What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 27 November 2017

Welcome to another week and thank goodness that Black Friday is over. We usually drown in emails but the amount of Black Friday deals and offers seriously started to get on our collective nerves - and it seems that everyone jumped on the bandwagon! 

From events to venues, suppliers to speaker agencies, we got a complete deluge of offers, deals and amazing - ahem - bargain offers. 

Most of them complete tosh it has to be said, but just what is Black Friday and where on earth did it come from?

The manic shopping phenomenon has spread from the US and is now a highly anticipated event for  bargain hunters in this country as well, and if that were not bad enough we now also have to endure Cyber Monday (today)!

It's not always a good thing though, and you may recall on the news about the awful fights that broke out in Asda a few years back, where people were trampled and fights broke out as shoppers became over excited by the savings -and as a result the supermarket giant no longer takes part in Black Friday.

It all started stateside and follows Thanksgiving, which is sort of considered the start of the Christmas Shopping season, but just why one a day event now spreads over an entire weekend is anyone's guess and this mass frenzy of shopping has now spread worldwide. 

Some of the bigger retailers use Black Friday to offer big discounts before Cyber Monday but according to our online sources, the day was actually given its name as it's often the day that shops "move into the black", meaning they have enough money to cover their costs while reducing prices.

However, it has also turned out that the day could be associated with a more sinister reason for being Black Friday as it appears that the police and NHS to refer to the Friday before Christmas, which is when emergency services anticipate extra pressures put on them due to Christmas celebrations.

So there you have it, Black Friday last week and Cyber Monday today. We don't really mind as every day for us is a Cloud 9 Day. Free Venue Finding and doing what we love, managing events.

Have a great week - and don't spend too much! 

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 28 November 2016

Welcome to another week and wow the countdown to Christmas has really started although we’re a bit fed up with the whole Black Friday thing here at Cloud 9 Towers.

We lost count of the emails we had collectively last week about it and if that wasn’t enough, it’s Cyber Monday today and we’re all groaning in the office about the sheer number of sale, deal and discount offers pinging our inboxes every few seconds!

A generally happy lot we’re not anti-Christmas and we all like a bit of retail therapy (especially Janet – just ask her about shoe shopping) but enough is enough. So here is the Cloud 9 Guide to the better things you can do to avoid the Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness that is gripping the nation!

First, have a big office tidy up and get rid of your rubbish. See what can be recycled, donated or thrown and get ahead with a big Christmas clear out. Good excuse to make room for your Christmas Tree and dig out those decorations at the same time.

Next, plan. Instead of staying glued to your screen all day, have an office get together and plan 2017 in advance. Key dates, key client activity, industry news and events – get ahead and get planning. If you haven’t got a 2017 diary yet, then this is the one bit of shopping you are allowed to do!

Our third tip is to walk it off. Instead of munching your lunchtime sarnie at your deck as usual, get wrapped up warm and take a walk – even if it’s just round the block. We’re all advised to do this anyway, but how many of us actually do it?

Number four on our list is to get charitable. Pick an adopted charity for the year ahead and see what you can do as a company to support them. Get a logo, get them online and make it clear that is the cause your organisation is backing for the year ahead. Maybe you can organise to volunteer periodically as a team building exercise?

Update your Christmas Card list – give everyone half an hour to get their personal Christmas Card list up to date, and then have a collective office list for clients, potential clients and prospects – and then actually write a few cards – don’t rely on printed rubbish – get personal.

Share a skill is tip number six. See what core skills people in your office have and share it. We’re not talking Strictly, X Factor or I’m a Celebrity here, so no dancing, singing or eating kangaroo’s wobbly bits. If you are a social media queen, or a coding king it might be nice to share some key tips with your colleagues. Provide them with the basics and let them have a go.

At seven is one stage further. Ask the team what skills they would like to learn in 2017 and get online and see what courses or training is available in the New Year. Sites like Eventbrite often list a range of courses covering core business skills which can develop skills both personally and professionally.

Our number eight tip is to stage your office Secret Santa Draw. Okay, we are trying to encourage you not to shop, or think about shopping but at least you will have an idea of what you will need to get your allocated person with a little notice. We won’t tell anyone if you go online and crack!

Lastly, and this is dependent on the boss. Stay in bed. Avoid all electronic devices, emails, advertisements, and notifications. Not that practical for anyone trying to run a business we know, but at least you can avoid the communication overload!

Have a great week!