How to deliver low-cost, high impact marketing
2025-05-15 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
When budgets are tight, it can be difficult to find the funds for marketing. This webinar will offer marketing tips and advice that you can then use across your business – without bursting the bank.
We will look at:

How marketing extends way beyond what most businesses consider it to be and how it provides opportunities for businesses to make transformational change with little or minimal extra spend
Identifying marketing priorities and using these to reshape your business
The marketing mix as a tool for reviewing how your business plans and delivers its marketing activity
How your marketing activity is delivered successfully and effectively in your business
A series of top tips including the importance of understanding your customers, the core components of a brand, the value of strong and consistent branding, the value of a clear focus and the power of creativity
The many options available with traditional advertising and promotion as a way a company communicates what it does and what it can offer customers, but also looking how this has changed in a world where marketing has moved online
The foundations of effective marketing in a digital age, looking at how your business can grasp new ways of marketing such as social media, web and digital PR

Scottish Agritourism Month Roadshow: Logie Newton Lodges
2025-05-16 08:00 - 10:00 | Logie Newton Farm, Huntly, AB54 6BB
This meeting is part of a series of events hosted during Scottish Agritourism month and in the lead-up to Scottish Agritourism turning five years old on June 1st 2025. Everyone with an interest in agritourism is welcome to attend.
We’ll be shining a light on the development of agritourism both in the local area and nationally, sharing Scotland-wide success stories and sector challenges, and opening up discussion with others who play a part in supporting rural and agritourism. You will also hear from Logie Newton Lodges about how they’ve developed their business – a luxury self-catering site, with two recently opened lodges available to book.
You can expect a sector update from Scottish Agritourism on the work we are doing, along with agencies from the national strategy board, to grow and develop agritourism in Scotland in line with national targets. We’ll be celebrating five years of Scottish Agritourism – bacon rolls, teas and coffees will be provided by Scottish Agritourism member Thorney Bank Farm Shop, and yes, there will be cake!

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 1: On page optimisation
2025-05-16 10:00 - 12:00
Join us to look at how Google and other search engines decide the order in which they list their search results. We will show you how to maximise your chances of appearing towards the top of the search rankings, ensuring you understand what key words and phrases your potential customers are using when searching online, and how to optimise your website as a result.
We will cover:

How search engines work, and the ‘on-page’ factors used to rank your site
Understanding customer search behaviour
Keyword research tools and how to benefit from them
Optimising your website content for search engines

Bookkeeping essentials
2025-05-19 10:00 - 12:00
This webinar is for those who are entering business for the first time or require an understanding of what is involved in financially managing a business, including basic bookkeeping, and creating a profit and loss account. You will also get an understanding of what expenses the business can claim and then how to fund your business. At the end of the session, you will receive a workbook on excel to help you manage and monitor costs and sales.
At the end of this session, you will be able to:

Implement basic bookkeeping skills across your business
Create a profit and loss account
Understand what expenses can and cannot be claimed
Use financial management to increase revenues and profits
Understand capital and revenue costs and how they are treated

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
2025-05-20 13:00 - 15:00
One of the most daunting challenges a business can face is the process of hiring employees, interviewing, payroll, pensions, contracts, remote working and more, it is a minefield for the business owner.
This webinar will allow you to have the key information in your possession to take on staff and look after your team.
We’ll cover:

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
Attracting and recruiting the best people for your business
Your obligations as employers
How to retain staff members
Moving on
Dismissal
Restructure/Redundancy

We will also look at:

How in the current climate you can manage staff and teams in a remote environment, considering their productivity, efficiency, and the issues of home working
How you can best manage staff to ensure productivity is kept and mental health is supported
The impact of companies who may be considering restructuring and therefore redundancy for the first time and how that can be managed

Google Analytics – Understand how your website performs
2025-05-21 10:00 - 12:00
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that helps you understand how your website is performing. It helps answer lots of questions, including:

Which marketing channels drive traffic to your site?
What pages are users looking at the most?
What impact does mobile have on your potential customers?

During this webinar, we’ll help you understand how Google Analytics is set up and give you an overview of key reports. We’ll also look at other web analytics tools to help you online.

InspireHER: Overcoming self-sabotage
2025-05-21 12:00 - 13:00
Self-sabotage can show up as procrastination, perfectionism, isolation, avoidance, and shying away from opportunities that could bring success or change.
In this eye-opening session, we’ll explore:

What self-sabotage really is (and why we all do it)
How fear and limiting beliefs fuel these patterns
Practical ways to shift your mindset and behaviours
Steps to stop getting in your own way and to build momentum

You can expect honest reflection, potential lightbulb moments, and tools you can use straight away to move forward with purpose and clarity.

A step-by-step guide to building your business plan
2025-05-22 10:00 - 12:00
New and established businesses will require a business plan for getting a loan, grant or just to consider the direction they wish to go in. This webinar will teach you what you need to include and how. We will walk you through what should be included within a business plan, how a business plan is used to improve your prospects for a loan or a grant, and how you can develop a business plan to meet your needs.
We will:

Provide a structure for a business plan
Review each section of what should be included within the business plan
Explain when and how to use a business plan
Explore the connections (and importance) between the words and the numbers
Look at how to identify and manage cashflow within the business planning process

Scottish Agritourism Month Roadshow: Castlecraig Farm
2025-05-22 12:00 - 14:30 | Castlecraig Farms, IV19 1QS
This meeting is part of a series of events hosted during Scottish Agritourism month and in the lead-up to Scottish Agritourism turning five years old on June 1st 2025. Everyone with an interest in agritourism is welcome to attend.
We’ll be shining a light on the development of agritourism both in the local area and nationally, sharing Scotland-wide success stories and sector challenges, and opening up discussion with others who play a part in supporting rural and agritourism.
One key challenge for businesses is making sure they have the right insurance in place – so we’re especially pleased to have Howden Insurance as our event sponsor. Their support helps make this event possible, and their Farm & Estate team understands the unique needs of agritourism businesses.
You will also hear from Castlecraig Farm about how they’ve developed their business – luxury farm cabins on the coast of the Moray Firth.
You can expect a sector update from Scottish Agritourism on the work we are doing, along with agencies from the national strategy board, to grow and develop agritourism in Scotland in line with national targets. We’ll be celebrating five years of Scottish Agritourism – lunch will be provided and yes, there will be cake!

VisitScotland bitesize webinars: start working with online travel agents
2025-05-22 14:00 - 14:30
Discover how an online travel agent (OTA) can increase bookings and profitability without detracting from direct bookings. Get practical tips on how to create an OTA listing and how to manage your relationship with an OTA.
For tourism experiences (tours, visitor attractions and activity providers) that want to use OTAs for the first time.

How to improve your Google search rankings - Part 2: Off page optimisation & technical considerations
2025-05-23 10:00 - 12:00
Join us as we take a further, more detailed look at how the Google search engines indexes and ranks websites based on a number of external (off-page) and technical factors. Implementing this learning will increase your chances of customers discovering your business through Google – the world’s leading research tool.
We will cover:

How to block or control what websites are allowed to ‘index’
The importance of a fast loading mobile website
How security and usability influence Google
What “off-page” optimisation means, and tactics to generate back-links
The importance of Local SEO, and why a “Google Business Profile” is vital

How to start a business: The basics
2025-05-24 10:00 - 12:00
Whatever your reasons may be for considering being your own boss, we are here to support you and help you decide if this is the right path for you.
We will cover:

Personal finance
Planning – how much do you need to earn?
Researching your market – who your customers are, understanding your competition and what the trends are within your chosen field
Business structure – what are the core business structures? How to decide which is right for you and how to register as a business
Creating your start-up action plan – an outline
Marketing
Pricing
Naming the business
Basic bookkeeping
Forecasting
Financing, banking, insurance, and VAT
Tax

Productivity Power-Up: A Lean Management Workshop
2025-05-26 09:00 - 11:00 | The Circle, Dunhope Castle, Dundee, DD3 6HF
Interested in reducing production costs by improving productivity and performance in your business?
Join the University of Dundee, School of Business, and Scottish Enterprises Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service as we explore how lean techniques can help you identify and remove nonvalue activities to transform your business.
Lean is one of the most cited methodologies in modern operations and strategy — but how much of what we believe and understand about Lean is actually true?
At this exclusive breakfast event, we bring together practitioner insight and academic clarity to explore:

The most common myths and misconceptions about Lean Management
What Lean really means in today’s dynamic business environments
How theory and practice align — or don’t — in real-world implementation
Practical advice for embedding a sustainable Lean strategy in your business

Social media essentials: Instagram
2025-05-28 10:00 - 12:00
Thinking about using Instagram to communicate with existing and potential customers? Want to showcase your products or services using it? During this webinar we will cover:

Getting the setup right and benefitting from the available business tools
Best practice profiles, and some strategies to help your business stand out from the crowd
The types of audience you can reach via this platform and the factors and analytics such as cost and timing of posting images and how that can maximise impact
The various types of content you can post to Instagram, from regular posts to Stories and Reels

Stronger together: How to improve your mental health
2025-05-28 12:00 - 13:00
Running a small business can be incredibly rewarding—but also isolating, overwhelming, and mentally taxing. In this panel webinar, we explore how community support can be a game-changer for the mental health of business owners across Scotland.
Joining Business Gateway National Unit Chief Officer, Hugh Lightbody, for an honest and inspiring conversation are Kevin Matthews, Founder of Community Interest Company Blast Boxing; Anouska Civico, CEO of charity Mind Your Head; and Nichola Henderson, Life Coach, Wellness Consultant and Founder of Coaching by Nic. All four will share their experiences, insights, and practical strategies for building resilience through connection.
The session will cover:

The impact of isolation on business owners’ mental health
How local and digital communities can offer meaningful support
Real-life stories of how community has made a difference
Practical tips for building your own support network
Resources and initiatives that can help

Social media essentials: Facebook
2025-05-28 14:00 - 16:00
Get to grips with Facebook – the world’s most popular social networking platform.
In this webinar you will:

Learn how to get the most out of Facebook and how it could fit into your business’s digital marketing strategy
Better understand the algorithm behind Facebook, and how to create great content that achieves a bigger reach and impact
Learn from the stats and data you can get from the system and discover who your most interested customers/clients are
Understand the power of Facebook advertising, and other selling options available to you
Discover other business opportunities presented by Facebook, including how to promote and sell products and services
Be introduced to ‘Business Suite’ – a free Facebook dashboard to manage all your business activity

Making the Most of Online Travel Agents for Your Farm Experience
2025-05-29 12:00 - 13:00
In this informative webinar delivered by VisitScotland, you’ll learn about working with Online Travel Agents (OTAs), with a focus on how to distribute your farm experiences through these platforms. The session will explore the visitor journey and the growing value of the experience economy – where travellers are seeking memorable, meaningful activities.
You’ll hear about which OTAs can help improve visibility for your experiences, how to create compelling listings, and the benefits and considerations of working with OTAs. Accommodation distribution will be covered briefly, but the main focus will be on experiences.
This session is suitable for agritourism businesses thinking about listing their farm experiences on an OTA platform, or those already listed who want to improve their presence.

Video production for digital marketing
2025-05-29 12:00 - 14:00
Video captures people’s attention online and is important for getting your message across, while engaging with your target audience.
Learn how to:

Choose what type of video to create to suit your business objectives
Plan, shoot, edit, and upload video without special kit or expertise
Get to know the various digital platforms that can be utilised to view and share video content
See what editing apps are available and how to add music and subtitles

Scottish Agritourism Month Roadshow: Errington Cheese
2025-05-30 08:30 - 10:30 | Errington Cheese, Walston Braehead Farm, Lanark, ML11 8NF
This meeting is part of a series of events hosted during Scottish Agritourism month and in the lead-up to Scottish Agritourism turning five years old on June 1st 2025. Everyone with an interest in agritourism is welcome to attend.
We’ll be shining a light on the development of agritourism both in the local area and nationally, sharing Scotland-wide success stories and sector challenges, and opening up discussion with others who play a part in supporting rural and agritourism. You will also hear from Errington Cheese about how they’ve developed their business – a Scottish farmhouse cheese producer.
You can expect a sector update from Scottish Agritourism on the work we are doing, along with agencies from the national strategy board, to grow and develop agritourism in Scotland in line with national targets. We’ll be celebrating five years of Scottish Agritourism – breakfast will be provided and yes, there will be cake!

Creating an effective email marketing strategy
2025-05-30 10:00 - 12:00
Customers buy from businesses that they know, like and trust. Email marketing is powerful and affordable tool in your digital marketing toolkit to build these relationships.Most businesses send monthly newsletters to stay in touch with their audience, but your results will improve with a structured plan and the best practices that will be explored in this webinar. Whether you’re new to email marketing or you’re looking to optimise your email strategy, this webinar enable you to:

Adopt email marketing into your wider marketing strategy and gain insight into your target audience
Understand the key stages of an effective marketing strategy
Segment your audiences and to target and position your offering to them effectively
Create a value-driven and customer-focussed content for email marketing whilst measuring and testing it’s effectiveness
Identify the most suitable platforms and tools for email marketing campaigns, including different paid-for account levels
Optimise the different components of a successful email campaign
Use reporting and key metrics to make sure your campaigns are successful
Be compliant with legal requirements relating to email communications and use best practices for escaping the spam folder

Offshore Wind PBIAA Launch Event
2025-05-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Edinburgh Futures Institute, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9EF
By the mid 2030s, the Forth and Tay region will be home to a dramatic expansion of offshore wind development, manufacture, installation, and operation, from the existing one operational wind farm up to potentially another nine wind farms which could equate to 18GW or 36% of the UK’s planned offshore wind fleet.
The Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee have partnered with Forth & Tay Offshore cluster to incorporate the universities’ research strengths in offshore wind engineering into the Forth and Tay region to address challenges in the design and manufacture of fixed and floating wind systems, the development of a workforce and the delivery of large offshore energy infrastructure projects.
This Place Based Impact Accelerator Account (PBIAA) aims to accelerate and grow the impact of academic research into offshore wind in the Forth and Tay area, particularly in the areas of offshore and geotechnical engineering, manufacturing, operations and maintenance as well as the environmental and social aspects of offshore wind. The £2.5m project is looking to work with companies from across the supply chain to help resolve commercial challenges.
On Friday 30th May we are launching the PBIAA project and hosting an event in Edinburgh at Edinburgh Futures Institute building where we hope to be able to explain to organisations of every size, how you can get involved in the project and access academic research into offshore wind.
There will also be an optional opportunity to visit the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility in the afternoon. FloWave is a wave and current simulation tank for use in the testing and development of novel ocean energy technologies. As the first circular combined wave and current facility in the world, FloWave is the best simulation of real-world coastal waters available. It offers both commercial and academic clients the chance to accelerate the testing of their technology and is hence a huge asset to ocean energy research in the age of rapid renewable energy development.
Please register specifically to secure a spot on this tour. There are limited spaces available. Also note, this facility is located on a different campus (King’s Buildings).

Doors Open Days Participant Information Session
2025-05-30 12:00 - 12:30
This short information session by Scottish Civic Trust is for for venues, organisations, and individuals who are interested in taking part in this year’s Doors Open Days.
The session will cover the steps to register and apply, tips about the types of events that can be held, what marketing materials are available, an overview of evaluation, and how to get in touch. There will also be time to ask questions and speak with fellow participants.
There is no pre-registration required.
Joining Details (Zoom):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81101557255?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 811 0155 7255
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Doors Open Days Participant Information Session
2025-05-31 13:00 - 13:30
This short information session by Scottish Civic Trust is for for venues, organisations, and individuals who are interested in taking part in this year’s Doors Open Days.
The session will cover the steps to register and apply, tips about the types of events that can be held, what marketing materials are available, an overview of evaluation, and how to get in touch. There will also be time to ask questions and speak with fellow participants.
There is no pre-registration required.
Joining Details (Zoom):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81208132914?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 812 0813 2914
Passcode: [REDACTED]

How to write funding applications
2025-06-02 10:00 - 12:00
When submitting applications for funding, you need to ensure that the applications are written in such a way that improves your chances of being successful.
There are numerous funders out there and each will have their unique way they wish you to apply, however, in this webinar we’ll explore some key steps you can take to improve your chances of a successful application, including:

Clarifying your need

Demonstrating your needs

Understanding your funder

How to speak their language

Getting the basics right

Overcoming the common mistakes

Answering the questions asked

How to build a digital marketing plan
2025-06-02 14:00 - 16:00
This webinar will guide you through the steps needed to create an effective digital marketing strategy, ensuring you focus on the right tactics to meet your business objectives and goals.
We will cover:

The importance of planning your digital marketing activities
Building your plan around a simple framework
Conducting a situational analysis (and understanding customers and competitors)
Developing your brand and tone of voice
Planning your content strategy
Prioritising digital channels
Evaluating your Digital Marketing efforts

An introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses
2025-06-03 10:00 - 12:00
You’ve heard of Artificial Intelligence, but do you know how it can help you as you run your business? This practical webinar will explore how AI can help improve your business marketing to be more efficient and cost-effective, through the automatic creation of content for all your digital platforms; as well as helping you better understand your customers and business opportunities.
This webinar will cover:

What is Artificial Intelligence
Current AI tools and systems to use right now (including ChatGPT and MidJourney)
Automating digital content for blogs and social media
Using AI for business strategy and customer profiling
The pros and cons of AI for small businesses

This webinar will help you understand how you can integrate AI into your existing marketing, looking at the potential consequences (good and bad) of Artificial Intelligence, and its impact on small businesses and their customers.

InspireHER: Building habits for success
2025-06-03 12:00 - 13:00
Success comes from habits. If you’ve struggled with staying on track, or feel overwhelmed trying to do everything at once, this session is for you. We will focus on how to build the kind of daily habits that support your wellbeing and your business goals.
In this practical and inspiring workshop, we’ll cover:

The psychology behind habit formation
How to design habits that align with your goals
The secret to long term, lasting change
Practical ways to make positive habits stick

Perfect for anyone ready to start building long-term success, one habit at a time.

Social media essentials: LinkedIn
2025-06-03 14:00 - 16:00
No longer just an online CV, LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful – and profitable – business tool.
During this webinar, you will:

Learn how to create a LinkedIn strategy to boost your business reputation via marketing and brand promotion initiatives
Learn the difference between personal and company profiles and how to optimise them for both maximum visibility and brand awareness
Understand that content is king on LinkedIn, and we’ll show you how to plan and produce captivating content that enriches your brand

An introduction to business websites
2025-06-03 18:00 - 20:00
This webinar will take you through all the steps required to design, build and host a business website. You will learn about:

The need to determine website objectives
The importance of knowing who your audience is and measuring results
Setting clear calls to action and creating engaging content
Creating your brand’s visual identity online, your site’s blueprint and how you can structure your site map
What’s involved in registering your domain, maintaining your site content, and options for hosting it

This webinar will also offer guidance on when and how to outsource your website development, covering topics such as choosing a suitable content management system, what to organise first and costing for the work.

The AI-Powered Business: How Businesses Can 10x Their Productivity
2025-06-04 10:00 - 11:30 | Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6HQ
AI tools are revolutionizing how businesses operate. Using them effectively is enabling companies to scale faster, streamline operations, and optimize efficiency.
If you want to learn how to use them to increase productivity in your business, this event is for you.
Delivered by Ali Shariat, co-founder of ThisWayUp, it will discuss the best AI tools for automating key business processes, from marketing and customer service to supply chain management and data analysis.
Ali transformed Coconut Merchant from a startup to a £7 million eCommerce powerhouse that rivalled top brands on Amazon. Capitalizing on this triumph, he secured listings in major UK retailers expanding to more than 15 countries.
By the end of the session, you’ll have gained:

A base understanding of mainstream AI tools and the language used around them.
A knowledge of AI tools that can enhance productivity for often time-consuming tasks.
Understanding of how AI-powered solutions can optimize customer engagement, marketing, and operations.
Understanding of how AI can support international expansion through smarter data insights and decision-making.
Real-world examples of eCommerce businesses successfully leveraging AI to scale globally.
