Ireland
UK
USA
Canada
Australia
Asia
South AfricaEvents Coordinator
Posted in Jobs on 05 June 2013-
Job Description:
PROJECT RELATED COMPETENCIES
Solution Development and Delivery
* Reviews client requests and provides direction for the planning, scheduling, and delivery of client support services for all Facebook Dublin campus events requesting event support from client engagement through delivery of services.
* Applies significant knowledge of industry trends and developments to improve service to our clients.
* Coordinates service delivery with Facilities, Security, Catering and other partnering departments.
* Identifies system deficiencies and implement effective solutions.
Technical Effort Management
* Keeps IT-Event Services Manager well informed of status of event support efforts and serves as liaison between technician staff and clients.
* Ensures technician team is contributing to our documents, completing event reports as well as the ticketing and/or task system.
* Communicates and enforces Facebook standards.
* Manages technical resources within budget and client support schedule.
* Consistently delivers high-quality services to our clients.
- Required Skills
-
CAREER PATH CORE COMPETENCIES
Technical Expertise
* Understands basic technical concepts and support of Video Conferencing, Audio Conferencing, Local Audio Reinforcement, Video and Graphics Technologies (including projection, switching and formatting), Video Recording and Camera Operation, and Internet Broadcast Video Streaming.
* Learns and understands basic user functions of internal Video Conferencing Systems.
* Understands the benefits of the various event formats (i.e. Q&A, Training, Town Hall, Broadcast, etc…).
* Possesses basic knowledge of technical event support system architectures.
Communication
* Facilitates team and client meetings effectively.
* Contributes in quarterly status meetings with IT Management team.
* Keeps IT Operations team well informed of changes within the EMEA IT-Event Services team news.
* Delivers engaging, informative, well-organized presentations.
* Resolves and/or escalates issues in a timely fashion.
* Understands how to communicate difficult/sensitive information tactfully.
PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES
Leadership
* Challenges others to develop as leaders while serving as a role model.
* Inspires coworkers to attain goals and pursue excellence.
* Identifies opportunities for improvement and makes constructive suggestions for change.
* Manages the process of innovative change effectively.
* Remains on the forefront of emerging industry practices.
Teamwork
* Facilitates effective team interaction.
* Acknowledges and appreciates each team member's contributions.
* Effectively utilizes each team member to his or her fullest potential.
* Keeps track of lessons learned and shares those lessons with team members.
Client Management
* Manages client interaction and expectations regarding event support efforts.
* Develops lasting relationships with client personnel that foster client ties.
* Communicates effectively with clients to identify needs and evaluate alternative technical solutions.
* Continually seeks opportunities to increase customer satisfaction and deepen client relationships.
* Builds a knowledge base of each client's business, systems and objectives.
* Develops, executes and catalogues customer satisfaction surveys.
ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Team Development
* Seeks and participates in personal development opportunities above and beyond training required by Facebook.
* Trains others to proactively capture event specifications and assess customer needs.
* Encourages team members to take responsibility for their development within the company.
* Challenges fellow team members to progress toward their professional development goals.
Internal Operations
* Suggests areas for improvement in internal processes along with possible solutions.
* Reviews the status reports of team members and addresses issues as appropriate.
* Complies with and helps to enforce standard policies and procedures.
Required Skills:
* Cisco VIOP exp needed
- Job Location
- Dublin 2, Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath), Ireland
- Position Type
- Full-Time/Regular
Conference and Events Operations Assistant
Posted in Jobs on 05 June 2013The Doyle Collection
At the Doyle Collection, we are leaders in development and setting standards of excellence in the luxury hotel sector, one of the world's most dynamic and successful industries. A select havens in six major cities throughout Ireland, the UK and USA, The Doyle Collection employs over one thousand of the most skilled, professional and dedicated people that the industry has to offer. Our hotels inhabit the most fashionable quarters of the most sought-after cities, and each one is a unique reflection of its setting, providing business and leisure travelers with a truly memorable luxury experience.
The Westbury Hotel
now has an exciting opportunity for a
candidate to join our
Conference and Events Operations Team.
Key Responsibilities:
- To work as part of the Conference and Event team
- To liaise with organisers and meet they're every need
- To have good communication skills to ensure all timings and requests are effectively performed
- To anticipate guests needs and ensure that service is provided to the level they require and beyond their expectations
-
To work and lead through the Company's Proud Values:
- We meet every guest with a smile, a greeting and an enquiry
- We love saying YES to our guests
- We are Proud of our work, and respect everyone we work with
- To have a thorough knowledge and understanding of all standards of performanceand delivery within the accommodation department.
- To deal with any customer complaints in a professional and efficient manner,ensuring guest satisfaction at all times.
- To develop a strong working relationship with colleagues in your department andrelated departments.
The ideal candidate for this position:
- Must be flexible, enjoy a challenge, and is able to work outside the comfort zone while maintaining the ability to be objective and positive
- Be courteous and focused on providing a consistently high standard of service
- Must be a team player with the ability to multi task
- Must be standards driven and detail orientated, with the desire to progress within the luxury market
- Previous bar & cocktail experience essential
- Wine knowledge required
- Maintain a professional image at all times through appearance
- Previous experience in a similar role in a 4/5 star hotel would be advantageous
- Must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Benefits package:
- Competitive salary
- Meals on Duty
- Provision and laundry of uniform
- Pension Scheme
- Employee Discounts
- Educational Support
- Employee Recognition Awards
PwC: the U.S. consumer ebook market will be bigger than the print book market by 2017
Posted in News on 05 June 2013Lots of different outlets are trying to project the size of the U.S. ebook market and how fast it’s growing. In its annual “Entertainment & Media Outlook,” set to be released Wednesday, PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) estimates that trade (consumer, not educational or academic) ebooks will drive $8.2 billion in sales by 2017 — surpassing projected print book sales, which it thinks will shrink by more than half during that period.
Here’s how the firm thinks the trade print and ebook markets are going to evolve. Note that figures are projected from 2012 onwards.
The total size of the trade book industry, PwC estimated, will be $16.1 billion by 2017 — smaller than it was in 2008, with ebooks not quite able to pick up the slack as the print market shrinks.
PwC also projects that ebooks will make up 38 percent of all book sales — both trade and educational books — by 2017, from 16 percent today.
Wondering how this compares to BookStats?
PwC’s projections are roughly in line with those from other sources. The most recent edition of BookStats pegged the total size of the U.S. trade book industry at $15.05 billion in 2012, with ebooks kicking in $3.04 billion of that. PwC, meanwhile, calculates the size of the market at $15.2 billion in 2012, with ebooks contributing $3.35 billion. But BookStats thinks that the market grew by 6.9 percent between 2011 and 2012, while PwC thinks it shrank by 1.3 percent.
If you’re wondering which one to trust more, keep in mind that they are both projections and that it’s worth looking at methodology: BookStats incorporates net sales revenue and unit data from nearly 2,000 U.S. publishers, then projects the size of the entire industry; PwC says that it looks at “retail spending by consumers on consumer books…and spending on books in electronic formats” and that it derives historical data ”principally from confidential and proprietary sources” — including research group Informa Telecoms & Media — then projects.
Five marketing lessons from Jose Mourinho
Posted in News on 05 June 20131. Don’t be afraid to polarize opinion
In the wake of the economic downturn many brands, and marketers, have found themselves paralyzed by fear. Whether that is a fear of losing market share to a rival, of alienating consumers, or on a personal level losing their job; marketers have baulked at taking a risk.
Not only has Mourinho been a manager who has positively basked in polarizing opinion, he is seemingly devoid of the fear which holds so many back. As he told BBC Sport on what he thought ofthe potential of being sacked: "If the club decide to sack me because of bad results that’s part of the game. If it happens I will be a millionaire and get another club a couple of months later."
While your average CMO may not be assured of a million pound pay off the mantra remains that if you try to appeal to everyone you risk truly connecting with no one.
But of course not every brand or marketer can bear to ditch vanilla branding. Crucially Mourinho is a man who can take the intense pressure that comes with polarising opinion. As he once answered a reporter who was questioned him about if he was feeling pressure about an upcoming game: "For me, pressure is bird flu. I’m feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It’s not fun and I’m more scared of it than football."
2. Embrace the "siege mentality"
If Mourinho wrote a business book it is likely he would wax lyrical on the power of the "siege mentality". In the most basic terms a culture that declares: "we are the best, we don’t care if you hate us, we deserve to win". A somewhat overtly negative but binding philosophy based upon unifying a diverse group of people behind a common goal.
As Frank Lampard told BBC Sport: "He’s taken that [a winning mentality] everywhere he’s gone with him. He creates a spirit in his squads that you can see from the outside is very, very strong."
3. Protect your team
Perhaps one of the worst downsides of the economic downturn has been the growing tendency to pass the buck. Decisions have been made not on the basis of the good of the brand, but on the maneuverings of staff attempting to safeguard or promote their own ambitions, ahead of the wider goals of their team or the company they work for. A trend which has led to a dearth of leadership at some of the UK’s biggest companies.
Love him or loathe him there is no question that Mourinho inspires fierce devotion in his players. In many ways his larger-than-life persona ensures that it is he, rather than the individuals in his team, who is the target of negative media attention. In effect his outspoken personality and high profile in the media takes the pressure off his team, as he becomes a bigger focus than the players.
At a time when many marketers are loathe to go beyond the corporate soundbite, the power of a genuinely passionate key figurehead should not be underestimated.
4. Who cares the most wins (sometimes)
There is no denying the phenomenal passion that Mourinho has for football. It’s a simple truth but one that is often forgotten; the very best marketers care deeply about what they do. As Apple founder Steve Jobs once said: "The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart you’ll know it when you find it."
5. Rules are for breaking
The manager that reportedly flouted a UEFA touchline ban by being smuggled into the stadium in a skip was never one to bow to the status quo. While Mourinho has had his moments (thankfully many marketers would draw the line at poking their opponents in the eye) his over-riding commitment to winning can’t be questioned.
In an era where the demands for consumers’ attention are ever-increasing brands need to do more to gain cut-through. Embracing maverick thinking and guarding against the curse of marginal thinking are increasingly important skills for marketers. So, just perhaps, engaging with your inner Mourinho, is not complete career suicide.
Mindshare appoints Jed Hallam as head of social strategy
Posted in News on 05 June 2013Social Media and Distribution Intern: Fringe Festival
Posted in Jobs on 04 June 2013
Job Title: Social Media and Distribution Intern
Reporting To: Marketing Manager
Duration of internship: Aug – Sep (full time)
Dublin Fringe Festival
Dublin Fringe Festival is a multi-disciplinary festival and year-round organisation focusing on new and innovative approaches to the arts. DFF supports the development and presentation of new work by Irish and International artists of vision, nurturing artistic ambition and excellence across a range of art forms. An active curator, DFF provides an environment in which participating artists challenge, subvert and invigorate their disciplines and practice. DFF provides a context for work and demands audience engagement and dialogue. The scale and environment of the festival broadens arts participation, playing a vital role in the fabric of Dublin and Irish cultural life.
The Internship
As a vital event in the Dublin cultural calendar, this internship provides the exciting opportunity to engage with the running of the festival from our HQ in Temple Bar in a supportive environment. Working in an open plan office with the core team members will provide an opportunity for the successful applicant to see how such an event works from a variety of different aspects.
The Social Media and Distribution Intern is a key member of the festival team, working closely with the Marketing Manager ensuring that the festival’s communications strategy is carried out through distribution of collateral throughout the city centre and. Training will be provided in all the relevant tools.
Previous interns with Dublin Fringe Festival have gone on to successful careers in the arts, working full time in organisations such as: The Lighthouse, Project Arts Centre, The Gate Theatre, Abbey Theatre, Galway Arts Office, and Irish Theatre Institute.
Duties:
Social Media
• Liaising with the rest of the festival team undertaking to act as the voice of the Festival through social media channels.
• Working closely with the Marketing Intern to ensure that the most relevant content is being used and updated.
• Develop existing social media channels further and expand their potential for engagement.
• Utilise digital technologies to create content for social media e.g. digital photography, audience feedback, artist and audience vox pops, Vine etc. all within the means of what might be possible.
• Work with companies (alongside consul with the Marketing Manager) to promote them using their material.
• Circulate press material generated in the lead up to and during the Festival.
• Monitor insights and analytics and report back on activity.
Distribution:
• Carry out and coordinate the distribution of festival material - mainly brochure and newssheets throughout the city centre.
• Work with volunteers to ensure that they are targeting the right places.
• Monitor sites where pickups are more frequent and compile reports on them.
Person Specification
Essential
· High level of literacy and written accuracy with an acute attention to detail and the ability to handle a busy work load at all times
· Some PR or press media experience, preferably within the arts/music industries
· Experience working within a busy environment
· Excellent organisational skills and the proven ability to multitask and work to tight deadlines
· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
· Strong IT skills with knowledge of all Microsoft applications including Word and Excel
· Works well within a team environment
· Willingness to work flexible hours
· Self-motivated with a high degree of initiative
· Fluent English
· Flexibility regarding availability during the festival dates (Sep 7-22 2013)
· An interest in or knowledge of the arts and social media in Ireland
· Has a laptop for daily use
· Has a smart phone/digital camera for documenting material for use on social media channels
· Knowledge of Dublin City Centre
Desirable
· Prior experience in a related field of the arts or festivals
· Experience managing social media
· Awareness, interest, and understanding of digital engagement
Terms and conditions of the internship
The position is unpaid however any expenses related to carrying out the duties will be reimbursed. Interns are eligible for free tickets to all programmed shows during the festival.
This is a full time position of 40 hours per week with the normal working day being 10am to 6pm, however it is understood that at times you may be expected to work such hours as are necessary to support the workload in question. Any hours worked over the contracted 40 hours per week may be taken in lieu with prior agreement with the relevant Manager.
The organisation commits to providing adequate support for carrying out the internship.
Closing Date for applications is 5pm Thursday July 4th.
Interviews will take place on Tuesday July 9th.
Start date for the position is Tuesday August 6th and internship will be completed on Sunday September 22nd.
To apply for this position, please complete this form http://bit.ly/1arJ3kv and send a CV to jessica@fringefest.com
Penguin 2.0 Went Live Last Week – Were You Affected?
Posted in News on 04 June 2013After several weeks of baited breath and waves of smaller changes to Google’s algorithm, it seems that the penguin is at last out of the bag, as announced by Google Webspam Head Matt Cutts on his blog on May 22. According to Cutts, 2.3% of English-US queries are affected by the update, the largest percentage since the original roll out of Penguin 1.0 in April 2012. The update also affects searches in other languages to different extents; according to some, the impact was greater in German-language queries than English. The goal of the update was to reward genuinely valuable sites, and punish sites that have gained ranking with black hat techniques.
The original Penguin was Google’s first update to specifically combat off-page factors, especially targeting link networks and unnatural linking strategies. This update affected over 3% of all English queries, dramatically altering the search engine’s results pages and obliterating any ranking for some particularly bad, black hat offenders.
Penguin 2.0 uses new, highly advanced spam-fighting techniques that continue to punish unusual and “fishy” activity, penalizing sites that acquire large numbers of links very rapidly (usually through paid means), that get links from irrelevant sites, and those that overuse exact match anchor text. This update also will be specifically targeting ads with dofollow links (since the introduction of the nofollow tag, Google has told webmasters to use it to differentiate paid links and avoid passing on ranking value and trust), and improve the detection of hacked sites.
How Do I Know If I’ve Been Affected?
In some cases, the wrath of Penguin 2.0 will be immediately evident – a dramatic drop in traffic due to your site completely falling out of the results. If you normally get a high volume of incoming traffic from Google and are suddenly getting next to none, you’ve most likely been hit. For some shady webmasters, this won’t be a surprise – it’s probably something you should have been expecting for a while now. But for some business owners in particular, this will be a rather nasty surprise. If you’ve engaged in shady link building practices in the past, or paid someone who did it without your knowledge, those get-ranked-quick schemes may be coming back to bite you now.
For others, the effects might not be quite as obvious. A couple unnatural links may have knocked you back in the results a few spots or pages. Your search traffic may have dropped for some of your keywords. Your sales might fall for products to which you’ve built tons of exact match anchor text. Take a look at your organic search tracking in Google Analytics and look for differences before and after May 22 in particular.
If you’ve been engaging in high-quality link building, however – getting some great guest posting opportunities or getting awesome editorial links for your infographics or blog posts, you may actually see the flipside of these issues. Google isn’t implementing these updates to screw over businesses (well, as long as you’re playing by their rules) – they’re creating them to reward great content, like what you’ve been creating. Nice job! If your competitors have been penalized and lost ranking, you might have seen rises in ranking for your own site, and consequently an increase in traffic.
An Unexpected Boost to Local Results
Amidst the panic surrounding Penguin 2.0, Trevin Shirey from the SEO companyWebpageFX seems to have been the first to notice an unusual trend in the SERPs. According to Shirey, Google seems to have been integrating large numbers of localized results into organic searches.
In their examples, such as a search for “hockey” in Dallas, Texas or a search for “marketing” in Miami, Florida, up to 5 results on the first page are local, sometimes even ranking above the results one would expect to see, such as Wikipedia.
The hockey example is especially striking, with two Dallas Stars results from stars.nhl.com appearing above the Wikipedia page for ice hockey. The Dallas Stars’ Wikipedia page also features prominently in the results.
You will probably notice some of these changes to broad keyword searches in your own queries. For me, in a search for “chocolate,” my favorite local café (which happens to also sell chocolate) appears above Ghirardelli, a premium international chocolate company, in the results. WebpageFX gives some other examples of searches to try, such as “ford,” “coffee,” and “computers.” You will probably see some of your favorite local spots featuring highly, as well as business listing websites such as Yelp and Yahoo! Places.
This is definitely a great bonus for local businesses. As Shirey puts it, “local and regional businesses could stand to gain from an update like this as it increases their exposure for informational queries.” However, he adds that it is unclear how this change will be perceived by Google’s users. He adds, “Do searchers really want such hyper-local results for broad queries? Google’s research must show that they do.”
How has your business fared since the onset of the newest rendition of Penguin? Share your experiences in the comments.
Virgin Galactic in talks with PR agencies to promote spaceflights
Posted in News on 24 May 2013The Richard Branson brainchild is known to have made agency approaches in recent weeks ahead of its planned first official flight from Abu Dhabi on Christmas Day.
One figure with insight into the Virgin Galactic set-up said any agency working on the project would need experience in dealing with 'high-net-worth individuals' and travel.
Virgin Galactic, which works with Griffin Communications Group in the US, denied that it was in UK agency talks.
Four Benefits of Cloud Computing for Your Online Business
Posted in News on 24 May 2013Cloud computing is one of the newest phenomenons in the online business world that is taking companies to new levels of efficiency.
Many small- and medium-sized online businesses are choosing to improve their efficiency by making use of the greater computing power cloud computing can give them. This power is usually provided by a third party.
Since small businesses can now delegate their mail storage, customer care, data storage, software delivery etc. to the cloud, they can compete with larger businesses without being forced to foot a large technology bill.
Here is a look at how you can use cloud computing both to improve your efficiency and increase the opportunities available to your small online business.
1. You will have fewer operational issues
The third party that provides you with your cloud computing services will use standardized processes. Standardization helps ensure there are fewer errors and issues with your processes. This will give your business certain continuity. As a result, you will spend less time trying to fix operational failures and spending more time on the important things such as drawing more customers and connecting with them.
With cloud computing, you will be able to use the same service or integration of several services each time and in similar projects. You will, therefore, see the same result each time. This predictability will help you to have services based on predetermined design patterns.
2. You can open up new business models
With powerful computing within your reach, you can now have access to various projects and business models that had not been possible in the past. You can start new innovations and open up new streams of revenue. There are many companies that are using cloud services dedicated to build completely new propositions and business models and offering new services. Small businesses are doing this the most. Other examples include Spotify, a digital music portal that brings mood-specific music to all devices ranging from tablets, mobile phones, computers and home entertainment systems.
3. You can achieve business agility
With having a reliable third party offering you remote assistance with several processes, you can get the computing resources you need exactly when you need them. This means that you will be able to deliver results in a more timely way. You will also be able to provide cheaper services because efficient business will bring your own overall costs down by reducing the time to send your product to the client.
As a result, you will be able to offer your services at competitive rates and attract the loyalty of your customers. It can be possible for cloud computing to bring down a project such as a data analytics project to three weeks from a projected time period of four months.
4. You can make better use of resources
When you find your brand launching and completing projects that are more efficient, and that your employees are spending less time on struggling to fix operational issues, you know you are making the most of your resources. You and your employees now have valuable free time to devote to other activities that can add value to your business and help it grow.
Of course it’s not easy to quantify such value, and it differs from business to business. However your employees are assets as well and, therefore, if they are able to engage in activities that improve them, this is valuable for the business.
With cloud computing, you will also find yourself benefiting from what is known as the ‘economies of scale.’ Your cloud computing service provider will be able to make better use of physical resources and bring down consumption of energy when compared to standard traditional ways.
It’s important to note that cloud computing third-party services are usually provided without a contract. What is great about this short-term operational expense mode is that you are not making any long-term commitments in this case. You don’t have any upfront expenses, which is great for small businesses with limited funds. You can start your projects much faster than if there was an upfront expense required and can also end the projects quicker with no loss through investments in cloud computing.
Take the lead today and see what cloud computing can do for your business. You will be surprised at the true power of what is known as the cloud.
Graduate scheme: Graduate Software developer
Posted in Jobs on 23 May 2013Buy4Now Technology Group is a Software as a Service (SaaS) eCommerce company that is focused on building end to end solutions in the online shopping space. Buy4now has a rich platform to implement end to end eCommerce. This includes:
- Integration with Merchandising systems such as SAP/Retek/Gold/Retalix
- Shop4Now - Ecommerce Store Framework
- Fulfilment – In store picking using Win Mobile handhelds
- Help4Now – Customer Service software
- Reporting – Full suite of reports
- Email and SMS - Campaign management
- Mobile Development for iPhone/Android/Blackberry.
We work with leading retailers such as Superquinn, Eircom, Roche Bros (USA), Musgrave Group and 3 Mobile to map their enterprise requirements onto our platform. Buy4Now is a Microsoft Partner. We currently employ 70 people (23 developers) in our Sandyford Office.
Due to our ongoing success, we have a requirement for graduate developers who will work with the development team in building enterprise software solutions. The technologies deployed include Microsoft Windows 2008, SQL Server 2008 Enterprise, Microsoft Clustering Services, and IIS, ASP, ASP.NET and C #, XHTML, CSS and JavaScript. All development is based on C#, ASP.NET and SQL.
The candidate will have no problem in climbing learning curves and will be a self starter with good initiative. Full training and Microsoft Certification provided.
Our working environment is collegiate and supporting. Please visit www.buy4now.com for a full overview of the company.