Come along and meet the VisitScotland Industry Relationship Manager for North Highlands, Caroline Robertson at their upcoming drop in session here at Naver Business Centre.

This event will run from 0930 to 1200 on Thursday 20th March 2020, and is open to all tourism businesses.

We encourage you to come along and have a 1-to-1 discussion around the support and promotion VisitScotland can provide to your business.

As this is a drop in session, there is no requirement to pre-book, however feel free to get in touch with either ourselves or Caroline in advance if there is anything in particular you wish to discuss.

Do you want your business to become more cyber resilient? Then come along to this free engaging and informative cyber resilience workshop hosted by Highlands & Islands Enterprise at the Newton Room, North Highland College UHI in Thurso from 09:00 on 21 February 2020.

Experts from the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) and Cyber Security Scotland will brief attendees on the most up-to-date cyber threat landscape and highlight free or low-cost resources to help you increase your cyber resilience.

For more information and to book your free place, simply click here.

Arts & Business Scotland - Logo

 

This half-day seminar is a must for all financial or budget holding staff and anyone who wants to know how tax affects (and can benefit) arts and heritage organisations with charitable status in Scotland.

The accompanying general tax guide provides a practical summary of the training and guidance on how tax affects the arts and heritage organisations.  The event and guide are also a great refresher and reference for those who need reminding of basic principles and want to know how different taxes interact with each other.

The event covers:
* Corporate Tax
* VAT
* Gift Aid
* Basic rules, common issues and opportunities

It will specifically look at current and common issues including the tax status of grant income, box office arrangements, room hires, trading activities, memberships, fundraising and sponsorship.  It will highlight the tax savings that can be available (including the creative industries tax relief) and the issues and opportunities that frequently affect arts and heritage organisations. It will highlight common errors and dispel common tax myths.

“It was all very informative and helpful in giving me a better understanding of tax. The trainers were excellent.”
Fiona Greer, Scottish Maritime Museum

“If you are running or about to run a regular giving or membership scheme, or corporate sponsorship – then this event is very useful.”
Zuleika Brett, V&A Museum of Design Dundee

Very informative. Lots of space for questions and individual queries.” Miriam Haas, The Abbotsford Trust

Must attend, very informative, participatory interesting. Pauline Thomson, Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum

Really informative and clear language making the process easy to understand. Clare Weir, Culture NL

“Very well presented. Answered all our questions and explained very well.” Julia Karness, Falkirk Community Trust

About the Speakers: Kirsty Murray (Tax Director) and Scott Craig (VAT Partner), Scott-Moncrieff

Kirsty and Scott regularly assist arts and heritage organisations on all aspects of tax.  This ranges from day to day compliance matters to capital projects and corporate transactions.  Kirsty and Scott work together to ensure arts and heritage organisations understand how tax affects their organisation and to remove or reduce the cost of tax.  They regularly help arts and heritage organisations to improve the overall tax position of collaborations, service agreements, box office transactions, membership schemes, fundraising activities, retail and catering activities.

Event includes tea, coffee and lunch.

Fees:
Members
£55 + VAT for Arts & Business Scotland members (Arts & Heritage)
£85 + VAT for Arts & Business Scotland members (Corporate)
Non-Members
£85 + VAT for non-members (Arts & Heritage)
£105 + VAT for non-members (Corporate)

Find out about Arts & Business Scotland membership.

Book tickets here.

Arts & Business Scotland - Logo

 

Don’t miss out – HMRC are giving away millions of pounds to help you create new exhibitions.

Attend our NEW training seminar if you tick yes to the following three questions. Whether you currently pay tax or not, big savings could come your way.

* Are you a charity or subsidiary engaged in creating new exhibitions?
* Do you maintain a museum, community arts centre, gallery, library, archive or historic house with collections?
* Do you also curate exhibitions of collections of objects that are of artistic, historic, scientific or cultural interest?

If you have ticked yes to all three, then don’t miss this training event.

Remember charities don’t need to be paying tax to benefit, whether you pay tax or not you could be entitled to claim cash from HMRC.

This seminar, brought to you in partnership with Scott-Moncrieff, is a must for anyone who wants to understand more about whether they qualify and how to collate the information to make a claim.

The training will be delivered by Kirsty Murray (Director of Tax) and Lyn Murphy (Tax Manager), Scott-Moncrieff, experts in Creative Industries Tax Reliefs having claimed back over £7m for their clients.

The exhibitions must be a collection of objects that are of artistic, historic, scientific or culture interest but the objects must not be for sale or the display part of a competition. MGTR is available for expenditure incurred from 1 April 2017. Claims are made as part of a charity tax return and should be submitted to HMRC within 24 months of the company’s year-end.

The course will cover:
* The basics
* If your entity qualify
* If your exhibitions qualify
* Touring and non-touring exhibitions
* Qualifying expenditure and how to collate it
* How to prepare a claim
* A case study

“The morning was one of the most worthwhile and effective bits of training I have done in years.”
Mungo Campbell, The Hunterian

“It was very informative and well focussed, examples used were specific to everyone’s type of organisation.” Anne-Marie Platt, National Theatre of Scotland

“Focussed seminar addressing common tax issues for arts organisations in plain English from knowledgeable experts.” Muriel Robertson, Bloody Scotland

“A ‘must attend’ session”
Martina Kutzer-Prenzlow, Fife Cultural Trust

“Well paced, informative, at right level.”
Murray Wilson, Project Ability

“The whole thing was valuable. I liked the format and being able to ask questions and have discussion throughout – lots of interesting scenarios came up from participants.”
Dallas Mechan, Fife Cultural Trust

Event includes tea, coffee and light lunch.

Fees:
Members
£55 + VAT for Arts & Business Scotland members (Arts & Heritage)
£85 + VAT for Arts & Business Scotland members (Corporate)

Non-Members
£85 + VAT for non-members (Arts & Heritage)
£105 + VAT for non-members (Corporate)

Find out more about  Arts & Business Scotland membership.

Book tickets here.

Why not visit the Holborn Hotel for an exciting live music and family afternoon?

The event will be held on Sunday 2nd February 2020, from 12:30pm to 8:30pm.

Join Thurso Grows and North Highland College UHI SVQ2 cookery students for an evening of Burns celebrations.

Scottish EDGE is a large competitive fund to support home grown Scottish based entrepreneurial talent comprising a Dragon’s Den style pitching competition for ambitious entrepreneurs who wish to grow their business.

The competition is open to limited companies, social enterprises and charities in Scotland who have been trading for up to five years who wish to apply for up to £100,000 (max. £40,000 grant, max. £60,000 loan) to accelerate growth of their business. Smaller grants are also available for sole traders. To date there have been 28 Highlands and Islands winners gaining combined monies in excess of £1m.

Ahead of the opening of round 16 this webinar is open to Highlands and Island Businesses and Social Enterprises, HIE staff and other H&I business development agencies/influencers to join Caroline MacLellan:

EITHER – in An Lòchran, Inverness at Room 1.01 (to join in person please email: caroline.maclellan@hient.co.uk)

OR – to register on the link below to join by GoTo webinar:

Registration URL

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1417740383715238412

Webinar ID

451-445-011

At the webinar Alistair Murray of Atlantic Consultants (who facilitates the programme on behalf of HIE), Steven Hamill (Chief Operating Officer of Scottish EDGE) and a previous winner will explain the methodology and benefits so that individual businesses can assess the relevance of a bid and supportive groups can potentially explore what Highlands and Islands companies would be suited to and benefit from entering the competition.

Join the Royal Marine Hotel team at their Michael Buble Tribute night. As a Chamber member, you’ll even be eligible for a 10% discount on the ticket fee!

  • The bar opens at 7pm for a 7.30pm start
  • Enjoy a hot, three course buffet dinner
  • Entertainment from Michael Buble tribute from 9pm – 9.40pm
  • Twenty minute interval with DJ playing
  • Entertainment from Michael Buble tribute from 10pm – 10.40pm
  • DJ entertainment until 12.30am when the bar and the event will close.

Tickets cost £29pp or, receive a 10% discount if you’re a chamber member, just ask the team when you book.

Transport is available from Wick and Thurso for just £20 return. Ask the team when booking your tickets to reserve.

Took book your tickets and to find out about more special accommodation rates for one night and weekend stays, contact the Royal Marine Hotel team:

Royal Marine Hotel, Golf Road, Brora
01408 621252
info@royalmarinebrora.com
www.royalmarinebrora.com

 

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group - Logo

Investing in the future

AREG would like to welcome and invite you to its final event of the year where we will look at the importance of investing in skills and resources as the renewables sector grows.

1800 – 1830 – Festive nibbles and networking

1830 – 1835 – Formal welcome

1835 – 1915 – Presentations from

  • Paul de Leeuw, Director of the RGU Energy Transition Institute, who will discuss the key industry dynamics and the possible implications for the workforce.
  • Mike Sibson, Office Head of BGF in Aberdeen, who will discuss the market’s view of investing in energy companies and where he sees the opportunities for the renewables supply chain.

1915 – 1930 – Q&A

1930 – 1935 – Vote of thanks

1935 – 2000 – Networking and close

Paul de Leeuw has worked for over 30 years in the energy industry and has worked for a number of companies, including Shell, Marathon Oil, Amoco, BP, Venture Production and Centrica Energy. His broad business and deep commercial background include senior leadership roles in strategy, commercial, business development, planning and supply chain. Before joining Robert Gordon University in July 2014, Paul was the Strategy and Commercial Director for Centrica Energy’s upstream business.

He is currently the Director of the RGU Energy Transition Institute, Chair of the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre, Chair of PlanSea Solutions Ltd, Chair of eCERTO, a Board member of the Oil and Gas Technology Centre and a member of the ONE Oil, Gas and Energy Board. Paul is also a regular commentator on developments in the energy industry.

Mike Sibson leads the Aberdeen office of BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active investor in growing businesses, with responsibility for originating and delivering investments in the north of Scotland. BGF has over £130m invested in north Scotland to date and Mike works with the investee companies’ management teams to help maximise their potential. Mike sits on the boards of a number of Aberdeen-based BGF portfolio companies, including offshore engineering services SPEX, remotely operated vehicle supplier ROVOP, catering company Entier, IT consultancy business Inoapps, and energy services group Frontrow. Mike started his career as a drilling engineer with Shell, working mostly in exploration in Angola and Congo, then joined 3i, and, after spells in Birmingham and Cambridge, moved to Aberdeen in 2004, where he invested in both oil service and exploration and production companies.

Please note this event is free for AREG members only, there will be a £25 charge for non-members to attend.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, so please register your attendance in advance via Eventbrite. Should you have any questions about the event please contact events@bigpartnership.co.uk

Click here to find out more.