This exciting acquisition will offer our clients a vastly enhanced service as the combined skills of the two highly respected agencies merge. Wood Holmes’ core strategy skills and innovation skills will complement the rigorous research skills that Explain are so well known for.

Tamsin Greulich, Managing Director for Wood Holmes said:

“We are delighted to be able to bring together these ambitious and talented agencies. Wood holmes has a global reputation for excellence in pioneering innovative new techniques with ethical foundations. The acquisition by Explain can only bring positive change and I have no doubt that our existing clients will be impressed by what we are able to offer with Explain.”

A full press release regarding the acquisition can be found here on the Explain website.

All inquiries should be directed to our new address.

Attendees were also given the opportunity to participate in discussions around the positives and negatives of Social Media, prior to a practical session where individual Social Media profiles were established. A key topic of learning was the implementation of ‘Privacy Settings’ relating to individuals profiles – ensuring participants understood the needs and benefits of the use of privacy settings.

“From the skills and knowledge I’ve gained on this course I will find out and get other peoples’ opinions when purchasing things or making decisions” – Social Media Training attendee

“I was very satisfied with the trainer, a very good relaxed, knowledgeable gentleman with very good teaching skills” - Social Media Training attendee

“The course was much better than I thought. Really interesting and very relevant and topical” – Social Media Training attendee

SNA is the methodological study and modelling of social networks and is an increasing powerful insight tool. We have applied this technique for clients in staff surveys, large ICT projects, community regeneration, social housing  and consumer market research projects.

SNA generates critical insights into how social networks and markets operate. These insights allow organisations to plan better interventions or market entry strategies.

For more information on the Framework or on SNA techniques please contact: jamesh@woodholmes.co.uk

Our presentation focussed on the future trends SME’s in Vietnam (and elsewhere) will be facing over the next few years. In particularly we focussed on the continuing disruptive  power of the internet, the need  for SME’s to understand the value of service systems and how supply chains across the world were being revolutionised by technology.

Alibaba.com itself is a global e-commerce platform for small businesses and the flagship company of Alibaba Group. Founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, Alibaba.com links millions of buyers and suppliers around the world to do business online mainly through three marketplaces: a global trade platform (www.alibaba.com) for importers and exporters; a Chinese platform (www.1688.com) for domestic trade in China; and a transaction-based wholesale platform on the global site (www.aliexpress.com) geared for smaller buyers seeking fast shipment of small quantities of goods.

Together, these marketplaces form a community of more than 79.7 million registered users in more than 240 countries and regions. In Vietnam, Alibaba has experienced rapid growth and this event was designed to inform their members of the further potential of the platform and of empowering nature of internet technologies for SME’s in emerging nations.

For more information on wood holmes future trends research service, keynote presentations or general innovation services please email: contact@woodholmes.com

For more information on NUS Institute of Systems Sciences please click here.

The project aims to help Nexus gain insights into how Metro customers feel about the impacts associated with closures and disruptions to service necessitated by system reinvigoration works. Some line closures and service disruptions are unavoidable if the Metro system is to be improved, but Nexus is committed to carrying out such works with minimal inconvenience to its customers wherever possible.

wood holmes will undertake street interviews and focus groups as well as an online survey in order to develop an improved understanding of customer attitudes towards such activities. Social media will be used to drive customer engagement in the research, in addition to traditional techniques. The outcomes of the research will inform Nexus’ planning for any future works, as they seek to continually improve the Metro service for passengers across Tyne and Wear.

For further information about this project please contact Andrew Hutchinson, Project Manager:  andrewh@woodholmes.co.uk

A key component of this work is our long established full service market & social research capability which offers stand-alone research solutions, and supports our larger projects. This service delivers insights to help understand context, consumer behaviour, size business opportunities, refine designs and support market introductions.

We believe this practice has scope to grow further and we are searching for someone who has in-depth experience in quantitative and qualitative insight methods to help us achieve this growth. They should have a hunger to design new approaches to make current market research practice more innovative, and to develop new ones.

Most importantly in this role, they will have a proven track record in winning and delivering new client work, growing a market research practice and a desire to continue to build this further.

Full details of the job and how to apply can be found here.

Cities around the world are at the heart of the challenges of tomorrow: public safety, health, education, quality of life, mobility, communication, water, environment, energy, sustainable development. Policy makers and political leaders are faced with the question of how to integrate and manage these multiple and interdependent needs, functions and infrastructures that determine the attractiveness of a city or a territory.

The convergence of the latest technologies in the urban environment has brought about the concept of the “Smart City” . This convergence provides opportunities for innovation  not just in technology, but also societal or environmental innovation.

Stuart will discussing how policy makers engaged in the smart debate must remember to engage citizens in the rush to embrace technology.  How they need to recognise the human impact of these technologies and understand how this convergence will fundamentally challenge how urban areas function in the future.

The Innovative City Convention has been established as the place for professionals involved in the  smart city debates  to share and develop their visions.  The Convention consists of :

• A market place of around sixty exhibitors who will present their latest technologies and solutions
• Fifteen conference session led by international speakers to discuss, to inform and to propose new ways forward
• Pitch & demo sessions to share best practices and give demonstrations

For more information on the convention, check out the official website here.

For more information on wood holmes services for Smart Cities please email: contact@woodholmes.co.uk or check out our SmartCityThinking blog.

We had a great time and thanks for the positive feedback. Special credit should go the organisers of the event Justin Souter and Ross Cooney. In addition, big round of applause to all of the excellent speakers who showed some amazing work. Last, but not least, we need to thank our hosts for the evening Newcastle University Culture Lab.

For anybody who wants to know more about our data visualisation work, ‘big data’ projects or generally why we do stuff this way and not that way then please contact us through one of the channels on here!!

The project is designed to provide Isos with valuable insight into customer satisfaction levels amongst their 12,000 householders living in Northern England. In line with HouseMark STAR (Survey of Tenants and Residents) guidelines, wood holmes will engage with a substantial cross-section of tenants and leaseholders living in Isos homes across the entire Isos stock, covering areas from Berwick to Stockton in the North East and across to Cumbria in the North West.

Approximately 10,000 Isos residents will be invited to provide their feedback via freepost forms, telephone interviews or online submissions. Smartphone users also have the opportunity to contribute their views via a dedicated project QR code. For those wishing to discuss the survey, support is available in the form of a freephone helpline and email address.

The survey will begin in May 2012 and is expected to be completed by June 2012. For more information on the project contact James Hudson.

Shane Mitchell, Program Manager of Cisco’s Urban Innovation practice, will deliver the keynote address, examining the green digital opportunities for SMEs with a focus on environmental sensing, social innovation and smart cities.

This event will interest established green and digital enterprises from across the North East of England, as well as businesses on the verge of establishment. A business networking session will provide the chance to connect with potential commercial partners and suppliers, while Operation Green staff will be on hand to advise on funding opportunities for green businesses.

The Operation Green is delivered in partnership by South Tyneside Council, TEDCO, and woodholmes. The programme offers funding to green businesses establishing themselves within the Borough of South Tyneside.