Key to the door

Since the end of July, Cardiff Business Safe has been camping out in a splendidly located room in City Hall, sha ring space with the excellent and patient guys who organise many aspects of the Wales GB Car Rally event, which happened here a couple of weeks ago. Today, Ashley and I received our electronic photo i/d pass cards to enable us to access the office space assigned to us in 47 Charles Street. After four months of waiting we now have desks of our own, and a functional phone line and internet connection to call our own in what we hope will be a secure working environment for us. 

We've survived weeks of hassles with mail going astray because nobody was really aware that we were supposed to be occupying the desk space which we couldn't get free access to as co-workers. However much of a strain this has been, day to day operational demands pressed us into remaining patient, guaranteeing the RadioNet service on the one hand, bringing in the revenue to sustain it on the other, despite the problems arising from not having a single controllable work space of our own. 

From this day onwards, the task of getting all our records and equipment assembled in this single place  can finally happen, but it will take time. Organising this will take even longer, especially as I shall be away for a month, and in the meanwhile, day to day operational demands will continue as they ever do, without ceasing. The initial sorting out of the office will have to be the job of others.

Today's other landmark is the start of producing the first set of subscription invoices for 2011-2012, setting various price levels, and adjusting to the new 20% VAT rate. I predict complaints across the board at cost increases, but they are unavoidable. In the first two years of operating the new digital radio network, pricing of subscriptions was definitely at a bargain discount, a reasonable guesstimate to sustain business while we worked out what it actually cost. If all subscribers looked after their equipment and made sure each user was properly trained in operating the equipment, cost overheads would be significantly lower. 

The cost of accident or error became abundantly clear to me recently when I had to hire a car in Switzerland. I was terrified of damaging the nearly new vehicle and having to pay for this in addition to the hire outlay. As a result, I drove even more carefully than usual. Would that we could design an arrangement that would move radio users to be every bit as careful with the equipment committed to their charge.