Carrier Bags

Elopak, listed in the top three packaging companies worldwide, supports clients who produce tens of different types of packages in at least as many countries. To manage this smoothly image and media management are an absolute necessity. Faster time-to-market for Elopak packaging For Elopak the implementation of ADAM Software represents the last link in a graphical automation process that started in 2000 with the set up of the company’s in-house prepress department. This development was stimulated by a KPMG research report, indicating the time-to-market for Elopak packages was too long b...

I don't know if it's only me but I have had numerous problems from this post office in my neighborhood. Besides the fact that it is run by a bunch of liars and possible thieves. 1. The mailman does not run by until 1pm-3:30pm he's normally here around 11:30am 2. I caught the mailman at a barbeque joint and hadn't even delivered the mail, this was at 1pm 3. The clerk at the Post Office lied and said my passport was in a truck and that a female carrier was the driver (that same day it was a male who was driving) 4. If my mail looks like a check it is slightly torn or opened (once it looked like there was a peep hole in the corner of the envelope.) 5. I sent my niece $5 inside her birthday card. I was advised that there was no money when it arrived and there was a small tear in the envelope. 6. I mailed off for coupons at a legitimate site and got a clear plastic bag from the Post Office in the mail with my envelope and it looked like it had been torn open with the coupons no where in sight. There was a letter in the bag from USPS stating that the envelope was damaged in the mailing process....no it was torn open ad someone stole my coupons! 7. When I complained about each incident they claimed they were not responsible for any damages of the mail and the situation got worse with each incident. Is this Post Office scouring through our mail? Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to have someone come in and investigate these people?

New mothers apparently say that after they hold their newborn in their arms, they forget almost all the pain of the laborious process (literally!) that preceded. I think this week, I can see what they mean.

On Saturday, April 25th, the second SocialMediaCamp London was held at Wallacespace St Pancras after a long gestation period. The event itself is fairly simple; BarCamps are “unconferences” and therefore there are no speakers to book and manage. The venue is fabulous and the team there make my life incredibly easy by being such a well-oiled machine. The only pain was the sponsorship issues I encountered, which was resolved by making the event a single day instead of the original intended two days.

In general, the event was fantastic; there were some stellar presentations, on topics ranging from “What to do with a corporate Twitter account?” to “Porn & social media: A practical guide to working with ‘adult’ content” and a discussion on LARP to one on how to help PR agencies collaborate better with bloggers (”PR agencies want your soul”). The weirdness of presentations can pretty much be summed up in a single photo by Neil Crosby.

The day was topped off by what I hear was a comedy Scavenger Photo Hunt, organised by Kat Neville. “I hear” because by that point, my knees had turned to Jell-O and so had my brain, so I had to skip on the photohunt, as brilliant as it seemed.

A few days from the event now, and I’m still basking in the glow of a great day, filled with new and known faces, creative ideas & suggestions. I’ve pretty much forgotten about the faff of the weeks leading up to the event and am already thinking about doing it again.

As  far as the homepage of my blog is concerned, this is where the post ends. If you’re interested in a few contentious aspects of the event, then read on.

So you’re still here then?

There are a few comments by some attendees, new and old, that I’d like to address to clear the air about *Camps, rules and attitudes. [Note: This isn't a moan about this event in particular, or to make those who skipped it feel bad for me specifically. I'm a big girl, I can cope. This is an observation on free events in general.]

Ticketing & attendance

This was a bone of contention for a number of people; tickets for SMCLondon went in 9 minutes the first time, and 2-3 the second time. I was gobsmacked that so many people wanted to attend, and slightly alarmed at the size of the waiting list that resulted from it.

In the interest of transparency, here are the numbers:

• Over 130 tickets were allocated through the official Eventbrite signup for Saturday (through the 2 waves of tickets)
• I handed out another dozen tickets in the 2 days that preceded the event
• We had about 10 volunteers & sponsor tickets who I’m not counting above
• We had a waiting list of about 40 people

Wallacespace can accommodate up to 120 people, but we had aimed for attendance of 100 or so. Based on the numbers above, that’s over 150 tickets handed out. I simply couldn’t hand out any more tickets, in case everyone showed up. According to the signup sheet which I asked the volunteers to use to track how many people came, we had just over 85 people come to the event. That’s an attendance rate of 56%.

Honestly? That’s crap and that’s demotivating.

I appreciate that the sun was shining that day and that BBQ’s were a very appealing way to spend the day. I also know that a handful of people were either ill or working very hard to finish projects over the course of the weekend, and most of them had the courtesy to let us know they couldn’t attend as early on as possible so that someone on the waiting list could get their spot.

One recurring suggestion is to charge a minimal cover fee of £10-15 for attending; proceeds could go to charity or, as a Scottish friend suggested, “Charity?! Put it towards the bar tab!” I have no doubt that there’ll be some moaning that I’m committing a cardinal sin by suggesting payment for a *Camp, but it is one possible solution.

Others will say that we should charge then reimburse those who do turn up. This one is good in theory but I’m not willing to handle the logistics of that for all the jam donuts in the world.

Is it that *Camps have become a commodity and people sign up “just in case”? I doubt it’s because people “forgot” about the event, as we sent 5 emails to attendees in the weeks leading up to it. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this one, because it’s left me puzzled.

Presenting

Other attendees seem to have much more of an issue with this than I do. Kat, amongst others, raised the fact that many people chose not to present on the day.

The issue stems from the following:

• *Camps rely on attendees presenting in order to exist. No presentations = no *Camp
• Being required to participate forces newbies out of their shell, allowing them to grow and learn faster than if their comfort zone hadn’t been challenged

I put my hand up here and admit that I didn’t hammer on about this as much as I did before the first SMC London, where I wrote a few posts specifically to explain how BarCamps work and how to get around the nerves of presenting for the first time, so there clearly were newbies who had no idea what to expect.

To say that everyone must present on their first *Camp would also be hypocritical of me. My first one was MobileCamp London a couple of years ago and, I admit it, I didn’t present a thing. In fact, I was completely and utterly bewildered by the concept and probably didn’t say an awful lot during presentations. Regardless, I met some awesome people, heard many new ideas and left with a real buzz.

When we noticed the lack of willing volunteers this time, I should have encouraged people to lead discussions or partner together if they wanted to share the spotlight.

In summary: Participate to the best of your abilities, as a presenter, volunteer, vocal participant in discussions or just a handy pair of hands throughout the day. Every tiny bit of help is appreciated, as the organisers are volunteers and are merely human.

So what’s next?

At the end of Saturday, everyone was asking when the next SMCLondon was going to be held. The answer is “I don’t know”. I’m one person, and I need to juggle my own business as well – However fun they may be to host, solely running volunteer events won’t pay the bills.

There will undoubtedly be another SMCLondon in the near future – no dates decided yet – and I’m hoping that more volunteers will crop up early on next time to help plan the event so that we can share the hours.

Alongside a few friends, I’m also getting the ball rolling on Cambridge Geek Nights, to make a difference in my more immediate community.

I am also planning a weekday series of workshops and talks for business folks that want to talk about the topics we cover at BarCamp events but may not be so new meedja as to want to spend their weekend with a bunch of geeks! Think your boss or your team will be interested? Drop me a line and I’ll be happy to tell you/them more as soon as I can announce the details.

Beyond this, I hope that events like SMCLondon have inspired others to do good in their community. This isn’t about who hosts the biggest or the best event. It’s about making a difference; in your workplace, in your friendships and in your head. So what are you waiting for? Apply what you’ve learned and spread the quirky, mad and creative spirit of *Camps around you!

Elopak, listed in the top three packaging companies worldwide, supports clients who are producing tens of different types of packages in at least as many countries. To manage this smoothly, image and media management are an absolute necessity. ADAM offers a flexible digital asset management system to manage all possible content. ADAM’s solution can be easily adapted to the customer’s needs and can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT infrastructure. Faster time-to-market for Elopak packaging For Elopak the implementation of ADAM Software represents the last link in a graphical autom...

Customers will be the ultimate losers from an expensive and unnecessary supermarket Ombudsman, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Keeping the freedom to choose working hours is good news for UK workers and businesses, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

When do you know you have lost the plot?? You know you have lost the plot when.... You find yourself folding up your stash of carrier bags, AND line up packets and tins in the cupboards so they are in straight lines with all the labels facing the same way.....

Despite its glamorous name referring to its smokestack shape, Transatlantique dispensing closure (ref 4355), which was designed by Bericap for Monin, the French premium syrups company, and offers more than 100 flavours in more than 100 countries, is a real plus for bar staff always looking for time savings and product integrity for intensive use. Bericap Transatlantique dispensing closure has been developed and designed to launch a new premium product, Le Fruit de Monin, on the smoothie market sold in cafes, hotels and restaurants. The closure offers: Innovation and easy recognition ...

One big enough for my 2 baby boys, that is fairly cheap and that they won't chew through. Experience is appreciated!

U know I hv thought both the pros & cones... PROS:- I mean they are playing other tournaments,So why not more grand slams then! Grand Slams is played for 2 weeks,whereas most of the tourney played for 1 week,so they will get more time. Players will hv more opportunity to bag more grand slams to enlighten their carrier. Obviously the quality of play in Grand Slams & other tourney's are not the same,so we will able to see more Quality Games. After US open & AO there were a huge time gap where we miss tennis,that can be avoided 2. CONS:- Well obviously the players will be in more pressure.Becoz the tension & pressure of grand slam event is more than anything. & yes the interest & importance of GRAND SLAM might decrease becoz if every tourney is a SLAM then the 4 particular SLAM might loose their classiness. These are things what I felt. WHAT'S UR OPINION!!!!