Hello folks, Thank you to all who made it to the CS Inc's first AGM -- we appreciated you taking the time. We'll post the pro tem Chair report (from Keith Cowan), pro tem Treasurer report (from Dann Olykan) and AGM minutes (kindly taken by Josie Lowe) on the CS Website shortly, but the general forward-looking gist was as follows:
* people found the workshops CSI has run over the past year to be helpful and practical * people are keen to continue to build on the "trust networks" in the future for both general business growth and to meet specific business opportunities * CSI has played a useful role in developing ties with government bodies to help act as a focal point for sector-driven initiatives To that end, the new official (!) committee would like y'all to suggest further ways we can work to make life easier for everyone. We've got the first committee meeting THIS FRIDAY (December 6th) and will be discussing ways we can spend our reasonably generous government funding to the practical benefit of CSI members. So let us know what you want! Some things to think about: (1) What workshops would you find useful to address any problems or issues you have? e.g. one on how to build consortium relationships or alliances to go after bigger business opportunities e.g. one on the do's and don'ts of tendering/RFP processes complete with stories of hard-won experience What else? We've got a year's worth of workshops to plan, so now is a good time to bring up any issues which are particularly problematic for you or where you think it would be handy hearing how other folk have fared. (2) Should we run a regular session where, say, half a dozen members get to showcase their wares? e.g. You get five minutes to present a spiel about yourself/your company to let others know what you do (so we can know who to recommend if asked about particular products/services); you get to practice presentation skills and get feedback on that area (if you want it!); we all get to know each other better; you get to expand your tech directory listing with any related powerpoint presentation you have as a result The BBQs are great for informal contacts, but this would help ensure that we get the chance to learn who does what in a more formal sense, and build up those "trust networks". (3) Had a chance to think about what we can lobby for to help build the software industry into the powerhouse it has the potential to be? Check out the ICT Taskforce page on the CS Inc site: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/ICTTaskforce.htm And in case I forgot to mention it, Dann is still taking memberships at just $50 (see http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/join.htm :-).... Cheers, Vicki Hyde ====================================================== SPIS Ltd, Box 19-760, Christchurch, NZ http://.spis.co.nz * FREE TurboNote+ sticky note trial: http://TurboNote.com --> via Canterbury Software email forum: Success through Connections Email your messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Searchable list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] Leave or rejoin the list: http://canterburysoftware.org.nz/forum.htm
