A week in training at Nexus.

2nd May, 2014

Our first day at Nexus and both myself and Suzanne understandably had a touch of nerves and slight apprehension as to what to expect from the day ahead. Remembering that everyone in the office had a first day here at some time or another helped, and naturally excitement and took over and we couldn't wait to get stuck in and learn the ropes.

We received a warm welcome from the whole team and Managing Director Steve kindly brought in a tin of homemade brownies to keep us going definitely a tasty way to start our first morning at Nexus.

During our first couple of days we were introduced to the administration system and were shown how estimates are drawn up, jobs are created and given an overall insight into the running and workings of the accounts and administrative team currently made up of the lovely Claudine and Jane. Suzanne is joining this side of the team so this was her first chance to play with the new system and get to grips with the estimate process.

We also got chance to meet with one of our well regarded exhibition stand suppliers this was a fantastic opportunity to hear all about their new products and history of the business and learn how they hope to move forward with Nexus. We were presented with examples of their printing techniques, display solutions and their latest marketing material. In the coming months we will be introducing an online catalogue for our clients which will help give them a stronger, more visual grasp of the options available for their display and exhibition needs.

A tour of our local printing suppliers gave us the opportunity to see the fundamentals involved in a working printing press. All our suppliers were fantastic hosts, full of information giving us a much better working knowledge of printing systems, paper size and weights, materials and finishing options such as die cutting and PUR binding.

We were impressed to see the effects of Spot UV varnish - this striking effect can lift certain areas of your artwork to give a greater impact and overall finish on the page. We were given a step by step tour of the Litho and digital print processes - from the estimates department, the production team right through to the machinery and the engineers working in the print rooms.

A few of us in the team also met with our SEO and Copywriting specialists to talk through our new direction and how we want to develop our website content strategy. I will be working closely in this area of the company so this gave me a real insight into the current marketing and SEO in place and gave us an opportunity to chat and formulate an initial approach and how we will be moving forward in the coming months. All exciting stuff and plenty of great ideas were put forward - watch this space!

Our intensive introductory training has given us a broad understanding of what Nexus has to offer and what really makes us tick.The extensive range of creative services on offer here are certainly key to the Nexus brand - yet it seems the true soul of Nexus rests with the collective wealth of industry experience on offer and the lasting relationships that have remained with suppliers, clients and team members alike.

Needless to say the brownies didn't quite last the week however I can safely say Suzanne and I are here to stay!