An insight into the world of PR brings interesting seminar series to a close

Maria McCann of McCann PR and Larne Times editor Valerie Martin gave an insight into the world of public relations and how negative and positive publicity can affect a business and its reputation.

The business seminar series was organised through Larne Development Forum and supported by Larne Borough Council and LEDCOM so the events could be presented at no cost to the participants.

Starting back in September, the series included 10 events, taking on a variety of interesting and stimulating business topics.

Richard Ramsey, senior economist with the Ulster Bank, began the series with a look at where the global, national and local economies are heading and how this will impact on local business.

Joanne Best and Susan Gardiner of Invest NI were speakers for the October seminar, looking at how to get the right people for the right jobs, while in November, Richard Collett encouraged local businesses on how to stand out from their competitors through smart and cost-effective marketing.

In January, Philip Bain examined how to grow a business during a recession, and in February, the HMRC Business Support Team took a closer look at making tax, VAT and capital allowances work for the business sector.

In March, Nicholas Martin of the Invest NI e-commerce team put how the internet can maximise new markets for local businesses on the agenda, and the following month, the topic was credit control, debt recovery and insolvency.

In May, accountant Raymond Robinson and Mark O’Brien from the Bank of Ireland spoke on how to deal effectively with banks.