Events

Business must focus not just on growth but on sustainability and survival. We will deliver among other items a guide to the 8 Steps to Survivability.

Government and economic changes are a constant, however growth for the economy is still on the cards, this could be a year for economic recovery, but for now, the evidence about the Scottish economy points more to uncertainty, fueled by business concerns about recruitment and cost of employees, “extreme cost pressures” and inflation. Therefore, business must focus not just on growth but on sustainability and survival. W e will deliver among other items a guide to the 8 Steps to Sustainability.

Learning objectives

This session will:

• To understand “why are we here”.
• What does it take to survive in today’s business climate.
• Understand the key tasks every business manager needs to manage to tackle the cost of doing business.
• Have “walked through” a series of pragmatic Top Tips on how to address challenges faced.
• Ways to develop and grow, and avoid the survival trap.

Looking at many aspects from what could help drive business survival through to installing greater efficiency and effectiveness. Considerations of how improving productivity can be a real move towards survivability.

To book a place, click here.

Search has changed – but most small businesses are still following outdated advice.

This practical, strategic session explains how customers are searching today across Google, Bing and AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini. It clarifies what actually influences visibility now, where businesses are wasting time, and which actions genuinely move the needle.

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of:

• How search behaviour has evolved.
• The difference between being indexed, visible and recommended.
• The most common visibility mistakes.
• The priority areas to focus on over the next 6-12 months.
• What to stop doing in order to reduce overwhelm.

This session provides clarity and direction – the essential first step before going deeper into how modern search works behind the scenes.

To book a place, click here.

This session will help you to understand the important steps required to plan for the launch of your new business.

This session will help you to understand the important steps required to plan for the launch of your new business. It will help you to identify the requirements of your potential customers, the research that will carry out, and the resources you will need to get your business launched.

Launching a new business requires a deep understanding of who your customers will be, and why they would buy from you. To help you increase your potential for success, we’ll help you to understand how to research your market, assess your competitors and develop a compelling marketing plan. We’ll also cover key decisions, and essential steps needed to take to plan for success.

We will cover:

• The importance of fully understanding your target market.
• The need to identify your potential customers and their needs/desires.
• How to assess your competitors, and find ways to be different.
• The role of marketing in a successful business.
• An introduction to the main business formats.
• A basic overview of key tools to manage your business finance.
• The importance of understanding how much funding you’ll require to get started.
• Why a viable plan is essential, and how you can start planning.

Workshop outcomes

After this training session, you will understand the information that you’ll need to find out to launch your unique new business,  and then the next steps to take to plan ahead.

To book a place, click here.

What can I claim? This short course will walk you through a number of the main expenses that are claimable.

What can i claim? This short course will walk you through a number of the main expenses that are claimable.

To book a place, click here.

Most SMEs are just doing the basics when it comes to really getting value from tools like ChatGPT and Claude. This workshop will show you how to up your AI game, and deliver real business impact.

Learn advanced techniques that transform how you use ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools – from prompting them properly to getting them to catch their own mistakes. We’ll compare the main players, explore safety and security, personalise your LLMs to match your style, and show you how to use Projects and Skills to better organise your work. Walk away with real automation workflows you can implement in your business straight away, from simple AI scheduled tasks to the advanced agentic capabilities of Claude CoWork. Join this workshop if you’re ready to move beyond dabbling into reliable LLM workflows.

To book a place, click here.

You find tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Search Console overwhelming, confusing, or simply too time consuming to understand. This practical 2-hour session is designed to change that.

During this session, we’ll explore the most useful reports inside GA4 and Google Search Console showing you how to identify where your visitors come from, which pages are attracting attention, how people move through your website, and where potential customers may be dropping off.

You’ll also learn how to use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini to analyse your data, spot patterns, identify quick wins, and turn raw numbers into practical actions you can take immediately.

Finally, we’ll look at how search is changing in 2026. including AI-powered search engines, AI agents, featured results, and what businesses need to do to remain visible as traditional search behaviour evolves.

By the end of this session, you’ll understand:

• Which website metrics actually matter and which can be ignored.
• How to identify opportunities using Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console.
• The difference between branded and non-branded visibility and why it matters.
• How to uncover pages that could generate more traffic, enquiries or sales.
• How to use AI to analyse your data and prioritise actions.
• What AI search, AI agents, and changing search results mean for your business.
• The practical steps you can take next to improve your digital visibility.

All attendees will receive a collection of AI prompts that can be used with their own website data after the webinar.

To book a place, click here.

Harness the power of TikTok for your business and learn practical techniques to create engaging content and grow your audience.

TikTok isn’t just for dance trends and lip-synching videos: it offers a fantastic opportunity to engage with your customers and increase your business’s online reach. In this hands-on workshop, learn how to create bite-size video content for more effective business communication on one of the most popular social platforms.

We will cover:

• How to optimize your TikTok account for the best results with video.
• How to discover and leverage the latest trends on TikTok.
• Ideas for creating content that entertains, inspires, or educates your audience, with plenty of examples given.
• How to increase engagement and reach by focusing on structure, duration, titles, and understanding the algorithm.
• The best equipment, apps, and workflow to create bitesize vertical videos for TikTok.

Join us for this interactive workshop and leave with practical skills and knowledge to boost your business’s presence on TikTok.

To book a place, click here.

This workshop goes beyond the basics of Canva and explores how to boost your creativity and productivity with clever AI-powered features.

In this workshop, we’ll explore the powerful tools that Canva offers to help you save time and be more creative when marketing your business. We’ll look at Canva’s AI-powered “Magic” tools when you want to promote what you offer and dive into its advanced features.

By the end of this workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Make your designs even more creative and engaging using the Canva editor’s advanced features.
• Use Canva Magic to create custom-generated images and edit your photos with tools like background remover, magic eraser, magic edit and more.
• Understand how to expand what you can do with Canva using their huge range of apps.
• Use clever content strategies to boost your marketing effectiveness.
• Easily create, present and record engaging presentations.
• Create landing pages and basic websites with Canva Sites.
• Create next-level digital reports and documents with Canva Docs and Charts.
• Save time in Canva with shortcuts, hacks and integrations.

Please make sure you are already signed up for the free version of Canva before you book your place. To leverage Canva’s AI features, you will need a Canva Pro account.

To book a place, click here.

Do you find networking daunting? This interactive workshop will give you the confidence to start meaningful conversations and make networking feel much more natural.

Do you find networking daunting? Unsure how to start a conversation or talk confidently about your business? This interactive workshop will help you create a captivating networking pitch tailored to your business, giving you the confidence to start meaningful conversations and make networking feel much more natural.

To book a place, click here.

An opportunity for new & existing Ayrshire businesses to meet with Business Gateway & each other.

Join us for an in-person networking event! You’ll hear from our advisers, be surrounded by local business owners and our teams will be on hand to offer advice or answer any questions.

Meet, connect, and collaborate with fellow business owners, meet our business advisers, and book a free 1-2-1 surgery session with an adviser, tailored to YOUR business.

Bring your business cards! There will be the opportunity to introduce your business and take part in a 1-minute speed pitch!

There will be complimentary refreshments for you to enjoy as you network.

To book a place, click here.

Whether you’re completely new to podcasting and unsure whether it’s right for your business, or you’re already podcasting and looking to move things up a gear, here’s your chance to learn!

We will cover:

• Why podcast? What can it do for your business?
• Recommended equipment and technical set up for every budget.
• Case studies and examples of successful podcasts.
• Develop topics and ideas for your podcast.
• Monetise your podcast.
• Plan, record, edit, publish and promote your podcast.
• Access to step by step audio editing tutorial videos.
• Your questions answered.

To book a place, click here.