To add a little sparkle and glamour, we asked Liverpool’s Ms Rent-A-Crowd, Holly Wood, to work her magic. And marketing legend, Drayton Bird, author of many of the world’s most respected books on the topic of direct marketing has been persuaded to pop in. “15 Ways To Beat The Recession In 15 Minutes” is the title of a short talk he’ll be delivering.

More than 70 delegates already confirmed (scroll down for list of just some of those already attending).

Although anyone who has been to Holly’s events knows that they meet some great contacts, we did have a particular challenge.

Going to an office packed with IT geeks isn’t the done thing for a networking event. So we needed Holly’s special twist.

You may not believe that’s her real name. And of course anyone with a name like that would also have Valentine’s Day as their birthday. But she does exist, and here she is…

So she asked us to get out of our comfort zone, throw off our shackles of geekiness, hit pause on our techno-speak and become socially acceptable animals for one night only.

Firstly we decided to do something very dangerous for an IT support company - invite our clients AND mix them with people who aren’t. So warts and all, people will find out if we are any good.

And we had our arms twisted up our back to give something away. You see the last person you want to meet at a networking party, is an IT geek splurting out a load of nonsense about bits and bytes, IP addresses and DMZ firewalls.

EXCEPT that is when you have an IT problem you want fixing. So everyone who attends that hasn’t used our services before can take away 30 days free IT support. Chuck as many computer problems as you have at us for a month, and we’ll send an engineer, or via the magic of the Internet, remotely fix it.

The next request made us giggle a little bit. Holly insisted we don’t come up with some huge sales pitch or accost people. Huh? We’re IT people. We don’t know how to sell. When we’re in jargon-mode, people’s eyes glaze over, or within seconds they slump to the floor asleep.

But she did persude us to come up with a very brief talk, with nothing technical. We came up with:

“How you can avoid having IT geeks cluttering up your office and boring you silly at the water cooler or even worse engaging you in dull technical conversations”

Apart From The Business You May Get And Contacts You’ll Make…

…it is an office warming party. And although, we are useless at selling, won’t pitch anyone, us geeks don’t mind being approached if you do want to become a client.

Regardless though, there is one golden rule. BRING LOTS OF BUSINESS CARDS.

This event is about you making contacts. And with Ms Wood and our own team on hand, we’ll make sure you are hooked up for a chat with people who could become a good contact, or you never know, a good client.

The best way to get on the guest list is to act now.

Email saying “Count me in” to support@surefixit.co.uk.

* That’s 17th March, 6PM, Charleston House, Rumford Place, Liverpool, L3 9DG

Here’s just a few of the businesses and organisations who have confirmed guests:

Acro Services
ACS Recruitment
Adiuvex
Aintree Racecourse
All Words
Allerton Homes Inspectors
Amanda Wright Recruitment
Andy Bounds Ltd
Andy Melia Copywriter
Ashtenne Space Northwest
A-Z Rooms
BA Solutions Ltd
Bosch Communications Services
Bruntwood Estates
Burd Ward Solicitors
Business Re-investment Lanc
Chadwicks LLP
Coethica
Constructive Thinking
Coulter Hurst
Craft Tailoring
DE Consultancy Ltd
DLA Piper
Document Direct
Downtown Liverpool In Business
Drayton Bird Partnership
EAD Solicitors
Eco Environments Ltd
Essential Recruitment
Everton FC
Expert Languages
Fantastic Media
Freedom Coaching
Giacom
Greenspot Communications
Gregory Abrams Davidson Solicitors
Groovy Dynamic
Hamilton Burke Defau
Hill Dickinson
HIT Search Ltd
HJ Walker Sibia
Incisive Marketing
International Coaching Academy
Iridium 8
JAC Coaching
James Rae Communication
Kenyon Fraser
Keppie Massie
Knowsley Community College
Liverpool CDP
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool Museums & Galleries
Lola Bodansky Design Consultants
Manchester Law Society
McFarlanes
Morecrofts
Mosquito Inc
My Networking PA
Neurosupport
No Name Kitchens
North West Business Finance
Nugent Care
Obsidian Group
O’Connors LLP
October Communications
Ology
OSS Security
Oval Group
Owl Event Management
Paver Smith
PH Creative
Photoflex Studios
PKF Accountants
Powell Financial Management
Pulse Agency
Redwood Press
Rensburgs Sheppard Investments
Royal National Lifeboat Institure
Secure Digital
Shore Capital
Sightsee Liverpool
Simply Recruiting
Snow Ltd
So Protect Me
SOSO Club
Sparks
Susan Wallace (Copywriter)
Team UK
Technology2 Ltd
Tracey Bell Ltd
Unite Technologies
Urban Space
Vertigo Information Services
Web Revolve
WIRED

You now get an even faster service. Following a little experimentation with our internal logisitics, you can now get our focus on hitting an average fix time of less than an hour for all IT incidents reported.

Monday 26th January was our first day tackling this target, and we managed to sign off 78% of all jobs within 1 hour, with an average fix time for all jobs of 53 minutes.

Today, the 27th January, we’re really getting into the swing of things, clocking an impressive 100% sign-off within the hour and an average fix time of 21 minutes!

Well done to the entire team!

Feel as though you have good IT skills, are a good people-person?

Ever felt “If I was given the chance, I could do so much better than those idiots!”

Well now, is possibly your chance.

We need people who feel comfortable outside of their comfort zone. The sort of person who gulps a little bit, but has a go anyway at trying something new.

You see this is a unique position. You will initially be involved in the cut and thrust of our core business. But simultaneously be groomed to manage and lead a completely new function.

You will need to be able to organise and manage some talented, but disorganised people. And then demonstrate those skills in hiring members of your new function and managing them.

Our company has gone from 4 to 15 staff in less than a year. We are thriving BECAUSE of the credit crunch rather than despite it.

And because our services are needed in good times and bad, you will have a rosey future if you’re the sort of person who can thrive on new challenges - and in fact give yourself new challenges.

In the first instance, please send your CV to info@multisolutions.co.uk, and tell us a little about yourself.

Qualifications are really nice. In fact, they help fill some wall-space in a nice frame if you have them.

We are more interested in attitude, determination to build a rewarding career.

And an incredible tolerance of a fast-growing, vibrant environment, where everyone is busy and you need to not just roll your sleeves up, but spot gaps and fill them without being asked.

Up for it?

Average Fix Time: 59 minutes

Percentage of incidents signed off within 1 hour: 70%

Percentage of incidents signed off within 4 hours: 90%

Comments:

Back on target and a strong performance dipping under the 1 hour average level.

Average Fix Time: 78 minutes

Percentage of incidents signed off within 1 hour: 43%

Percentage of incidents signed off within 4 hours: 86%

Comments:

Another on target day.

Average Fix Time: 55 minutes

Percentage of incidents signed off within 1 hour: 67%

Percentage of incidents signed off within 4 hours: 100%

Comments:

Back on target after yesterday’s near-miss.

Average Fix Time: 125 minutes

Percentage of incidents signed off within 1 hour: 33%

Percentage of incidents signed off within 4 hours: 100%

Comments:

After 5 straight hits on the target, a narrow miss.

Average Fix Time: 112 minutes

Percentage of incidents signed off within 1 hour: 29%

Percentage of incidents signed off within 4 hours: 86%

Average Fix Time: 88 minutes

Percentage of incidents signed off within 1 hour: 67%

Percentage of incidents signed off within 4 hours: 83%

Comments:

Another low volume day, but some challenging issues.

Average Fix Time: 62 minutes

Percentage of incidents signed off within 1 hour: 67%

Percentage of incidents signed off within 4 hours: 100%

Comments:

Another quiet day.