https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/Carlisle Ambassadors work together to influence the city, & make it a better place to live, work, invest & visit: Join us to make a differencehttps://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/christmas-2025Thu, 12 Jun 2025 19:20:58 +0000
All Inclusive Party Nights Join our inclusive party nights for a memorable and fun celebration with loved ones and colleagues. Get a great value ticket that includes a three course dinner, unlimited drinks, entertainment, friendly service and a packed dance floor until the early hours. Saturday 6th December and Saturday 13th December£75.95 per person Includes:Glass of Bucks Fizz on arrivalThree course festive dinnerBeer, wine & soft drinks on the tableChristmas crackersDJ & discoAll inclusive drinks from 10pm to midnight ]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/women-in-innovationTue, 30 May 2023 09:33:13 +0000
Disruptive innovation - when diverse minds and ideas come together. Women in Innovation is a national programme that gives trailblazing women entrepreneurs the support they need to take a big step forward with their business and address pressing societal, environmental, or economic challenge. This year, Innovate UK will invest up to £2.5million to high potential women innovators. Up to 50 winners will receive a £50,000 grant, plus tailored mentoring, and business support. This special and long-awaited event is brought to you by Cumbria Innovations Platform and Innovate UK – Women in Innovation. We know that very few Cumbrian businesswomen apply for Innovate UK grants, and few are nominated for Women in Innovation Awards, which is why we are collaborating with Innovate UK to bring expertise to Cumbria for this special event. Dr Giulia Sirigu (She/Her/Hers) Scaleup Director & Senior Innovation and Growth Specialist with Innovate UK EDGE will be sharing her knowledge and experience of funding for innovation and will give an insight into how you can apply for future Women in Innovation Awards. Agenda 10.00 Registration 10.30 Welcome and introductions 10.40 Innovation in Cumbria 11.00 Innovate UK & Innovate UK EDGE – awards, funding opportunities & support 12.00 Lunch – networking 1.00pm Women in Innovation, No Limits and Innovate UK Competitions: funding surgery and application process - Dr Giulia Sirigu 2.00pm Guest speaker 2.30pm Close & networking   Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-in-innovation-registration-638714230457 ]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/successful-sales-managementWed, 04 Jan 2023 16:02:14 +0000
Cumbria Innovations Platform – CUSP II. Partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Successful Sales Management Managing sales in any company is a challenge. When companies set out to ‘grow sales’, what they’re doing is almost always ‘business development’. Validating product-market fit and all the assumptions made about new products, new processes, new pricing etc. Leading the sales process needs perpetual positivity, endless enthusiasm, objectivity .......and a process. This session, brought to you by CUSP and EBS, will provide you with the tools, insight, and tried and tested processes for successful sales management, which you can adapt and use within your company. Agenda Part 1. • Segmenting your sales opportunities and allocating targets to enable you and/or your sales team to achieve targets and objectives. • Applying the metrics needed when evaluating each sales opportunity, for both Business to Business as well as Business to Customer and Direct to Customer sales. Part 2. • Addressing sales targets by focussing on the top 5 (or top 10!) opportunities in each period. • Different ways of forecasting quarterly sales achievement and how to manage concessions and ‘development’ opportunities. Course materials include: • PDF textbook, • Example Compensation Plans • Copies of InCoTerms2020 for use in preparing quotations and invoices • List of suggested Customer Relationship Management Systems you might use. This course requires you bring a clean notebook or notepad, several pens or pencils and space to think. Learning Outcomes: Managing Sales has four Learning Outcomes. After completing this course each delegate will be able to: 1. Build a segmented Sales Plan and allocate Revenue Targets & Priorities. 2. Implement a weekly sales review process. 3. Apply the ‘Forecast by Achievement’ process to predict Sales Revenue for each period 4. Manage the sales achievement towards each End of Quarter target. Using these outcomes, a delegate can start to build a sales management process for their business which will deliver sales to forecast. Book your place here:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/successful-sales-management-registration-492258377057 For more information about Cumbria Innovations Platform (CUSP II), please go to: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/cusp This event is for SMEs based in Cumbria with less than 250 FTE employees, turnover less than 50m euros, balance sheet total less than 43m euros.     ]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/wellbeing-well-worth-it-for-businessFri, 11 Nov 2022 14:38:54 +0000
"Businesses that don’t take mental health seriously will not be successful in the 21 st century. The global economy is changing fast & the capabilities that companies require now centre more on innovation, communication & emotional intelligence than just the more straightforward requirements of strength, dexterity & intellect that characterised previous eras." Dr Paul Litchfield, BT Mental Health & Wellbeing is the top reason for work absences in the UK & it's rising. It is estimated that mental health issues cost UK employers up to £45 billion a year. The law requires all employers to promote, support & sustain good mental health in the workplace. Join Matthew Curtis & Louisa Waite for this series of four introductory online workshops to find out why wellbeing in the workplace is so important. Improve the effectiveness of your team & enhance your abilities as a strong & emotionally intelligent leader for your business. Matthew, is a sought-after leadership development expert, executive coach & business consultant. With both a bachelors degree and an MBA, Matthew has twice been recognised at the British Excellence in Sales & Marketing awards before becoming a judge. He's led Sales teams, Divisions & entire Organisations in the Chemicals, Coatings & Construction products sectors. Matthew has personally been involved in landing multi-million-pound contracts, devising & executing strategies including re-structures & turnarounds under several different ownership models. Louisa, is a highly skilled & experienced specialist Occupational Therapist & Wellbeing Coach. She brings a wealth of experience in managing mental wellbeing in the workplace to this series. Louisa's career saw her progress to Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist for North Cumbria NHS Inpatient Mental Health Services before deciding to set up in private practice. Louisa currently works with teens, adults, employees & parents supporting them to unburden, up-level & unleash their true potential. Louisa also recently featured on BBC Radio Cumbria as a guest speaker & expert in mental wellbeing. Session 1 - 9th January 2023, 9:00 - 10:00 am Get the low down on WHY wellbeing at work is well worth prioritising. This session presents research surrounding this & relevant challenges within the current economic climate so that you’re crystal clear on why leading, mentoring & supporting employees around this proactively engages them in their employment & contributes to the growth of your business. Session 2 - 17th January 2023, 9:00 - 10:00 am Dig deep into recognising what employee wellbeing looks like & its impact on performance, productivity & output. This session will discuss simple strategies you can implement to influence and enhance your teams sense of wellbeing & promote a positive "wellness at work" culture. Session 3 - 24th January 2023, 9:00 - 10:00 am Get to grips with mastering mentally healthy workplaces & spaces for your employees. Gain an awareness of why these are essential to creating a thriving workforce & the risks associated with the absence of these. Build awareness of common indicators that suggest your employee wellbeing may be compromised.  Session 4 - 31st January 2023, 9:00 - 10:00 am Find out why communication is key to promoting wellbeing & what approaches are best to support ‘wellbeing conversations’. Find out about frameworks and strategies you can implement to deliver safe & compassionate discussions about various aspects of employee wellbeing and increase your awareness of further sources of support.]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/cumbria-beyond-2025-powering-up-leadership-and-innovationWed, 09 Nov 2022 15:25:52 +0000
An interactive and collaborative summit where business owners and leaders will come together to find solutions to challenges and explore opportunities for growth and innovation in Cumbria. Since the last Cumbria Beyond 2025 event, it’s safe to say we are experiencing even more volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Last year’s event highlighted several key priorities including the need for greater collaboration, mentoring for success, closing the generational gaps, encouraging young innovators and entrepreneurs, and understanding opportunities to innovate. We know from recent research that these priorities are still current for Cumbrian businesses, so we invite you to join us on the 7th of December at The Halston Hotel, Carlisle, to explore together how we can overcome barriers to innovation and seize opportunities for business growth in Cumbria Beyond 2025. At the November 2021 event delegates made a commitment to bring a young entrepreneur or innovator to the next event. Who will you bring along? Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cumbria-beyond-2025-powering-up-leadership-and-innovation-registration-460671459737]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/creating-a-culture-of-innovation-part-2-collaborate-to-innovate-2nd-novemberTue, 11 Oct 2022 17:49:42 +0000
We welcome Cumbrian SMEs to this special masterclass in partnership with The Harrison Network.   Collaborate to innovate   Strong collaborations can help you tackle bigger problems and create unique products or services. But they can also be time-consuming if you don’t get the foundations right.This masterclass is about making sure you are working smarter, not harder in building a collaboration. Through valuable conversations with other local businesses and a process of live collaboration, you’ll consider:     How to find the right collaborator for you, allowing you to play to your strengths and to focus on what you’re passionate about   The conversations to have before you start - how to build strong, trust-based relationships and avoid the common pitfalls of collaboration   Creating an environment of psychological safety which enables innovation   How your organisation can become more collaborative in its culture     Delegates are encouraged to use this opportunity to network and build connections for future collaborations.   Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creating-a-culture-of-innovation-part-2-collaborate-to-innovate-registration-381658921107   The event is suitable for innovative start-ups and established Cumbrian SMEs. ERDF eligibility requirements apply*.   Cumbria Innovations Platform: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/cusp/ For further information, please contact Sarah.Allison@cumbria.ac.uk *SME based in Cumbria with less than 250 FTE employees, turnover less than 50m euros, balance sheet total less than 43m euros.  ]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/effective-decision-makingFri, 08 Jul 2022 16:12:03 +0000
Cumbria Innovations Platform (CUSP II) in collaboration with Barclays Eagle Labs. Effective decision-making lies at the heart of successful businesses, whether it’s day-to-day decisions or critical, strategic decisions such as when to pivot, invest or divest with new products. Yet despite it being an essential business skill, the art and science of decision-making is often missing from business education programs. Learning how to make good decisions in small businesses is what this half-day is about.  This informative session will draw upon Nobel prize-winning research to present ideas in a simple way that is applicable to the lives of small and medium-sized businesses in Cumbria. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and explore how we can confidently make the best decisions for our companies. The session will lift the lid on how we, as humans, process information and decide on our courses of action. You will learn why we do this the way we do, and how thinking systems designed to help us can sometimes work against us. The focus will firstly be on understanding how we make decisions and what how to adapt to different types of environments. We will then take a tour of how our thinking biases can impact upon small businesses and what to do about it. Come to this masterclass ready to learn about yourself. Ask questions, review decisions you’ve made in the past, and set yourself up for a better decision-making future. You will be thinking about the lessons from this session for weeks and months afterwards as you approach decisions throughout your everyday life. There will be breaks for networking, and lunch, teas and coffees will be provided. This masterclass is funded through the European Regional Development Fund, so there is no charge for attending: you just need to be a trading SME based in Cumbria. Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/effective-decision-making-registration-372760194777 The event is suitable for innovative start-ups and established Cumbrian SMEs. ERDF eligibility requirements apply*. Cumbria Innovations Platform: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/cusp/ For further information, please contact Sarah.allison@cumbria.ac.uk *SME based in Cumbria with less than 250 FTE employees, turnover less than 50m euros, balance sheet total less than 43m euros. ]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/harnessing-creativity-for-innovationFri, 08 Jul 2022 16:03:14 +0000
Harnessing Creativity for Innovation, 4th August Cumbria Innovations Platform (CUSP II) in collaboration with Barclays Eagle Labs. How do people come up with great ideas? Often, we assume some people are just naturally creative, but the reality is that most great business ideas come from designing good structures and going through rigorous creative processes that gradually develop ideas into products and services. Creativity in business is not about artistry and nor is it about the ‘lightbulb moment’. Effective creativity is something that can be learned and practiced by anyone. This session is about learning how to make you and your company more creative. You will learn about how great ideas really develop and what you can do to improve your ability to innovate better. It will be useful for any company that has a current need to develop new products, services or business models, but it will also be useful for anyone wanting to learn these skills for the future. We start by understanding the aspects of our thinking which prevent creativity and new ideas. We will then look at how to structure your teams and processes so that you can generate new ideas. There will be an introduction to design thinking, which is an approach that seeks to make your customers engage emotionally with your products and services. Design thinking is for every type of business, not just the creative sector, and it is a powerful means of innovation. There will be an opportunity to book 1-1 sessions with a Design Thinking expert so that you can develop your skills further. The importance of creativity to your business Logic, rationality and best practice: a recipe for failure Understanding the creative landscape: customers and markets Design thinking: an introduction for small businesses which are not in creative sectors Unlocking your creativity: processes and techniques There will be breaks for networking, and lunch, teas and coffees will be provided. This masterclass is funded through the European Regional Development Fund, so there is no charge for attending: you just need to be a trading SME based in Cumbria. Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/harnessing-creativity-for-innovation-registration-372755560917 The event is suitable for innovative start-ups and established Cumbrian SMEs. ERDF eligibility requirements apply*. Cumbria Innovations Platform: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/cusp/ For further information, please contact Sarah.allison@cumbria.ac.uk *SME based in Cumbria with less than 250 FTE employees, turnover less than 50m euros, balance sheet total less than 43m euros.  ]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/jobs-to-be-done-designing-products-and-services-your-customers-really-needThu, 23 Jun 2022 17:56:18 +0000
Cumbria Innovations Platform in collaboration with Barclays Eagles Labs Why do certain products and services just click with customers? The secret behind modern start-up success is the Jobs To Be Done method – a way of understanding customer’s motivations even more deeply than they do themselves, and then designing products, services and marketing around that understanding. Throughout the day, we will explore the JTBD framework and you will have the opportunity to apply the framework to your organisations through interactive workshop sessions: 9.00am Registration and refreshments with time to network 9.30am Introductions and an overview of JTDB fundamentals 10am Defining a Market 10.30am Defining & understanding your customers 11.15am Break for refreshments and networking 11.45am Defining and understanding a Job – JTBD framework 12.15pm Researching Jobs – JTBD Framework Interactive session on methods and applications 1pm Lunch & Networking 2pm Recap of the morning and interactive session on interview techniques 2.30pm Applying JTBD to your business – defining jobs for your customers 3pm Value Proposition Canvass – Interactive session on finding solutions for jobs (JTBD) 4pm Interactive session: Revising jobs and VP Canvass. Planning to research and implement JTBD. 5pm Close   Book your place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jobs-to-be-done-designing-products-and-services-your-customers-really-need-registration-369104961877 This event is funded through European Regional Development Funding and is open to Cumbrian SMEs only. ERDF eligibility rules apply, for more information please contact sarah.allison@cumbria.ac.uk For more information about Cumbria Innovations Platform (CUSP II), please go to: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/cusp This event is for SMEs based in Cumbria with less than 250 FTE employees, turnover less than 50m euros, balance sheet total less than 43m euros. ]]>https://www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk/event/the-importance-of-market-research-to-innovationThu, 23 Jun 2022 17:46:34 +0000
This is a joint event brought to you by Cumbria Growth Hub and the University of Cumbria - CUSP II. Using our joint expertise and experience, we will show you what good research looks like for small businesses. You will learn how to scope, conduct, and interpret research that is robust and meaningful to you. This session will give you the knowledge and confidence to tailor your product and service to the needs of the market. We will be focusing on: Exploring the need for market-centric innovation – for both established companies and start-ups. Established companies are experts at refining their product, which means they can miss new opportunities. This is where start-ups come in, but most start-ups are designed around the founder’s idea or passion - only when it’s too late do they realise that there is no market for their product. Product-market fit: changing your product and finding your market. PMF is making sure there is a sustainable market for your product. It can only be achieved by understanding your market. But it’s a process rather than an outcome. And it needs the company to correctly understand the data from the market research – you often need to design your product or route-to-market to get that market data. Jobs-To-Be-Done theory: understanding your customers deeply so you can get product-market fit. This is used by some of the world’s most successful companies. It’s a technique of designing, conducting and analysing market research to find out what your customers want – even when they don’t know themselves. It is therefore ideal for finding new sources of value and new markets - e.g., how deep research of why people buy McDonald’s milkshakes led to a 7-times increase in sales, False signals and the Chasm: research your market even when you think you’ve cracked it. Why the initial stages of market research and growth can mislead you later: the case for continual market research through all stages of growth.   Book your place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-importance-of-market-research-to-innovation-registration-367440453287 The event is suitable for innovative start-ups and established Cumbrian SMEs. ERDF eligibility requirements apply. Cumbria Innovations Platform: https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/cusp/ For further information, please contact Sarah.allison@cumbria.ac.uk *SME based in Cumbria with less than 250 FTE employees, turnover less than 50m euros, balance sheet total less than 43m euros. ]]>