World Class Deadline Looming…

You don’t need us to tell you about OPEN 4 BUSINESS 2010. You already know that it’s about being World Class. But did you know that O4B 2010 is also about deadlines? Well, it is, and I’ll tell you why – because meeting deadlines is all part of being a World Class Business. You need proof? Ok…

Who wants to do business with people who:

• deliver late?
• can’t recognize an opportunity on time?
• don’t care about their own market position, until it’s too late?
• say they’re World Class but can’t be bothered to compete in a great Awards Festival?

Worst of all…
…who wants to do business with people who don’t even know that their entries for the O4B Awards have to be in by Friday, 10th September? Yes, that’s 10th September this year – by 5pm, which is 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

Call yourself World Class? Prove it. Hit the O4B Deadline and I might just believe you, maybe.

And finally (almost)
Here’s a list of the Award Sponsors

• Dorset Echo
• Enterprise Connection
• Stag Office Products
• Blondz
• Aquarium Technology (Business of Year Winner 2009)
• Getaway Digital
• DJ Property
• Champagne Films
• Open 4 Business
• Weymouth College – Main Sponsor

And finally
Without looking, answer this key question about being a World Class Businesses:
What’s the deadline for the O4B 2010 Awards?
All answers should be written on a postcard and addressed to yourself as a little reminder.

Good luck!

Just Tell Us!

If you’ve been reading our recent newsletter, and want to comment on any of the points we’ve mentioned, this is the place to do it. You can tell us how great we are, how bad we are or how mediocre we are. You can give us your suggestions about how to make OSTV even better: what we should be adding, what we should change or what we should remove.

Up to £10k for Young Volunteers..

As everyone at OSTV tries to remember those far off days of their youth, we think of all the missed opportunities because we were always broke and never had enough money to get projects off the ground. Things have changed since the olden days.

The Sita Trust has just announced the next funding round of its new Young Person’s Volunteering Fund and you could get your hands on up to £10,000 for volunteering projects if you’re aged between 14-25 year olds (there are other rules, of course).

The fund has been created to help young people to volunteer their time to create or enhance waste facilities that can be enjoyed by the wider community. To be eligible, applicants must be able to show that young people will be fully involved in the design and development of the project, which has to meet the rules of the Landfill Communities Fund.

If you’re interested, the deadline is 10am on 9 August 2010 and your application has to demonstrate that it takes account the Nine Principles of Youth Action, which have been set out by the Youth Action Network. To save you hunting them down, we’ve summarised them below.

For more information about the funding, visit: www.sitatrust.org.uk/volunteering

The Nine Principles of Youth Action

1. Youth Participation: Young people are in the driving seat; they decide what happens.

2. Benefiting others: Young people don’t just do it for themselves, others benefit too!

3. Fun & rewarding: No one wants to do something that’s boring; it has to be fun and give a sense of achievement.

4. Flexibility: It should be when, where and how young people want it.

5. Support: Young people aren’t just ‘left to it’; they’re supported in their aspirations and efforts.

6. Recognition: Say thank you! Young people’s efforts should be celebrated.

7. Progression & Leadership: Young people want to develop; they enjoy a challenge, and this should be built in!

8. Diverse & inclusive: Any young person should be able to do youth action; think creatively to break down those barriers.

9. Skills & personal development: Youth action is a journey, with learning and education an important part of the experience.

If you want OSTV to help you develop your project for online television, contact us.

OSTV runs BAFTA awards

Yes, we’re about to launch our very own BAFTA awards and you’re invited to get involved.

Of course, it’s not those other BAFTA awards. It’s not those boring ones we see every year on the telly, the ones that always seem to happen in places like London instead of right here in Dorset. Those BAFTA awards are about the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, but all this is about to change, probably to something like the Best Amazing Fantastic Telly Awards.

This may not be the actual title we use but the point being made here is that our awards are going to be different. They’re going to be less about London and all about Dorset. They’re going to be less about million pound productions and more about creativity and imagination. In other words, they’re going to be lots more fun.

And we won’t be giving the winners a shiny-face-on-a-pole as their prizes. We don’t know what we will be giving but it definitely won’t be a shiny-face-on-a-pole.

How do you get involved? Easy! Register on the OSTV site and we’ll keep you posted with all the details.

Finally, how about giving us some ideas about what we should call the OSTV Awards. The best idea gets to go for a cup of coffee with the OSTV Directors. Now, how cool is that? Well, try getting the big-wigs at BBC to dip into their pockets for something as extravagant as this and you’ll realise just how hospitable we can be here in Dorset.