Business Know How North East




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“great being around so many lateral thinkers. - so inspiring” third sector

“very enjoyable. Good contacts established and lots of ideas generated” private sector

“really reminded us why we should be working together for the people we support” third sector

“very enjoyable and productive” private sector “a great event and one to be repeated” private sector

“helped confirm our needs for business planning, mentoring and support” third sector

“Good practice out of my comfort zone” private sector

“I found the discussion round the table very interesting” Ann Begg MP


 
 
Events


The Business Know How programme includes events which aim to bring together the private and third sectors to build mutually beneficial relationships, share issues, identify opportunities, increase understanding and shape the future of the programme. 

The last event was held on Thursday 27th May 2010, details below.  A report on the event is currently in preparation.

Business Know How North East Showcase 2010
(Sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland)
Thursday 27th May 2010, Aberdeen Arts Centre

  Aberdeen Arts Centre       Royal Bank of Scotland

The event aimed to give private and voluntary organisations the opportunity to network, learn, find inspiration and support and raise awareness and was held on the 27th May 2010 thanks to the sponsorship of The The Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Business Know How Showcase was organised by Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations (ACVO) in partnership with The Royal Bank of Scotland, the Aberdeenshire CVS Network and Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, and aimed to bring together around 200 delegates from local private and social businesses.

The event was open to organisations of all sizes. The aim and theme of the event was to identify action that both the private and voluntary sector can take in order to make the North-east 'wealthier and fairer, healthier and greener, safer and stronger and smarter and prouder'.

Delegates attending the event heard from Bob Keiller, CEO of PSN on "The Glencraft Story – The Next Chapter" fromBob Collier, CEO of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce on big thinking in response to the public sector deficit and from Gary MCEwan, CEO of Enterprise North East Trust on entrpeneurship with a social conscience, as well as RBS, RGU and ACVO.   Delegates took part in workshops and discussions looking at how individual organisations are contributing to the key issues being discussed.

A session on "Growth Solutions" was delivered on the day by Space Solutions and Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP.Case studies will be heard from Bibby Offshore, Cornerstone, Aberdeen Forward, Inspire, SACRO, Buchan Dial a Bus, Aberdeen International Youth Festival and more.

'Business on Board' on 28th October 2009 at The Citadel, Castlegate, Aberdeen

  • Presentations:


    The objectives of this interactive, networking event delivered by SCVO in association with Business Know Howwere:

    • To announce the national 'Business on Board' brokerage programme managed by SCVO

    • To increase awareness in both sectors of the value of, opportunities and support for the involvement of business-skilled people in third-sector organisations

    • To encourage and enable business-skilled people to take up such opportunities, increase the number of business-skilled volunteers pursuing such involvement and thus contribute to the building of capacity within third sector organisations

    • Contribute to the capacity of business-skilled individuals to find and choose opportunities appropriate to their personal/professional development

    • Increase understanding between sectors of each other's context, culture and expectations and contribute to the ability of both sectors to support the retention of business-skilled volunteers

    • To raise awareness of the plans and proposals for Business Know How North East 2009/10
     

     

    • Business Know How Showcase Event
    Tuesday 26th May 2009 at The Citadel, Castlegate, Aberdeen

    The Business Know How Showcase:
    • Presented business development opportunities available now
    • Shared brilliant thinking for the futureand remove obstacles to progress
    • Illustrated models of cost-efficient responsibility and leadership
    • Delivered learning and knowledge exchange
    • Extended networks of support
    • Gave BKH delegates the opportunity to pitch, practice,find mentors and additional support

    BKH Showcase Event - May 2009

    Showcase Report - this report includes:
    • 'Value Unearthed' by Alison Chandler, BKHNE Co-ordinator;
    • 'Value Unearthed' - the perspective of a BKH workshop delegate and recipient of Business Mentoring; Shopmobility Aberdeen Case Study;
    • Efficiency & Effectiveness through CSR - summary of workshop findings and presentation slides;
    • Profiles and contributors to BKH Showcase Events;
    • Event Report
     
    BUSINESS KNOW HOW NORTH EAST AHEAD
    On the 23rd June 2009, Business Know How North East partners and associates met to review the suggestions, requests and offers made at the Showcase event and to consider the programme ahead.  The BKHNE Co-ordinator consulted widely and the results have been incorporated into the plans and proposals outlined on these pages.  Amongst the proposals is:

    BUSINESS KNOW HOW OUT AND ABOUT:

    Aims:

    • To enable BKH Network members to visualise the opportunities and obstacles facing each other
    • To enable BKH Network members to practice their skills in researching opportunities and pitching to each other and to involve their wider organisations in the cross-sectoral exchange process
    • To encourage BKH Network members to provide or signpost solutions to each others obstacles, to provide feedback to each other and to identify gaps in their own capacity for cross-sectoral exchange

    The proposal was for a session as part of a wider Showcase event in 2010, resources allowing. The session would have a similar structure and aims as the café table discussions held at previous BKH events but would be mobile.

    • BKH would identify a range of venues willing to show delegates around their activities, pitch their services/products and outline their obstacles in doing business across the sectors.
    • BKH would, in advance of the event, invite delegates actively interested in such venues to join a group visit those venues.

     

    OPPORTUNITIES NOTICE BOARD ON BKH WEBSITE.

    The aims of this are to:

    • Encourage more people and organisations to exchange and do business across the sectors
    • Enable people willing to volunteer business-skills to directly find suitable opportunities within BKH Network members
    • Enable companies offering unwanted items as gifts-in-kind to directly find suitable takers within BKH Network members
    • Enable third sector organisations with services/products to sell to the private or third sectors to directly promote these to BKH Network members

    The Notice Board would be one page of the BKH website for:

    • Business-skilled individuals or 3rd sectpr organisations offering or seeking specific volunteering, gifts-in-kind, third sector services/products
    • The web page would be divided like adverts in a business directory or classified section of a newspaper
    • The slots would be divided between items offered and items sought.

    Slots would be available on a first-come-first-served-basis.

    • Submissions would be vetted by BKH for illegality/offence
    • Submissions would also be vetted for their relevance to BKH NE
    • There would be no brokerage between "offerers" and "seekers" by the CVSs or BKH Partners. Interested parties would need to follow up direct with each other

     

    Business Know How Launch and Cross-Sectoral Exchange
    6th November 2008 at The Citadel, Aberdeen

    This event which took place on the 6th November 2008 at the Citadel, Aberdeen, had speakers from The Royal Bank of Scotland, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations and café table discussions that:

    • Introduced Business Know How North East
    • Gave the opportunity to network and share business-know-how issues which cross the sectoral divide
    • Drew out responses to 4 questions:
      1. What value do you see in cross-sectoral exchange between theprivate sector and voluntary sector?
      2. What are you doing in terms of cross-sectoral exchange?
      3. What do you have to offer across sectors?
      4. What business know how orleadership issues do you face?

    Click here for the Launch Report and the Action Plan 2009
     

      
    Mini-Launch of Business Know How North East - 19th September 2008 

    Business Know How Launch

     

     

    Local business and voluntary organisations support the opening of Business Know How programme

     

    Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire voluntary organisations including Volunteer Centre South Aberdeenshire, RNIB, Aberdeen Arts Centre and Shopmobility Aberdeen were amongst those joining Alison Chandler from ACVO, Fraser McCallum of Royal Bank of Scotland and Gordon Prentice of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce at RBS Corporate HQ in Aberdeen on Friday 19th September to open the Business Know How programme.

    The event proved to be a good opportunity for networking between sectors over a delicious lunch and was followed up by an ACVO Funding Briefing on “Working with Corporates” which was joined by George Thom of RBS, Aberdeen Christian Fellowship and Sue Ryder Care.

    All voluntary sector organisations expressed their interest in getting involved and the event received media attention both locally and nationally, prompting a range of enquiries and requests for referral to the Business Know How mentoring programme.