Category Archives: Events
Vianet attended the NIVO Supplier of The Year Lunch on January 24th, 2023. NIVO provide a range of business support services for independent regional vending operators and suppliers. With over 260 Operator Members and an additional 60+ supply members, NIVO offer a vast and varied marketing and support program to bring all interested parties together.
Our Marketing and Communications Manager and Senior Client Relationship Manager had a fantastic day networking with all of the other attendees. The event was held at the Woodhall Hills Golf Club in Calverley, Leeds. With suppliers attending from across the vending industry, NIVO presented a variety of awards. The awards ceremony was followed by a delicious lunch and engaging conversation. It was a great day to network with familiar faces and new ones.
“As a new member of the vending community and of Vianet, I have had the warmest of welcomes. The event was a great way to meet industry leaders and new connections. NIVO put on a terrific day and helped introduce me to relevant attendees. I look forward to catching up with everyone in the months to come!”
– Charlotte Biggs (Marketing & Communications Manager, Vianet).
Vianet was awarded the Highly Commended award for Supplier of The Year.
Vianet was awarded the Highly Commended award for Supplier of The Year.Thank you to all of our wonderful customers for voting for us and supporting us each year. We couldn’t do it without you! Our Senior Client Relationship Manager, Kirsty Kirk received the award on Vianet’s behalf. Nominated and voted by Operator members, the award represents an ongoing emphasis on service, as well as constantly providing the highest levels of support. Vianet does this through dedicated customer support, in-house engineers, and committed client managers. We look forward to continuing to provide the best possible service for our customers in all that we do.
A few closing words from our Commercial Director, Mark Parry –
“We are delighted to have received the Highly Commended Award for Supplier of The Year from NIVO. Our teams have been working incredibly hard over the past 12 months, which is why we couldn’t be happier that those efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. While always striving to improve and develop, we look forward to continuing to provide high-quality service for our customers. Thank you to all of our teams for helping us achieve this award and for all of your hard work in service. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful customers for supporting and voting for us. We couldn’t do this without you.”
– Mark Parry (Commercial Director, Vianet)
For more information on our products and services contact sales@vianetplc.com. Don’t forget to request your free demo today!
Vianet hosted their southern golf day on Thursday 26th May 2022 at Frilford Heath Golf Course, which this year will host the English Trophy presented by Rocket Yard Sports Marketing when the European Challenge Tour returns to British soil in September.
The day started with registration, goody bags and breakfast rolls as clients arrived.
The event brought clients together from both Vianet’s vending and hospitality divisions, creating a refreshing dynamic allowing both sectors to collaborate and network. The teams played four ball better ball, with prizes for nearest the pin and overall winners. Snacks and refreshments were provided at the halfway house for our teams as they made their way round the 18 holes.
We ended the day with a fantastic evening meal with a prizegiving. Our prize winners included Mark Grunnell of Red Oak Taverns and Lee Worgan of JW Vending taking prizes for nearest the pin, alongside Chris Worgan of JW Vending taking prize for the longest drive.
The overall winning team on the day included Vianet chairman, Jim Dickson, Mark Grunnell of Red Oak Taverns, Ken MacIsaac of Lavazza Professional, Greg Wallis of Shepherd Neame. The winning team members will go onto the final at Gleneagles as well as receiving a selection of wine.
GALLERY
Vianet hosted their northern golf day on Thursday 12th May 2022 at The Alwoodley, the very first golf course designed by Dr Alister Mackenzie who went on to design Augusta and Cypress Point amongst other iconic courses. This stunning course is situated in Leeds and was recently ranked as No. 36 in the top golf courses in GB & Ireland by Today’s Golfer.
The day started with registration, goody bags and a full English breakfast as clients arrived.
The event brought clients together from both Vianet’s vending and hospitality divisions, creating a refreshing dynamic allowing both sectors to collaborate and network. The day itself brought superb weather with the sun peeking through the clouds throughout the afternoon.
The teams played four ball better ball, with prizes for nearest the pin and overall winners. Snacks and refreshments were provided at the halfway house for our teams as they made their way round the 18 holes.
We ended the day with a fantastic evening meal served in the Alister Mackenzie Room with a prizegiving. Our prize winners included David Graddon and Gary Raymond from Graddon Vending taking prizes for nearest the pin, alongside our very own Business Development Manager, Paul Sansome.
The overall winning team on the day included Vianet chairman, Jim Dickson, David Graddon of Graddon Vending, Ross MacDonald of Upton Group and Andrew Buchanan of Daniel Thwaites. The winning team members will go onto the final at Gleneagles as well as receiving a selection of wine.
With the great feedback we’ve received from the day so far, we are thoroughly looking forward to our event in the south on Thursday!
“As golf days go that was a special one!”
Simon Wilkes – Wilkes Vending
“The whole day was very enjoyable, the course magnificent, the food very good”
Ross MacDonald- Upton Group
“Simply amazing, well organised, great people and a wonderful day.”
Kevin Reed – Tower Leasing
“A thoroughly enjoyable day.”
David Wigham – Admiral Taverns
GALLERY
Vianet exhibit at The NAMA Show 2022, 6-8 April in Chicago USA!
Next week Mark Parry, Commercial Director, and Craig Brocklehurst, Chief Operating Officer will be flying out to Chicago USA to exhibit at this years National Automatic Merchandising Association Show 2022 on 6-8 April!
If you are in Chicago at the event, don’t forget to drop by to see Vianet at booth 2213 and chat to the team to find out how we can help you with data insight, remote asset management & contactless payment in vending & unattended retail!
Vendex North was held on 10th November 2021, and the team at Vianet attended and exhibited at our first large scale vending show since before Covid-19 restrictions first began. The show held in Leeds attracted a great number of visitors across the vending industry after a long period of lockdowns and restrictions which prevented events from happening. Vianet were greatly anticipating this event after such a long time without physical shows. We are pleased to have caught up with lots of our existing customers as well as new vending operators, contract caterers, service providers and more.
Vendex is a well-recognised exhibition and networking event established in 2003 (Vendex, 2021). The event offers great exposure and opportunities for both exhibitors and visitors to get the latest industry news, products, and services.
Vianet Showcases Products and Services to Vendex Attendees
Vianet Goodies and SmartContact Pro, in the Vending Machine Courtesy of Evoca
Situated near the entrance at Vendex, we had great visibility and opportunity to showcase our product offerings with live demos, devices, and new product videos. Vianet also launched our new website this week, and it was great to get feedback and shout about this to our visitors at the event to go and check it out.
On the Vianet stand, we offered attendees at the event the opportunity to try out our brand-new, all-in-one contactless payment device, SmartContact Pro. With an exciting opportunity to free vend and win mystery prizes, our SmartContact Pro was installed on a vending machine (Melodia vending machine supplied courtesy of Evoca Group) to give visitors first-hand experience of the new terminal. It was a buzzing atmosphere as visitors were keen to try and win some big prizes we had up for grabs, including £10-£50 Amazon gift cards, wireless chargers and many more.
Our Client Manager, Kirsty Kirk said:
“Vendex North was a great success. It was good to see so many operators in attendance, especially after such a long period of remote working. We’re looking forward to sharing more innovation updates with Vianet clients and prospects in the near future.”
Jack Cooke and Callum Hardy, Business Development Executives, by Vianet’s Stand at Vendex North
In addition, throughout the day, there were plenty of opportunities to explore what’s currently out there in the vending industry as a range of businesses across the sector were in attendance such as PepsiCo, Red Bull, NIVO and many more.
Rachel Little, Marketing Manager said:
“This is the first Vendex event I’ve done since starting at Vianet, and it was fantastic to finally be able to showcase what we’ve been busy with in the background over the last two years.
Vianet has had a lot going on during the pandemic with the release of SmartVend and the launch of our new contactless payment solution, so there is a lot for us to be shouting about. It was also great to be able to finally put some faces to names in the vending industry!”
Overall, Vendex North was an important opportunity for Vianet to meet clients and prospects to discuss our exciting product developments and plans going forward.
Don’t worry if you didn’t manage to catch us at Vendex North, as we will be attending Vendex Midlands 2022 in Milton Keynes on 26th April 2022.
Alternatively, if you’d like to find out more about how our products and services can transform your vending business performance, you can contact us directly through our enquiry form.
As part of Vianet’s aim to ‘Give Something Back’, we are taking part in various fundraising activities for our chosen charity, PAPYRUS including our recent Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge.
PAPYRUS is a young person suicide prevention charity which exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour.
A team of Vianet employees have put themselves to the test by taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge as our HOPEWALK for 2021. By taking on the Three Peaks Challenge we aimed to smash the stigma and get conversation around suicide awareness started. Our challenge took place on Saturday 4th September 2021, just ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th September.
Our team consisted of 12 employees from across our organisation. Our volunteers tackled the peaks of Pen-Y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, a total of 24 miles and 1585m of ascent in under 12 hours.
In preparation, our volunteers began training for the challenge a few months ago, taking on both local beauty spots, as well as the Yorkshire peaks themselves. Our target was to raise £5,000 through our Just Giving page but the team absolutely smashed the target raising a massive £7,366. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who has sponsored the team and contributed to a fantastic cause – your donations kept us going!
Commercial Co-Ordinator, Jo Welsh suffered some nasty blisters, but amazingly powered through the final peak and distance with the loan of some trainers, spare socks and the help of her teammates, arriving at the finish line with a smile – a true warrior! Commercial Director, Mark Parry also suffered a knee injury 4 miles from the finish line, needing the loan of Neil Burtons hiking poles to get him through the last leg of Ingleborough. All in all, we are incredibly proud of the strength, courage, and team spirit of our employees at Vianet.
Special thanks to our amazing support team of 5 on the day, who met the team at check in points offering sandwiches and food to refuel as well as cups of tea, first aid and moral support.
The challenge was a tough one but all 12 of our team passed the finish line ahead of the 12-hour timescale – an incredible effort and deserving of a pint at our finish point, the Golden Lion pub! The whole team had a great sense of camaraderie and great banter to keep each other going through the day.
Vianet employee, Nicola Arnell also took on a fundraiser of her own for PAPYRUS on the same weekend, with the challenge of climbing Roseberry Topping with her daughter and raising another £120 to add to the pot. Their was also a Bake Sale to refuel in the Vianet office on 7th September the organisers, bakers and consumers raised an additional £200+ for the charity.
To find out more about our chosen charity, please visit PAPYRUS website here.
As part of Vianet’s aim to ‘Give Something Back’, over the next 6 months, we are taking part in various fundraising activities for our chosen charity, PAPYRUS. A team of Vianet employees are willing to put themselves to the test to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge as our HOPEWALK for 2021.
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
At Vianet, we understand that mental health can affect people in many ways. Recognising the way in which the mental health of so many people has been affected by the pandemic, it is more important than ever to focus our efforts on well-being during this period. Vianet continues to make a real difference to others by supporting PAPYRUS, a national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. According to PAPYRUS (2021), suicide is the biggest killer of young people – male and female – under the age of 35 in the UK. PAPYRUS operates HOPELINE UK, a confidential call, text, and email helpline for young people with thoughts of suicide or those concerned about a young person who may have thoughts of suicide.
Michelle Staniforth, Head of People & Development told us: “Our Vianet family told us they wanted to do more to ‘Give Something Back’ and whilst we’ve always regularly supported a range of charities, we felt that we could really make a meaningful difference by partnering with one charity for the year. The well-being of our people is always at the forefront of our agenda, even more so due to the pandemic, so we wanted to join forces with a charity that supports people with their mental health. PAPYRUS had previously been suggested to us by some of our employees, so they were the perfect choice for us.”
VIANET VOLUNTEERS HAVE THE STAMINA, GRIT AND DETERMINATION
A major fundraising activity on our list to raise awareness about PAPYRUS is the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. It is our organised HOPEWALK with one common goal – to smash the stigma and get conversation around suicide started. Our challenge is scheduled for Saturday 04 September 2021, just ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day. Currently, we have a team of 17 employees from across our organisation participating along with a support team consisting of 4 employees. Our volunteers will aim to tackle the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in under 12 hours, a total of 24 miles and 1585m of ascent. In preparation, our volunteers have already begun training for the challenge, taking on both local beauty spots, as well as the Yorkshire peaks themselves.
Rachel Little, Marketing Manager and Three Peaks Challenge Volunteer said:
“As well as fundraising for a fantastic cause with the team, this challenge is just what I’ve needed to motivate myself both physically and mentally as we come out of the pandemic and back into ‘reality’.
With gyms closing and restrictions in place, my daily routine has been completely shaken up over the past 18 months, as it has for many of us. This challenge not only gives me the push I’ve needed to get back into a fitness routine through training, but by giving myself a new challenge it has also been great for my mental focus and health.”
[PHOTO] Volunteer Neil Burton, Product Compliance Manager pictured in June 2021 completing a hike up Pen-Y-Ghent as part of his three peaks training.
In the upcoming months, Vianet have plans to hold other smaller scale events to raise funds for PAPYRUS, alongside the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. Recently, to kickstart the Wimbledon tournament, we held a ‘Strawberries and Cream’ event and in August we plan to have an ‘Executive Car Wash’ where members of the Exec team will wash employees’ cars, for a donation of course!
Vianet is making a difference by fundraising in aid of PAPYRUS to raise awareness and support young suicide prevention. If you would like to support our team, you can make a donation at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/VianetYTP2021.
Technology and Data Insight company, Vianet, awarded 2 accreditations after taking part in Best Companies employee engagement survey for the last 4 years. The company received our highest scores yet crediting us as a Very Good employer to work for in 2021!
Great news for the whole team at Vianet Group PLC as we are also honoured to have been place on the Technology sector list, as one of Technology’s 50 Best Companies to Work for in 2021.
Our place on the list was announced on the 21st May during Best Companies Live, their online event to celebrate the awards. We would love to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our hard-working employees as we celebrate this significant achievement.
WHAT DOES BEST COMPANIES ACCREDITATIONS MEAN TO VIANET?
These accreditations officially recognise the UK’s best organisations and benchmark for workplace engagement across all regional, sectors and national lists. A similar approach to how the Michelin star system signifies excellence in the hospitality sector, Best Companies’ star-based ratings system is the equivalent used to recognise the very best in the workplace. It is one of the most robust process with research surveys from the consultancy team supported by academics, and inputs from the Department for Trade and Industry.
Over these years, Vianet have been quietly making an impact in our chosen sectors continuously delivering data insights for our clients in the hospitality and unattended retail sectors across the UK and Europe. We have been transforming business performance through providing real time monitoring systems and data management services. We are continuously innovating and evolving our services and products, using the growth of the business to nurture on our own employee development.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF VIANET’S COMPANY VALUES
The importance of inspiring people, championing people’s growth and excellence is greatly valued at Vianet. Therefore, to receive this recognition in creating the best environment and workplace engagement is testament to the great people involved. In celebration for everyone’s contribution to our overall success, Vianet treated all its employees with a thank you card and Just Eat gift voucher to order a takeaway of their choice on us!
In addition to being awarded the accreditations, several of our managers have been recognised by their teams at the highest level as 3* managers. Based on the engagement survey completed by Vianet employees, this year’s results showed a huge improvement in our employee engagement across the business, and particularly in leadership and management.
Michelle Staniforth, Head of People and Development told us:
“We are delighted to be recognised as having very good levels of engagement and our place in Technology’s 50 Best Companies to Work For. Our highest scoring factor is ‘My Team’ and ‘My Manager’, both of which are testament to the relationship we believe are so important to employee engagement.”
BUSINESS GROWTH AND CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT AS VIANET LAUNCH NEW PRODUCTS IN 2021
The last year has brought its challenges, but Vianet has been more committed than ever to supporting our employees and clients. We had periods of having to work from home, whilst some employees were put on furlough. Throughout this time of ongoing change, we have been continuously providing professional development and support. This includes safe working environments as employees return to the office during periods of ease between lockdowns.
Moving into 2021, there have been several structural changes within the business that have opened many exciting opportunities internally and externally. Existing employees have had opportunities to apply and transition into new roles within the company, and there has been significant growth to the team with several new recruits. Combined with the accreditations received, it is an exciting time to be working at Vianet. Consequently, we are currently looking to grow the team by recruiting for several further opportunities as Vianet continuously strive for success.
For further information on what it is like to work at Vianet or if you’re interested in any vacancies we currently have available, please contact recruitment@vianetplc.com or contact us page.
YOU CAN WATCH THE RECORDING OF OUR LIVE EVENT BELOW:
Vianet & special guests present ‘Power through the Pandemic: The Rise of Contactless Payment’, a seminar focused on the shift in consumer behaviour during the COVID19 pandemic. The speakers will look at how this global pandemic has accelerated the decline of cash payment in the vending, self-service & unattended sectors.
Cash has long been king in the vending market. However, with innovation in contactless payment technology and corresponding growth in consumer adoption, momentum has steadily grown towards a time in the near future when the majority of vending machines only take contactless payment.
That was in a world before COVID-19, a global crisis the many of us have endured and none of which will ever wish to experience again. Though cash use was predicted to decline over the coming years anyway, COVID-19 has catalysed an acceleration in this decline greatly, due to minimising human contact with surfaces, and also the suspicion infected cash could carry the virus and cause human-to-human transmission of the disease.
Echoing this, we also talk about the recent announcement also in the UK Budget 2021, of contactless payment limits rising to £100 . The global pandemic has accelerated a move away from cash with shoppers often being encouraged to use contactless in many retailers for public health reasons, and this change in consumer behaviours is driving further advancements in the payment world.
Your Hosts:
Mark Parry – Commercial Director – Vianet
Graham Kingaby – Managing Director – NIVO Group
Your Guest Speakers:
Joseph Scarborough – Founder & Owner – SnaxGroup
Matt Luckhurst – Regional Sales Director – OTI Global
Chris Worgan – Director – JW Vending
Vianet have been shortlisted for this years ‘The Vendies’ Vending Industry Awards in 2 categories this year.
These categories are ‘Best Payment System’ and also ‘Best Supplier Website’ ??
Voting is now open on The Vendies website, so if you would like to have your say and cast a vote, please visit the link below!