Next Meeting
Friday October 12 2018:
MINECRAFT? MINEFIELD? OR BIG BUSINESS?
With Ian Livingstone CBE, the founder of Games Workshop – who saw growth of over 50% in net profit in six months from over 400 stores. A phenomenal business! And Jo Twist, CEO of UKIE (Association for UK Interactive Entertainment), the trade body for the British games-making industry. Top speakers on a 21st century business.
The UK is amongst the world’s leading creators of video entertainment, with many successful start-ups and stock market billionaires, ever since the Coalition government bowed to the industry’s lobbying and brought in tax concessions for games makers. A bit like the micro-brewery boom, this has worked beyond anybody’s imaginings.
Meanwhile, as other High Street retailers fall apart under the online onslaught, Games Workshop is opening stores in quirky corners all over the country; and in them you will find grown men from the “community” painting plastic toys and paying for the privilege. They are making collectors’ models to treasure. How about that as a marketing tactic?
I’m full of admiration and want to know more. Come and join us, and bring your gamer friends, sons, daughters, colleagues. Anyone under 21 may attend for only £10, to cover breakfast. Everyone else, it’s the usual fee.
FUTURE DATES for your diary...
Friday November 9th from 7.30am: Thomas Ward from South Derbyshire-based Ward Waste Management Solutions. Ordered a skip? Got some waste metal? Industrial waste? They collect it.. and then what? We barely give it another thought, but where there’s muck, there’s brass. This is big business now – in April Wards opened up a deep sea port at Immingham to help further growth and open up new markets. Come and hear how it’s done.
Friday December 7th: (requested) Ian Bingham FCA of BDO Manchester, our regular financial guru, to take us through the Chancellor’s Budget for 2019.The government needs more money – so where will the new tax burden fall? Date depends on the date of the Budget – not announced yet.