Free Advice for Creative and Digital Businesses

News release

22nd June

Free one-to-one advice and support is available for small Lincolnshire businesses thanks to a new project being run by Lincolnshire County Council.

Online Revolution aims to raise awareness of the potential of superfast broadband and stimulate demand for the service in the project’s three target areas: Lincoln, Boston and East Lindsey.

Part of the wider OnLincolnshire campaign to improve superfast broadband across the county, Online Revolution is offering free advice to help small businesses make the most of the Internet. Online Revolution is a project funded by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and managed via Lincolnshire County Council.

Through the Lincolnshire Digital Business Cluster small companies in Lincoln, East Lindsey and Boston which sell digital products and services are eligible for up to 12 hours of free business support through the Lincolnshire Digital Business Cluster programme.

“Running your own business can sometimes be lonely,” said Stuart McFarlane of CDI Alliance, the organisation running the Lincolnshire Digital Business Cluster.

“How many times have you wished you could bounce a few ideas around with someone who understands your business and can help you see beyond the day-to-day issues?

“We’re all searching for the next customer and we’re all working hard to deliver for the customers we’ve got. But how many creative, digital and new media businesses out there truly know where they’re going?

“We want to work closely with businesses to help them reach their potential and we are offering free one-to-one support. Our digital business experts will visit your premises, evaluate your business and identify opportunities for growth through using digital technology.”

Free advice and support is also being offered to creative micro-businesses near the coast in East Lindsey.

Four Coastal Arts and Technology Hubs are being set up in Skegness, Alford, Mablethorpe and Louth to provide networking opportunities for creative businesses demonstrate and showcase the new technologies available.

The hubs also offer a series of seminars and workshops as well as one-to-one business surgeries delivered remotely, talking each business person through topics ranging from websites and digital marketing to social media and e-commerce.

Seminars scheduled for June and July are as follows:

Back to web basics

27th June 6pm - 7.30pm

Mablethorpe Business Centre

Discover the basics of getting your business on the web.

Selling online

5th July 6pm - 7.30pm

Skegness Business Centre

E-commerce and selling online.

Digital marketing

12th July 6pm - 7.30pm

Louth Business Centre

Find out how to promote your business using digital tools.

Running a business digitally

18th July 6pm - 7.30pm

Skegness Business Centre

Learn how to run your business more effectively using digital tools and cloud services.

Social media for business

26th July 6pm - 7.30pm

Mablethorpe Business Centre

Find out how you can use social media to promote your business on the web.

Lincolnshire Digital Business Support

Over the summer, there will also be 4 seminars aimed at digital businesses around the subject of mobile apps. Please go to the Online Revolution pages on www.Onlincolnshire.org for booking details. The events in the 4fours4u Programme are:

4th July – Think Tank, Lincoln

Joss Winn, University of Lincoln – The Orbital Project.

The University of Lincoln is working on a software tool called Orbital for researchers who want to manage, share, analyse and publish their data. The Orbital project crosses both app development and cloud computing and the presentation will discuss both.

11th July – Innovation Centre, Boston

Bill Muir, Limelight Software

Limelight Software’s StompBox iPad app was chosen to feature in the new iPad2 commercial. Stompbox transforms the iPad into a digital effects unit, enabling guitarists to create professional sounding stereo effects. Bill Muir from Limelight will talk about developing apps for the gaming industry.

18th July – Fairfield Enterprise Centre, Louth

Dave Sharp, Binary Asylum

A veteran of the UK games industry, Dave Sharp has worked on more than 90 titles on more than 20 different platforms. He continues to be active within gaming through his production company Binary Asylum and has several games currently in development across the UK. In his presentation he will discuss developing downloadable apps for mobile platforms.

25th July – Think Tank, Lincoln

Nicola Culliford, Innovation Lincolnshire

Innovation Lincolnshire delivers advice and guidance directly to the county’s business community. Nicola will talk about how the programme can support innovation through app and cloud computing development.

To register for the Lincolnshire Digital Business Cluster programme call 01522 563514 or email elizabeth.spurr@globelimited.co.uk and arrange a meeting with one of the business support team.

To register for remote support or a business seminar with the Coastal Arts and Technology Hubs call 020 32865186 or visit www.digitallincs.com

To lend your support for faster broadband in Lincolnshire log on to the website www.OnLincolnshire.org and register your details to support our campaign.

Ends

Notes to Editors

• The Online Revolution project is part-financed by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf

• Online Revolution is a 30-month project which aims to ensure that rural areas and less well off communities in Lincolnshire are not left behind and unable to reap the economic, health and education benefits superfast broadband offers. The project also supports Lincolnshire’s strategic vision to have widespread use of digital technologies by 2030.

• Online Revolution is a project funded by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and managed via Lincolnshire County Council which aims to raise awareness of the potential of superfast broadband and stimulate demand for the service from residents and businesses.

• It is part of the wider £57 million OnLincolnshire campaign which aims to achieve superfast broadband speeds of up to 24Mbps (at least 2Mpbs) for 90% of homes and businesses in the county by 2015.

• For more information visit www.OnLincolnshire.org

Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
jez@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @jezashberry

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