Businesses across Lincoln and North Kesteven can ensure they are ready for superfast broadband thanks to a free to attend onlincolnshire event on making the most of the internet.

The awareness session at the Bentley Hotel and Spa in South Hykeham just south of Lincoln will inform businesses about the support being offered by onlincolnshire and will include taster sessions on how businesses can deal with change, developing a digital strategy and social media.

It will take place between 8.30am and 11.15am on Wednesday 21^st May. Delegates can then sign up for fully funded masterclasses which will look in depth at e-commerce and internet marketing, as well as social media surgeries on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook. One-to-one advice and support is also available through the project.

Cllr Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economic Development at Lincolnshire County Council which runs the project, said: “This is a chance for businesses to tap into expert advice on a range of online services, helping them to make the most of new technology and understand how it can help them prosper.

“We don’t use any techy jargon, so you don’t need to be an expert in IT to attend. We’d like to see as many businesses as possible take up this opportunity.”

Networking starts from 8.30am and includes a free breakfast. The event then runs until 11.15am. It is open to all businesses across Lincoln and North Kesteven and is part of a wider project of support across Lincolnshire and Rutland being run by onlincolnshire. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

To book your place on this free awareness session please call 0300 80 80 120 or email onlincolnshire@lincs-chamber.co.uk. Follow @onlincolnshire on Twitter and www.facebook.com/onlincolnshire to stay up to date with developments.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

About onlincolnshire

• onlincolnshire is a Lincolnshire County Council-run project which is part-funded by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013.
• In March 2013, the council signed a £48 million contract with BT to provide superfast broadband to at least 88% of county properties by 2016, with the remaining properties having access to at least of 2Mbps broadband. A further investment of £2.8 million was announced in February 2014 which has increased the number of properties to 89%.
• The contract with BT concentrates on an intervention area of over 150,000 premises where existing or planned commercial roll outs would not deliver superfast speeds.
• The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf
• Some internet users in rural Lincolnshire experience speeds of less than 1 Mbps. The UK’s average broadband speed is 12 Mbps, according to Ofcom.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Cerri Delaney
Shooting Star PR
cerri@weareshootingstar.co.uk
01522 528540
07985 143990
@CerriDelaney
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