budget dictates a lot of what you can and can’t do – it’s best to consider every option and to understand its benefits, challenges and costs. Then you can make sensible, helpful decisions.

Standing out

Your packaging is a consumer’s first impression of your product. Go to a wide variety of shops; study your competitors again. How your design will fit within and stand out once on the shelf?

My advice is to use professional designers and keep working with them until you’re happy that it has your voice, style and individuality.

There are practicalities: how the packaging will handle when delivered by post; and how the product will interact with the packaging? You don’t want packaging that’s easily damaged. Anticipate customers wanting the product and the packing to be environmentally conscious, especially with healthy products.

Getting the business right

Get into your finances, particularly your cashflow and pricing. Understand all your costs and margins. You won’t expect profit immediately, but you need to plan your financials as if your survival depends on it, because it does.

If you take the retailer route you’ll need resources as it takes 1) time to negotiate these contracts and 2) the facilities to meet their volume demand. There may be other channels, including direct to consumers, which will get your product sold initially.

Your best asset

I truly believe that if you try and do everything by yourself you’ll run into trouble quickly. It will simply take longer to get things done and there is a danger that you’ll get to a stage where you find you’re second guessing every decision. Get yourself a team of highly skilled and motivated people and you will give yourself the best chance of being able to scale up your business when you need to and creating success for the long-term.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

João Gouveiais the founder of INIU – a range of functional fruit and vegetable juices that are 100% natural, with no added sugar, preservatives or other additives. Cryogenically frozen, INIU juices retain up to 99% of their nutrients and taste; as good as if you’d made them yourself. Store the juice in your freezer and when you’re ready simply add water and blend. A fresh, 100% natural juice with all the best bits of nature in under a minute.

Launched in Portugal in 2017, INIU was nominated for the Innovation Award at the Food Entrepreneur Show 2018 in London and is now launching in the UK. INIU’s mission is to develop products built on the foundations of health and convenience.

www.iniu.pt

facebook.com/iniuyourtruenature

instagram.com/iniu_yourtruenature

Filed Under: Business Advice

Tricks of the presenter’s trade – how to make an impact

Posted on June 27, 2018 Written by Administrator

Many seemly well-crafted presentations fail to achieve what the speaker hopes for. They simply fail to make the impact they need to if they are to be memorable and galvanise people into action. One way to make sure your points resonate strongly is to make use of the power of contrast. This is a sure way to make your presentation stand out and for you to achieve your goals.

Let me share three ways to use contrast to when speaking to your business audience.

Contrast in content

In most business communication, the goal is to persuade your audience to adopt your call to action. This might be to buy your sales pitch, support your recommendations etc. Effective persuasion requires contrast in content.

Evidence-based information, e.g. statistics, track record or a reinforcing quote from a relevant expert drive credibility, authority and recognition of your expertise. However, these alone are not enough to persuade. You need to contrast this ‘rational’ information with more emotive content that helps build trust, relationships and connection. Here, storytelling and anecdotes come into their own. They may reveal something about you as a person, what you are like to work with, your motivations etc. They are your chance to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the case in hand.

The contrast of functional and emotive content can bring even greater potency to your message.

Contrast in language

Rich and colourful vocabulary stands out. It might not be everyday conversation, but this is a speech, not everyday conversation. We need to avoid words that are so obscure or full of jargon that people cannot understand – and that is why it is important to know your audience. However, when we use rich language, it stands out as different and erudite, enhancing our credibility and authority. For instance, instead of ‘say’, try muttered, mumbled, shouted, whispered, etc. They all communicate the act of saying and additionally information.

We also have rhetorical devices to contrast from everyday speech, for instance:

  • Metaphor, an expression that describes a person or object in term so something else which has similar characteristics, e.g. the city as a jungle, broken heart, bubbly personality
  • Alliteration, e.g. colourful contrasts communicate, startling statistic
  • The rule of three pervades formal speeches, fairy stories, film titles, comedy. One example I like is from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass:

“The rule is: jam tomorrow, and jam yesterday, but never jam today”

Rhetorical devices like these give emphasis and colour which enrich our words – they create engaging content.

Contrast in voice and movement

As someone who listens to presentations you’ll have experienced the misery of monotone. It’s hard to stay focused on a voice that drones on relentlessly, without any kind of variety of pitch, pace, volume, etc. A voice that goes faster and slower, louder and quieter, harsher and softer, higher and lower is interesting. That colour and contrast brings meaning and interest to our words and makes a greater impact. For instance, if you say “the words tripped lightly off the tongue …”, you will render them more memorable if you use a short, staccato, light enunciation, using a faster pace that, combined, suggest the movement of the words themselves.

While you are talking, think about how you can use contrasting body language and gestures to give emphasis to your words. If your hands and arms are constantly flailing around, you deny yourself the opportunity to use gestures. For example:

  • Size – us your arms to indicate large and fingers for small
  • Distance – indicate distance from you (near or far), set your gaze afar, etc.
  • Inclusion, use an all-encompassing sweep across your audience or wide arms coming together in a large, encircling gesture.

To give your gestures impact, keep your arms relaxed and hanging loosely by your side and then move them when you want to reinforce a point. Next time you are watching a play, note how the actors use gestures.

Contrast creates interest, the colour that makes your presentation stand out and moves your audience be persuaded. My top tip for being persuasive in the moment and to have your message remembered and appreciated by your audience is to use the power of contrast.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lyn Roseaman is from Toastmasters International, a non-profit educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organisation’s membership exceeds 352,000 in more than 16,400 clubs in 141 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. There are more than 300 clubs in the UK and Ireland with over 7,500 members. To find your local club: www.toastmasters.org Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter.

 

Filed Under: Business Advice

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