Meeting Magic and My+ Consulting kick off the first of four Disability Café events planned for 2011

7th March 2011

Helen Cooke, founder of My+ Consulting and Helen Chapman, of meeting facilitation company, Meeting Magic, will join forces on 10th March to run the first Disability Café event of 2011. The title of the event is ‘Setting your strategy to attract and recruit disabled graduates.’ Royal Bank of Scotland will host the event at their offices in central London.

The Disability Café programme has undergone significant expansion since its inception in 2009. The original event was hosted by Ernst and Young at their offices in London in November 2009. Fourteen corporate organisations came together to discuss ‘How to engage the whole organisation in the disability agenda’. The following year, 2010, three further Disability Café events took place in the capital.

During this time, Helen Cooke also launched the Graduate Recruiters Disability Café Club (GRDCC). Specifically targeted at HR professionals involved in graduate recruitment, the club has sixteen member organisations. Membership benefits are wide ranging, including access to advice and support, internal training, audit of recruitment process and priority booking at Disability Café events and breakfast seminars. The four founder members of the GRDCC, Allen & Overy LLP, Citi, Ernst and Young and J Sainsbury plc provide input and direction to the club to help ensure members’ needs are met.

Helen Cooke comments, “I’m delighted with the work we are doing through the Disability Café programme. There is a clear demand from organisations to better understand and address issues around employing, developing and retaining disabled individuals. Working with Meeting Magic to deliver this programme of events helps bring structure and clarity to what can be a complex and challenging subject matter. Discussing key questions on disability, in small groups, encourages depth of conversation; individuals from different organisations and from disparate industries can exchange knowledge and get better engagement.”

Helen Cooke is an expert in disability and employment issues, and particularly graduate recruitment. The uniqueness of Helen’s approach comes from her ability to understand the issues from both sides of the fence: as an employee with a disability, and as an employer.

World Cafe is a well-established concept and known for its interactive methods. The audience sit, cafe style, around small tables. Each group discusses a topic relating to the theme of the event, using the table cloths to record their outputs. After an allotted time, the group moves to the next table, leaving one individual at the table to ensure flow of discussion.

A further three Disability Café events are planned throughout 2011. To find out more visit www.disability-cafe.com

Editors Notes

Meeting Magic facilitates participative and productive meetings. From strategic planning with leadership teams, to large group meetings and conferences, the company helps participants to deliver better results. Meeting Magic works with organisations worldwide. Clients include Mars, Microsoft, Coca Cola, Department of Health and Metropolitan Police. The company has affiliate partners in Australia and the USA.

Contacts for media enquiries:
Katherine Woods, Managing Director, Meeting Magic
Tel: 01628 471114 katherine@meetingmagic.co.uk

Lindsey Potter, Press Office, Meeting Magic
Tel: 01628 471114 lindsey@meetingmagic.co.uk