Business Networking

I try to attend as many local networking events as I can fit in the schedule. One that has worked particularly well for me is called Business Over Breakfast (BoB Clubs).

We meet every other week on a Thursday morning for breakfast and a catch-up. As part of the agenda we pitch our businesses to the group and describe the customers we're looking for. As you get to know the other members and understand their businesses you start to look out for potential customers for them - whilst they do the same for you. The meetings are good fun and it's great for business. The sales it has generated for me have been worth more than 10 times the cost of being a member! I thoroughly recommend it to other business owners.

http://www.bobclubs.com/Club/Kingston-upon-Thames

Happy Holidays

Photographer of the Year

Delighted to have won Barrett & Coe's Photographer of the Year competition.

Barrett & Coe photographers enter their best images into a monthly competition (judged by David MacDonald FBIPP FMPA) and points are totalled up across the year.

The images above show some of my competition entries in 2011.

http://www.paulmilsom.co.uk/

http://www.barrettandcoeportraits.co.uk/

2011 Westminster Highlights

2011 was an incredible year for me in many ways, not least because of some of the massive events I covered in Westminster. I've been lucky enough to work for two organisations within The Palace of Westminster since covering a huge Africa seminar in 2005 (where I got to photograph Desmond TuTu). One of the things I enjoy about photographing these events is that you see a lot of eminent speakers.

The pictures above:

Annie Lennox, UN AIDS Ambassador addressing a delegation of Commonwealth MPs in Portcullis House;

Youth Parliamentarians from around the Commonwealth holding a very high quality debate about climate change in The House of Lords with the new Lord Speaker keeping order in one of her first official engagements;

The Lord Speaker with a group of Youth Parliamentarians in the very grand Speaker's Residence in the Palace of Westminster;

The Speaker of The House of Commons addressing the youth parliamentarians;

The PM speaking to the 57th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in London;

Princess Anne opening the 57th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in the 900 year old Westminster Hall - and with The Lord Speaker meeting delegates before the ceremony.

BIPP Panel

Baby of The Month Win

Congratulations to Charlie, pictured above, who wins our Baby of Month competition for June 2011. He will be entered into Baby of the Year, the winner of which gets £1000.

http://www.barrettandcoeportraits.co.uk/jun11winner.htm

Parliamentary Conference

I was the official photographer for the 57th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, hosted at Westminster. The conference was attended by MPs and officials from parliaments all around the Commonwealth. The delegation were addressed by many speakers including Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague. The conference was officially opened by Princess Anne in a ceremony at Westminster Hall.