VisitBradford’s Post

I have such a wide taste in music. Like seriously, if we've never talked music, we should. This live performance by Black Sabbath from 1970 is so amazing. Thanks to Greg Dohler for bringing it up in conversation over lunch today. Greg's a great photographer and friend, and it was great to commiserate about this awesome performance. What does this have to do with business? Black Sabbath was panned by the critics of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rolling Stone said they were "Like Cream! But worse." But watch this film, and you'll see that from a performance point of view, they're amazing. They were operating on a different level and totally misunderstood by the prevailing opinions. Isn't that our dream as business owners? To press beyond, to be on the cutting edge of our industry? To innovate and grow? Final thought: if my dream as a business owner had a soundtrack, I'd definitely want Bill Ward playing the drums. Good gravy!

Good speakers deliver a performance. Great speakers create an experience. For me there are few things that beat the experience of a rugby day in Edinburgh. The whole city comes alive. You meet friends and family in bars and houses to watch the other games on TV, then if you’re lucky it’s off to the stadium itself. The streets are jumping and the air tingles with anticipation. Murrayfield stadium can hold over 1% of Scotland’s total population, and when the national anthem comes on it feels like the whole country is belting it out. The part that always gets me, even when watching on TV but especially in the stadium itself, is when the bagpipes go off and the last verse is sung acapella. It gives me goosebumps every time. There’s a handful of speeches that have done the same thing for me. The acapella part shows the power our voice has to stir the emotions and strike something deep within. There’s no music, no pyrotechnics, but still it awakes something within. This is what I believe we need to be striving for as speakers. Not just to have our audience nodding along or scribbling notes they will forgot about the following Monday. Experiences last, and they are the legacy we leave as speakers. #publicspeaking #speeches #publicspeakingskills

Life can be magical...

Looking forward to delivering “The Psychology of Advice” at this conference! #psychologyofadvice

EVENT SECURITY This is an example of how to secure your event. Multiagency coordination on intelligence and operations leads to a thwarted plot and no one being harmed. See my commentary on CNN on the cancelation of Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna. https://lnkd.in/eQHHQgEw

🎉 Check out our latest article featuring the "21 Best Team-Building Activities in New Orleans"! From the magic of jazz at Preservation Hall, to the fascinating Mardi Gras World Tour, there's something for every team to enjoy in the Big Easy! 🎭🎷 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dN_nM-4z #TeamBuilding #NewOrleans #CorporateRetreats🌟

The UK’s 2024 festival season is off to a rocky start, with over 40 events either cancelled or postponed this year already. This is perhaps unsurprising with the many unknowns that festival organisers face; just think of the good old British weather! Considering the level of uncertainty faced by festival organisers, there has never been a greater need for cash reserves. It is little wonder, therefore, that Glastonbury Festival’s Company Accounts showed cash reserves of over £6 million last year. However, for those businesses not holding an outdoor event for over 200,000 people who are quite literally “saving for a rainy day”, then having too much cash on the books can be problematic as far as inheritance tax is concerned, thanks to the restrictions on inheritance tax relief that apply to “excepted assets”. Read the full article here https://lnkd.in/eQyeFzGJ #PrivateClient #PrivateWealth #InheritanceTax #Estates #Trusts #Wills

All areas of the creative industry provide means for economic growth, regeneration, they are the future of our city centres landscape, culture, tourism, business growth, communication and should be supported. Theatre / Dance / Music / Festivals / Live Events - Dates beyond the Shakesphere era provides fantastic insight into our history, culture and drives creativity, growth and spend within city centres. Vera Lynn’s music empowered soliders during WW2. Radio, Press and TV - Plays an integral role in our democracy reporting on major news stories holding those in power to account, weather which influences consumer spend and support’s communities on travel issues, ads on air which boost businesses and provide strong ROI. Social & Online - Keeps people connected and drives conversation, communication and enables SME’s to have a voice with small budgets. Provides vital services, access to food, meds, clothing via online e-commerce sites now. Out of Home / Sponsorships - provides jobs in technology, supports and enhances city centres, provides local authorities with incremental investment and income through land acquisition and partnerships to use for other public services. Art - supports with creativity in individuals, mental health, well-being, reigniting and embracing public spaces bringing together minority communities. Art helps those most vulnerable impacted by war and conflict get through the darkest of days. The creative industries are an essential part of our communities and should be recognised as such, the creative industries were almost destroyed by the impact of government policy and regulation during Covid-19. It’s no longer a matter of “nice to have” it’s a must, it’s an essential service and we must continue to embrace and support the ever changing landscape that is our incredible creative industries community. 👇🫶

Meanwhile, it's very much a part of human nature to seek similarities among phenomena rather than focusing on differences, laying the groundwork for change. Sometimes, this inclination is justified, especially when attempting such comparisons seems unimaginable. Take, for instance, the question: What similarities exist between Opera and Jazz? Instead of assuming there are none, consider how George #Gershwin made an attempt to reconcile these two genres with his creation, "Porgy and Bess." What makes "Porgy and Bess" somewhat similar to #jazz is its incorporation of jazz elements into the operatic form. Gershwin infused the score with blues, jazz, and spiritual influences, creating a uniquely American sound. The opera features syncopated rhythms, improvisational passages, and harmonic progressions reminiscent of jazz music. Additionally, the characters often sing in a conversational, idiomatic style that reflects the vernacular language of the time. While "Porgy and Bess" is not a traditional jazz work, its fusion of operatic and jazz elements makes it a notable example of how these two genres can intersect and influence each other. Join us for Opera and Jazz Experience! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dHDb92XR https://lnkd.in/dRpwG3du

This is a remarkable tale that I thought was common knowledge, but a distinguished musician friend was amazed to hear it. So - here it is. A great pal of mine is a very talented chap called Miki Dallon who started his musical career the same way that I did - as a singer and musician. Miki used to call me and him : the Young Turks, because in those days we thought we were immortal and nothing was impossible. Whilst I went for the salaried plus royalties option of working for record labels, Miki decided to plough his own furrow and started his own publishing and production companies, plus his own label called Young Blood Records. He was successful too, with a variety of projects. Now comes the bit I first referred to : Miki had an Australian band called Python Lee Jackson who had this song called In A Broken Dream which he and I both thought was a smash if we could get on tape what we could hear in our heads. Miki and the band were in Phillips Studios at Marble Arch and, after 2 days the track was all there, but the band’s singer could not get the raspy lead vocal that Miki wanted, to get it perfect. After the band had gone back to the hotel, Miki had this idea that he wanted a voice like Rod Stewart to sing it. So he thought, why not try and get him ? Rod was a friend, so Miki called his office and, with serendipity, Rod happened to be in the West End. Rod came into the studio and nailed it in one take. So then, the business side, as Miki told Rod that he needed to pay him something for his performance. Rod said that he didn’t want paying money as it would go through the books and agents and managers would want a cut. Miki has always loved buying and selling cars (he still does) and knew that Rod had just bought a new car which was his pride and joy, and Rod told him that he wanted a set of sheepskin seat covers. So they shook hands on it. The record becomes a big International hit. Rod Stewart sang one his most iconic recorded performances for a set of sheepskin seat covers for a metallic silver Ford Cortina 1600E … Time passes, the band are gone, Rod is now a worldwide superstar with a new heavyweight manager in Billy Gaff, the single gets re-released and is a bigger hit than before. Miki gets a phone call from Billy demanding an substantial retrospective royalty, but Miki said that he had an agreement and to check with Rod. Rod, bless him said : ‘Absolutely, we had a deal that we shook hands on and, at the time I thought I was the dog’s bollocks sitting on sheepskin.’ A true gentleman. This version of the song you may not have heard before. It is a killer version as it also features some beautiful guitar from David Gilmour. #YoungBlood #MikiDallon #RodStewart #DavidGilmour