Category: AI Global Media

Diversity Inclusion

National Inclusion Week 2023: Acknowledging Corporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Posted on | by Akeela
Diversity Inclusion

AI Global Media enforces strategies to create an inclusive environment with the introduction of a DE&I Committee.

National Inclusion Week is an annual event that highlights the importance of inclusion across the UK. Creating an inclusive workplace allows employees to feel valued, respected, and supported. The theme this year is #takeactionmakeimpact in which the organisation, Inclusive Employers calls companies and leaders to acknowledge what positive actions they can encourage within their workplace.

Inclusive Employers has organised a week’s worth of events to educate businesses around the nation the events include multiple webinars on topics like how to recruit inclusively. As part of our acknowledgement of National Inclusion Week, AI Global Media LTD will be creating a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Workplace Inclusivity is the practice of creating an environment whereby all people, regardless of gender, race, disability etc are welcomed and are respected by the company through different avenues. AI Global Media’s workforce is currently 47% male and 53% female. However, as a business we acknowledge that there is a lack of employees aged 40+. AI Global Media sees the benefits of having a diverse workforce with employees from a range of ages, backgrounds, genders, ethnicities etc. Both internally and externally, AI Global Media LTD have been responsive in transforming the issues involving the Neurodivergent & LGBTQIA+ communities with a multitude of events.

HR Manager, Natalie Harrison explains how AI Global Media on the companies’ methods to acknowledge inclusion; “As a business and as people leaders I believe we are naturally inclusive, aim to provide equal opportunity and embrace diversity. It’s now time to ensure that we are doing everything we can to live and work by our values. I believe that creating a DE&I committee will support this and I am really looking forward to the launch this month. I am looking forward to working closely with the committee, have meaningful discussions and make plans to do the best we can for our people!”

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee has the aim to ensure a supportive and welcoming environment in which employees of all backgrounds and demographic characteristics can work well together and thrive. The opportunity is open to all employees, to provide an avenue to discuss any issues or shortcomings that may exist within the business whilst looking at initiatives which can be introduced to support DE&I in the workplace.

In a recent report, statistics show that just 26% of the Tech workforce are women, with 3% of which being black & Hispanic and 5% being Asian. AI Global Media’s IT department is continuously looking to develop and improve its workforce statistics.

Within AI Global Media Ltd, we are beginning to see a growth in our employee inclusion within departments. Josh Hewitt, IT Manager explains “As a team we have always been inclusive, it’s just that 99% of applicants have been male whenever we post job adverts. I think having a mix within the department brings a fresh dynamic to the way we think and come up with new ideas. It also helps when problem solving as we all think differently about things and within IT there is usually multiple ways of solving an issue, it’s just choosing the right one. Hopefully it’s a sign that more women are looking to take up IT roles with the potential of more joining the department in the future.”

The company continues to acknowledge any potential shortcomings within the organisation and take action on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion impact. For more information on the activities AI Global Media partake in involving these matters, please go to AI Global Media – AI Global Media Ltd.

CSR

Committed to Corporate Social Responsibility and Our Employees

Posted on | by Akeela
CSR

AI Global media outlines policies to improve the social responsibility of the business.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a strategy in which companies’ action to ensure ethical and beneficial influences on society. This corporate governance has a very broad spectrum and is dependent on the individual company as to how they interpretate it. Largely, CSR enforces businesses to act in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable manner.

The benefits to create a strong CSR strategy are both good for the business itself and the community in which they are apart of. The strategy encourages a bond between employees and companies by boosting morale and connecting employees to their communities.

AI Global Media are passionate about supporting causes within the local community. Over recent years the company has supported Burton Soup Kitchen with donations of food and cash. AI Global Media has also fundraised for local special needs school Fountains Primary School with a donation from our workforce in which was raised through various activities such as a chilli eating challenge, office games and other donations. As well as this, AI Global Media has continuously supported other national and international causes such as Cancer Research UK, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Ukraine Crisis Appeal and Children in Need, amongst others.

AI Global Media are always looking for new ways to support local, national, and even global causes. The company has recently launched an Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) scheme. This will allow all team members in the business the opportunity to take one day per year to volunteer with a charity or cause of their choosing. Individuals can select causes that are closest to their hearts and this gives them a day to support the cause without having to take leave or plan during their personal time this includes but not limited to:

  • Environmental work and conservation projects
  • Fundraising for community projects or charities
  • Community care work
  • The administration of public events

Participation in the ESV Scheme creates mutual benefits for the Company, the local community, and the Company’s employees. Some may support the local economy and enable skills and competencies to be developed and enhanced within the community. Skills and practical assistance are rendered to the community at little or no cost to the recipient.

The CSR policy aims to support employees:

  • To apply their skills in local communities.
  • To develop partnerships in their communities, by fostering sponsorship projects.
  • To help raise funds for worthwhile causes in their communities.

Director, Kathryn Hall talks about the impact CSR has on AI Global Media, “When I look at this from a recruitment and retaining talent point of view, I think our CSR activity will support the business massively. When I was starting out in full time work, the type of businesses I was to work at was very important to me. We share our charitable donations and involvements on our website: www.aiglobalmedialtd.com and our social media channels and hope this supports hiring great talent as individuals can see that we are a responsible business keen to support those in need.”

Having launched the scheme this summer, AI Global Media are apprehensive to see what it will encourage its employees to achieve. With fundraising opportunities in the pipeline, the potential for CSR is undoubtedly going to be effective all round. You can follow AI Global Media’s path on the ESV Scheme on our social media channels.

James Taylor

Employee of the Month – James Taylor

Posted on | by Akeela

James Taylor – Our August Employee of the Month

James came to join AI in 2016 as a Data Assistant. During his time at the business, he has supported on and been an integral part in a number of key projects. He is now an experienced and highly skilled Python Developer, mentoring others within the team, providing training and also ever building his own knowledge base and abilities. James is a key team member for AI and a close friend to many within the business. Thank you for your continued commitment James, a true asset!

Employee of the Month – Patrick Doherty

Posted on | by Akeela

July’s Employee of the Month – Patrick Doherty

A huge well done to Patrick. Patrick joined the AI team back in the Summer of 2017 and took on the role of Marketing Manager almost three years ago. Patrick has demonstrated that he has the ability to think strategically and commercially and has been a contributor on a number of key projects during his time with the business. He is a great support to his team and juggles multiple tasks and a busy schedule very well. Thank you for your hard work and for your commitment Patrick, delighted to have you as part of the team.

Liam Allen

Employee of the Month – Liam Allen

Posted on | by Akeela

Liam Allen – Our May Employee of the Month

A huge well done to Liam! Liam joined us 12 months ago as a web developer and has proven how integral he is to the business. Liam, thank you so much for your commitment.

Liam has a demanding and varied role and has proven that he can deliver some really great assets for us. He has demonstrated unwavering commitment whilst juggling a number of key tasks and major projects. Liam has done such a great job with the guest posts website which we’re very excited to see go live. He has also provided some really useful input and advice on other projects too. Well done, Liam, we delighted to have you as part of the team.

The Role of HR In AI Global Media

Posted on | by Akeela

Human Resources is a profession that works towards changing & improving the working lives of employees.

A great HR professional has strong integrity, a real drive for success as well as a keen attention to detail. For Internal HR professionals, strong relationship with employees throughout the business is incredibly important. AI Global Media is spotlighting HR Manager, Natalie Harrison on how she dominates her role.

What led you to pursue a career in HR?

I was going through the motions of deciding what I wanted to do with my career when the Director who dealt with HR at my previous employer was looking to take retirement. She said she thought I would be great in HR and asked me if I wanted the role and to take my qualifications alongside it. I gladly accepted her offer and haven’t looked back since!

What are some positive aspects of this position and what are some negatives?

A positive is helping people with their personal and professional development. A negative is dealing with low morale, but this can be turned around by working to make positive change!

What have you found to be a key trait for success as an HR professional?

There are many traits that come to mind, but I would say the ability to multitask and be organised are key. Also, effective communication skills and the ability to be kind and understanding.

How has working for AI Global been different to other roles you have had?

All of my previous HR experience was at the same Company, so 7 months ago coming into a completely different industry and working with different types of processes and people has certainly been a challenge, but a welcomed one. The setting here at AI is great, and the social aspects of regular incentives and group activities we offer significantly impacts morale and workplace relationships.

How have you helped to support career growth (learning & development) for people in AI?

I have encouraged employees to take advantage of opportunities to gain additional experience. I personally deliver line manager coaching every quarter on relevant topics, and we are currently looking at some external leadership training to upskill some of our team members. 

The theme for International Human Resources Day in 2023 is “Shaping The New Future.” What does this mean to you and to AI Global?

Leading change to improve working lives has always been at the forefront of what I do. AI are really keen to be known as an employer of choice and I believe by supporting our people and continuing to make positive changes here, we are adapting to the new normal and are well on our way to achieving this!

Are there any noteworthy HR initiatives that made a difference here or think would?

A recent initiative which stands out is the introduction of an optional alternative working pattern. Feedback so far has been really positive with regards to improvement in work life balance. I am currently working on a Community and Volunteering policy which will allow employees the chance to participate in volunteering projects to support the local economy and enable skills, competencies, and personal wellbeing to be developed and enhanced within the community.

Director Kathryn Hall talks about how AI Global Media strongly supports the HR role, and how it has shaped the work environment; “The work of HR is integral to the running AI Global Media. Our HR Manager Natalie supports the business in so many ways both in managing day to day tasks and supporting on strategic decisions. It is important for businesses to remain compliant, to attract and retain great talent and to support employees and management throughout their day-to-day activities. The engagement of our workforce is vital to us, I don’t think we could achieve such high levels of engagement without dedicated HR support.”

Kathryn continues, “Natalie has been integral in helping us support a local special needs school with much needed funds in recognition of Autism Acceptance Week, she has supported the senior management team with an unfortunate but necessary redundancy process and has been very proactive in our recruitment activities leading to some really strong talent being acquired. Natalie is strategic in her thought processes as well as being commercially aware, having her as part of our management team has supported us in making some important, difficult, and strategic decision”.

AI Global Media is a part of the online HR and employment law resource, CIPD HR-Inform which allows our HR Manager to support the business in staying up to date. AI Global Media is constantly evolving their Human Resources Practice to integrate a new future for their employees.

Employee Spotlight: Heather Ryan on 10 Years at AI Global Media

Posted on | by Akeela

Heather Ryan has recently celebrated her 10th anniversary of employment at AI Global Media. Heather has supported the business in a number of areas during her time with the company and has for some years now demonstrated that she is a great asset to the business.

‘It is always a delight for us at AI Global Media when an employee hits a significant milestone with us,’ comments Marketing Director Kathryn Hall. ‘As of April 2023, Business Development & Sales Manager Heather Ryan has been with us 10 years! For a business that is just shy of 13 years old, this milestone seems even more special to us.

‘Heather joined us in April of 2013 in our finance department, in 2015 she made the bold and very much supported move to the awards team and since then has taken on some major projects in events management, business development and sales and also acting as an Interim Director for a period of 9 months. We asked Heather for her comments on her time with AI….

 

Q: What does a day in the life of a Business Development & Sales Manager at AI Global Media look like?

Working within the sales teams always keeps me on my toes and tasks vary from day to day, as well as working on a number of business development projects which allow me to help drive the business forward with new opportunities.

 

Q: What’s your favourite thing about working at AI?

I enjoy the varied tasks within my role and working alongside a great team of people. AI have always made sure the office environment is vibrant and really takes care of its employees, just some of the reasons why I have been here for ten years!

 

Q: How have you seen the company evolve since you first started?

When I first started working for AI there was only around 10 staff in a small office in the countryside and now there are around 60 of us in an office in Burton centre. Company culture has improved over the years with a much greater focus on employee wellbeing, something I know not all people are lucky enough to have in their work. AI is driven and as such our systems, processes and skills have grown immensely over the years allowing us to take better care of our customers and improve the services that we offer.

 

Q: What’s one thing you wish people knew about your job?

I found this a tough one to answer, but I guess how much planning, preparation and organisation is involved. Priorities can change from day to day and it can be hard work juggling what’s most important in the never ending list of tasks!

 

Q: So far, what has been your most favourite project?

I’d have to say my favourite project would be running the Better Business Expo back in 2019. This became my baby and it was great to learn all the ins and outs of running a corporate event.

 

Q: What advice would you give to recent new hires?

Being the ‘new person’ can be hard, my advice would be to show confidence and if your unsure of anything ask questions. Those around you are likely to know the job inside and out and will be more than happy to help you.

 

Q. What is it about you that most don’t know?

To be honest I’m not that interesting so found this question quite difficult to answer but here goes! I’ve been married for 10 years now, and have two kids, Darcey is 8 years old, and Finley is 14 years old (I know I don’t look old enough to have a teenager!) When I’m not working and I’m not shipping the kids around to their different activities, I like to spend time walking our dog Hector and days out at the weekend finding amazing places to eat.

Viktorija

Employee of the Month – Viktorija Ragozina

Posted on | by Akeela

Viktorija Ragozina – Our April Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Viktorija. Viktorija joined the business in January of this year, and this is already the second time she has been voted as Employee of the Month. Viktorija has a great work ethic, is a great team player and is a fantastic asset to the lead generation team and to the business.

Viktorija has been providing holiday cover for another individual within the I.T. team over recent weeks. She took on the new challenge, picked things up quickly and managed to still fulfil many of her tasks within her regular role. Viktorija is eager to learn new things, support others and has an infectious and very positive attitude to her work.

We’re delighted to have you at AI, thank you for your hard work, Viktorija.

Deaf Awareness Week background or banner design template celebrated in may

Deaf Awareness Week: Addressing Challenges and Communication Advice

Posted on | by Magdalena Lew
Deaf Awareness Week background or banner design template celebrated in may

Written by Victoria Cotton 

This week is National #DeafAwarenessWeek in the UK. Deaf Awareness Week has the aims to consider the communicational needs of deaf and hard of hearing people. Its purpose is to encourage people and services to work together to create a more inclusive society where deaf people have equal access to communication.

In day to day working environments this can be challenging for people who are hearing impaired. From things like background noise to talking over computers, aspects like this can prove difficult. AI Global Media aim to eradicate these issues by talking with our employees and understanding their needs. Our only aim is to make everyone’s time in the office as comfortable and straightforward as it should be.

Natalie Harrison our HR Manager says, “We believe it is important to ensure equality in the workplace for everyone. Allowing for a few reasonable adjustments can create an accommodating environment that allows for maximum productivity from everyone.

We believe the general set-up of our office can make accommodations for those who need extra support in their work. If an employee has a preferred method of communication, we can ensure that colleagues are aware, alongside any other necessary information so that they know how to interact with them, thereby creating an inclusive environment.”

With this year’s theme being ‘Access to Communication’, we interview our Research Executive, Hayleigh Burns who talks about her experiences.

What was your experience being hearing impaired in previous jobs?

“I discovered I was Hearing Impaired in my previous Job as a Hairdresser. I have always struggled to communicate with my clients when another stylist was using a hairdryer or there was any other background noise, my colleagues didn’t seem to have this issue.

Being hearing impaired in that business was a hurdle. Communication is key in hairdressing and if I mishear or interpret what someone has said incorrectly because I have lip read them wrong then a client could leave very unhappy. In hairdressing your reputation is everything and a bad review will really affect you negatively. I was also embarrassed to have to explain to every new customer that I didn’t hear well and if they needed to talk to me, they would have to get my attention by tapping me. I navigated this for a while but whilst I was hairdressing, Covid hit and we were made to wear face masks. Even with my hearing aid I really struggled to hear what people were saying to me. I couldn’t lip read anymore and I began to feel increasingly isolated. “

How did you manage these challenges?

“I spoke to a few people on online forums and eventually e-mailed a charity for advice. My father was kind enough to offer to get me what is called a Roger Select. This is a directional Microphone I can connect to the TV and to my mobile phone etc. I could take it to work and place it in front of the client and the sound would travel directly into my hearing aid. Like my own personal loop system. Again, it isn’t perfect, but something is better than nothing.

What is it like working at AI Global Media?

“AI Global Media has been a breath of fresh air. From my first day I have felt considered. I have been given the opportunity to express what I need. I work with the most wonderful team of people who have never made me feel like there was anything different about me. They have been so comfortable around me which is refreshing. If I don’t hear them, they always repeat themselves without getting frustrated with me.”

What does Deaf Awareness Week mean to you?

Being considerate. You can’t see that someone is deaf or hearing impaired, therefore I quite often have to announce that I have a problem which gets humiliating. The reactions I have to this are varied from people shouting in my face (this comes from a good place) to people walking away from me and avoiding me (normally shop assistants). Just having someone speak clearly facing me so I can see your mouth makes communication so much easier. It’s a good idea to ask the person what will make communicating easier for them. My cousin was born profoundly deaf, and I don’t sign so we communicate via text even if we are sat next to each other. Ask questions, try to understand the impact it has on their life.

Advice for any businesses with employees who are hearing impaired.

Be aware of the environment. If a person with hearing aids is sat between people, that can be quite overwhelming because you have noise from all directions. Hearing aids point backwards so consider if the noise behind the person will affect them. Just because a person has hearing loss doesn’t mean that they can’t hear some sounds and may be more affected by them so be respectful of not causing too much noise that may make them uncomfortable. It is easy to feel like a burden when you can’t hear so patience is imperative. If there is a meeting, make sure they are in a position to lipread if that is something they do.

#DeafAwarenessweek is so important to employees like Hayleigh, and we have been truly lucky to have her as a part of AI Global Media. For more information go to Deaf Awareness Week – Deafness Resource Centre

Employee of the Month – Daniel Grubb

Posted on | by Akeela

Daniel Grubb – Our March Employee of the Month

 

Congratulations to Dan, and a sincere thanks. Dan’s current role is IT Operations Team Leader and Compliance Officer, and is our CRM Guru!

Dan joined AI approximately 6 and a half years ago and has been a most integral team member for the business. Dan works closely with a number of teams at AI, manages a lot of tasks on an on-going basis and provides invaluable insight to the management team.

Dan received four nominations from his fellow team members who shared that:

“Dan quickly responds to requests and is always helpful, a great team member. He has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and hard work in his role, always going above and beyond to ensure that our team meets its goals and exceeds expectations. In addition to his hard work, Dan’s positive attitude and contagious smile have had a significant impact on our team’s morale and overall success. He has an incredible ability to uplift those around him and make even the toughest days seem more manageable.”

Thank you for your commitment, Dan, great to have you as part of the AI team.

Fountains High School

World Autism Awareness Week

Posted on | by Akeela
Fountains High School

Autism Awareness Week this year is from Monday the 27th of March to the 2nd of April although World Autism Acceptance Day itself falls on Sunday 2nd April. This week is crucial to spread awareness and educate people about how Autism impacts people in their daily lives as well as their professional lives. This week encourages people to promote inclusivity and help build a promising environment for autistic people, supporting them where they need it the most.

The word Autism comes from the medical term, Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is not an illness or a disease, it is simply a condition that means that your brain works differently from other people. This is usually something people are born with and although this is not a medical condition that has a “cure”, there are a lot of things that can be done to support people with autism. Those who have autism have different strengths and weaknesses but usually autism impacts one’s social skills.

Autism can present in different ways with different people. Mostly for autistic people, it is generally difficult for them to communicate with others and they also react differently to their surroundings. As an employer, it is very important to create an autism-friendly environment to allow for those with the disability to adapt easily and encourage positive development.

As an employer, in order to make your workplace autism-friendly, you could ask employees with autism regarding any work equipment that they find distracting and provide them with noise-cancelling headphones, screens around their desk and monitors or having a desk somewhere they find they are less likely to feel distracted. Making small changes in your workplace can help your employees to feel more comfortable in their surroundings and can also encourage their productivity during the day. It is also important for employers to encourage positive communication among staff members, as people who have autism can easily feel anxious in stressful situations, so it is important to be able to provide reassurance sensitively to those who need it.

For Autism Awareness Week at AI Global Media, we have put together a week of fundraising activities to raise money for Fountains High School in Stretton, Burton. Many children with special needs often miss out on everyday experiences and with our fundraising activities in the office, we hope to raise some money to donate to the school which can be put towards providing these experiences for the children. Our fundraising activities include games, quizzes and competitions that we will be hosting office-wide and accepting donations for participation as well as encouraging local businesses in the area to participate by donating some money towards fundraiser.

To support the autistic community, please donate to the National Autistic Society to help make a difference: https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/donate

 

 

Sources for article: https://www.beyondautism.org.uk/about-autism/events/world-autism-acceptance-week/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism/

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/employment/employing-autistic-people/employers

Corporate Anniversary Marketing How Can Businesses Celebrate Their Milestones

Corporate Anniversary Marketing: How to Celebrate Your Company Milestones

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

As a business owner, your corporate anniversary is a significant milestone that deserves to be celebrated. This is an opportunity to reflect on your company’s journey and achievements, recognize your employees, and strengthen relationships with your clients and stakeholders. Here are some ideas on how your business can celebrate its corporate anniversary:

Plan a Corporate Anniversary Event

Hosting a corporate anniversary celebration is a great way to bring together your employees, clients, and stakeholders. Depending on the size of your company, you can opt for a formal event like a gala dinner or a casual gathering like a company picnic or barbecue. Incorporate team-building activities or contests to add to the celebratory atmosphere.

Create Commemorative Merchandise

Commemorative merchandise is an effective way to promote your brand and commemorate your milestones. Consider anniversary branded merchandise like t-shirts, hats, celebratory logos, milestone trophy or mugs that reflect your company’s identity and achievements. This is also an opportunity to provide your employees and stakeholders with a tangible item to remember the occasion.

Give Back to the Community

Celebrating your corporate anniversary is also an opportunity to give back to the community. Consider supporting a local charity or volunteering your time to a cause that aligns with your brand’s values. Partnering with other local businesses can amplify your impact and create a positive impact on your community, while still promoting your brands milestone celebration. Consider creating content for the celebration to promote or even notify local press offices.

Launch a New Product or Service

Your corporate anniversary is also an ideal time to launch a new product or service. This can generate excitement among your clients and stakeholders and provide an opportunity to showcase your company’s innovation and growth. Consider developing a product or service with a supporting anniversary marketing strategy, look to find a gap in your industry to capitalise upon which will add value to your current clientele and new prospects.

Leverage Digital Marketing

Digital marketing can be an effective way to celebrate your corporate anniversary and reach a wider audience. Consider launching a social media campaign that includes branded hashtags and encourages your followers to share their memories and experiences with your brand. You could also create a special landing page on your website that highlights your company’s history and milestones. You could also utilise special branding such as a celebratory logo to highlight your milestone. All these options can serve as a valuable resource for customers and prospects who want to learn more about your company and its achievements.

In conclusion, celebrating your corporate anniversary is an important milestone that deserves to be recognized and celebrated. By hosting an event, creating branded merchandise, giving back to the community, and launching a new product or service, you can create an effective marketing strategy that showcases your brand’s identity and values. Use the suggested keywords in a natural and relevant way within the blog post to improve the chances of ranking well in Google search results.

World Book Day

Happy World Book Day 2023!

Posted on | by Akeela
World Book Day

The 2nd of March 2023 marks World Book Day and like every year, we are always ecstatic to celebrate World Book Day at AI Global Media. This year we decided to get our employees to share their favourite film or television series that has been adapted from a book. We collated all of their answers and have put together a piece filled with fun facts of these well-loved book adaptations.

 

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter film series is one of the most popular book adaptations with so many Harry Potter fans (also known as Potterheads) that fell in love with the characters while reading the books and on the other hand, die-hard fans of the movie that bought and enjoyed the books after indulging in the film adaptation. The fantasy books that revolve around a young wizard are the best-selling fantasy book series and over 500 million copies of the books from the series have been sold globally.

 

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings book series was first published in the 1950s and there have been three film adaptations to the book series. The first made in 1978, the second made in 1980 then in 2001 the first part to the three instalment trilogy was released and was directed by Peter Jackson, the second was released in 2002 and the third part in 2003. As well as this, the film trilogy has set a record for receiving 17 Oscars.

 

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is the record-breaking mythical television show based on the novel series with the same name published in the 90’s. A fun piece of trivia of the widely-loved show is that there is an unreleased pilot episode of the series that was so bad it had to be shelved and reshot. The creators of the series wanted the show to be as authentic as it could be and as close to the book series as possible which is why it was scrapped initially.

 

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada was a major success when it released in 2006 and the chic comedy film has gone on to become a cult favourite among the masses. A lesser-known fact about the film is that the studio, Fox, bought the rights of its source material before the novel was even complete. The vice president of the studio at the time was so impressed by the manuscript that the rights to the big screen adaptation were immediately bought in 2003!

 

The Handmaids Tale

The Handmaids Tale is a dystopian novel written and published in 1985. The series highlights prominent political issues and has garnered a capitvated audience since it’s release in 2017. The author of the novel, Margaret Atwood works as the consulting producer on the series and has made a cameo appearance as Aunt Margaret in the pilot episode titled “Offred”.

 

Dune

The 1965 epic science fiction novel Dune was highly controversial at it’s time of release as the storyline detailed the complexities and dangers of messianic prophecies. The novels are heavily influenced by the Middle Eastern and Islamic cultures. The film adaptation, directed by Dennis Villineuve, was a huge theatrical success although received mixed reviews due to the nature of the length of the film. The film stars Timothee Chalamet in the lead part and the second part is due to release in the latter half of 2023.

 

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The famous novel was published in 1950 after it took the author 10 years to write. C.S. Lewis started writing the best-selling novel in 1939 and finished it in 1949. The novel was heavily inspired by three girls that lived with Lewis during World War II due to the bombings that were expected at the time in London. As well as this, the land of Narnia is also heavily inspired by Lewis’s imaginations from his childhood; he often imagine stories that took place in “Animal Land” as a child. The film adaptation released in 2005 and was a global success!

 

The Life of Pi

The fictional fantasy novel was originally published 2001 and won the Booker Prize in 2002. The story follows An Indian boy who is lost at sea in a life boat and has four wild animals as companions following him on his journey. The film was planned to be adapted into a movie since 2003 and the makers auditioned 3000 people to find an actor to play the role of the protagonist, Pi. Eventually Suraj Sharma was cast despite having no previous acting experience.

 

The Vampire Diaries

The popular young adult vampire fiction series was originally published in the early 90’s and the television adaption went on air in 2009 and ended in 2019 with 8 seasons, making it the longest running vampire series. Despite the popularity of the novels, a lot of the material was changed for the television series.

 

Christine

The 1983 released horror film is based on the novel written by Stephen King of the same name. The film released in theatres eight months after the novel was published and was still reigning with high New York Times fiction rankings. The director of the film, John Carpenter confirmed his interest in making the on-screen adaptation after reading only half of the manuscript of the novel.

 

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice is considered to be one of the finest examples of English literature. The classic novel was originally published in 1813 by the maverick Jane Austen and has a total of 17 adaptations, as it has been adapted several times for cinematic and televised release. The 2005 release became a cult favourite as it received four Oscar nominations and box office success. On the other hand, the 1995 mini-series created by the BBC remains the most popular on television due to the nature of the writing staying true to the original material.

Top Ways to Celebrate your Corporate Anniversary

Top Ways to Celebrate your Corporate Anniversary

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty
People won’t know about your achievements unless you tell them, so share the message proudly!

We get it, amongst hectic schedules, corporate anniversaries can pass by far too easily. The thing is though, in the context of business survival statistics, your anniversary is a huge deal!

Don’t let your achievements go unnoticed and use your birthday as an excuse to generate some interest and awareness around your brand. Read on for our top tips:

1) Order some commemorative celebratory items to put on display in offices, meeting rooms, or at events – basically anywhere with important footfall. Items may include trophies, decorative wall plaques and banners, or something that’s a bit more personal/bespoke to you.

2) Create some content – use the anniversary as an excuse to tell a story. Some clients reflect by writing a “history book”, others focus on key people on their journey, new products, services, or initiatives they are launching. It doesn’t matter but use the hook to support your messaging.

3) Get the word out! It’s all well and good creating the content, but you need to think about how to get it seen. Consider the strengths of your own network, website users, newsletters, social followers etc. and then consider partnering with a third party who can increase those views.

4) Celebrate with your staff, whether you throw a huge party or plan something slightly more discreet, it’s important to allow them to share in your success, after all, where would you be without them?

5) Celebrate with your customers! You can use the anniversary as an excuse to reengage past customers, you can offer out celebratory discount codes to customers old and new, you might even invite key clients to be part of your content / messaging strategy.

6) Use the occasion to launch a new product, service, or initiative. Your trading history demonstrates your tenacity and trustworthiness – maximise this by linking it to something new!

7) Share your wisdom – your company has been on a real journey and has achieved a level of success that most can only dream of, use this anniversary as an excuse to give back and coach others.

8) Reinforce your commitment to the next 25 years – yes you are established and experienced, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be new and innovative. Share your future goals and vision and get people excited about the next stage of your journey.

Hope that’s useful! Here’s to you and your team, wishing you a very happy birthday!

Flat down green energy concept with grass, energy efficient light bulbs, solar panels, and building plans

AI Global Media Ltd. on Green Policies and Sustainability

Posted on | by AI Global Media

With Earth Day approaching on 22nd April, now is a great time for us all to think about how we can help in the global effort towards sustainability and fighting climate change. While some larger, more affluential companies may be able to do more, smaller companies can also make changes to their business practices to help.

We have taken the opportunity to discuss some reasons to go green, a few policies that can be implemented in businesses, and also mention some we have adopted in our own office in an attempt to make the business more green!

 

Reasons to Go Green

 

Sustainability

Since the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021 in Glasgow (COP26), some clear goals for the world at large have been outlined, and until COP27, the UK holds the Presidency. These goals include:

  1. Secure global net zero by 2050
  2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats
  3. Mobilise finance
  4. Work together to deliver these goals

UK businesses accounted for about 18% of the total carbon footprint in the past year. While SMEs in some reports are claimed to be responsible for over 50% of that footprint. By pushing towards more sustainable business practices and reaching the goals set out by COP26, we can ultimately make an impact towards climate change, helping to safeguard the world for future generations.

 

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model, which focuses on the accountability and moral practices of those businesses. This could be through philanthropy, contributing to the wellbeing of the local community, or integrating environmental concerns into the business’s operations.

A recent survey found that 71 per cent of consumers prefer to buy from businesses that align with their values, proving that CSR not only improves a company’s impact on the environment but also builds customer loyalty.

 

Costs

Some sustainability solutions can reduce costs in the short term and continues through the life of the business. Switching to a cleaner energy supplier, reducing electricity and water consumption, and changing to some more environmentally friendly product suppliers can also reduce expenses.

 

How Businesses Can Help

 
SMEs

Smaller companies may be at a disadvantage with their sustainability policies because they may not have the money and resources to make drastic changes, however there may be some ways they can help. By making more small changes, this can add up to a noticeable difference. This can include:

  • Using recyclable materials
  • Encouraging employees to turn off equipment rather than leave it on standby
  • Only boil as much water as needed
  • Change old lightbulbs to energy efficient ones
  • Buy from local suppliers
  • Use non-toxic cleaning supplies
 
Larger Companies

Larger scale companies may have more resources and financial stability to help them with their own sustainability efforts. With CSR being a positive in the eyes of the public, there’s no downside to their reputation or company interests, making some changes can only be a positive. Investigating the company’s carbon footprint and setting realistic targets is a good place to start. This can include:

  • Implementing a cycle to work scheme
  • Encourage bringing lunch in to reduce food and packaging waste
  • Go paperless where possible
  • Use eco-friendly office supplies, like refillable pens
  • Switch to a green energy supplier
  • Get creative and upcycle
  • Plant trees and a garden
  • Give back to your local environment and help your community

 

Our Own Policies

At AI Global Media, we have several policies in place to encourage a culture of sustainable practices, to both help employees individually and the company at large.

  • Hybrid working – we offer all employees the chance to work from home 2 days a week, saving them fuel to get in the office, and having fewer people in the office means less energy used
  • All lights on timers – throughout the office, all lights are on timers, and if no activity is detected, the lights will go off, reducing the electricity needed
  • Recycling – we encourage all employees to properly recycle all waste throughout the office. With a sign specifying what is and is not recyclable for our area (this is important to note as some people may be part of another district where some items are not widely recycled)
  • Less waste in our trophy sends – we have updated our packaging to reduce plastic and be recycled by the company or individual receiving the parcel
  • Mostly digital presence – as a company we focus on having a strong digital presence, which would require us to use less paper waste

We realise that there is plenty more we could be doing, and we aim to add more initiatives in the coming years to help us achieve net zero, in line with the COP26 goals.

Ryan - AI Global Media

AI Global Media ‘Kickstarts’ I.T. Team Growth with Apprentice

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

When AI Global Media, a multi-platform digital publishing house, decided it was time to expand their evolving I.T. department to support the various projects undertaken to improve internal process and customer service, they decided to use the Government’s ‘Plan for Jobs’ Kickstart Scheme which offers six-month jobs for young people, aged 16 to 24, currently claiming Universal Credit and at risk for long-term unemployment.

After all, from the outset, AI Global Media has endeavoured to support the local community. From annual philanthropic pursuits to community outreach, it treasures its ability to positively impact the region it operates in, and the people in it. With all this in mind, utilising the Kickstart Scheme seemed the obvious choice.

Now, with two months having passed since AI Global Media hired their first I.T. Trainee from the scheme, Ryan Brogden reflects on his start in the business.  “It’s been great. I’ve felt welcomed since I started and look forward to coming into the office each day. I was a bit familiar with the business as I’d heard the name before but didn’t have much information about it, so I was very intrigued when I looked at the website. Right away I could tell how professional the business was. As both my previous jobs were in the fast-food business, where I was a shift manager, this style of job is completely new to me.”

For AI Global Media, culture is paramount. With a diverse team from wildly different backgrounds, it promotes individualisation and agency. All are encouraged to embrace creativity and innovation in how they approach their roles – this, in turn, creates a dynamic and thriving office environment. Ryan, ultimately, agrees: “I can have a laugh whilst being productive with my work which is great for stressful and busy days.” 

Equally, the company understands that continued professional development is the crux of modern business, and stagnation can be a death knell to companies. Investment in your best and most vital assets – people – keeps morale high, and your business agile, ready for any challenge. Now at AI Global Media, Ryan has experienced this drive first-hand. “Since I started, I have been constantly learning new things When it comes to email creation and data cleaning, as well as how other parts of the company work and operate. When a team member was on holiday, I had to do the entire week without help for email creation which assisted me in gaining confidence in my abilities and finding my footing within the team. I have also been introduced to other aspects of my role which I will be learning about soon such as networking and our CRM platform. It is nice to see where this journey is taking me.”

Ryan continues, touching on the collaborative nature of the role. “I’m enjoying the email creation part greatly, as it allows me to be creative whilst ensuring I maintain a keen attention to detail. Since I am doing stuff for the other teams in the company, it provides me with the chance to talk to, and get to know, a lot of my colleagues which is great. I’ve also really been enjoying learning the ins-and-outs of my role and how it contributes to the wider company which I find very interesting as this is my first job in a corporate setting.”

Whether Ryan stays or uses his experiences at AI Global Media to propel his career forwards, it is clear that the skills he learns and hones at the company will prove valuable moving forwards.“I’ve always wanted a job within IT and am always looking at courses for python and cyber security I would hope that at some time in my future I would be able to learn either or both. I would love to stay a part of this business. In the long run, I think the model of this business and the type of people who comprise the workforce would make anyone want to stay. I’ve loved every minute I’ve been here and can easily say that I have never been happier in a job. Working doesn’t feel like ‘work’.”In light of the pandemic, the corporate paradigm has shifted – potentially permanently – on its axis. Many are realising that their time is valuable, and work, in turn, must feel rewarding. Useful. Enjoyable. Laying the foundations for a strong office and company-wide culture is a wise investment, for organisations of all sizes. AI Global Media believes that all team members need to feel valued, and that their work, to quote Ryan here, shouldn’t “feel like work”.

In many ways, this may be the best time for business owners and managers to utilise the Kickstart Scheme to reinvigorate their workforce and revaluate how they invest in their team and culture.

But let’s leave the final word to Ryan who, when asked about a fun fact, responded: “I have a huge love for film musicals. They were my guilty pleasure growing up.”

World Book Day

Happy World Book Day 2022!

Posted on | by Akeela
World Book Day

Today on World Book Day, we are happy to celebrate the euphoria that comes with reading books. At AI Global Media we love to celebrate World Book Day and this year the employees of the company decided to mark this joyous occasion by sharing their favourite thing from a book, from book characters, quotes, to some beautiful poetry!

 

Sif Brookes: Favourite fictional character

Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. “Mother Of Dragons. Mother Of Monsters. What Have I Unleashed Upon The World? I Am The Blood Of The Dragon. If They Are Monsters, So Am I.” Sif enjoyed the fact that in the books, the character has a captivating development going from a young woman thrusted into harsh, cruel and unforgiving circumstances to becoming the Mother of Dragons. She does also believe that the show butchered the development of this character, and we may have to agree that books are always superior to the adaptations.

 

Kaven Cooper: Favourite fictional character

Dr. Gonzo from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. “As your attorney, I advise you to drive at top speed, it’ll be a god damn miracle if we can get there before you turn into a wild animal.” Kaven has drawn that the moral of the story is to always listen to your lawyer!

 

Daniel Grubb: Favourite fictional character

Sam Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. “It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.” Dan has chosen this quote to represent his favourite character since it the most relatable for many of us who have procrastinated at some point in our lives. Jobs / tasks / goals etc may seem daunting at first and some can even weigh you down, but until you start to actually work on them, you’re just prolonging things and preventing yourself from moving forwards. Push yourself, make a start, and each day you’ll be closer to the end than you were yesterday.

 

Jazmin Collins: Favourite quote

“Kid, you’ll move mountains.” –  Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss. Jazmin loves this quote from this well-loved children’s book for how powerful the message is.

 

Sofi Bajor: Favourite poem

Sofi has shared with us her favourite poem that has had a huge influence on her during the time she went through spiritual growth.

Resolution of a Witch – From Hedge Witch by Rae Beth

May I be as the one who weaves the cloth
in a forest, deep hidden.
May I sit at the work, uninterrupted.
And may I remain an outcast if that is what it takes.
May I know the seasonal procession in my spirit and
in my body, celebrate cross quarters, solstices and equinoxes.
May each full moon find me looking upwards at trees
outlined on luminous sky.
May I hold wildflowers. May I cup them in my hand.
May I release them, unpicked,
to live on in abundance.
May my friends be of the kind who are at ease with silence.
May they and I be innocent of pretension.
May I be capable of gratitude. May I know
that I was given joy, like mother’s milk.
May I know this as my dog does, in her bones and blood.
May I speak the truth about happiness and pain
in songs that sound of the scent of rosemary,
as everyday and ancient, kitchen-herb strong.
May I not incline to self-righteousness or self-pity.
May I approach the high earthworks and the stone circles as fox or moth,
and disturb the place no more than that.
May my gaze be direct and my hand steady.
May my door be open to those who dwell outside wealth
and fame and privilege.
May those who have never walked barefoot never find the path
that leads to my door.
May they be lost in the labyrinthine journey.
May they turn back.
And may I sit beside the fire in winter
and see in the glowing logs what is to come,
yet never feel the need to warn or advise, unasked.
May I sit upon a plain wooden chair, in true contentment.
May the place where I live be as the forest.
May there be trackways where there are caves and pools
and trees and flowers, animals and birds,
all known to me and revered, loved.

Stan Kazovsky: Favourite quote

“Ignorance is hardly unusual, Miss Davar. The longer I live, the more I come to realize that it is the natural state of the human mind. There are many who will strive to defend its sanctity and then expect you to be impressed with their efforts.” Queen Jasnah Kholin, The Way of Kings, B. Sanderson.

 

Tony Garner: Favourite quotes and poem

“There should be no boundary to human endeavor.”
― Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time

“Be brave, be curious, be determined, overcome the odds. It can be done.”
― Stephen Hawking, Brief Answers to the Big Questions

“I will never be as brave as him—I’m not by nature a particularly courageous person—but he showed me that I could try. And that trying might turn out to be the most important part of courage.”
― Stephen Hawking, Brief Answers to the Big Questions

If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

 

Victoria Cotton: Favourite quote

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”— Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Victoria explains that the meaning is obvious but basically life is hard, it’s a challenge but we’re all trying to get through it the best way we can. A simple lesson to not be so hard on yourself.

 

Max Riches: Favourite quote

“It was like being part of a wave of water,” she says. “A wave of spray from the ocean feels powerful, but it is only there for a moment, the sun dries the puddles and the water is gone. Then you feel maybe it never happened. That is how it was with us. The only wave that changes anything is a tsunami. You have to tear down the houses and destroy the land if you want to be sure no one will forget you.” from The Power by Naomi Alderman.

 

Sean Wilkins: Favourite quote

“You’re a Wizard Harry” from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling.

 

Gabby Ellis: Favourite fictional character and quote

Gabby has shared her favourite quote, which happens to be said by Rubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: “I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.’”

She explains that Hagrid is her favourite fictional character since Hagrid is described as twice as tall as an average man and three times as wide, but despite his intimidating appearance, he is shown throughout the entire series to be the most loving and caring character. As well as this Hagrid was so unashamedly himself, he is part of a society that shuns giants and the like, but he wears that part of his heritage like a badge of honour and doesn’t try to hide it away. He always tried to see the good in everything, even things most sane people would be terrified of like three headed dogs or giant spiders, Hagrid gave them names and treated them like family. Even if you take out how loyal he was, how loving he was and how proud he was of his background, he’s still the best character because he was a fiercely devoted pet parent and as a mother of 2 cats that is something Gabby relates to.

Ashley-Francis Privitera-Cox: Favourite fictional characters

Ash is a fan of the characters from Pride and Prejudice, but Elizabeth stands out as her favourite character due to her fearless and wild personality traits. Her favourite quote by Elizabeth is “Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.”

She further explains that she loves the exchanges between Mr and Mrs Bennet as she feels her and her husband are similar to the couple. She finds them relatable and lovable for the same. She has shared her favourite exchange between the couple:

“Mr Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves.

“You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least.”

Pride and Prejudice

Kieran Penrice: Favourite fictional character

Kieran is a huge fan of Sir Samuel Vimes from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and recommends everyone to read the entire Discworld series, as they are hilarious, entertaining, exciting, and a brutal examination of the injustices of society.

“I assure you I will not kill you,” said Inigo.
“I know that,” said Vimes. “But will you try?”
― Terry Pratchett, The Fifth Elephant.

 

Haeri Jung: Favourite fictional character and quote

Kafka Tamura from Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami. “You can never put it back together like it was.”

 

Kathryn Hall: Favourite character and quote

Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”

 

Rebecca Grewcock: Favourite book character and quote

Rebecca’s favourite book character is Owl from Winnie the Pooh due to his brainy characteristics. On the other hand, her favourite book quote is from the popular Harry Potter books: “Don’t let the muggles get you down.”

 

Holly Blackwood: Favourite quote

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo…

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.

 

Jane Henderson: Favourite quote

Hassan’s, “For you a thousand times over” The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

 

Rebecca Scotland: Favourite author and book scenes

Rebecca is an avid fan of Matt Haig and has shared her favourite snippets from The Midnight Library.

“And even if you were a pawn – maybe we all are – then you should remember that a pawn is the most magical piece of all. It might look small and ordinary but it isn’t. A pawn is never just a pawn. A pawn is a queen-in-waiting. All you need to do is find a way to keep moving forward. One square after another. And you can get to the other side and unlock all kinds of power.”

“If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise. Keep your head down. Keep your stamina. Keep swimming…”

 

Akeela Zahair: Favourite quote

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this: We all want everything to be okay. We don’t even wish so much for fantastic or marvellous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough.” – Every Day by David Levithan.

josh hewitt

Employee of the Month – Josh Hewitt

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Great manager, great guy, Josh is always happy to help even on his days off! He ensures his team have everything they need.

Josh has successfully managed to get all our infrastructure set up for our return to the office and ensuring everything has kept running effectively and smoothly throughout our transition back. We had network issues causing client responses to not be received by the database, Josh on his holiday spent the morning working to resolve this problem. For always keeping things ticking over even while on holiday! Thanks for keeping up staff morale! Working on his days off to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. Dedication to the team, including helping even while on holiday, and being the nicest guy in the office.

A huge well done to Josh!

Mental Health Night Walk

Mental Health Night Walk by AI Global Media

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Just one year shy of 3 decades this year, World Mental Health Day on Sunday, October 10th, 2021, is by no means any less poignant. Arriving amidst the backdrop of a tumultuous period for the world, it is hardly surprising that the mental wellness of many in the UK has declined. If you are one of the lucky, who have avoided mental health issues so far in your life, you doubtlessly know someone who isn’t as fortunate, whether you are aware of this fact or not.  

It is widely accepted that 1 in 4 people will experience mental health problems of some nature in England with 1 in 6 experiencing issues such as anxiety and/or depression in any given week. Aside from these, other common mental health problems are: phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorders, antisocial personality disorders, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, suicidal thoughts and self-harm. 

By the end of June this year, 1.46 million people were in contact with mental health services; most of these contacting adult services. 340,694 people were in contact with children & young people’s mental health, a further 168,311 were in contact with the learning disabled and those on the autistic spectrum. 21,381 were subject to the Mental Health Act including 15,1917 detained in hospital.

Although these figures appear daunting, the silver lining is, these are individuals seeking and receiving help. Due to publicity provided by days like, World Mental Health Day, society is more accepting of these types of issues and are less likely to declare sufferers of being melodramatic or ‘attention seeking’ than previously. Subsequently, those suffering are less likely to hide their problems and more willing to seek assistance.  

Mental health awareness and support continues to be the driving force behind World Mental Health Day, and there are many ways you, as an individual or business, can involve yourself, from simply watching the ITN news-style programme produced to raise the profile of mental health in the UK to organising any number of activities such as:  

  1. Secret Wellbeing Santa 
  2. Wellbeing breakfast 
  3. Mental Health pub quiz 
  4. Lunchtime craftercise 

Some businesses, such as AI Global Media are organising a night walk. By seeking sponsorship and raising money to support the mental health charity, Mind. Participants will be able to discuss mental health and take the plight of those struggling literally to the streets. The walk itself is in recognition of how physical exercise can assist in the recovery of mental health problems and may give those taking part a chance to practice mindfulness and mental wellness.  

The 10K walk, being completed by AI Global Media, around Burton-on-Trent and the surrounding areas in the Midlands, is being jointly coordinated by Office Manager, Sean Wilkins (route planner) & event coordinator Director, Kathryn Hall, with Katheryn overseeing publicity and participation. It is scheduled to take place on the evening of World Mental Health Day 2021 itself, October 10th. Should you wish to make a donation to this cause please follow the link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kathryn-hall24 .        

Dan Grubb

Employee of the Month – Daniel Grubb

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Dan has recently been managing two major projects for the business to ensure successful completion. Well done Dan, you’re always looking for areas where the business can improve and you’re great at keeping an eye on the things that matter!

A huge well done Dan, and thank you for your continued commitment to AI.

Remote Working & Business Culture

Remote Working & Business Culture – The Good, The Bad and the Suggestions

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Whether your corporate culture is carefully planned or developed organically, it is a requirement for creating a sense of belonging and loyalty in your workforce, which   lowers staff turnover and promotes excellence for business performance. Many small business leaders, who have crafted the culture of their enterprises through a shared vision, values, practices, brand narrative, acquisition of personnel and office environment, are questioning how this culture will be affected by remote working.

The true value of corporate culture has been the focus of a few recent studies. A 2020 survey done by SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management), toxic workplaces cost businesses billions. Whereas the National Bureau of Economic Research, shows 9 of 10 senior executives believe improved corporate culture increases their organisations’ value. A Glassdoor Survey reveals the importance of corporate culture in the modern workforce as 56% of workers feel a ‘good workplace culture’ is more important than salary; moreover, 75% of talent recruiters report cultural fit is more important than a prospects work history and experience, according to the Hinge Research Institute.

Small businesses – like AI Global Media – strive to maintain a culture based around their open plan office, to create comradery amongst the departments. Seating plans are drafted to allow collaboration; regular team training and teambuilding events along with seasonal social gatherings are organised to maintain cohesion across the business. All of which has ground to a halt in the face of working from home (WFH).

As the importance of business culture is revealed, its endangerment becomes a larger issue to resolve. It is thought that the lack of systems and routines provided by an office-centric work environment erode the cultural beliefs and norms, as meaningful connections and shared understanding are diminished by the lack of physical presence. Gallup data reveals that employees working away from their managers are prone to feel uncared for by management and less likely to be recognised for their contributions. WFH can lower productivity and increase turnover while employee onboarding and integrating them into the business culture becomes much more difficult.

However, options exist to either find new methods to reinforce the existing culture or change the culture to meet the new demands of a society in flux. To facilitate recruitment, a reimagined onboarding process and hybrid working environment is needed but requires trial and error. It took the HR Manager at AI Global Media over a month to reinvent an onboarding system for new employees, using their CRM system to streamline the process. But with this new system, AI Global Media has been able to successfully add to their workforce, and train and integrate new employees into the business with regular monitoring.

Transferring the culture from one which relies on the physical to the virtual is not quick or easy, but it need not be insurmountable providing an SME can handle the cost of outfitting workers with the necessary equipment.

The first step of the process is to identify the culture already in place. The most common cultural aspects such as: Clan, Adhocracy, Market and Hierarchy, which are not mutually exclusive. Once a consensus is established, the process to reinforce and/or change commences with identifying the business strengths and weaknesses wrought by the culture, while leaders understand their roles to allow for the change.

Ultimately, the success of transitioning culture requires a top-down approach. The various projects involving virtual working requires coordination. SMART targets, clear standards of performance and accountability are required for an enterprise, committed to making the most of the opportunities WFH provides, to succeed.

The largest hurdle to surmount when working remotely is communication. Of course, this is equally true for being in the office; according to the Harvard Business Review, ‘Great culture should provide continuous alignment to the vision purpose and goals of the organisation.’ The establishment of a variety of touch points is, therefore, integral to keep the lines of communication flowing.

james taylor

Employee of the Month – James Taylor

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

James has produced some outstanding work for the company recently in regard to machine learning and solving the sectorisation problem which has plagued the company for years! He Has also written a nearest neighbour analytical program that saved 2 man months work. Also writing a multiprocessing program that changed the run time on the program from 7hrs to15 mins.

His work ethic is something to be admired and he has become a key asset to the IT team.

Employee of the Month – El Muers

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty
May’s Employee of the Month is El Muers (He/Him) El has been a fantastic addition to the writing team, a wonderful presence and great work ethic El has excelled recently and been a great asset to the team. Recently we have received some great feedback from clients El has worked with highlighting his hard work and dedication to the client. Congratulations El!
workplace and wellbeing

Workspaces & Employee Wellness in 2021

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Working environments are not what they once were. Many businesses are currently planning and undertaking a number of precautions and adjustments to places of employment to ensure that they are Covid compliant and safe for employees and visitors alike. With June 23rd moving closer in the UK, many businesses are contemplating how to best manage the various aspects of working conditions of their employees. Versatility and flexibility are two major considerations for many directors and managers. Balancing the needs of the business with those of the employee may sound like a daunting task; however, as the two are linked, it may not be as challenging as it sounds.  

Some enterprises may be in a good position to follow the example of Price Waterhouse Cooper, embracing the new status quo by making flexible working hours the norm. For others, their business type will necessitate a return to the way things were, while others find a solution somewhere in-between the two. It is certain that no one solution can, should or would be suitable for all. 

For many digital businesses, such as the digital publishing company AI Global media based in Burton on Trent, the way to welcoming staff back from working from home comes with many complications. 

Sean Wilkins, Operations Manager of AI Global Business, outlined his process for making AI Global Media’s new office at, 1-2 Wetmore Road, Ground Floor, Suites B-D, Burton upon Trent, ready for occupancy.  

Prior to moving into the new office, multiple seating plans were created which included going to an external firm to provide examples. These included: 

  • Max capacity no restrictions 
  • Max capacity social distanced 
  • Max capacity with screens 

The max capacity social distanced option was chosen. Desks have been spaced out, so no employee is sitting directly in front of another, and all are socially distanced of a meter apart.  

A second seating plan, for having the office at max workforce capacity, is also required including a plan for moving equipment and resources.  

A one-way system implemented with floor stickers showing the route placed on the carpet is meant to keep the staff socially distanced as they move around the office. 

Anti-bacteria dispensers have been installed on the entrances to, and strategically within, the office. 

Lateral flow tests are available to employees, returning to the office and those who are new to the business. The test is to be taken twice weekly; a negative is required.  

Restrictions on the number of employees allowed in the office at any one time was implemented, to be reviewed when full access to the office is allowed. 

The Directors of AI Global have also planned for a phased return to the office which will assist employees acclimating to the office environment again after working from home for so long.  

Of course, with recent warnings from scientists to belay the 21st of June ‘unlocking’ of restrictions due to growing concerns of a third wave, the return to the office for many may still be in question. 

Will Oades

Employee of the Month – Will Oades

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Will is a great asset to the finance team. Recently going above and beyond in his role by covering roles during holidays in the team, while also managing to reach his personal target.

Will is always on hand to assist with queries from both clients and fellow employees promptly and efficiently.

Described as an all-round really nice person to work with everyone at AI Global Media really appreciate your support!

Thank you for your continued hard work Will.

UK SMEs & New Technologies feature image

UK SMEs & New Technologies

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

As more and more SMEs opt to utilise new technology in the wake of the pandemic, how can they ensure safe operations while coming to terms with the opportunities new technologies afford?

In June 2019, research conducted by Close Brothers found 58% of SMEs in the UK were not using cloud-based computing for software, storage, or other remote business services. One year on, a report by OGL Computer found that 57% of respondents had plans to adopt cloud computing and collaborative software to drive profitability and business efficiencies.

For some SMEs, like AI Global Media (a B2B digital media publishing company) making use of technology is ever prevalent in their business plans. Tony Garner, one of three directors at AI Global Media explained his rational behind embracing technology, “Technology is critical to all businesses. For large corporates or technology focused start-ups, the reasons are clear, but the benefits for SMEs aren’t always clear and, at times, can be difficult to crystallise. An easy example is having 2 multi-function printers in the office, allowing printing on one, whilst scanning on another. Additionally, there is typically software that can report on who is using which resource which can be invaluable when monitoring activity and costs for departments / individuals. This is a minor example but by scaling up the same rationale to deploying a fully integrated Accounting and CRM system. Typically, there will be sizeable upfront costs and time commitments for the business but the main benefit from having these systems is knowledge. Knowledge that the process is being adhered to, knowledge around pricing, knowledge around who approved what and, the most important of all, knowledge around where improvements in customer experience can be made to make you better, quicker, and more focussed than the competition. This knowledge alone should be enough to bring more long-term value to the business.”

Previously, the main impediment to the adoptions of cloud services by SMEs was a lack of understanding, despite the recognition of the benefits to businesses, as outlined in the Close Brothers research. However, as the times necessitated the speedy employment of new technologies, some businesses find themselves learning as they go. A situation which is leaving businesses with a risk of exposure to hacking and data breaches.

Of course, options do exist for dealing with these issues, even when the infrastructure is provided as service, as Josh Hewitt, Head of IT from AI Global media explains, “There are a few approaches we are looking at when it comes to security of the business:
– an advanced firewall for the business which will protect incoming and outgoing traffic.
– getting everyone working on a business-owned machine
– Credentials such as 365 will be locked down with licensing so it cannot be used elsewhere.
– Blocking users from sharing business files and folders externally by use of Sharepoint advanced security permissions.”

AI Global Media, along with 59% of UK SMEs are now making regular use of applications such as Microsoft Office 365, Teams and SharePoint to communicate and share information with stakeholders both internally and externally. As the hitherto small investments made by SMEs into technology begins to steadily grow, this new market for tech companies swells; small business owners and managers must consider how to protect their assets.

Girts Berzins

Employee of the Month – Girts Berzins

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

As Girts’ final weeks with the company we are pleased to announce him as our employee of the month.

With an infectious positive attitude and willingness to help any team, Girts has always been brilliant to work with and a great employee for the business.

Always happy to go the extra mile to provide assistance with any task, he is always quick to respond and a great member of the team.

Thankyou Girts for your time with the business and for your hard work and commitment. You will be missed by many!

The importance of mental wellness strategies in the modern workplace

The importance of mental wellness strategies in the modern workplace

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

With total estimates of individuals suffering from work related stress, anxiety or depression (SAD) topping at 828 000[i], and approximately 300 000 people losing their jobs annually due to mental health issues[ii] there is a significant challenge facing the UK today. Considering the scale of this issue, and the impact on the economy, it is sensible that businesses invest in workplace interventions to mitigate the mental health crisis in the UK.

As of the 20219/20 period, SAD accounted for 51% of work-related ill health cases and 55% of working days lost. Figures, from 2 separate studies, reveal a higher percentage of women, in full-time employment, record suffering from mental health pressure opposed to male counterparts[iii]; 89% of the 1200 UK workers polled, stated that mental health problems adversely affected their performance at work.[iv] With a 16% rise, equalling £42-£45 billion collectively, is the amount UK employers lose every year due to mental health. However, employers investing in mental health provide an average return of £5 per every £1 spent.[v]

With these facts in mind, and a dedication to their workforce, many HR professionals  work tirelessly to put mental wellness strategies in place. One such professional is Natasha Aujla, the Human Resource Manager at AI Global Media. With a particular interest in this aspect of her role, Natasha commented the following, when asked about her recent efforts, “The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work, so it’s safe to say your job / workplace can have a huge impact on your life. Covid-19 has impacted our lives both internally & externally and as a Company, we value the health & wellbeing of our employee’s. We have recently reviewed elements of our rewards & benefits structure and consciously placed deciding factors around Mental Health. We feel the best way to support our employees with their Mental Health is to provide access to a structured, professional & confidential service to deal with physical and mental health issues, as well as legal and financial difficulties. We are in final stages with an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider and look forward to updating our employees on this indispensable wellbeing tool.”

There are actions businesses can take to mitigate the impact mental health has on their workforce. Of course, a business requires a director to recognise the issue and accept the business has a role to play. For example, Kathryn Hall, one of three directors from AI Global Media a B2B publishing SME based in Burton upon Trent was quite forthright when she commented on the state of the mental health crisis and what AI Global Media was doing to assist those suffering, “The pandemic has reminded us of just how important the wellbeing of our team members is. Covid-19 has put a great deal of stress upon us all and, as responsible employers, we understand our part in supporting our employees during this difficult time. We conduct weekly meetings with our management team, using Microsoft Teams and encourage our managers to do the same with their teams; we are in the process of introducing an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support our workforce, the majority of whom are working from home and we have interactive software solutions in place to maintain good lines of communication throughout. We hope that our team members see us as a conscientious employer and that they feel suitably supported during these difficult times.” The issues surrounding mental health are not going away. There is no quick fix to them, however, there is hope. By creating positive environments, where people can come forward and discuss their issues, allowing employers to take the necessary steps and put measures in place, this issue need not debilitate our workforce and economy indefinitely

[i] HSE Work-Related Stress, Anxiety, Depression (S.A.D) Statistics in GB 2020.pdf

[ii] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41740666

[iii]  https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/fundamental-facts-about-mental-health-2016.pdf  & https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf

[iv] CVL_MentalHealthWorkplace_Report.pdf

[v] https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consulting/articles/mental-health-and-employers-refreshing-the-case-for-investment.html

Luke Cuttell

Employee of the Month – Luke Cuttell

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Congratulations Luke!

A pleasure to work and a great asset to the business, Luke goes above and beyond for the business to further develop the brands online identity.

Always efficient and provides information in a timely manner whenever requested.

With his creative mindset Luke has helped to refresh the current brands and bring new ones to life, helping to being new concept sketches to full mock-ups.

Thank you for all your hard work Luke!

world book day

Happy World Book Day 2021! Here are our favourite books

Posted on | by AI Global Media

Today is World Book Day! The huge international event occurs every year to celebrate the importance and the joy of reading books. Often the occasion is marked with fancy dress, with people from across the world dressing up as their favourite book character. This year at AI Global Media, we’ve decided to mark the occasion by sharing what we’re currently reading, along with our favourite books.

Jane Henderson- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

“I’m currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. So many people have recommended this to me, currently waiting to get hooked but determined to persevere!”

 

Kathryn Hall- The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore

“It’s so hard not to fall in love with Tuscany after reading this book, regardless of whether you have been or not! Tuscany is now on my bucket list.”

 

Tony Garner- IT by Stephen King & all of the Harry Potter books by J.K Rowling

“IT’s not my favourite book but it was the book that got me reading again, after years of reading boring and uninteresting books for English Literature at school. I went on to read all of King’s books that were published at the time and have been reading regularly since. My Kindle is my best ever piece of tech (to this day)- I love it and I love the reading I do with it.

My favourite books are the Harry Potter books, I loved them all.”

harry potter books

Kaven Cooper- Ask the Dust by John Fante

“Ask the Dust is about a young struggling writer in LA during the Great Depression. The start of a whole genre that some refer to as Lowlife Literature, massively influenced people like Charles Bukowski. This is definitely not for everyone but has been my absolute go to book for years!”

 

Akeela Zahair- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

“Told from two different perspectives, this is a story which revolves around what life was like for women in a war-torn Afghanistan. Here’s my favourite quote from the book:

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs.

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

 

Michael Pusey- Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

“As humanity colonises a new planet, Eastern mythology plays out, pitting gods with vast and hidden powers against one another. Thrilling and thought-provoking in one, it’s a great science-fiction fantasy novel that has stood the test of time.”

 

Alexandra Abraham- The Help by Kathryn Stockett

“A funny, moving, and important read that explores racism in 60’s Mississippi. Stockett is a wonderful storyteller that draws you in through captivating characters, beautiful writing, and heart-rending stories. One of my all-time favourites that I can read again and again.”

John Ray Simpson– The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh

“If you’re logical minded and fiction isn’t particularly something you enjoy, nerd it up with this book. It dives into mathematical concepts that have been hidden in episodes of The Simpsons by the early writers of the successful show. Even if maths isn’t your thing, it does well with explanations and it’s interesting to read about what directs incredibly gifted minds towards comedy writing.”

 

Emma Pridmore- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer & Annie Barrows

“A book about books! It’s a story in letters that has so much charm and humour- despite its post-war context- that I come back to it time and time again.”

 

Adam Walton- Funny You Should Ask…Your Questions Answered by the QI Elves

“This is a really interesting book with loads of answers to questions you’ve never thought about asking (or bothered to). For example, how much water would you need to put out the Sun? Who was the first person to have a chip on their shoulder? and the age-old question: if I take a swan to the vet does the Queen have to pay?”

 

Katherine Benton – The Goosebumps books by R.L.Stine

“I might be 26 but I’m standing by R.L.Stine and his efforts to put the horror genre on the map for children. I’m also grateful for the important lessons he taught us as kids i.e. if a mask retailer specialising in haunted apparel tells you that a Halloween mask you like is haunted, don’t then buy it, put it on and complain to your friends when it becomes permanently stuck to your face. Take from that what you will!”

Image Credit: BookTrust

Philip Efem- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

“I picked this up recently after first reading it in my teens. This read is more of a political treatise, which tends to be a bit twisted. If you’re into politics, and intrigue, it’s definitely a good read.”

 

El Muers- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

“London Below is a dark and twisted version of the city above it, a terrifying place where the twists and turns keep you waiting for the next reveal; the book follows Richard Mayhew and Door as they try to navigate and survive it. Tone wise, I found it a little different to Gaiman’s other work- but that in itself was part of its charm.”

 

Heather Ryan- Now You See Her by Heidi Perks

“I read Now You See Her by Heidi Perks recently. It’s a great thriller with lots of twists and turns. Couldn’t put it down until I’d finished!”

 

Daniel Grubb- A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

“I’m currently on book 4 of 7 of George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones: A Feast for Crows. After watching the TV series I’d heard that the show started to deviate from the books and after the ultimately disappointing conclusion to Series 8, I started the books. It’s one of those where I don’t ache to read it, but when I do read it, I can easily knock out 4-5 chapters in a sitting and just lose myself in Westeros.”

Patrick Doherty- Fear and loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a unique read like no other rooted in autobiographical incidents of the author the story follows its protagonist, Raoul Duke, and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo, as they descend on Las Vegas to chase the American Dream.”

“No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride…and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well…maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.”

― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

 

Kieran Penrice- Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

“The watch are my favourite part of the Discworld series and this murder mystery/examination of slavery and servitude is a fantastic read, both as a standalone fantasy novel and even more so as a part of the larger Discworld story.”

 

Holly Morris- The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

“The original fantasy adventure novel, I’ve read and reread this since my teenage years and will continue to. Escapism at its best!”

 

Harwinder Pawar- The Greatest Secret by Rhonda Byrne

“This is the latest edition from Rhonda. If you haven’t already, I suggest you begin reading these from the first edition called The Secret. I have yet to complete this latest offering, however I’d like to share an insight which I’ve taken from it:

“We’ve missed the truth for thousands of years because we’ve not looked at what is right in front of us.”

the secret

Gabrielle Ellis- The Symposium by Plato

“A book detailing what is said when a bunch of really smart Greek men get drunk and try to define and understand the concept of love and its origins.”

 

Joshua Hewitt- By What Standard? – edited by Jared Longshore

“This book, which has multiple contributors, gives an alarming insight into how our unbiblical postmodern culture begins to permeate the biblical Christian Church. A cracking theological read!”

 

Laura Brookes- Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence

“I’ll go with my recent favourite series. I’ll cheat because otherwise it’s impossible to pick and I’ll be here for hours. This is a wonderful spin on the “Chosen One Prophecy” with a well-realised fantasy world, compelling magic system and captivating characters.

“Nona Grey is a flawed central protagonist, but the reader can’t help but become enthralled with her character, sense of purpose and loyalty. Also, she’s a badass. The first book in the series, Red Sister, might have the best opening line of any book I’ve read.

“First line is: “It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.”

We hope you have an enjoyable World Book Day! Happy reading!

Human Resource Press Release

HR: Creating Big Opportunities in Small Businesses

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

In December 2019, before the pandemic had hit the UK shores, the digital publishing SME based in Burton upon Trent, AI Global Media, made the decision to fill a role which, like so many other SMEs around the country, had been filled by untrained professionals. However, the directors at AI Global Media decided they required a fully trained HR professional to assist them with their plans for the business’s growth and development.

On January 13th, 2020 Natasha Aujla joined the AI Global Media family, assuming the role of HR Officer. Natasha chose to train in HR after assisting with the set up of SOP’s for a European pharmaceutical supply chain. As this company grew, Natasha found herself questioning management of the procedures for managing the workforce, being naturally drawn to the HR field, she was quickly put forward by the company to complete CIPD training in HRM where Natasha found a particular affinity in the area of employee relations. ER casework has since become an area of specialty for her.

In conversation with Natasha, she reflected how larger organisations are more likely to understand the value of HR more so than SMEs. ‘HR is an area that has evolved from a personnel function to now being a department that has a board seat.‘ Yet, Natasha was adamant that having a trained HR professional is an absolute must for any business as she explained, ‘a CIPD qualified HR manager is trained in data analysis, business acumen, learning & development amongst a host of other areas which make these employees indispensable to any enterprise with a workforce in double digits. A trained HR professional can really add value to your whole organisation. Having an effective and efficient HR practitioner in place ensures your people matters are well managed and alleviates that pressure from your line managers. Ultimately it reduces the risk to the business as well as managers.’

Kathryn Hall, the director with overall responsibility for HRM in the business, reflected upon the necessity for a SME having an HR professional saying, ‘at AI Global Media we understand just how important the HR function is within our business. HR encompasses so many different things so even for small businesses, a lack of HR presence can impact a lack of uniformity and continuity within the business particularly in terms of managing the workforce, it can lead to inconsistencies in and inadequate focus on recruitment, employee engagement is likely to be impacted and leave, whether sick or holiday, can go unmanaged.

Prior to the mass furloughing of employees in March 2020, Natasha managed to: revamp the absence and holiday booking system, firm up the performance management schedule and improve hiring protocols via completion of job descriptions and employee objectives. Currently, she is working collaboratively on a new on-boarding program while ensuring the business is compliant with the regulations for trading with EU countries.

All of which goes to show how much a trained HR professional can benefit an up-and-coming SME in the UK as Kathryn Hall from AI Global Media said, ‘An adequate emphasis on HR can save a business thousands, or even tens of thousands, of pounds per year through poor hiring decisions, inadequate training and a lack of performance management. Our advice to start-ups and new businesses would be to factor this into your budget in early years. It will not be a decision you regret making!’

Triathlon

Five Tips for the Novice Triathlete

Posted on | by AI Global Media

Triathlon is an exhilarating sport to take part in and is especially rewarding when done in aid of charity. However, it is also a challenging sport to get yourself in to and can be expensive. So here are some tips on where to start if you’re considering becoming a triathlete.

 

1. Buy what you need gradually

As previously mentioned, triathlon can be an expensive sport, with the cost of a racing bike likely to be the priciest item you’ll invest in. So, the best thing to do is to buy your equipment gradually. Triathlon events mainly take place between March and October in the northern hemisphere, so this gives plenty of time for you to acquire what you’ll need throughout the year. Prioritise the items you need the most, for example comfortable running shoes, and a good fitting triathlon suit may be more beneficial at first than investing in a better bike.

 

2. Expensive isn’t always the best

Having the right equipment will make your triathlon experience better, however getting the most expensive items isn’t necessarily the best option. Whilst it’s beneficial to eventually purchase a good quality bike that suits you, as a beginner there’s no point in spending a fortune on one (and they can cost more than a small car) only to find Triathlon is not for you or the type of bike doesn’t suit your build. Second-hand bikes from sites like eBay can be brilliant for novice triathletes, with some even costing less than £100; the savings can be substantial. Triathlon specific sites and stores can also offer some great deals on equipment, so do your research and keep an eye out.

 

3. Have a plan

Having a plan in place will help you organise how much time you can devote to training each week. Use a spreadsheet to list the days of the week from Monday to Sunday, splitting each day into AM, lunchtime and PM. First mark down all the sessions which you may not be able to move, such as swimming and gym sessions. Add any other training sessions around this as you go along. Don’t forget to also fit in time to rest and recover your body. Build in rest weeks and lower intensity training weeks where necessary.

 

4.Be flexible

Leading on from planning your training routine, also allow for flexibility. This means if have a day where you’re meant to be running but aren’t feeling enthusiastic, go for a power walk instead, or even miss a session; don’t discipline yourself too much over a missed run. Depending on how you feel, also maybe flex the session slightly, do half the time or distance instead.

 

5. Have fun

The most important part in doing a triathlon is to have fun. The trick is to train at your own pace and to not get to overwhelmed with it taking over your day to day life. Try different exercises to keep things varied, and invite your friends along to join in. Yes, they’ll be times when training feels like a slog, but that’s to be expected, especially in the colder months when it gets dark earlier. Overall, just keep in mind why you’re training for a triathlon and hopefully once you’ve done your first one, you’ll be delighted with how rewarding it feels.

marketing effectiveness

6 Top Tips to Online Success for your Business

Posted on | by AI Global Media

In today’s business environment your company is unlikely to thrive if you don’t embrace online. Even those businesses where a physical premise is pretty vital such as cafes, hairdressers and restaurants, having an online presence is crucial for engaging with customers and prospective customers regularly, sharing any changes to the business or to sharing details of latest products, services and initiatives.

Here we bring you 6 top tips to support your online success:

 

1. Your website

The most important part of your website is user experience (UX). Consider how fast your website loads, you are likely to lose visitors quickly if pages take too long to load; Does your website look good? Grammatical errors, poor quality images or errors on your website can have a huge impact on how you are viewed by your website users; How easy is your site to navigate? Do you have a search function, are contact details displayed clearly, do visitors get a good idea of who you are and what you do from your website? Strong website navigation and design are a worthwhile investment to ensure online success. A basic understanding of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is useful in understanding how best to display images and text so that it can be indexed by search engines.

 

2. Target Audience

Having a well-defined target market will allow your marketing budget to go further, will drive improved click-through rates (CTR) and will result in a more engaged audience and result in higher conversions. If you don’t understand who you are targeting a lot of time and resource can go to waste. Consider creating marketing personas and looking at who your most engaged customers are to establish where you should target your services and/or products.

 

3. Cater to mobile users

Although it differs from industry to industry, a large portion of your target audience are likely to be accessing your brand via their mobile phone. They are likely to be viewing your email marketing communications, viewing your website and accessing your social media via their phone so ensure this is factored into to your strategy. Ensure your website is user friendly to mobile users, ensure that your marketing emails display well on mobile devices and ensure any other materials such as whitepapers, newsletters and other documents your customers receive are optimised for mobile use. When creating or updating your website, it is wise to spend some time on your phone navigating through, so you get a good feel for how the website looks and feels to mobile users.

 

4. Social Media

Firstly, establish which social media platforms are appropriate for your business and be open to the fact that this is likely to change over time. LinkedIn is often considered the most important platform for B2B businesses, whereas Facebook and Instagram are a must for many B2C businesses. It is important to factor some time and resource to dedicate to these platforms and be realistic as to the amount of time available for this task. Social media pages should be branded, updated and refreshed regularly and should contain your contact details. There is nothing worse than landing on a companies Facebook page which has an incorrect telephone number, a website that doesn’t work or has had no new content for two years! Consider a social media management platform like Hootsuite to make your life a little easier here, there are plenty to choose from, Hootsuite being one of the most widely known.

 

5. Build trust with your customers

Trust is everything! In a sceptical online world, building trust isn’t always easy. Think of trust as a conversion agent! If your prospective customers don’t trust you, they are unlikely to become a paying and loyal customer. Ensure that everyone within your business is helpful, professional and offers a great customer service at all times, ensure your website does not have broken links, is secure and gives a good impression of your business, your goals and what it is you do so well. Don’t underestimate the power of third-party endorsement, Google reviews, case studies and testimonials are all very valuable tools, use them to demonstrate what makes your business great.

 

6. Get to know your competition

Understanding who your competitors are is important. If your competitors are offering a similar service but at a cheaper price you need to know about this. If this is the case, why? Are you offering more for the spend, a better service or something extra? What products or services are they offering? Perhaps they are offering something which could be a good bolt-on for your business. Who are their suppliers? You may be able to find a more cost-effective provider to work with.

It is worth also keeping in mind that things change very quickly in the online world so be open to change, whether it be changes in how various social media platforms work, a change in regulation which could dramatically change how you communicate with your customers or a change in Google algorithms meaning you may have to make changes to your website(s) to keep up. Working with third party consultancies can prove useful to support you in your online journey. But don’t be afraid of the online world, it can create great value for a business and create access to a new breadth of customers.

AI Global Media Directors

Celebrating 10 Years of Business

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Burton-upon-Trent based publisher, AI Global Media Ltd. celebrates its 10th Birthday this month. The digital B2B media platform launched in the final quarter of 2010 with originally 5 team members, including co-Founders Jane Henderson and Kathryn Hall who remain with the business today.

The company has now grown to include a portfolio of 12 successful brands. With a global reach the brands tackle a broad range of industries including; construction and engineering, healthcare, luxury living, finance and much more. Over the 10 years of business the number of employees has also grown, now boasting of a team made up of 56 individuals posted in a variety of roles helping to excel the business further.

AI Global Media is currently looking to the future with the support of Technology and Finance Director, Tony Garner, and is progressing into machine learning in order to improve, advance and grow the business.

Kathryn Hall spoke about her journey with the business, “The decision to launch a new business is an exciting but also a pretty scary one! We made the decision to launch just as the 2008-2009 recession was coming to a close, so there was a lot of uncertainty during this time.

“As we launched there were 4 of us determined to make it work. I remember our first day of trading being in Jane’s parents dining room and the second being in BT’s local business office due to a lack of internet. Then on day three we made it into our first office. Now three office moves later we are stronger than ever and very much looking forward to the next 10 years!”

AI Global Media hope to celebrate their 10th Birthday next year when larger gatherings become possible once again.

The True Value of Awards

The True Value of Awards

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Anyone who has ever queried whether to take part in an awards programme, will at some point or another wonder, ‘Is the experience worth it’, or ‘What’s in it for me’? Some may have gone in search of the answer for themselves, finding itemised lists explaining how taking part in award programmes: help generate brand awareness, are important to benchmarking, assist with recruitment and boost employee morale.

However, the active thinker will still wonder how this can be. Why are awards so important to the success of a business and how can the simple act of entering an award programme generate such positive results? The answer lies in the psychology of the human brain.

The simple fact is, everyone enjoys praise, from monarchs, to politicians, from government agencies to private organisations, we all crave validation and purely being nominated for an award provides an endorsement to the value of the work done or services offered. The affirmation, provided by a nomination, reflects that a third party has recognised the efforts of the nominated party and believes them to be worthy of attention which manifests a certain amount of social prestige for said party. For many, purely being nominated is good enough or so they may say.

Jane Henderson, one of the Directors of AI Global Media, a B2B digital media group who hosts a variety of business award programmes such as: LUX Global Excellence Awards 2020 on LUX Life, North American Business Awards 2020 on New World Report and UK Enterprise 2020 on UK SME News, had this to say with regards to power of awards, ‘Awards offer a stamp of quality and when harnessed well, can do remarkable things for your brand. AI has never been consumed with the big celebratory pat on the back, we’ve always been focused on maximising the exposure of that award, no matter whether there is a marketing budget in place or not.’

Jane Henderson

Jane Henderson, Director AI Global Media

At the root of all awards lies competition. Competition builds character and an award has little value if there is only one nominee. Something has little worth if it has not been won through competition since the act of competing has been humanities way of realising potential for eons. Economists will state that competition is necessary for productive and effective markets and award programmes provide an important platform for social comparison as they allow for the victor to rise above the rest in a fair competition.

Although part of human nature is to root for the underdog, the masses will still gravitate to the winners. Those who have achieved the most accolades are aspirational; they teach us how to persevere in the face of adversity and make the most of what they have. For many, winning an award is just a step in the right direction as a quantifiable measure of success. Jane Henderson reflected on the following, from her experience in the B2B awards industry, ‘Importantly for us at AI, is that it is not just about the heavyweights, part of our philosophy is to lift the lid on the booming SME market globally; we are regularly stunned at their innovations and accomplishments.’

In some instances, it may lead to promotions, in many instances it will help to attract new customers and will assist in the recruitment of the most talented potential colleagues – after all winners attract winners. We need only look at which sports organisations attract the most talented sporting personalities for affirmation of this fact.

Ultimately, Awards which are fair are necessary in achieving social validation for an entity or individual. They are intrinsic to the development of skills and the cultivation of self-worth and it is not just the nominees who get something from the process, as is evident from another of Jane’s remarks, ‘The AI team is passionate about highlighting success and we love working with nominees across a broad range of sectors. It is a truly rewarding business to be in and we take huge enjoyment in awarding businesses via our suite of industry-specific brands.’

Should a business, or person, wish to promote themselves, awards are an excellent medium to use in such endeavours and will assist in attracting the attention from the most desirable of candidates.

As the saying goes, ‘to the victor belong the spoils’.

Sources
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1943&context=law_faculty_scholarship

https://www.quora.com/Everyone-loves-a-winner-People-gravitate-towards-successful-people-Then-why-bother-studying-and-analyzing-psychology-and-philosophy-and-human-behavioral-science-if-all-people-are-just-like-this

https://www.learningtogo.info/2016/08/everyone-loves-a-winner-except-when-we-dont/

http://www.econ.uzh.ch/static/wp_iew/iewwp357.pdf

will oades

5 Years On At AI Global Media

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Team member Will Oades reflects on his 5 year milstone at AI Global Media.

Will joined AI Global Media in 2015, here we chat with Will about his experience of being a part of the AI team.

How did you come to be a part of AI Global Media? What attracted you to the role?
After doing Journalism at Uni, I always wanted to be part of digital media business and when I saw the rob role pop up, I didn’t hesitate to apply. Shortly after, I received a voicemail from Kathryn Hall asking me to come in for an interview and a few days after that I received the good news that I’d got the job.

I always wanted to at least attempt a role in sales and earn a bit of commission and this turned out to be the best job that I’d had and with the best bunch of people.

Can you talk us through any major milestones during your time with the business?
I guess the biggest milestone was becoming the Sales Manager for the Magazine team in 2017. However there are plenty of small milestones, such as in the early days of working at AI Global, to develop the features team on what were new publications, such as BUILD, which is now one of our most prominent platforms.

What do you like most about working at AI Global Media?
It’s a very supportive company whereby you’re encouraged to do the best that you can, and in my personal experience of having had quite a few roles within the business, I feel like I’ve been allowed to make the choice of what roles I would like to do and have been supported in doing so. I’ve never worked at a company that runs so many team building events and activities and encourages a fun atmosphere amongst all employees.

 What do you do to unwind after a challenging day?
Nothing exciting in all honesty, I’m a big football fan so if there’s a game on then I will be watching it. If not, then we end up spending quite a lot of time with our friends, so it may not sound like much but we’re always kept busy with things to do!

AIGM & Machine Learning

Will AI be the future of business after Covid-19?

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

As the lockdown eases and businesses in the UK reopen, the questions remain, what will the new normal look like and how will businesses cope in this new trading landscape? There are no shortage on guides covering the various working environments, from steps to meeting the health & safety obligations to suggestions on reassuring customers. One thing, however, remains constant. There is a definite increase in the use machine learning in a wider range of businesses than ever before.

Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance business process is nothing new, in the 21st century, but the number and types of organisations turning to these solutions in new and innovative ways is more prevalent than ever. From the University of Leeds engaging robots to detect objects in need of regular cleaning and disinfecting them to business events using virtual streaming platforms to engage with their audiences rather than postponing events, the use of technology is a lifeline many businesses are clutching.

For most SMEs like AI Global Media (AIGM), a UK-based B2B publisher, the need to keep operations going, albeit with a reduced workforce, meant relying upon content sharing platforms and CRM applications to ensure smooth communications between all stakeholders. Scaling operations for AIGM began as a safety measure on the 18th of March when some departments were made remote. This quickly became a wide-scale endeavour by the 20th of March and was quickly followed by a furloughing of 36 team members on the first of April; no fooling.

With changes coming this fast, the business needed the capacity to react accordingly. Tony Garner, one of the three directors from AIGM reported, “Luckily, we’d employed a CRM platform in 2018, allowing departments to function cohesively, and had also introduced an in-house software development team in the last 2 years. The inclusion of both granted the business with the capacity to, not only transform the sales capacity and streamline the sales process but respond to changes necessitated by the pandemic.”

Tony Garner

Tony Garner – Finance director 

As AIGM gradually brings their business back to full strength, with all team members set to return by August 3rd and a return to the office on September 7th, the focus becomes the future of the business as well as the safety of its employees. Keen to put employee satisfaction and workplace safety at the forefront, the directors have already put plans to allow for flexible working hours in its sights, as it considers how to best employ building automation and the CRM platform to facilitate such an endeavour. Mr. Garner also added, “The next phase of development is to use AI and machine learning to streamline / optimise our data harvesting and automate our internal processes. As the business is likely to deliver in excess of 200 million global business contacts within the next 12 months the business needs to be prepared to manage this data in a responsible way providing all stakeholders with an advantageous outcome.”

With indoor fitness and entertainment venues set to open by the start of August, except to regions still adversely affected by the virus, the new normal is with us. As we all wait to see how it will all play out, the United Kingdom’s SME community should remember, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” Sun-Tzu

Sean Wilkins

Sean Wilkins – Employee of the Month

Posted on | by Kathryn Hall

March’s Employee of the Month is Sean Wilkins!

Sean was nominated by his peers for his efforts. Sean has been working really hard to keep those within the finance team motivated during such unprecedented times and goes the extra mile to try and make the working day fun and enjoyable whilst team members are working from home, he is supportive throughout. With some team members being furloughed from April and with remaining team members having a challenging role during the Covid-19 pandemic it can be deflating however Sean is committed to doing his utmost to keep the team in good spirits.

Sean has been with the business for almost 6 years and has supported AI Global Media in a number of areas. It is a pleasure to have you on board Sean, thank you for your continued hard work.

Do Mothers make better business leaders

Why Mothers Make Strong Business Leaders

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Having strong and decisive leadership is intrinsic to an organisation’s success and development. Being an effective leader requires an individual with qualities such as effective communication, resilience, vision and empathy; traits which are also frequently attributed to mothers.

There is a reason why woman-owned businesses experienced a revenue growth rate of 21%, from 2014 – 2019, in comparison to all other firms whose revenue was 20%, according to a report conducted by American Express[1] . A good mother makes a great leader.

For many, turning to a mother in times of crisis is natural, our mothers tend to know the right thing to say to make things appear better. Mothers are organised and prioritise the wellbeing of the family above all else. When these virtues are applied to a business, you get leaders who can make tough decisions in times of crisis. This is best exemplified by the leadership in AI Global Media; an enterprise founded by three mothers, who recently made the decision to mobilise their workforce, enabling them to work from home, two weeks prior to the UK government’s official request for this action to be undertaken.

It wasn’t just the success of businesses which concerned the directors, rather the wellbeing of their workforce was forefront in their minds as they determined their course of action. Consequently, the AI Global Media staff’s confidence that their employers care for them, allowed them to accept news of reductions to their working hours, when recent developments made such an action necessary to ensure the longevity of the business.

Balancing work and home life is difficult for any care giver, as Kathryn Hall, one of the three female founders and current mother and director, alongside Jane Henderson (mother & director) and Tony Garner (father & director), at AI Global Media identified, ‘I’m not sure how I feel about the term ‘Momtrepreneur’, it’s certainly not a term I would use in a verbal conversation! I do however recognise that there are many mothers who are also business owners and business leaders, juggling their two lives and doing a great job! I do believe that my time as a mother has had a really positive impact on my work and my role as a business leader.  I run a media business based in Staffordshire with my two business partners and can honestly say that I view the business very differently as a mother.’

Kathryn Hall – AI Global Media Ltd

To prove that their maternal instincts are better for business, mothers have had to work harder than most to overcome the misconceptions that mothers are likely to prioritise their own family before work. Kathryn reflected further with regards to her own experiences as a business leader and a mother: ‘I often feel that I have 4 children and that the business, AI Global Media is one of those. As a mother I have new empathy for those around me, I look for traits in recruits that I perhaps wouldn’t have done previously, such as objectivity, patience and the confidence to challenge others. I thrive when those around me have achieved great things and I truly want to support and nurture all those who report to me. I believe being a mother has made me a better business leader.’

According to the non-profit group, Catalyst, women in the UK are clearly positioning themselves to become the leaders of the future. With 55.5% of bachelor’s degrees and 59% of Master’s degrees being earned by women in 2016; in addition to women accounting for over half of the student enrolment in higher education (57%) in the 2017-2018 academic year, these women are picking up the trail left for them by the 23.7% of women currently working as business leaders in the UK.

 

Bibliography
[1] https://about.americanexpress.com/files/doc_library/file/2019-state-of-women-owned-businesses-report.pdfhttps://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-the-workforce-uk/

The Midlands Better Business Expo is now supporting the local football community!

The Midlands Better Business Expo is now supporting the local football community!

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

As part of Inicio Media – a sister company to AI Global Media – the Midlands Better Business Expo encourages better practices across the region. As part of this endeavour, the expo is now sponsoring local football team, Hednesford Town FC Jets.

Part of the Walsall Junior Youth League, the Hednesford Town FC Jets play two matches a week in the Under 9s A league. As part of the sponsorship, Inicio Media has gifted jackets to the team with the 2020 Midlands Better Business Logo printed on the back.

The Midlands Better Business Expo is the pinnacle event for small and medium sized businesses from across the wider Midlands region. The expo was launched to bring start-ups and SMES together to help generate networking opportunities, create introductions to new suppliers and give attendees the tools and information they need to make their business more profitable and achieve growth.

We are looking forward to watching some of the upcoming fixtures and cheering on the Hednesford Town FC Jets. Hopefully this season will be their best yet and the new jackets will bring some good luck!

The Midlands Better Business Expo is now supporting the local football community!
Chamber of commerce

Networking success for AI Global Media

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Today AI Global Media attended our first a networking lunch at Branston Golf club arranged by Burton & District Chamber of Commerce, division of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. 

Aimed to bring like-minded businesses together it was a great chance to engage with and exchange ideas with local, like-minded businesses.

We look forward to the next event!

Chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
Guide Dogs Charity

Charity of the year 2020!

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Here at AI Global Media, we are pleased to announce that for 2020 our charity of the year will be The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (UK)​! Charities were put forward by team members throughout January, and the most popular were put to a vote to decide who we will be fundraising for this year with Guide Dogs coming out on top!

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is an internationally recognised charity whose extraordinary work helps thousands of people with sight loss recover their confidence and live their lives to the fullest every day. This is done through a wide range of services provided for children and adults such as: CustomEyes books, assistive technology grants, education and family support as well as guide dogs.

At AI Global Media, we will be running a range of charity fundraisers which will be launched throughout the year with the aim to raise as much as possible for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. The first has been running throughout February which is a tabletop sale aimed at local businesses and the general public with a wide variety of items available from: games, DVDs, household items, children’s toys and much more!

Ultimately, our main fundraiser this year will be a triathlon due to be completed by a selection of AI Global Media team members in Summertime.

Australia

How to Help the Australian Bush Fire Crisis

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

The wildfires raging across Australia first began in November 2019, and they continue to pose severe safety and environmental problems to this day. As of January 6, at least 22 people are dead and more than 1500 homes have been destroyed as almost 200 fires continue to burn through more than six-million hectares of land across the country.

Tens of thousands of homes in NSW and Victoria states are currently without power. Thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal towns over the past week.

Our hearts go out to those impacted throughout the country. If anyone would like to donate find a list of some of the many charities helping those affected by the devastating fires here – https://7news.com.au/news/bushfires/bushfire-donations-heres-you-can-help-australian-victims-c-634311 or through the Fundraiser for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund by Celeste Barber- https://www.facebook.com/donate/1010958179269977/10157671223743418

Christmas Family Fun Day

Christmas Fun for the Whole Family

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty
Christmas Family Fun Day

AI Global Media – Christmas Family Fun Day

Burton-upon Trent based digital media business AI Global Media hosted a Christmas Family Fun Day on Tuesday 26th November

AI Global Media, a digital media group based in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire recently celebrated Christmas with the families of their team members with their Christmas Family Fun Day.

The AI Global Media family fun day featured face painting, crafts, games, a reading corner, buffet and, of course, Mr & Mrs Claus, the event welcomed everyone from babies to teens as well as their wider families. Parents were able to enjoy a relaxing chat on the sofa areas whilst children made the most of the toys, music and crafts on offer under the watchful supervision of Mrs Claus and her lively team of elves.

Santa made an appearance and children took their letters, which had been written at the designated Letter to Santa Table, into his Grotto, where they received a gift  Hosted in AI Global Media’s first floor office in the Maltsters, Burton-On-Trent, the Family Fun Day was a roaring success, with guests of all ages enjoying meeting Santa and getting to spend the afternoon playing games and enjoying quality time with their families.

AI Global Media are proud to have the best of the best within the local area working for the business today and thoroughly understand the many benefits of having a happy and engaged workforce.  We as a business strive to create a fun yet professional work environment for our team members and have a great appreciation for supporting our workforce in ensuring a good work-life balance.

AI Global Media Director Kathryn Hall, who organised the project and acting as an elf on the day, commented on the success of the event.

“I am really pleased and really proud of how well the Christmas Family Fun Day went. We all had a lovely time, and it was great to see the smiles on the faces of the children when they saw Santa! Between the presents, the food and the games everyone was well entertained, and we all enjoyed ourselves.  This is 2nd year for our Christmas Family Fun Day, an event we hope to keep running year-on-year.

“The business also holds a number of great activities for our employees to enjoy throughout the year including an annual Sports Day, Easter Extravaganza, Halloween Spooktacular, bowling days and treasure hunts.  Our internal culture is very important to all senior managers, ensuring that each team member understands that enjoying your time at work is just as important as working hard at work!”

About AI Global Media

AI Global Media is a digital B2B publishing house and was launched in 2010. The company is committed to creating engaging content that informs its readers and reaches its advertiser’s target markets. Today, the firm has 13 unique brands, each of which serves a specific sector or region. 

As a business with almost ten years of experience in the market, many great team members have been gained and we are always on the look out for driven, focused and dedicated new recruits to join the team.

To find out more about AI Global Media please visit our website: https://www.aiglobalmedialtd.com/

AI Global Media Helps to Bring Some Festive Cheer!

AI Global Media Helps to Bring Some Festive Cheer!

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

AI Global Media recently visited Burton’s Queen’s Hospital in aid to help bring some festive cheer to some very unfortunate children, who will have to face this year’s Christmas in Hospital.

Our kind team members have been busy buying & wrapping a wide range of gifts for the children over recent weeks, and on Tuesday was able to present them to the hospital staff on on ward 1. The staff was overwhelmed with the generosity and will be giving presenting them to the children on Christmas morning.

Thank you very much to our most generous team members, you have all helped make some local children’s Christmas Day a little more special!

AI Global Media Helps to Bring Some Festive Cheer!
AI Global Media Helps to Bring Some Festive Cheer!
AI Global Media Helps to Bring Some Festive Cheer!
The 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo

The first of more to come!

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

The first of more to come!

AI Global Media is delighted to announce that the sister company INICIO Media hosted their first event last week, the 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo.

The expo was a complete success, with business owners and managers from across the wider Midlands region flocking to the expo to gather vital business knowledge, connect with their peers and engage with those key service providers able to support their growth. 

The expo also hosted some great and valuable speakers, tackling topics from HR, marketing, occupational health, business growth, sales, big data, training and more. Providing valuable insight for the attendees of the expo  

Here’s to the 2020 Midlands Better Business Expo, now confirmed at Derby Arena on Wednesday 11th November 2020.

The 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo
The 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo
The 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo
The 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo
The 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo
AI Global Media Directors

Happy 9th Birthday to AI Global Media!

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Today AI Global Media celebrates 9 years of trading.  The three directors would like to thank our stakeholders for helping make the business what it is today.  From our dedicated managers, hard-working team members and highly-driven board to our loyal customers, dedicated suppliers and our various partners, we would not have evolved into the innovative and growing media group we are without your dedication and support.  We’re excited to see what the next 9 years has to bring!

cyber security

AI Global Media receives the Essential accreditation from Cyber Essentials

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

AI GLOBAL MEDIA RECEIVES THE ESSENTIAL ACCREDITATION FROM CYBER ESSENTIALS

AI Global Media has recently received the essentials accreditation from Cyber Essentials. The government backed program aims to help businesses of any size protect themselves from potential cyber-attacks.

Launched 5th June 2014 the programme is designed to help all UK organisations who may have limited experience, or knowledge, of cyber security improve their defences. The accreditation also allows for businesses to demonstrate to the public that they have a commitment towards enhancing and improving their cyber security processes.

Ultimately, the certification has allowed us to hone our knowledge to make sure that all aspects of the business is secure, and that our customers can rest assured that we are continuously looking to improve our business and strive to make sure that we are fully protected from potential threats.

You can view our accreditation here: https://www.cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk/cert-search/?query=A.I.%20Global

If you would like more information on Cyber Essential, you can visit their website here: https://www.cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk/

 

Cyber Essentials certificate
Heather Ryan - September 2019

Employee of the Month – Heather Ryan

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

September’s Employee of the Month is Heather Ryan

Heather joined AI Global Media in 2013 and in May of this year moved across to our sister company INICIO Media https://www.iniciomedia.com/, the events management arm of the group.

Heather has done an amazing job of running this part of the business over recent months and has developed this new business from scratch & in November we will be running our first event.  It is packed with great speakers, insightful exhibitors and we have a great pool of attendees signed up, the expo is set to be a great success!  Heather has gone above & beyond in managing the project including working on days off, travelling around the local area a lot to drive awareness and attendees, amazing achievement Heather, you’re doing a fantastic job.

The 2019 Midlands Better Business Expo is aimed at growth-focuses businesses within the wider Midlands region and will take place at Derby Arena on Wednesday 13th November https://www.betterbusiness-expo.co.uk/.  We’re all looking forward to the event!

adam walton - employee of the month

Employee of the Month – Adam Walton

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

Congratulations to Adam Walton, Our June Employee of the Month!

Adam has been with AI Global Media for almost three years and during his time has progressed to becoming a most valued team member.  Adam is punctual, reliable and has a great work ethic.  His database work has proven to be vital to our business and Adam is truly embracing some of the changes being implemented and the challenges being put to him and his team.  Great job Adam, a pleasure to have you as part of the business!

2 Mile Out Festival 2019

AI Global Media Supports Inaugural 2 Mile Out Festival!

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

2 Mile Out Festival 2019

2 Mile Out Festival 2019 poster

AI Global Media Supports Inaugural 2 Mile Out Festival!

United Kingdom- June 2019: For Immediate Release

UK publishing house AI Global Media is proud to support the 2 Mile Out Festival 2019, a charity event featuring live music, food and entertainment.

Opening at 1pm on 22nd June and running until 11pm, the festival will be hosted at the Admiral Rodney pub in Hartshorne, Derby. All proceed from the event will be split and donated to The Air Ambulance Service and the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity.

The event will involve a range of local businesses, bands and food producers showcasing their talent, ideas and wares to guests. There will be a variety of competitions as well as two live music stages.

The event is hosted by AI Global Media Accounts Team Member Melissa Mansell, and the company is proud to be showcasing this incredible event, with many of the firm’s team set to visit and enjoy the festivities.

Commenting on the event, Melissa said: “I’m deeply passionate about raising money for charity and supporting local artists and businesses, and as such it’s my pleasure to do all of this by creating 2 Mile Out Festival 2019. I hope everyone enjoys the event and hope it will be an annual success in the future!”

About AI Global Media

AI Global Media is a digital B2B publishing house and was launched in 2010.  The company is committed to creating engaging content that informs its readers and reaches its advertiser’s target markets. Today, the firm has 16 unique brands, each of which serves a specific sector or region. 

As a business with over eight years’ experience in the market, AI Global Media understands the value of a great workforce and runs regular activities throughout the year to reward the team for their hard-work and commitment. From Family Fun Days to its annual Sporting Event, regular charity fundraisers to the firm’s Bakeoff, which runs throughout the year, the company is always seeking to show its team the importance of combining work with play. 

To find out more and to see details of the firm’s participation in the challenge please visit: https://www.aiglobalmedialtd.com/

About 2 Mile Out Festival 2019

Featuring stalls from Need Less Ltd. and Crafty Melons offering the most beautifully handcrafted and upcycled items, Biddulph’s Pizzeria and Ferneley’s Ice Cream to overwhelm the taste buds, kid’s activities and entertainment from Alpine Arty Attic and Inflate and Paint as well as a BBQ and bouncy castle provided by Hartshorne Cricket Club, 2 Mile Out Festival 2019 will have something for everyone.

There will also be two stages showcasing the best music talent from the UK, including a Muse Tribute act, We Are Athens, Talking to Frank and the Fine Arts Society, among others. There is also an Open Mic event hosted on the festival’s acoustic stage: for those wishing to book a slot please email [email protected].

To learn more about this exciting new festival please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/288669738672163/

AI Global Media 3 peaks challenge

AI Global Media To Run The National Three Peaks Challenge In Aid Of Cancer Research UK

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

AI Global Media To Run The National Three Peaks Challenge In Aid Of Cancer Research UK

United Kingdom- January 2019: For Immediate Release

UK publishing house AI Global Media is proud to announce that it is undertaking the National Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Twenty-one members of the firm’s team will be attempting the National Three Peaks Challenge, involves climbing the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales. The three peaks are Snowdon, in Wales, which stands at 1085m, Scafell Pike, in England, which is 978m and finally Ben Nevis, in Scotland, which is 1345m.

Comprising of members of almost every department, including accounts, sales, features and IT, the team will be raising money for Cancer Research UK, a deserving charity dedicated to funding research into all types of cancer, a disease which has, in some way, affected the lives of many members of AI Global Media’s team. The firm’s Donation Page can be found HERE.

Training will take place over the coming weeks, with the firm organising a number of trips to various locations including Kinder Scout, Snowden and Scafell Pike prior to the event itself, which takes place between the 21st and the 23rd June 2019.

Tony Garner, Finance Director at AI Global Media, discusses the challenge and how the firm came to participate:

“The National Three Peaks Challenge is a great test of determination, and I’m proud to be leading a group of our team to complete it. The challenge will be a great opportunity to socialise outside of work, as well as raise money for a great cause. Thanks to everyone at AI Global Media who’s helping out or joining us. See you at the top!”

About AI Global Media

AI Global Media is a digital B2B publishing house and was launched in 2010.  The company is committed to creating engaging content that informs its readers and reaches its advertiser’s target markets. Today, the firm has 16 unique brands, each of which serves a specific sector or region. 

As a business with over eight years’ experience in the market, AI Global Media understands the value of a great workforce and runs regular activities throughout the year to reward the team for their hard-work and commitment. From Family Fun Days to its annual Sporting Event, regular charity fundraisers to the firm’s Bakeoff, which runs throughout the year, the company is always seeking to show its team the importance of combining work with play. 

To find out more and to see details of the firm’s participation in the challenge please visit: https://www.aiglobalmedialtd.com/

About The National Three Peaks Challenge

Set across three gruelling stages, the National Three Peaks Challenge sees intrepid walkers climb the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales.

The total walking distance is 23 miles (37km) and the total ascent is 3064 metres (10,052ft) – twice the ascent of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, over a similar total walking distance. The total driving distance is 462 miles.

To find out more please visit: https://www.threepeakschallenge.uk/national-three-peaks-challenge/

About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is a charitable organisation designed to fund scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner. The organisation also provides cancer information to the public to support survivors, those battling cancer, their families and those who have lost someone or been affected by cancer.

To learn more please visit: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/

Kevin Thompson spotlight

Team Member Spotlight: Kevin Thompson, Creative Manager, talking about his journey with AI Global Media

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty
Team Member Spotlight: Kevin Thompson, Creative Manager, talking about his journey with AI Global Media

This summer Kevin will have been with the business seven years, we asked him about his time with AI.

How did you begin your career with AI Global Media?

I started with AI back in June 2012, before this I had been working as a graphic designer for a publishing company in Birmingham for about 5 years after finishing a degree at Wolverhampton Uni. I was contacted by a recruitment agency about the position of a designer at AI and liked what I read about the company and liked the idea of getting out of the city and working somewhere a bit quieter out in the countryside (AI were based in a small converted farm building at this time). When I saw the offices and met the directors and team I really couldn’t say no to the job as it was exactly the type of place I wanted to work. I settled into it very quickly and the rest is history I guess. The company has come a long way since those days, when I started we had less than 10 people at the company and things are a lot busier now.

Can you tell us more about the different roles you have had within the business?

Well, as I said, I started as a designer back in 2012 and up to 2 years ago my role didn’t really change that much. I was always the head designer at the company, from being the only designer I went on to work with and mentor other designers to make sure every deadline was met and that everything  was in keeping with the AI brand. About 2 years ago I moved into the role of Creative Manager. It was quite daunting at first, I have always been good at managing myself but now I had a team of other individuals to manage. I’m still learning the job but I think I have done ok at it so far. It probably sounds a bit cliched, but I really don’t see myself as my team’s boss, I’m just the senior member of the team and I’m there to help them and to organise things (I think my strongest attribute is my organisational skills). I still do a bit of designing as well as it is something I still love to do and I like to muck in, so to speak. Having a great team helps make my job all the more easier as well.

Which project(s) or task(s) have you enjoyed the most whilst working with the business?

I really couldn’t single out a specific project, again, it might sound cliched and like I’m just saying it for this interview, but I’ve enjoyed every aspect of all the work I have done at AI. Every day flies by because I am enjoying everything I am doing here. I know I’m a manager now but as a designer at heart I’ll always have a soft spot for anything designeree (is that a word?), so laying out a magazine will always be a personal favourite, and I’ve laid a lot out in my time here.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement, either professionally or personally?

Definitely still being a manager at AI after 2 years of doing the job is an achievement for me, managing isn’t something I saw myself going into and it isn’t the easiest of jobs so I’m proud of that and I’m still hanging in there.

How do you unwind after a stressful day?

I don’t really get stressed, I’m too laid back and to be honest, too busy, I don’t have time to be stressed. I actually prefer it when we are up against a deadline or have a lot of work on, I see it all as a challenge and I enjoy a challenge. I do go to the gym quite a lot though, that’s something I enjoy to do before or after work.

Can you name three things that many of your team members won’t know about you?

This is the question I always hate. I’m quite boring really and there isn’t that much out of the ordinary about me. I do keep my private life and work separate though so people probably don’t know anything about me outside of work.

Well, I’ve been married for 5 years this year, (my last day at work before I got married, I think everyone at AI came in wearing all white). I support Birmingham City Football club although my favourite sport is Rugby. Before AI I worked for a martial arts publishing house and did kickboxing for a few years when I was there, (I got free classes). Music is a big part of my life and at the moment I am mostly listening to liquid and jungle, both are sub genres of drum and bass.

I wish I could say I had trials at Manchester United or that I do lots of work for charity but that’s about it really, sorry.

Christmas Fun Day 2018

Christmas Family Fun Day

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

UK publishing house AI Global Media hosted a Family Fun Day on Tuesday 4th December, with the aim of giving team members the chance to bring their families to the office and enjoy a fun-filled Christmas extravaganza!

The event also raised money for national charitable event Mission Christmas. Run by Hits Radio, the scheme receives new and unwrapped gifts which it provides to disadvantaged children to ensure that everyone has a Merry Christmas. The money will be donated directly to Mission Christmas, with a selection of gifts that the company has also acquired being donated with the aim of bringing smiles to the faces of every child this Christmas.

The AI Global Media family fun day featured face painting, crafts, games, a reading corner, buffet and, of course, Mr & Mrs Claus, the event welcomed everyone from babies to pre-teens. Parents were able to enjoy a relaxing chat on the sofa areas whilst children made the most of the toys, music and crafts on offer under the watchful supervision of Mrs Claus and her lively team of elves.

Santa made an appearance and children took their letters, which had been written at the designated Letter to Santa Table, into his Grotto, where they received a present and words of encouragement.

Hosted in AI Global Media’s first floor office in the Maltsters, Burton-On-Trent, the Family Fun Day was a roaring success, with guest of all ages enjoying meeting Santa and getting to spend the afternoon playing games.

AI Global Media Director Kathryn Hall, who organised the project and acting as an elf on the day, commented on the success of the event.

“I am really proud of how well the Family Fun Day went. We all had a lovely time, and it was great to see the smiles on the faces of the children when they saw Santa! Between the presents, the food and the games nobody was bored and we all enjoyed ourselves. All the kids were very well-behaved; even the babies were quiet and giggled along while the older kids played and had a great time! Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a special day.”

As he was leaving for the North Pole Santa said:

“The Christmas Family Fun Day has been a great success, and I’ve enjoyed meeting with all the children and giving out their presents. It’s nice to know that AI Global Media will be donating to Mission Christmas. Ho Ho Ho!”

Mrs Claus, added:

“It was great to see the children having such a lovely time at the Christmas Family Fun Day, and I was really pleased to be able to dress up and play my part in raising money for such a worthy cause. My husband and I have had a lovely time and we hope the event will continue next year- we’ll definitely be back if it does!”

About AI Global Media

AI Global Media is a digital B2B publishing house and was launched in 2010.  The company is committed to creating engaging content that informs its readers and reaches its advertiser’s target markets. Today, the firm has 16 unique brands, each of which serves a specific sector or region. 

As a business with over eight years’ experience in the market, AI Global Media understands the value of a great workforce and runs regular activities throughout the year to reward the team for their hard-work and commitment. From Family Fun Days to its annual Sporting Event, regular charity fundraisers to the firm’s Bakeoff, which runs throughout the year, the company is always seeking to show its team the importance of combining work with play. 

To find out more and to see details of upcoming events and initiatives please visit: https://www.aiglobalmedialtd.com/

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Movember

Posted on | by AI Global Media

This year 10 of our team members here at AI Global Media are taking part in Movember in an effort to raise funds and awareness for The Movember Foundation, the leading charity changing the face of men’s health. The charity looks to address some of the biggest health issues faced by men: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention.

The 10 team members participating in this year’s Movember challenge are Designer Dan Flowers, Awards Executive Kaven Cooper, Head of Research Jeremy Roe, Compliance & Data Officer Dan Grubb, Finance Director Tony Garner, Features Team Leader Elliot Ashbourne, Research Executive Phil Pearson, Awards Supervisor Nathan Angell, Research Executive Abdo Dada and Head of Features Will Oades.  A big thank you to you all for being such good sports!

If you would like to support our team and donate to the Movember charity, please click here to go to our team page and donate. All proceeds go to the Movember charity.

Below we have our team’s progress pictures. Apologies for the strange first images, October 31st *is* halloween after all!

Oct 31

Nov 1st

Nov 8th

Nov 15th

Nov 22nd

Nov 30th

Abdo Dada

Dan Flowers

Dan Grubb

Elliot Ashbourne

Jeremy Roe

Kaven Cooper

Nathan Angell

Phil Pearson

Tony Garner

Will Oades

mash feature image

AI Global Media announces Mash as the Most Outstanding Online Payment Service Provider 2018

Posted on | by Patrick Doherty

United Kingdom, 2018 – AI Global Media announces Mash as the Most Outstanding Online Payment Service Provider 2018 – Europe in the International Business Excellence 2018.

The International Business Excellence 2018 was launched to showcase the businesses that work hard to offer clients the very highest standards of service and support within their respected competitive industry. Mash remains one of only two companies in Europe that can offer pay later solutions in-store via point of sale and online.

Commenting on the award, James Hickson CEO of Mash said, “We are delighted to receive such a prestigious award.  This year, we have grown our payments business by over 1000% while continuing to achieve a class leading Net Promoter Score (consistently above 80%). Our commitment to wowing merchants and consumers with our pay later solution has been unwavering, this award reflects the dedication of our team as well as that of our partners.”

This award was judged purely on merit by our in-house teams with all potential winners assessed against multiple relevant criteria, including previous accolades won, company performance over a given period of time, influence within the industry, sector or region and client testimonials or recommendations.

To find out more about these prestigious awards, please visit www.aiglobalmedialtd.com

About AI Global Media

Since 2010 AI Global Media has been committed to creating engaging content that informs our readers and reaches our advertiser’s target markets.

James Hickson

James Hickson, CEO Mash

About MASH

Mash has been at the forefront of fintech innovation since 2007. Leveraging their advanced proprietary algorithms, machine learning capabilities and automated platform to deliver superior finance and payments solutions to thousands of customers every day, Mash work hard for a future powered by technology, making every transaction seamless, flexible and worry-free. For more information about Mash, please visit www.mash.com

Team Member Spotlight: Heather Ryan on her 5 years with AI Global Media.

Posted on | by AI Global Media

Heather joined AI Global Media in 2013, AI talks to Heather about her journey with the business over the last 5 years.

How did you begin your career with AI Global Media?

I have known the Directors of AI Global Media for 10 years now having worked with them in a previous role. I began my career at AI Global Media back in 2013, after I was approached regarding a position within the accounts department, and was thrilled to be offered the role. In 2014 I went onto maternity leave after having my daughter Darcey, I was then given the fantastic opportunity of joining the Awards department as Awards Manager, and have loved it ever since.

What’s a typical day like for you?

Every day is different within the Awards department. We host a wide variety of annual awards programmes across our multiple brands, and my team have the important task of researching and organising each programme and have the great task of advising companies they have been successful.

What do you like most about working at AI Global Media?

There are many things I like about working for the company. The management and staff are all friendly and approachable, and there is a good atmosphere within the office. The company make sure there are incentives in place for hard work and run fun activity days both in and outside of work. Recently we did a treasure hunt around the town and are soon to have our own Sports Day.

Within the Awards department it’s really rewarding to know that the work the team put into the annual awards we host, are appreciated by the clients who receive them.

What has been the most exciting or enjoyable project you have worked on whilst working with the business?

It’s hard to think back and remember all the different tasks I have been involved in, however more recently I have enjoyed helping with the layout of the awards section rebrands on some of our platforms.

What has been your greatest personal achievement?

Being in the position I am within the company is a personal achievement of mine, as I previously worked in administrative roles.

In my private life, my husband and I had been renting a house since 2010, and it was only last year that we had managed to save enough money for a deposit on our very own house. We have now been living there for 12 months.

Can you name three things people may be surprised to know about you?

This is a tricky question!

What do you do to unwind?

In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my two children and husband, we love to have days out exploring and visiting different places of interest. I also like to read a good book with a glass of wine in my hand, when I manage to get half an hour to myself!

AI Sports Day 2018

Posted on | by AI Global Media

Thanks to everyone for making AI’s 2018 Sports Day so much fun! Sean did a fantastic job of organising us all, plenty of events for all to enjoy.

Thanks to all for getting so involved & making the day a great success! Same time next year?!

LUXLife goes to the races!

Posted on | by AI Global Media

LUXLife had the pleasure of experiencing Sahara Force India’s hospitality at the German Grand Prix this weekend.

LUXLife chatted to team COO Ofmar Szafnauer about their partnership with Orange Bus and how the design interaction agency are helping them engage better with their fans.

Our office bake-off winner!

Posted on | by AI Global Media

Congratulations Nicky on winning AI’s Bake-off.

Nicky, you are putting us all to shame with your cooking, everyone loved those cinnamon buns!

Here are a selection of our amazing entries for this season. The standard is improving! Keep it up everyone!

Employee of the Month – Jeremy Roe

Posted on | by AI Global Media

Jeremy Roe is our Employee of the Month for February!

Jeremy is a great team leader, a brilliant mentor and a committed individual, putting in extra hours on a regular basis.  He is very focused on his team, their goals and their morale and is always looking at ways to improve processes in order to offer a better and more efficient service to our customers.

Treasure Hunt!

Posted on | by AI Global Media

This month AI Global Media took part in a Treasure Hunt around our home town of Burton-upon-Trent. The event, organised by Nottingham based Offlimits, was a great success! Everyone in the office had lots of fun finding secret places, collecting special items and answering the crazy quiz questions to win that bottle of bubbly!

Congratulations to Sean, Sam, Fleur and Martin! Enjoy your win (and your prize)!

Easter Eggstravaganza

Posted on | by AI Global Media

It’s time for the AI Global Media annual Easter Eggstravaganza!

Everyone had a great day, with an Easter piñata, painting colleagues’ faces on eggs, an Easter egg hunt & even our very own Easter bunny, we had a really fun day with lots of laughs.

Thanks for making the day a lot of fun everyone!

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

Posted on | by AI Global Media

John Turner recently completed a 55 mile walk in aid of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. AI Global Media proudly sponsored John for his walk which was carried out over 4 days and finished at Lichfield Cathedral. John is photographed here at the finish line with The Mayor of Lichfield along with fellow volunteers and fellow walkers.

Well done John and well done to all the walkers and volunteers, £1,550 raised for the cause!

Charity PJ Day

Posted on | by AI Global Media

AI Global Media have raised £920 for Cancer Research UK.  Employees dressed up in their pyjamas for the day, the company donated for each team member in fancy dress and then contributed extra donations for Hannah shaving her head and for Liam dying his beard green for the cause.  Thank you everyone for your support and thank you to Hannah and Liam for their gestures of goodwill, all in the name of charity.

VoiceBox Provides Natural Language Understanding Technology for Samsung Mobile Devices

Posted on | by LUX Life | Leave a Comment on VoiceBox Provides Natural Language Understanding Technology for Samsung Mobile Devices

VoiceBox Provides Natural Language Understanding Technology for Samsung Mobile Devices

VoiceBox Technologies Corporation today announced a strategic partnership with Samsung to use VoiceBox’s Natural Language Understanding (NLU) technology for Samsung’s voice services. The companies have been working closely together to build an intelligent assistant powered by VoiceBox’s NLU technology.

“We are proud to have been selected to power the voice services on a range of existing and new Samsung mobile devices,” said Mike Kennewick, CEO of VoiceBox. “We look forward to collaborating on other opportunities with Samsung, particularly relative to our Smart Home and Internet of Things initiatives.”

“Samsung understands that voice is a critical technology for its future. We are pleased to partner with VoiceBox and this collaboration will enable us to provide users with a powerful voice experience,” said Peter Koo, Senior Vice President Samsung Mobile.

A pioneer in providing intelligent, contextual voice solutions, VoiceBox’s award-winning technology can be found in many of today’s connected cars, smartphones and wearables. Additionally, the company provides intelligent, contextual voice solutions for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) seeking to integrate voice controls across a range of products in the Internet of Things market.

Living the Shanghai Life

Posted on | by LUX Life | Leave a Comment on Living the Shanghai Life

Living the Shanghai Life

Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai invites guests to experience the very best of Shanghai from the luxurious surroundings of the Pudong riverfront. Launching in time for the Chinese Labour Day holiday in May, the new ‘Shanghai Dream’ package treats guests to a sunset cruise, cultural visits and Mandarin Oriental’s Executive Club privileges, suite accommodation and legendary service.

From their sumptuous suite, guests can enjoy spectacular views of the Huangpu River and iconic city skyline. During the day, they can embark on an Oriental Art and Culture Journey at the Aurora Museum, a few minutes drive from the hotel, where thousands of ancient Chinese cultural relics, including jade artefacts, Buddhist sculptures and porcelain, are showcased. Designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the museum’s eye catching exterior is inspired by an Oriental curio box.

Before sunset, guests can board a luxury yacht for a spellbinding waterborne tour of Shanghai. Setting off from the Shanghai Metropolitan Marine Yacht Club, next to the hotel. The 60 minute cruise along the Huangpu River features historic architecture and futuristic skyscrapers on the Bund and Pudong riverbanks respectively. A Mandarin Oriental butler will be on board to point out city landmarks and snap souvenir photos. Returning to the hotel, guests can unwind with cocktails in the elegant Club Lounge where an extensive selection of European and Asian snacks is available.

During their stay, guests can enjoy the hotel’s superb facilities. In addition to celebrating a memorable moment in its bars and restaurants, guests can enjoy a reinvigorating workout in the 24 hour Fitness and Wellness Centre, take a leisurely swim in the 25 metre indoor swimming pool and relax in thermal baths. Or they can be pampered in, The Spa, which recently received Forbes five star spa status and is offering special seasonal promotions on beauty and holistic wellness treatments.

About Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai

Located on the east bank of the Huangpu River, amidst the dramatic skyline of the Lujiazui financial district, Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai redefines luxury waterfront living in Shanghai. With an unrivalled location, legendary service and world-class facilities, the 362-room hotel and 210 fully serviced executive apartments are poised to become Shanghai’s most desirable address.