It's Accreditiation Time again!

Well it is that time of the year again where you should think about applying for the ideasUK Accreditation.

Last year we had four organisations who ac hived the Platinum Level - Bupa, Identity and Passport Service, HSBC and Ricoh. Already this year we have organisations who have applied and these will be assessed in the next few weeks.

Once again for 2009 we will presenting the Accreditation awards at our Gala Awards Dinner on the 12th November 2009.

So what do you have to do to get your programme Accredited?

Well first take a look at the ideasUK toolbox within the members room of the website, within section 7 you will find the areas that we look during the assessment.

Our aim is to keep it simple and give your organisation a good chance of getting to the Bronze or Silver stage. Moving to Gold and Platinum will be more challenging.

What are the benefits of Accreditation?

It may look like an organisation is doing many things right. But they may be doing the wrong things. By visiting our membership we are able to see that you are doing the right things, as well as providing assistance and guidance in improving your scheme further.

Accreditation is also a validation of the programme managers skills, there are times when it is difficult to quantify what you as a manger are doing within the scheme. Gaining Accreditation from ideasUK gives you an external validation of what you are doing and also can give you some tips and techniques to ensure your programme is running the best it can.

So are there any costs?

There is a small cost to your organisation for the Accreditation, please contact us for more details.

Another great blog for you to have a look at!

One of our sponsors for the Idea of the Year award is Institiute of Management Services, while having a little look around thier great site earlier (http://www.ims-productivity.com/) I noticed they have thier own blog which covers all aspects of increasing productivity within organisations.

Take a look at http://blogprod.blogspot.com/ there are some great posts there and some good tips and techniques that you can use within your organisation.

Why not give us some feedback?

We know that we have some regular readers of this blog and would welcome some feedback and ideas on what topics you would like us to cover in the future.

So, please don't be shy, just click on the button below the posts to leave us a comment!

ideasUK Conference 2009

How can you justify coming to a conference like this?

The answer is in two short words, Value and Experience.

Ask your HR people for some examples of external conferences and compare the costs. You will find that ours are second to none for value. It is all done in-house with a keen eye on costs. On your behalf, your Association works closely with a great team at the venue to produce a most cost efficient package.

The whole time from arrival to departure is planned out and even the ‘off duty’ time contributes to the learning & networking aim of the conference. It’s a complete & fully rounded event that gives you value in bulk! Development training doesn’t come any better!

The experience aspect comes at you from all angles. Reflecting ideasUK’s core strategy of being a true member organisation, all those putting the event together are experienced suggestion scheme professionals, so the content reflects the needs of both the organisers and attendees. In addition each year we take on board the changes suggested by our delegates.

What you see is what you get! Two full days of training, insights, networking and a reaffirmation of the core practices used by suggestion scheme / ideas management professionals. Operating in parallel to the conference sessions is the final judging of the Idea of the Year competition, creating opportunities for recognition at all levels.

The Conference & Competition come together on the final night with our prestigious Awards Dinner.

With twenty-two conferences behind us the accent over the years has been on continuous improvement, building on the success of successive years. As befitting an ‘International’ event we will again have speakers and delegates from at least half a dozen countries. Reflecting shrinking global communications, the two days gives unparalleled opportunities to discover how similar issues are worldwide and see the varied responses to them.

Outside of the formal sessions there is a great team to draw on for advice. Our Operations Manager, Anthony Denatale, myself and the Executive members and not forgetting other delegates are all available to discuss any and all issues with you.

Displays will show you what others are doing with their schemes (or let you show others!) and show you what’s current in the gift/reward arena. If you are in the need for new software there will be vendors available to demonstrate and, being amongst your peers you will
most importantly have the chance to talk first hand to users. Critical for most of us is the absence of our own internal support expertise on ideas & recognition management.

Externally as well this is not widely available, so it’s the advice and support of ideasUK, particularly with this event, which provides the greatest injection of new ideas and enthusiasm for your scheme.

Finally, don’t put attending off until next year. Keep that expertise and enthusiasm topped up! And if Chester is a city you have always fancied visiting (and certainly it is one of our nations most attractive) then do attend this year as, after a long and successful association with the venue, we are likely to be elsewhere in 2010.

I look forward to meeting you at Chester in November.

A brochure for the conference can be found here www.ideasuk.com/ideasuk-conferencesp.html