As one of the Corporate Partners, it was great to meet - and in some cases catch-up with - the other Corporate Partners at the BVGS Corporate Partnership Programme Networking event, which is the first of many to be organised by Brian Davies.

I made my way to the school, reminiscing about the good times I spent there from 1976 to 1982. And yes, it does seem like just yesterday.
The event started at 6pm with a drinks reception. With coffee or tea and our handy little book of contacts in hand, we all gathered for informal networking in the new STEM block.

After speaking with the first few Corporate Partners, it was inspiring to see how everyone shared my excitement about this fantastic opportunity to unite the school with local businesses and the community.

Graham Swindells, Business Manager at the school introduced the evening, followed by Development Director and Deputy Director of Sports, Brian Davies, who discussed the success of the initiative so far, as well as the plans and goals for the future. Guest speaker Cas Majid, owner of creative digital agency WOW zone, then took to the stage to share advice and tips about success on social media and the digital world.

Cas explained that the first step for businesses is to think of the end goal. By analysing various social media platforms, businesses can discover where their customers are hanging out and by monitoring the types of content they are sharing – known as ‘social listening’ - you can better understand the needs of your customers and communicate more effectively.
He went on to explain the importance of consistency, timing and values, and concluded by suggesting the group should avoid ‘social overwhelming’ as it could potentially be damaging.

The talk was well-received by the other Corporate Partners and some of the group spoke to Cas after the discuss their social media strategy.
The evening was drawn to a close with Budweiser’s and Prosecco to toast to future networking events. Having had such a great evening, I’m already looking forward to the next one and plan to help the expansion of the network by bringing another guest. As they say, ‘the more the merrier!’

Phil Arkinstall (OV1996) and his colleague James also produced a short video of the event, which can be watched here.