Category: SEO

Planning and hosting a conference can be an extremely challenging task. There is so much thought that needs to be put into it and it is often easy to forget important factors. In order to ease the pressure on your shoulders, this article will give you some tips to ensure that your conference goes well.

You need to put in a lot of forward-planning

The importance of careful preplanning is something which cannot be underestimated; it is absolutely crucial. If you fail to plan properly and well in advance, then it will certainly show. Organisation is the key to success in such things. Furthermore, proper planning and organisation will make you feel more at ease and less stressed on the actual day.

Make sure you choose the right event venue 

The importance of selecting the right event venue is huge. You need to consider a whole host of elements: Can the venue cater to the facilities you require? How big is the location? Is it situated in an area which is easy for guests to get to? You also need to recognise that your decision in regards to event venue is going to have a massive impact on your branding. After all, it is a representation of your business, and so you need to select with care. 

Choose the most convenient date to hold your conference on

Put some serious thought into what date the event should be held on. You need to think about when your guests are going to be most likely able to attend as well as when the venues or free to be able to hold your conference. The date may also have an impact on how much the conference venue is going to cost too.

Don’t underestimate the importance of safety

This is a point which is often overlooked but it is absolutely essential if you want your conference to go well because if something tragic occurred you would never be able to live with yourself. Thoroughly check out the venues health and safety policy before proceeding any further. You also need to consider health and safety in regards to computer use. This is a matter that is often overlooked today but it is extremely important. Workstation training has become central to businesses to ensure that the likes of RSI does not become an issue. 

The walk-through

Finally, practising and walking through the event is absolutely essential. You will only be able to pick up on whether something doesn’t feel right or needs to be changed through doing this.

If you contemplate these four points in detail then I am sure your conference will go even better than you imagined!

If you’re self-employed, navigating can your tax can seem impossible. There are lots of ways to save on your taxes by claiming back some self-employed expenses. But what can you claim? 

Office Expenses

Business expenses like office stationery, printer costs and postage can all be claimed. If you bought it purely for office use, claim it back. Computer equipment for work use, and software can also be claimed as a business expense, as long as the main use is work. 

Business Premises

If you have premises for your business, you can claim rent, bills, maintenance and insurance back as a business expense. If you don’t have an office, and run your business from home, you can claim back part of your bills too. You’ll need to work out what portion of your home you use for work, and how many hours you work, or if you work from home for at least 25 hours a month, you can use the simplified expenses option offered by the government. 

Travel

Work vehicles can be claimed back as an expense. If you’re buying a van or car exclusively for your business, make sure you buy from a trustworthy dealer like David Ray Commercials. Train tickets, flights or fuel for work trips can be claimed. You can also claim on vehicle insurance, car hire, repairs, servicing and breakdown cover. 

Other travel expenses, like hotel rooms, can also be claimed, as long as the trip was for business purposes. You can claim on travel to meetings or site visits, but remember that you can’t claim on your travel between home and the office, if you have one. 

Legal and Financial Costs

If you hire a professional, such as an accountant or solicitor, for business reasons, their fees can be claimed back on your tax return. Banking costs, overdraft fees, credit card charges and loan interest can also be claimed as a business cost, as can any insurance costs. 

Clothing

If you provide uniforms, the cost of those can be claimed back, as can any safety gear you need. Outfits for events, like costumes for actors, can be claimed back, but you can’t claim back everyday clothing, even if you wear it for work. 

Subscriptions and Memberships

If you are a member of any professional bodies or trade organisations, don’t forget to claim those fees back. You can also claim back subscription fees for any trade or professional publications. 

Other Expenses

You can claim back other business expenses, if you pay for them from your own funds, and not from the business. Costs like stock or raw materials to make products, as well as things like marketing. Staff costs like salaries, bonuses, benefits, pension contributions, NI contributions and agency fees all count as claimable expenses. 

Make sure you keep accurate records of all your costs and save your receipts, so you can provide a detailed breakdown of expenses or your receipts if required. It’s important to stay on track, so you don’t get into a mess later on with poorly kept financial records.

Standing out, when you’re a small business and you’ve got a lot to prove, is the key to making it big in the modern world. You’ve got so many portals to find customers through, and you’re surrounded by other companies just like yours, you’ve got to set yourself apart from the crowd. 

And one of the easiest ways to do that is in the boardroom, for both internal and external purposes. 

Whether you’ve got the rest of the company to impress, and get on board, or you’ve got a room of investors or collaborators to pitch towards, there’s some tricks you can put up your sleeve to make sure you impress. And here’s just a couple of the best that could inspire your next successful meeting.  

Put Your Brand on Blast

You want to show off about your brand – you want it to be the center of attention, and you’d like some of the heat to be off of your shoulders. And to do that, you’re going to need to put your brand on blast, in every single little way you can think of. Don’t worry, there’s a lot more than you might be scrambling for off the top of your head. 

For example, the cup you’re using to swig a drink out of every now and then, and the cups your guests are using to take refreshment. Instead of using bog standard coffee mugs and tea cups, why not invest in some branded reusable coffee cups to enhance your brand? This way your brand will always be on someone’s mind, even if they’re not aware of it, and they can even take their cup home as a form of memorabilia. 

Dress the Part

Dressing the part is something you’re already aware of, of course, and you’d never walk into the boardroom in just some jeans and a t-shirt. But when you’ve got a brand presentation to absolutely ace, you need to take your professional outfit up a notch or two more than usual. You’ve got to coordinate and accessorize properly! 

That white shirt or blouse you put underneath every suit you own – could you change the way you style it, just a little? If you’re talking about how practical and useful your brand could be in day to day life, or how your proposed rota changes would be much more sustainable, even just rolling up your sleeves can back up your impression. Rolled sleeves mean you’re ready to get down to work, and help to illustrate the same impression for what you’re presenting. 

Maintain Your Presence

And finally, make sure you’ve always got a presence. Make sure you’re always heard, or always seen, by everyone else around the table. If you can always be on the edge of a conversation, or in the middle of it, you expose you and your ideas enough times to be memorable. 

Standing out in the boardroom takes confidence, so let’s make sure you’ve got plenty of ways to conjure that confidence up!