Support our Speaker!

Hi there

Please don’t think this cheeky, but if you like our website and can take the time, I would love it if you express that by voting for us at http://www.netguide.co.nz/webawards/promote.htm

In case you forget, our website is www.dvice.co.nz

Invitation : Chamber of Commerce BA5

All Socket ladies have been invited to the last Business After 5 event, run by the Chamber of Commerce.
If you have some time to spare I recommend you come along for a festive drink and of course networking!!

Business After Five with the new Comfort Hotel Wellington & ‘The Wellington’ Development Project for Upper Cuba
Street

The Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce in association with Comfort Hotel Wellington, invite you to learn first-hand about the exciting plans and developments for the renamed Comfort Hotel Wellington (part of the international Choice chain of hotels) & the upcoming ‘The Wellington’ complex.

Comfort Hotel Wellington is a truly unique, 114 room, heritage-style hotel in the heart of Wellington’s Cuba Quarter. The 1908 building has been lovingly strengthened and restored, but all of the rooms are brand new. Re-opened in 2003 by Prime Minister Helen Clark, Hotel Wellington became Comfort Hotel Wellington in October 2005. In under two years, once ‘The Wellington’ project is completed, the complex will offer a wide range of 3 and 4 star short and longer-term accommodation.
You’ll hear why we are positioning Comfort Hotel Wellington as the ideal ‘home away from home’ for members of your organisation when they visit Wellington on business.
‘The Wellington’ is a brand new state of the art development project. It will comprise podium, housing carparks, a swimming pool, a gym, a substantial conference facility and shops; a five storey tower with 62 hotel suites; and a six storey tower with 40 two bedroom/two bathroom apartment units, plus 12 penthouse units.
Speakers will be Rex Nicholls, Director of Comfort Hotel Wellington and the driver of The Wellington project, and Justin Meade – the Sales & Marketing Manager for Comfort Hotel Wellington.

When: 24 November 2005 Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Where: Comfort Hotel Wellington, 213 Cuba Street, Wgtn

Socket in November 2005

Hard to believe it’s time for Socket’s closing meeting for the year... 2005 has zoomed on by!

Come and celebrate with our end-of-year session with the wonderful
Debbie Jeffery and our final wrap-up, the annual Ladies Bring a Plate event!

A BIG THANKS to our amazing line-up of speakers this year: Julie Lamb, Rosie Henley, Claire Regnault, Fran Wilde, Kim Chamberlain, Nicola Mercer and, of course, our Miss November, Debbie Jeffery. Your wit, wisdom and generosity with your knowledge have been so incredibly appreciated. Our sincere gratitude for your time.
And to our fabulous members: We said at the start of the year that 2005 was the year to spark some dreams alive – and we do hope that’s been the case for each and every one of you.

Next year we’d love the help of anyone who would like to be a Sponsorship Co-ordinator
for Socket: if you have skills to contribute in this area we’d be very grateful – please email us

We’d also love to hear any ideas for Socket speakers and areas of focus for 2006.


November speaker: Debbie Jeffery Starfish Unlimited
Revision and future vision
The final Socket for the year is all about revision and future vision for your business.
Executive Coach Debbie Jeffery of Starfish Unlimited leads us in a session that’s a chance to reflect on the year that’s been, and gives some focus to your plans for the next.

Ladies Bring a Plate
This event rears its pretty, lamington-inspired head once more.
Share your top tip for the year with us all: be it a business book or website you recommend,
a great motivational method you’ve discovered, or the best place to go for coffee at 1am when
you’ve just finished your bookwork for the month…

DATE: 15 November 2005
NEW TIME: 5.45 – 6.45pm
NEW VENUE: ThinkTankz, see page 2 for a sneak preview
ThinkTankz, Level 3, 25-27 Vivian Street


Zap Along: NEW VENUE!
This month we meet again at our brand new venue – which is also a brand new addition to the Wellington venue scene.
We are thrilled with the stimulating yet very comfortable space
at THINKTANKZ, and thank Marzena for her excellent hospitality.
THINKTANKZ has five brightly-coloured and stimulating ‘thinkzones’ to get teams thinking, playing, learning and working together to solve problems in a whole new way. The venue also offers customised
learning and development programmes as well as consulting,
coaching and mentoring.
Find it by the big sign on the front of the office building it’s in at
25-27 Vivian St, which is at the Cambridge/Kent Terrace end of Vivian Street next to Magnum Mac and Wellington Photographic Supplies.
Come into the foyer and take the lift up to a kaleidoscope world – THINKTANKZ colours are bold and beautiful! And yes – the bar will be open.
Check out www.thinktankz.co.nz for more information.



Switch On: seminars, workshops, exhibitions, events
RELAXATION Summer reading
Continue the reflection on the direction of your business by whiling away those lazy days
of summer with a bit of business reading. As recommended by Nicola Mercer of D.VICE,
last month’s fascinating speaker, check out books by these authors:
Michael Gerber www.e-myth.com/pub/htdocs/home.html
Robert Kiyosaki www.robertkiyosakilive.com

Free Beaujolais tastings and then there’s the Bubbles

If youre into wines heres some interesting happenings from wineseeker.co.nz – down opposite the Lido

FREE TASTING – Thursday November 17th: BEAUJOLAIS
This Thursday we will be gettting into the spirit of Beaujolais day with a free in-store tasting of traditional Beaujolais.
Just for fun we’ll also taste this with a couple of Hawke’s Bay Gamay Noirs (just to draw a comparison).
Come in and see what all the fuss is about!

Wednesday December 7th: LAURENT & PERRIER CHAMPAGNE – A special pre-Christmas treat!
Founded in 1812, Laurent Perrier is recognised throughout the world as one of the finest Champagne houses. It is among the world’s most esteemed Champagne brands and the largest family-owned Champagne houses. An independent spirit is the driving force behind creative winemaking and has led to a unique and highly successful range of pleasurable and elegant wines.
A tasting of six wines, from Ultra Brut through to Rose and Demi Sec… How delicious!
7.45pm at Wineseeker
$30 per person

CHARITY EVENT: Meet For Strawberries At Midland Park

Delicious spring strawberries served with ice cream, cream and topping
$5.00 per serve

Wednesday 9 November (Thursday, if wet)
Between 10.30am - 3.30pm
Midland Park (Lambton Quay)

Take time out to meet up with friends, enjoy the music, soak up the atmosphere and celebrate life.

This Festival is an opportunity for Wellingtonians to actively support the work of Mary Potter Hospice in the most delicious and decadent way.

Tell your friends!

Supported by Telecom

Wellington City Library eNewsletter

Wellington City Library now has an online eNewsletter to help you learn more about their collection.

The newsletters can be personalised really easily. The idea is to give you an electronic newsletter that is highly relevant to you because all the information will be based on the criteria you have set on the registration page. It can also be adjusted at any time to suit your changing tastes.

You'll be able to chose to receive information from any of these interest areas:
Contemporary fiction
Mysteries
People and places
Biographies and history
Science and technology
Children's collection
Home and garden
Business
Health, sport and fitness
Social comment and issues
Arts, music and film

You can subscribe to this newsletter in seconds. Click on the following link
http://www.wellingtoncitylibrariesnewsletter.wb.gs/index.html.

Sistas are doing it…

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

FREE SEMINAR: Protect yourself, your company, your ideas…

There maybe some of you who are interested in this:
Its free to register with Unlimited Potential…

http://www.up.org.nz/mainsite/Insolvencyupstart.html

Insolvency UPStart with the Ministry of Economic Development
Protect yourself, your company, your ideas…
When: Wednesday 9th November 2005

Time: 5.30 for a 6pm start

Where: Creative HQ, 25a Marian Street, Wellington

RSVP: http://www.up.org.nz/

So you’ve been in business for a year or two, the idea seems to be working
out, you have an office and an address, the clients are starting to knock
at the door… and then the bubble bursts…. Or maybe it’s someone else’s
bubble and you’ve got splattered. This Start UP is going to touch on a few
of the less seemly sides of being in business. Insolvency, Bad Debts,
scams... How do you know you are dealing with legitimate businesses…how
can you protect your Intellectual Property rights...

We have had some great speakers over the last year who have touched on
venture capital, enterprise fund raising, completing in an international
market place…. But we have also had requests from our member ship for some
insight into the ‘what if’s’.

The Ministry of Economic Development provides a broad range of low cost
efficient business services to you, the New Zealand public which is based
on:
· Providing easy to access information needed to make informed
decision
· Minimising compliance costs for business
· Building stakeholder confidence in the integrity and
effectiveness of the business market.

From the Ministry of Economic Development we have invited Cristian Pardo,
the Insolvency Manager from the New Zealand Insolvency and Trustee
Services (ITS) to come along and give us some insight into the unspoken….
One of the many services provided by the ministry is information and
online services on personal bankruptcies, and company liquidations which
are also administered by ITS. Now is an opportunity to find out how this
can help you.

We have also invited Kirri Lynn, from the Ministry of Economic
Development’s e-Business Services Unit to give you a bit of background on
a range of other services which the ministry provides including:

· The Companies Office – how do you start a company, run a
company, close a company…. do business overseas?
· Intellectual Property of NZ (IPONZ) – how do you register that
great idea or product so the big bucks roll in when someone recognises
your genius?
· Personal Properties Securities Register – got a great deal on
the latest technology from Apple from a ‘less fortunate’ business
associate going out of town – but who really owns it?

The ministry has loads of useful information and websites which provide
all the necessary… you just need to know where to go and Cristian and
Kirri have offered their time and expertise to at least point you in the
right direction.

And then of course there’s the networking, beer and pizza!

The Dowse // Wants YOUR BRAIN…

IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST OR MAKER, A DESIGNER OR PRODUCER, A CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL OR PART OF A COLLECTIVE
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

IF YOU WORK FOR A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, BUSINESS, COMMUNITY GROUP, TERTIARY INSTITUTION, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH CENTRES, FUNDING AGENCY OR AN ORGANISATION COMMITTED TO CREATIVITY AND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS CONTACT US.

We want to work with people who share our vision.
WE’RE LOOKING FOR PROJECTS THAT:

> take the decorative arts and design to new levels AND/OR
> show creativity as a driver of commercial success AND/OR
> show unexpected or quirky stories of creativity AND/OR
> harness the power of creativity to develop youth, children and communities AND/OR
> showcase the potential of interdisciplinary creative collaborations AND/OR
> engage with, and extend, our visitors’ own creativity, whether they be young or old
WWW.DOWSE.ORG.NZ

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST & CREATIVE IDEAS NOW
Just download & complete the registration form at www.dowse.org.nz or call The Dowse on 04 570 6500 for an info pack.

Businesses from home

Tips on running a business from home
Homes are casual places by nature so it is important that when you work at home you create a proper working environment.
http://www.biz.org.nz/public/content.aspx?sectionid=40&contentid=1203

9 steps for a better home-based business
You've got your home-based business up and running, now it needs the right care to grow. Here are nine ideas to help you do this.
http://www.biz.org.nz/public/content.aspx?sectionid=40&contentid=1204

Setting up your home office
Includes safety tips for setting up your computer equipment and workstation, and handy exercises. [ACC website.]
http://www.biz.org.nz/public/content.aspx?sectionid=40&contentid=1885

benchmarking your business

In business it's important to know just how well you are doing.
http://www.biz.org.nz/public/content.aspx?sectionid=77&contentid=1900

Better by Design // Pump Classes

3 speakers, 2 hours, 1 focus - How your business can develop a competitive advantage through design.

Join us at one of three Better by Design Regional 'Pump Classes' aimed at re-energising your business through design. These are scheduled from 4-6pm, followed by drinks, on three days in November. Don't miss these great speakers and a chance to network with a wide-ranging audience from the business, design and academic community.


Wellington: Monday, November 14, Renouf Foyer, upstairs at the Michael Fowler Centre

Alexander von Vegesack, Director of the Vitra Design Museum, offers an insight into the culture and leadership of a company renowned for producing some of the world's most acclaimed furniture.

Tony Alexander, BNZ chief economist talks about the economic imperatives for New Zealand exporters.

Simon Barnett and Rob Whitfield from OBO talk about their experience with the design audit and mentoring process from Better by Design.

Register online http://www.betterbydesign.org.nz or phone 0800 808 140. $25 per person, places are limited.