We are beyond excited about our first-ever Arienas Collective exhibition! The exhibition is taking place in the Scot-ART Gallery 1 on the 3rd floor of St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE from Saturday, 24 - Saturday, 31 May 2025 and is open from 11am-5pm each day. The exhibition is free to enter and you can find out more about our theme, who will be exhibiting, and opportunities to meet our creatives in person here. We will be exploring how creatives balance making art they love with art they earn a living from. The exhibition will feature original artworks, alongside live demonstrations, taster workshops and talks. You can see a full list of our Exhibition Talks and Tasters here. This is where to book spaces for a Sketching Taster with Mark Kirkham, the Edinburgh Sketcher Using the same tools Mark sketches the city with, you will do a couple of drawing exercises before experimenting with a little still life drawing in the gallery.
We are beyond excited about our first-ever Arienas Collective exhibition! The exhibition is taking place in the Scot-ART Gallery 1 on the 3rd floor of St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE from Saturday, 24 - Saturday, 31 May 2025 and is open from 11am-5pm each day. The exhibition is free to enter and you can find out more about our theme, who will be exhibiting, and opportunities to meet our creatives in person here. We will be exploring how creatives balance making art they love with art they earn a living from. The exhibition will feature original artworks, alongside live demonstrations, taster workshops and talks. You can see a full list of our Exhibition Talks and Tasters here. This is where to book spaces for a Collage Taster with artist and printmaker Morven Ferguson Join Morven for a taste of collage making using a range of materials.
First Aid for Mental Health 1-day course stands at the forefront of addressing the crucial aspect of mental well-being. Designed to equip individuals with essential skills and knowledge, this course offers a comprehensive exploration of mental health first aid.
We are beyond excited about our first-ever Arienas Collective exhibition! The exhibition is taking place in the Scot-ART Gallery 1 on the 3rd floor of St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE from Saturday, 24 - Saturday, 31 May 2025 and is open from 11am-5pm each day. The exhibition is free to enter and you can find out more about our theme, who will be exhibiting, and opportunities to meet our creatives in person here. We will be exploring how creatives balance making art they love with art they earn a living from. The exhibition will feature original artworks, alongside live demonstrations, taster workshops and talks. You can see a full list of our Exhibition Talks and Tasters here. This is where to book spaces for a Calligraphy Taster with Panna Calligraphy In this gentle introduction you will learn writing the alphabet in the 'Foundational hand', including how to use and hold the calligraphy pens to start you on your journey into the wonderful world of calligraphy!
We are beyond excited about our first-ever Arienas Collective exhibition! The exhibition is taking place in the Scot-ART Gallery 1 on the 3rd floor of St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE from Saturday, 24 - Saturday, 31 May 2025 and is open from 11am-5pm each day. The exhibition is free to enter and you can find out more about our theme, who will be exhibiting, and opportunities to meet our creatives in person here. We will be exploring how creatives balance making art they love with art they earn a living from. The exhibition will feature original artworks, alongside live demonstrations, taster workshops and talks. You can see a full list of our Exhibition Talks and Tasters here. This is where to book spaces for a Watercolour Painting Taster with artist and printmaker Lou Davis In this taster session, we’ll learn the basics of painting with watercolour and Lou will share one beginner level project that you can paint, decorate and mount onto a card.
Many people have a misconception about networking events, and lose out on new business opportunities as a result. They either don't appreciate the real benefits and techniques of networking and don't attend events, or they attempt to 'sell on the first date', causing resentment. You can either attempt to make a sale for a quick buck (which is particularly likely to backfire at a networking event), or you can try to open a long-term relationship, creating new opportunities and a high lifetime value customer (which is how it's meant to be done). Networking, when done properly, is an excellent tool for referrals. But you have to appreciate that it's done on the basis of giving rather than receiving and this doesn't always come naturally to sales professionals. The old saying that it's about getting to 'know, like and trust' is still true. This workshop is about having your prospects and customers getting to know, like and trust you, and building that lifetime value as a result. By the end of this programme, participants will be able to: Understand what networking is - networking etiquette Know how and where to network Clarify their objectives - why network Use the 4 basic questions to start a conversation Build rapport quickly and easily Answer the question 'What do you do?' effectively in a few seconds Deliver a 60-second pitch Break into a group Prepare for a network meeting Identify opportunities Use tools to assist in networking 1 Introduction Aims and objectives 2 What is networking? Why network - objectives and goal setting Networking etiquette Preparation - online and offline tools to use Identify networking opportunities - where to network Know what you have to offer 'Know, like and trust' - the process 3 What do you do? Answer in 5-10 seconds Create and deliver a 60-second pitch Who is your target market? 4 Starting a conversation Breaking into a group Building rapport The 4 questions to start a conversation Moving on 5 Communicate and engage LISTEN - 4 types of listening skill Ask powerful questions Influence - don't sell What can you do to help others - give to get 6 Power of referrals Who can give you referrals? When to give or ask for referrals Have a referral system Showing appreciation 7 Social media and other online tools Using LinkedIn and other social media Online directories 8 Next steps Following up Arranging one-to-one meetings Developing relationships
When staff are new to sales it can seem daunting, especially when they have targets to meet. If the staff you need to promote your products and services get it wrong then it can knock their confidence and negatively impact how your customers see you as an organisation. This programme provides staff with the basic skills they need to sell. This course will help participants: Profile customers Research and identify potential new customers Use the consultative sales process Build effective rapport with customers Identify customer needs through effective questioning and listening Position products and services effectively Close the sale or gain commitment to further action Manage their customer portfolio to maximise sales 1 Introduction Aims and objectives of the training Personal introductions and objectives Self-assessment of existing sales skills Overview of content 2 Knowing your customers Who are your customers, and what do they want from you? What are your strengths, compared to your competitors? Who are your new potential customers? How do you communicate with new customers? What do you need to know about your customers before you start to sell? Making the initial approach Planning your pipeline - keeping the customers coming 3 The four-step sales process Overview of the consultative sales process Key benefits of using the consultative sales process Focusing on behaviours not targets The behaviours of a good salesperson Common pitfalls and mistakes Personal strengths and weaknesses 4 Building rapport First impressions - Mehrabian theory of communication Short cuts to building rapport Looking out for clues as to how the customer is thinking Looping back to keep the conversation flowing Acknowledging past communication Dealing with emotions such as anger Setting the agenda to keep control Getting past gatekeepers 5 Questioning and listening How to ask open questions to uncover information Left brain questions When closed question can be useful What stops us listening? The four levels of listening How to develop your listening skills 6 Presenting products and services to customers When to present Using benefits not features Making it personal Using reciprocity The tendency towards the middle Using consistency 7 Gaining commitment Testing the water Dealing with objections using ACLEO Asking for the business Getting referrals Ending with a personalised close Following-up 8 Managing your customer pipeline Spotting opportunities for cross-sales Managing your portfolio Maximising sales proactively Review meetings Customer satisfaction measures and surveys Mystery shopping 9 Putting it all together Skills practice Personal learning summary and action plans
We are beyond excited about our first-ever Arienas Collective exhibition! The exhibition is taking place in the Scot-ART Gallery 1 on the 3rd floor of St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE from Saturday, 24 - Saturday, 31 May 2025 and is open from 11am-5pm each day. The exhibition is free to enter and you can find out more about our theme, who will be exhibiting, and opportunities to meet our creatives in person here. We will be exploring how creatives balance making art they love with art they earn a living from. The exhibition will feature original artworks, alongside live demonstrations, taster workshops and talks. You can see a full list of our Exhibition Talks and Tasters here. This is where to book spaces for a Writing Taster with writer and published author Emma Dhesi From Memory to Memoir: Telling Our Stories. What compels someone to write their life story? Who reads memoir, and why does it matter? This interactive talk delves into the craft of memory, storytelling, and the enduring power of capturing human experience. Your story might be the next to inspire.
We are beyond excited about our first-ever Arienas Collective exhibition! The exhibition is taking place in the Scot-ART Gallery 1 on the 3rd floor of St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE from Saturday, 24 - Saturday, 31 May 2025 and is open from 11am-5pm each day. The exhibition is free to enter and you can find out more about our theme, who will be exhibiting, and opportunities to meet our creatives in person here. We will be exploring how creatives balance making art they love with art they earn a living from. The exhibition will feature original artworks, alongside live demonstrations, taster workshops and talks. You can see a full list of our Exhibition Talks and Tasters here. This is where to book spaces for a Gel Printing Taster with artist and printmaker Lou Davis Explore colour and texture with homemade gel printing plates. We’ll use botanic elements, stamps, stencils and found objects to create a variety of marks and patterns using this simple and quick mono printing technique. In this taster session we will explore the process on plain paper before designing and printing 3 greetings cards.
Trade barriers are going up across the globe. And cybercrime is on the increase. The link between the two? The value of trade secrets. As countries become increasingly protectionist as regards international trade, so their IP law has been changing, with the result that companies that previously would have sought protection through patents are opting to go down the trade secret route instead. But is this a high-risk strategy? Technology is changing and this is having an impact on forms of commercial co-operation. Collaborative or open forms of innovation by their very nature involve the sharing of intellectual property (IP), and in many instances this IP is in the form of valuable confidential business information (ie, trade secrets). Little surprise, then, that trade secrets disputes have increased accordingly. At the same time, the changes in technology make trade secrets more vulnerable to attack, misappropriation, theft. So just how effective are the legal protections for trade secrets? How can organisations safeguard the value in their IP (increasingly, the single biggest line in their balance sheets)? This programme is designed to help you address these issues. Note: this is an indicative agenda, to be used as a starting point for a conversation between client and consultant, depending on the organisation's specific situation and requirements. This session is designed to give you a deeper understanding of: Emerging trends in trade secrets protection and exploitation The current situation in key jurisdictions Recent case law How leading companies are responding The importance of trade secret metadata Different external stakeholders and their interests Key steps for effective protection of trade secrets Note: this is an indicative agenda, to be used as a starting point for a conversation between client and consultant, depending on the organisation's specific situation and requirements. 1 What are trade secrets? Definitions Examples Comparison with other forms of IP (patents, confidential information, know-how, copyright) 2 Current trends The various changes taking place affecting trade secrets - legal changes, trade wars, cybercrime, technology, commercial practice The current position in the UK, Europe, USA, China, Japan, Russia Corporate best practice 3 Trade secret disputes - how to avoid them Trade secret policies, processes and systems Administrative, legal and technical protection mechanisms The role of employees The sharing of trade secrets with others 4 Trade secret disputes - how to manage them Causes Anatomy of a trade secret court case 'Reasonable particularity' 5 Related issues Insurance Tax authorities and investigations Investor relations 6 Trade secret asset management roadmap Maturity ladder First steps Pilot projects