GM Business Growth Hub will probably be heading to South by Southwest (SXSW) in March 2024 – and 4 inventive businesses primarily based in Greater Manchester will get the thrilling, fully-funded alternative to attend the internationally famend competition along with the organisation.
The annual March occasion takes place in Austin, Texas, and provides attendees the ultimate alternative to completely have interaction in conferences and festivals that discover the convergence of tech, movie, music, schooling, and tradition from across the globe. SXSW is the de facto vacation spot for all gamers within the digital, inventive and know-how sectors and businesses will get the prospect to rub shoulders with business leaders.
Becki Coen, Programme Manager for the Digital, Creative & Tech Sector at GM Business Growth Hub, stated: “Attending SXSW is an unimaginable alternative for inventive businesses in our area. Thousands of essentially the most modern and provoking minds come collectively in a single place to achieve new connections and markets from all over the world.
“I’m excited that we get to expand on our delegation from last year and offer even more businesses in Greater Manchester the priceless networking opportunities SXSW has. The festival showcases a unique insight into the future of the sector, inspiring businesses with creative new ideas to bring back home and support their growth.”
Representatives of GMCA Culture workforce may even be part of the journey alongside artists supported and chosen by the GMMC (Greater Manchester Music Commission). Last yr, for the primary time, GM Business Growth Hub invited three businesses from the Greater Manchester inventive neighborhood to attend the convention to showcase to the world that town area is the place to be on the subject of music, tradition, creativity, and innovation. Applications for subsequent yr’s journey shut at 23:59, December 5.
This alternative was invaluable for Rachel Emson, MD of the inventive company VIVID Manchester. She stated: “Being part of the US mission has been invaluable for our business. In just a few days, we have met agencies from across the world, from New York to Slovakia and Brazil – relationships that have been glued together by the delegation that shared Manchester’s message loud and proud. We’ve felt like part of the Greater Manchester scene, allowing us to celebrate this on the global stage.”
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Global toy and gaming studio Toikido has joined forces with Bury-based toy producer and distributor, Sambro International, to roll out its latest Piñata Smashlings collectables and toys assortment.
Under the brand new three-year partnership, which was facilitated by Toikido’s licensing consultant IMG, Sambro will ship an intensive vary of arts and crafts, stationery, luggage, and novelty toys. The merchandise, priced between £1.99 to £8.99, will probably be broadly available throughout EMEA territories.
The new vary will mirror the core model DNA of the Smashlings universe and goal to excite youngsters with hidden characters. Some of the important thing compound merchandise embrace the Surprise Sand Eggs, Great Tree Crystal Growing Kit, Slurping Smashling, and Bash Sand Eggs, Squelchum.
Sambro can also be growing a spread of stationery backpacks formed like widespread Smashlings characters and crammed with a wide range of collectable stationery merchandise. Additionally, the toy provider may even ship an unique vary of Smashlings Piñata Puzzle Palz, its IP vary of collectable puzzle erasers, giving youngsters an opportunity to build, play and erase whereas gathering their favorite characters.
Clare Rix, model and licensing director at Sambro, stated: “The team at IMG and Toikido have been brilliant to work with in getting this deal across the line and I can’t wait to see our product launch alongside the master toys ranges. We are excited to start working on the franchise and see where team Toikido takes Smashlings, and programming and marketing support is huge.”
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Paulina Melling
A Grange-over-Sands animal lover is happy as she prepares to open a brand new pet store within the seaside city. Pawlina’s Pet Shop, at Albert Road, which opens on December 2, will cater for dogs, cats, pets equivalent to rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and fish – and even snakes and geckos.
Pauline Melling, 36, stated: “I love animals. I wanted to be a vet when I was a child. If I could, I would own a zoo. Lots of people in Grange have pets. These are mostly dogs and cats but there are also guinea pigs, rabbits, parrots, snakes and geckos. Some people even have pet rats and even if people don’t have a pet, they often like to feed the wild birds in the area.”
Initially, Pauline expects her important prospects to be from the Grange, Lindale, Allithwaite, Cark, Cartmel, Kents Bank and Flookburgh space. Plans embrace organising a supply service overlaying that patch after New Year, which can probably imply taking over a member of workers.
She added: “I would also like to work with local pet rescue centres and do some events to raise money for them. And when I start delivering around the area hopefully it will encourage some of the older generation, who cannot get out to shop for pet food and litter, to adopt a cat for companionship from one of the centres.”
Paulina grew up in Poland and moved to Grange in 2006. She labored at The Grange Hotel, changing into a head housekeeper, after which on the Thornleigh Christian Hotel, the place she was an obligation supervisor. During the latter interval she studied part-time at Furness College and gained an Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership.
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The Baltic Bespoke backyard room
A collaboration between Liverpool charity Transforming Choice and native business Baltic Bespoke has seen the event of a brand new area to assist people who find themselves scuffling with addictions.
Thanks to funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation, Sefton Park-based Transforming Choice was capable of fee Baltic Bespoke, which specialises in custom-made backyard rooms, to design and build the large new facility, in step with the conservation space location. The charity, which largely helps individuals overcoming alcohol dependency, says the backyard room will change the way in which it provides a lot wanted companies.
Transforming Choice is a detox and rehabilitation centre, offering 12-week residential programmes. It additionally has iChoose, a neighborhood programme the place anybody in restoration can access additional ongoing assist after remedy. The two work aspect by aspect and iChoose programme coordinator Emma WIlkinson says they’ll each profit from the brand new area.
She stated: “The new garden room at the back of Transforming Choice is stunning and we’re going to be able to use the space in so many ways. iChoose can have arts and crafts workshops, drama group, holistic therapy, development meetings or just coffee and catch-ups in there. And for Transforming Choice, it gives us a place to bring the residents outside the house so they can have that different environment.”
For Francis Eades, who arrange Baltic Bespoke in the beginning of lockdown, making a large-scale backyard room for the charity was a rewarding problem. He stated: “It was the biggest garden building we’ve ever done, it’s 10m wide x 6m deep, and we knew the project would have to go through planning and building control so there was a lot to consider.”
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New analysis reveals that 84% of Brits really feel stress to work extra time of their job position, with the stress to satisfy job expectations being the highest motive for these going over and above working hours.
Call and reside chat firm, Moneypenny, performed a survey of UK employees from throughout completely different industries to make clear the professions the place extra time is most prevalent. The analysis additionally found the affect of prolonged working hours on psychological and bodily well being, in addition to private relationships.
The survey discovered that 52% of Brits work extra time for greater than two days per week, with 1 / 4 of those employees not receiving any extra pay for his or her efforts. However, sure industries stand out as having a better propensity for workers to exceed their contracted hours. When contemplating the common variety of extra time days in a month, the highest three industries have been legislation enforcement and safety (12.6 days), recruitment & HR (12.2 days), and accountancy, banking, and finance (11.7 days). Social care, schooling and science and prescription drugs are the industries through which employees really feel essentially the most stress to work extra time.
The examine reveals that working extra time, whether or not pushed by job calls for or financial elements, has a major affect on lives outdoors of the office. More than 1 / 4 (26%) of respondents reported that working extra time had a destructive affect on their bodily well being, whereas 23% cited opposed results on their psychological well being. Additionally, a couple of in six employees acknowledged that extra time had precipitated relationship points, with one in 12 even admitting that it had led to a break up.
Fiona Armstrong, chief individuals officer for Moneypenny, stated: “Caring for your employees and managing overtime is a critical practice for any business leader. In a world where performance and productivity often dominate the conversation, remember that a well-rested, engaged, and content workforce is the true driving force behind success.”
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We Invented the Weekend 2023
We Invented the Weekend, the free competition for the UK held in Salford, is about to return to MediaCity and Salford Quays in June 2024 after a recent examine revealed it delivered a complete affect of greater than £3.2m for the native economic system in its inaugural yr.
With 60,000 guests in attendance throughout the 2 days of the competition – which was held in June 2023 – the competition is celebrating serving to MediaCity to attain its highest footfall in its 12 yr historical past. A separate examine commissioned by the competition additionally revealed a 3rd of attendees to We Invented the Weekend have been from Salford, with a major 25% of holiday makers classed as visiting from outdoors of Greater Manchester, additional highlighting the draw of the competition and its distinctive programme in exposing new audiences to MediaCity and the broader Salford Quays.
The affect on MediaCity’s current tenants was additionally substantial, with 40% of competition attendees visiting a restaurant or café, 27% visiting a pub or bar, and 40% partaking in buying. With greater than 160 occasion and content material companions – from family names, equivalent to BBC, RHS and Sounds From The Other, to community-run organisations – We Invented the Weekend placed on greater than 200 free actions for guests because the cost-of-living disaster was at its peak.
Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett stated: “These wonderful figures from final yr’s occasion communicate for themselves. They validate the method we have now taken as a partnership and spotlight not solely the large enchantment the occasion has, inside the metropolis and past, but in addition the true optimistic affect and profit it brings to town.
“It’s proven to be a festival that offers something for everyone, locals, visitors and business alike. There’s a real buzz about this festival and there’s anticipation for next year. We’ve set a high benchmark and that raises expectations, but I’m all for that and I’m confident we’ll deliver another successful and unmissable event in 2024.”
