The event is designed to meet the needs of people who understand how to use the free and open source blogging tool WordPress, but who would benefit from guidance and practical examples through a participative session, to help them make the most of the way they present themselves online.

Title: “Getting Business Online From Your Personality”

Speakers: Adrian Bamford, director of a musical instrument retail business, Neath Music; Deenna Barton, owner of Deenna Boutique in Neath, selling high quality ladies fashion; and Juliet Fay, a farm-based writer and teacher, who helps rural businesses with digital content.

Date: Thursday, June 20, 2013

Time: 5pm registration, 5.30pm – 7.30pm talks and workshop, followed by a networking buffet

Venue: The Village Hotel, Langdon Road (Off Fabian Way), SA1 Waterfront, Swansea

Registration: Email: info@softwarealliancewales.com, or call Software Alliance Wales on 01792 295881. Follow on Twitter @SAW_HQ.

Event summary: Once WordPress is understood and a website is created, SMEs face another challenge. How do you convey your personality and that of your business to your customers through online content?

In this highly participative session, SMEs who are doing this through a variety of means will describe their approaches.

And all attending will get to identify content which captures and conveys what makes them tick – uniquely.

Speaker information:

Adrian Bamford is the director of a musical instrument retail business, Neath Music, and an experienced musician. He has worked all over the world as a professional live sound engineer, and has 20 years of experience in configuring large-scale professional sound systems.

Like most SME owners, he has had to acquired myriad skills; from administrating VAT through networking PCs to appealing against an increase in business rates. He is a many-times published technical journalist, a qualified further education lecturer, and holds recognised teacher status at the University of South Wales (formed by the recent merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport). He is currently studying towards an MSc in Leadership and Management Practice at the University of South Wales.

Deenna Barton runs Deenna Boutique in Neath, with her mum, Janice, selling high quality ladies fashion. But she offers her customers much more than a retail exchange, using her shop as a base for colour and style workshops and advice, and using video, online competitions and newsletters to build connection.

In March 2012, Deenna opened an online store pledging ‘We will work our socks off to make sure that you receive the same level of service as you would if you had visited us in- store’, and her customers now come from all over the UK.

A founder of Neath Business Consortium to help with town regeneration, Deenna is married to Simon, and mum to young Rhys. Like many of her customers, she is a busy working mum, active in her community, and this is what she reflects in her pioneering use of social media.

Juliet Fay, a farm-based writer and teacher, helps rural businesses with digital content. She uses her Wordpress site to host a library of articles on topics like email marketing, to compliment her offline teaching. Married on a mountain in Papua New Guinea 20 years ago, now mother of three, living on a small farm in north Carmarthenshire, Juliet says she has always been a bit unorthodox.

She’ll share how she uses life on the farm, past mistakes and her fledgling drawing skills to add personality to her content. Her new blog http://smallfarmfuture.wordpress.com has led to interesting challenges, managing multiple personalities online!