We're listening...

Tuesday morning saw GGS HQ filled with the delicious aroma of bacon sizzling (a real vegetarian turner, if ever there was one) as the team came in early for a GGS breakfast which also included muffins, croissants, tea (obviously), coffee (obviously) and orange juice.

Why?

To provide a forum for everyone to discuss our plans for the Company; where we are going and how we are going to get there, where we've been and was it a good place? And to talk about what everyone likes (or dislikes) about the work, the environment and the systems we use to ensure that all our clients remain the happiest little bunnies on the planet.

An hour later, apart from being fully bacon'd up, we had covered a multitude of topics which included improvements to the website, working for charities and having specific Charities Discount Policy, improvements to the building and planning when the next meeting would be... (after work followed by a slap up meal at Mrs. Miggins' Pie Shop).

We like to have a happy team, and as we all know - It's all about teamwork!

Sustainable homes

Had a really interesting shoot in Snettisham near King's Lynn yesterday for RidgemountPR in London.  Their client, BASF, has a product called Walltite which was used by Gregg Etches of Finer Living to construct an Eco-Friendly, sustainable home using renewable technologies.  The project incorporated Photovoltaic Cells on the roof , a thermal heat pump thingy (OK, so I'm not very technical) for hot water and highly insulated prefabricated walls which not only insulate really well but also create excellent air sealing.

Gregg is clearly very passionate about what he does - building 'complete housing systems' which provide more sustainable homes which are complemented by renewable energies - at an affordable price. This particular property had a 'Grand Designs' feel about it to me and Gregg was clearly very proud of it. It looked fabulous.

Have look at Gregg's web site; I'm sure it will explain things better than I can!

Why isn't there a picture? I hear you say. Just waiting for permission from the client. Better that RidgemountPR get to use them before GGS does! :-)

Improved sales

It's been a good year so far with sales well up on last year (not 'well up' as in 'well good' etc!) but we're always looking to improve; so thanks go to Chris Sanger from ra! coaching who gave us a couple of hours of training yesterday. Some excellent tips and insights as well as some ideas on how to modify our sales process to improve even more.  Great for GGS and great for our clients.

Listawood go large

Listawood - Europe's largest mouse mat and promotional products manufacturer have commissioned GGS to design and build a new 64 square metre exhibition stand. The new exhibition stand's high profile will reinforce the Company's number one position within Europe.

Designed to be reconfigurable, the stand will be used at a series of exhibitions in Germany, France and the U.K. with stand space ranging from 64 square metres down to 18 square metres

Snapped up!

Our Business Portrait offer was a big hit at the Chamber of Commerce Business to Business exhibition at Carrow Road yesterday with nearly 50 people taking advantage of the opportunity to have a top quality portrait taken by one of Norfolk's best photographers (Peter Griffin); and all for FREE!  Poor Pete barely had time to nibble a sandwich or have a slurp of tea, we were so busy! A virtually non-stop flow of visitors meant he was behind either the camera or the Mac for the entire six hours that the halls were open and he had no chance to wander round and see how many chocolates he could snaffle from the other stands like he normally does (mind you, probably not a bad thing...)

Peter Griffin, Emily Fisher and Chris Ball - Picture courtesy of Norwich Chamber

After all that hard work it was fantastic to learn that GGS had won 'Best Stand', the trophy for which Pete is holding in the above pic.  Bit hard to see as it's made of glass, mind you.

Thanks to everyone that dropped by and we shall be emailing all the pics early next week.

Free Business Portraits

I bet you need a good pic of yourself, or a member of your staff, to use in press releases, adverts, brochures or advertising material; don't you?
Of course you do.
I bet you are using ones taken on your mobile or your Sony Compact at the moment; aren't you?
Do they look like the picture on the left?

Would it be better to have one like the one on the right?
Of course it would.


Good; now we've got that sorted, get your diary out and schedule a visit to the Chamber of Commerce B2B Exhibition at NCFC Carrow Road on Thursday 20th October as we are doing FREE BUSINESS PORTRAITS between 11.00am and 5.00pm (as well as talking about everything else we do - exhibitions, design, web sites, large format digital printing etc. etc...)

See you there!

Addictive behaviour...

Honestly! Its always the same... you find something you REALLY LIKE - and then you're told too much of it is REALLY BAD for you:

> Tobacco
> Alcohol
> Curly Wurlies
> Asbestos
> Crimplene
etc. etc.

Well, with your health and well-being ALWAYS AT the forefront of our minds, we feel we now have to advise you of another emerging concern...

> Social networking

It seems people are getting SERIOUSLY HOOKED on interacting with each other via the internet - and too much of it is again REALLY BAD for you (apparently). So a fledgling support structure is growing fast to provide counselling to would-be addicts (example here). Well at least help is at hand now... phew!

But hey come on now, can some of us REALLY BE addicted to this relatively new phenomenon? Well, according to a growing number of seemingly well-researched articles and postings, this does indeed seem to be the case. Take this one for example, written and published over a year ago, but even then able to warn of the consequences of fidgeting with your smart phone when you should be out there doing something more character-building*. And this one, all very well, but come on now... do we need a REAL LIFE now we have Twitter?

*Suggestions on a postcard please.

New website for NR Asphalt...

From small beginnings NR Asphalt has grown to become one of the major road surfacing sub contractors in East Anglia, with an unrivalled reputation for service and reliability. These qualities have served them well over the years - enabling them to work with county councils and major contractors, but they also provide quality services to their domestic clients.

The new website we've designed and built for them reflects their success and showcases the multiplicity of services they now provide to both commercial and domestic clients. You can take a look at it here.

New menu = easy life!

We've given our website a makeover - to make life a little easier for you. You will now see a brand new menu that drops down and floats over the page, allowing you to find what you're looking for in just one click. Check it out here... hope you like it.

My time with GGS

Hi. My name is Daniel Pates, and for the past week I've been doing work experience here at GGS. When I arrived on my first day I was extremely nervous but the team here were really kind to me and put up with having to explain what they were doing even though this slowed them down with their work. I have really enjoyed my time here and have new ideas about what I'm going to do after school for further education and a then a career, I've also found out more about what running a business is about and that it is more than meets the eye so all together a pretty successful week of work experience.

Thanks to everyone at GGS; it's been a great week for me.

Work Experience.

Hello, my name is Bonnie-Rae Wilson, and I am currently on my work experience week, here at GGS.
I am a Year10 student at Sprowston High School and I am a GCSE Student studying Photography. I am in the midst of doing plenty of coursework, and exams for other subjects. So school life is pretty hectic at the minute. But I guess work experience is also a break from exams, as well as a taster into what 'work life' is all about.

I've always known about GGS as my Nannie and Grandad are friends with Peter Griffin, so when I picked my options for GCSE and picked photography, I instantly knew that I wanted to do my year 10 work experience here.

Its only Wednesday, and I am already having so much fun! I didn't think that in 3 days, you could possibly fit so much work into the amount of hours you do. I have achieved and learnt so much this week already. I have been doing numerous jobs, such as;

• Working offsite, at the Norfolk Showground constructing an exhibition stand for 'Team Lotus'.
• Helping around the office with various members of staff.
• Went to a presentation at HSBC Bank.

And they have been so fantastic! I am really lucky to have been able to have this opportunity to work here with such down to earth, welcoming people!
-If I had the chance, I would stay here instead of going back to school!

Top Testimonial

This just in from Louise Collins at Booja Booja; producers of fantastic chocolate and ice-cream.

'We’re delighted with the beautiful website designed and built for us by GGS. It’s been great to work with a local company who took the time and trouble to get to know us and our brand and worked closely with us to bring our ideas to life. It was also a real bonus that they were able to do all the photography for the site too, providing us with beautiful, stylish photographs that were incorporated perfectly into our site design. The GGS team are friendly, helpful and professional and we have no hesitation recommending them and their photographic and web design services.'

It was great working with the Booja Booja team too. If only all of our clients were so nice!

Thanks Louise!

Road to Recovery

So... The Sunday Times (clever old thing) sees the Creative Industries as an 'Engine of Growth'. Quite right. And as leaders in supplying creative visual media services we are ideally placed to help your business on the Road to Recovery.

Along with enjoying other recent feel-good events such as The Royal Wedding and Norwich going up to the Premiership we have also experienced a surge in activity this year.

Remember, 'Nothing succeeds like - no... not a budgie - SUCCESS'; so why not jump on our Success Bandwagon and call us now for a quick chat about how we can help you.

01603 622500
enquire@ggs.co.uk

Now that's a lot of Patisserie!

I'm sure it's nothing to do with GGS's top quality service, photography, packaging design, exhibition stand design and building prowess, and really all to do with the product (ahem!); but as a result of Indulgence Patisserie - one of our major and most esteemed clients - exhibiting at the International Food Exhibition last month at ExCeL they are currently preparing for a presentation to Tesco, Waitrose are stocking their excellent Rocky Road Pie and they have taken an order for 48 pallettes of product.

Someone, somewhere has definitely got taste!

A recipe for Fabulous Food Photography

We thought a few more people ought to know about our skills and facilities when it comes to food photography; so Peter and Michelle have produced a handy little booklet which you might like to have a look at.



It shows what beautiful lighting, careful preparation and exquisite finishing can do to enhance your product and make it stand out from the competition.

Never forget; the first bite is with the eye. So if you are producing fabulous food which you want people to know about, then let them see it - with a fabulous photo.

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My Final Day At GGS

Today was quite a sad day for me at GGS having to say goodbye to people who have made me feel so welcome in the time I have spent bugging them. Today began with continuing with research I had started yesterday for Emily which took up the majority of the day. I then spent some time with Keith, where we discussed various website projects he has going on, (Booja Booja , Greenland Houchen & Pomeroy and City of Norwich School).

We also received a great response from David Brodie (resource manager at CNS) about the website he got to view yesterday alongside the rest of the designated authoring team. He loved what he saw and emailed his thoughts -
" ...there was quite a buzz from the group (who had not already seen the site). I personally couldn’t believe how easy the CMS is to use and I had a play with the (governors) pages last night – no problem! ... "

So a great response to a great week. Thank you GGS for letting me spend a week with you all and putting up with me. Its been such a valuable experience . Many thanks to you all.

Robyn`s Daily Update - Nearing the end

This morning I met Rob, who does GGS's Website coding, for the first time as we left for our nine o`clock meeting with CNS. The meeting involved us handing over the website to the designated authoring team so they could replace the dummy content as well as showing many members of the team the site for the first time. After discussing the new and improved site facilities we went on to discuss the site's administration via a Content Management System which was simple and easy to use and which they were delighted with. The meeting went well and was a pleasure to observe.



The rest of the day was made up of spending some time with Peter and Andrew observing how you quote for a job, I also got to have a sneak preview of a mock up of 'Peter Griffin's Cook Book'. Then after a quick break and some general office duties I began doing some research for Emily.

Robyn`s Daily Update - Day 3

Today looked promising with the knowledge that today's weather was going to be one of the better days this week, i.e. there would be no rain, so we had hoped to go on location with Peter. Unfortunately due to heavy cloud and a dull day we could not so instead I spent the majority of the day observing. I spent sometime with Keith learning about two websites he`s in the process of finishing and will shortly be going live which is all rather exciting. Then I spent the day bugging Paul, where I learnt about various current projects he has going on and teaching me about the software he uses for developing his exhibition stand designs. I continued to crowd Michelle whilst she worked on 'Peter Griffin's Cook Book' (more on this later - Ed.) which will be out soon and will be be used to promote the company's photography service (there is more to photography than click a button you know?). Today I also got to observe work Michelle had showed me the previous day be sent to print which was very exciting seeing it all come together. Yet again another great day at GGS!

Robyn's Daily Update - 2

Today is my second day of work experience at GGS and apart from the maze of locked and unlocked doors I`m feeling rather confident.

This morning I mostly hassled Michelle. She told me about previous work she had done for CNS and showed me the initial ideas for the school prospectuses plus the finished products, all of which were done in-house: photography, print management and artwork. She also showed me some work she had done for Booja Booja Chocolates which I found very interesting as I have recently done a project where I created my own site. I even got to have a little taste (which I can only describe as a mini chocolate dessert which melts in your mouth). I`ve also been observing Keith as he redevelops and redesigns top solicitors, Greenland Houchen Pomeroy's website



and I have to say it`s looking good!

After a short break I`m back to work and writing this...

Work Experience

Hello, my name is Robyn Sheedy and I`m currently on work experience here at GGS. I`m a student at City College Norwich studying a media production diploma which I`m nearing the end of within a couple of months . Which is a scary thought that I'm a few months away from being let loose in the big wide world. After finishing my diploma I hope to gain work in the industry, and therefore hoped for a small taster in my work experience.

I found GGS by going past the building one day and then decided to find out more and discovered they covered a range of creative products and services,
which I thought would be great (still not proven wrong) especially since I had no hands-on experience and wanted as much knowledge of different areas as possible.

My first day began on Monday 14th of February which as you may know (unless you are Chris) is Valentine`s Day. So putting cards and gifts on hold at home I made my way in. Feeling nervous but mostly excited to finally get my teeth into some experience in the industry which I have longed to be in. I was introduced to the team at a regular Monday morning meeting which was followed by a tour of the building and list of health and safety checks. My first impression was that everyone seemed very friendly and welcoming. Remembering every ones names, however, would be a challenge. My first day was mostly spent on location with Chris taking photographs of a house which when finished the final images would be featured on an estate agent`s brochure/website. With the weather not looking so promising and with the sun popping out we decided to grab our chance at photographing the outside before photographing the interior. Here I learnt about the nature of a small photo shoot and what precautions to take and what to avoid. This was an interesting insight into on-location photography as we did not take the usual lighting equipment and used what was available to us by reflecting light. Later on I observed Chris as he adjusted the images to get the best final product and how working from RAW files is sometimes much more beneficial. On Monday I also spent some time with Paul and Keith learning about an Exhibition stand and rebranding project as well as learning about the different benefits of types of printing and colour variations between the overwhelming sized
printers and inks. I also spent a short time with Michelle catching her when she had a moment to herself taking a break from all her hard work.
She gave me an insight into relationships with clients and how much time goes into calls, emails, brainstorming and initial ideas.

Now the hard bit`s over I`m looking forward to the rest of the week.

Indulgence overload

Just relieved the freezer of one of Indulgence's Chocolate and Praline Tortes for a hastily snatched morning break. Scrummy!



The two day shoot is over and there are one or two items languishing in the GGSHQ food studio - I say one or two; thirty two to be precise! Not sure how long it is going to take for us to finish them off. Let's see... One per person per day... That's about 3 days I reckon.

Happy days!

Overindulgence

Mr and Mrs Creosote and the Creosote kids will shortly be in residence if we don't do something soon to stop ourselves eating all the fantastic and dangerously irresistible patisserie which we are photographing for Essex's finest producers of such things, Indulgence Patisserie Ltd

Their range includes cheesecakes, gateaux and err... bavarois... I might have to just look that one up... but whatever you call them, they are DELICIOUS and very more-ish. Just have a look at some beautiful pics from the last shoot we did which are towards the end of the food photography section of our website.

I'm not sure if Monday's health check would have been quite so positive if it were to be tomorrow instead!

A severe case of overIndulgence if you ask me.

GGS in Hospital

Spotted this in last Friday's EDP.
A report on the redevelopment of the Cromer Hospital carried a photo of the final touches being applied which included the fitting of 61 graphic ceiling tiles running through the centre of the kidney dialysis ward. The tiles, which were produced using laminated self-adhesive vinyl, were commissioned by Emma Jarvis of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital's 'Hospital Arts' project which secures funding for art in various forms all over the hospital to brighten up the wards and consulting rooms.
It has been proven that being in a pleasant and bright environment speeds up recovery and promotes feeling of comfort and wellbeing; and Emma's sterling efforts have brightened up large areas of the hospital - with the help of expert advice and service from GGS of course! ;-)
Keep up the good work Emma!

Cough please...

All staff over 40 had a free Cardiovascular Health check today (we had to pay for the youngsters), courtesy of Timber Hill Health Centre and organised by the Chamber of Commerce as part of their Healthy Workplace initiative. http://www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/Pages/cvd-checks.aspx

Looks like we are a fairly fit bunch overall with no-one having a BMI that took them into the 'lardy', sorry...'overweight' category. Well; not that they were admitting, anyway. We all had a lower than average chance of Cardio Vascular Disease and on the whole cholesterol levels were pretty well low to average, so there's a good chance that if you ring to speak to one of us we'll still be here. For a while, at least.

Anyhoo, I'm just going to finish these Danish Pastries then it's off to the gym!!

Ranking up

After last year's debacle at the Annual Chamber of Commerce Bowling Competition (see last year's blog http://ggsnewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/oh-ignominy.html) Team GGS were determined to improve their ranking. Not difficult, you would imagine, if you knew that we came 20th out of 20 (not sure of the exact numbers, but it was something like that). We had a great time though, did a bit of socializing, eating and drinking and a lot of saying things like, "it's not the winning that's important: it's the taking part", etc.

So, this year, after doing lots of training during the last 12 months, we were confident that we could improve our position (I may have lied a bit about the training) and hold our heads high, safe in the knowledge that some other unfortunates would be receiving the 'Losers' certificates.

Anyway, after a shaky start the Strikes and Spares started to rack up and at the end of the evening when the placings were announced we were no longer 20th... weren't even even down in the high teens. In fact we had moved out of the double figures and into the singles...we were 7th! Yes... 7th! Hoorah!! Quite a step up I'm sure you would agree.

Unfortunately the event wasn't quite as well attended as it was last year; but if anyone tries to tell you there were only 7 teams participating THEY WERE LYING... OK!!!

It's Official - We're No.1!

Heard some drilling and banging going on at the front of the building the other day. 'What could that be?', I thought. Curiosity got the better of me and further investigation revealed that what I have always known to be a fact - that GGS are NUMBER ONE - has been confirmed, verified and broadcast to the world at large by a man who was attaching a big blue sign, with a solitary number 1 in the middle of it, to the front of our building.
By some remarkable coincidence it turns out that 'One' is also the number of our premises within the Business Park. Spooky!!