Here’s an MP3 of Chamber Board Member, Brain McCann, who is also Chair of the Merseyside Innovation Awards speaking about the 11th year of the awards on BBC Radio Merseyside.

Listen to the interview here. [MP3, 9MB]

Find out more about the Innovation Awards here. 

With £25,000 up for grabs the Chamber Awards gives you the perfect reason to download your entry form today! Not only do you stand the chance of winning the top Award, but also a year’s worth of free publicity.

Last year’s winner, AESSEAL PLC, have been enjoying the publicity resulting from being recognised for their “Outstanding Business Achievement”. Coverage included a 5-minute slot on the BBC’s Working Lunch programme, as well as being featured within the national and local press.

Jamie Thums, the Derby Branch Manager at AESSEAL commented, “The awards provide an excellent benchmarking opportunity against other businesses. By being selected as a finalist and indeed by winning the accolade, excellent promotional and marketing opportunities were created.”

There are 8 categories for the 2007 Awards and you are able to enter as many as you wish. Entry is FREE OF CHARGE for members of Accredited Chambers of Commerce and all entries received before 31st May 2007 will be entered into a draw to win £150 of Marks & Spencer’s gift vouchers.

For further information or to download an entry form, visit the Chamber Awards website or contact the Chamber Awards team on 0870 735 5385.

The exclusive Pall Mall Dental Clinic is situated in the heart of Liverpool’s business district. The clinic caters for corporate clients who will benefit from the late openings and Dr Healy, clinical director of the clinic specialises in nervous patients. As a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Pall Mall Dental Clinic would like to offer:

• A Free Consultation
• 30% discount off teeth whitening
• The Pall Mall Corporate Dental Plan

The Pall Mall Corporate Dental Plan is a membership scheme which enables employers to provide their employees with the essential health benefit of dental care and dental insurance. As a member of the chamber of commerce the reduced monthly rate for this would start from £10.00 per month. This price can be further reduced, to discuss options please call Dr Healy at the practice for more details on 0151 258 1968

The Pall Mall Corporate Dental Plan includes:

• Regular Dental Appointments (two per year) to provide:

• Clinical Examination
• Checking for signs of Oral Cancer
• X-Rays where clinically necessary

• Regular Hygiene Appointments (two per year) to provide

• Scale and Polish
• Periodontal Advice
• Preventive techniques to reduce decay and gum disease
• Assessment of emergencies and dental pain with any temporary treatment required, carried out at the practice during normal surgery hours

• All treatment planning for your future dental needs
• All subsequent remedial work within 12 months of recommended restorative work
• 20% off any laboratory based treatments required ie crowns, bridges and dentures
• 20% reduction off any fillings
• 20% off any other dental work (extractions etc)
• 20% reduction off any additional hygiene work
• Worldwide Trauma Insurance to protect against the cost of large unforeseen accidental damage
• Emergency Callout insurance, should you need a dentist in an emergency, anywhere in the world
• Redundancy Protection for up to 12 months

Please feel free to visit Dr Healy at the clinic for more details at 42 Pall Mall, Liverpool, L3 6AL or alternatively call 0151 258 1968

Of course if you’re a member already you will have an alphabetical and a classified listing. All we suggest you do is checkout the member directory on the website to make sure that your entry is correct. If you have any corrections, please send an email as soon as possible to membership@liverpoolchamber.org.uk, detailing your amendments.

Hurry, we’re just about to go to press!

You can of course, place an advert in the 2008 business directory, just call Benham Publishing on 0151 236 4141 to find out more.

There are many reasons for joining Liverpool Chamber, with the 2008 Business Directory being just one! If you’d like your business to feature and receive your own free copy, you can join online. Click here.

Where will you be in 2008?

i-techpartner is a pan-European collaborative innovation network which help members to build value-adding relationships with fellow members across Europe in order to boost business growth. SMEs, particularly in the areas of ICT/Digital, Life Sciences and Converging Technologies, can utilise the network to identify collaborative partners, new channels to market and potential investors.

i-techpartner UK Academy: 12th June, Daresbury Innovation Centre.

The Academy will feature over 30 technology presentations by innovation spin-outs, start-ups and SMEs who are looking to build collaborative relationships, find new routes to market and/or find investment. Split into four sessions - Communications, Software, e-Services and Mobile Applications - each session will be moderated and will feature 10 minute presentations followed by audience feedback. There are opportunities to engage more fully with the presenters through general networking and focussed one-to-one meetings throughout the day and to develop meaningful networks with the audience of investors, innovation experts, technology transfer representatives and entrepreneurs.

Further information and to read the full email here.

If you can’t make this great event, please forward to a colleague.

For further details or for help with the registration process please call Emma or Ewan on 0151 293 0505 or email emma.heylings@qire.co.uk.

Hurrah! It’s Friday. And like some weird psychometric test thought up by a sadistic job interviewer, today’s Friday Fun offers you a choice.

Will it be the saccharine sweetness of Cute Overload?

Or will you go for its darkside doppleganger Ugly Overload?

The choice is yours. We won’t keep score, we promise.

As part of our ongoing series of tips for making the most out of the internet, let’s have a little look at writing for the web.

It can be tempting to simply reproduce your existing literature and information online. However, studies have shown that people read web pages differently than print. They scan a page quickly and are less likely to read a lot of text. Reading from a screen also presents accessibility issues.

So how can you make your pages attractive and informative at the same time? Here a few simple rules that can help:

• Keep word numbers down. Aim for between 250 and 400 words per page.
• If you have a lot of info, write a short, simple introduction and link to further pages.
• Start with your conclusion - tell people what the page is about straight away. Most people will only read the first line.
• Use sub-headings to split information.
• Use bullet points for any list of items longer than three.
• Keep sentences short - 15 to 20 words max.
• Use simple language wherever possible.
• Write in a more conversational style - use ‘we’ and ‘you’, for example, and be more informal.
• Don’t use italics - these can be hard for people with dyslexia to read
• Be consistent with your capitalisation, spelling, formatting etc.
• Don’t be afraid to link to other websites if they provide further useful information.

Don’t worry about slavishly following every single rule. If you take on board the general principles, you’ll soon be writing clearer and more attractive copy.

Of course, this is only the briefest of introductions. Take a look at these other resources to learn more.

More on how people read websites and writing tips from useit.com.

Writing for the web by Jakob Nielsen.

New Opportunities Fund guide to online writing.

Read the other ‘Working With The Web’ posts.