Why Not Hire a Children’s Entertainer for Your Kid’s Party?

EntertainersThere are many children’s entertainers in Leeds and the surrounding areas, you just need to do a quick Google search for “Children’s Entertainers Leeds” and you’ll have more than enough to choose from. There are clowns, magicians, fairies and pirate themed event organisers that specialise in entertaining for kids parties.Just a couple of the best in the North West (and East):JingJangJooJong – The crazy couple who create a magical alien world to entertain with.Make a Wish Entertainment – Specialising in fairy-tales for childrenSo if you’re struggling to think of something to do, just hire an entertainer, most of them are members of Equity so they are quality performers. Make sure they have public liability insurance however so that any little injuries from the activities are fully covered and you have nothing to worry about. You may also wish to check for CRB clearance which many of them advertise having.EquipmentIs it a dance, a do, a ball, a shower? Whether a birthday party, surprise party, or a calm British tea party, there’s some equipment you should make sure you have!The things below aren’t always needed, but they usually are, and are always good to have in-case that 1 guest requests them:
Plastic cups (because if it goes outside, it’s best not to have glass)
Plastic cutlery (for the same reason as above, but also because you can throw them away and don’t have to wash them up!)
Paper towels (because someone will spill something… somewhere.)
Plasters (even plastic cutlery can cut!)
Bottles of water (for exhausted kids, and intoxicated adults!)
They are the basics, and obviously if you’re catering for a certain type of party you’ll need your niche products, kids parties normally always have balloons, don’t forget the helium, or even easier just buy pre-filled balloons, that way you don’t have to blow them up, it can take a lot out of you. For themed parties the entertainers sometimes provide costumers for the kids or something to help them feel more involved, however it will be worth checking with them before-hand and if not maybe rent outfits or just one token piece (pirate hat/eye-patch) to give to the kids it really enhances the atmosphere. You can usually haggle with outfit stores as they don’t really have set prices, so go in hard and say that you’ve got a party for 20 kids and need 20 outfits can you have them for £10 each! You may just get lucky.Things to look out for!Equity, Public Liability, CRB CheckThere are some things that set some entertainers apart from the others. They don’t necessarily mean they’ll be better, but they do mean that the person has taken the extra steps of professionalism in entertainment, insurance, and safety.Logos to look for on websites:1. Equity membership logo: Being a member of Equity, the professional performers and creative practitioner’s institute, usually guarantees that the entertainer has been classically trained, or at least displayed a high level of performance ability and professionalism. Again this doesn’t absolutely mean that they’ll be better than someone whom isn’t a member, however it’s always a nice reassurance, as there’s nothing worse than having an entertainer turn up who’s not… entertaining, especially when there’s a tough crowd, amateurism really shines through and can make the situation very awkward.2. Public liability insurance: This is probably the most important if you have more than a few children being entertained. There are so many little things that could go wrong, from a tip over a speaker cable, swallowing a popped balloon, damaging the entertainers or the clients equipment. But if someone has liability insurance at least you know that any injuries to your loved ones are fully covered, and it stops the “who’s fault was it” debate and saves people a lot of money.3. CRB Checked: This is the least important of the three, but it does show that they have gone another extra step to prove that they’re suitable to work with children and in sensitive situations. It doesn’t really reflect the entertainment value, and there’s generally no risk to children at parties when the adults are still there supervising, however it is another nice reassurance if they do have it.

S&P 500 Biotech Giant Vertex Leads 5 Stocks Showing Strength

Your stocks to watch for the week ahead are Cheniere Energy (LNG), S&P 500 biotech giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), Cardinal Health (CAH), Steel Dynamics (STLD) and Genuine Parts (GPC).

X
While the market remains in correction, with analysts and investors wary of an economic downturn, these five stocks are worth adding to watchlists. S&P 500 medical giants Vertex and Cardinal Health have been holding up, as health-care related plays tend to do well in down markets.

Steel Dynamics and Genuine Parts are both coming off strong earnings as both the steel and auto parts industries report optimistic outlooks. Meanwhile, Cheniere Energy saw sales boom in the second quarter as demand in Europe for natural gas continues to grow.

Major indexes have been making rally attempts with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 testing weekly support on Friday. With market uncertainty, investors should be ready for follow-through day breakouts and keep an eye on these stocks.

Cheniere Energy, Cardinal Health and VRTX stock are all on IBD Leaderboard.

Cheniere Energy Stock
LNG shares rose 1.1% to 175.79 during Friday’s market trading. On the week, the stock advanced 3.1%, not from highs, bouncing from its 21-day and 10-week lines earlier in the week.

Cheniere Energy has been consolidating since mid-September, but needs another week to forge a proper base, with a potential 182.72 buy point formed on Aug. 10.

Houston-based Cheniere Energy was IBD Stock Of The Day on Thursday, as the largest U.S. producer of liquefied natural gas eyes strong demand in Europe.

Even though natural gas prices are plunging in the U.S. and Europe, investors still see strong LNG demand for Cheniere and others.

The U.K. government confirmed last week that it is in talks for an LNG purchase agreement with a number of companies, including Cheniere.

In the first half of 2021, less than 40% of Cheniere’s cargoes of LNG landed in Europe. That jumped to more than 70% through this year’s second quarter, even as the company ramped up new export capacity. The urgency of Europe’s natural gas shortage only intensified last month. That is when an explosion disabled the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia that had once supplied 40% of the European Union’s natural gas.

In Q2, sales increased 165% to $8 billion and LNG earned $2.90 per share, up from a net loss of $1.30 per share in Q2 2021. The company will report Q3 earnings Nov. 3, with investors seeing booming profits for the next few quarters.

Cheniere Energy has a Composite Rating of 84. It has a 98 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share price movement with a 1 to 99 score. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 41.

Vertex Stock
VRTX stock jumped 3.4% to 300 on Friday, rebounding from a test of its 50-day moving average. Shares climbed 2.2% for the week. Vertex stock has formed a tight flat base with an official buy point of 306.05, according to MarketSmith analysis.

The stock has remained consistent over recent weeks, while the relative strength line has trended higher. The RS line tracks a stock’s performance vs. the S&P 500 index.

Vertex Q3 earnings are on due Oct. 27. Analysts see EPS edging up 1% to $3.61 per share with sales increasing 16% to $2.2 billion, according to FactSet.

The Boston-based global biotech company dominates the cystic fibrosis treatment market. Vertex also has other products in late-stage clinical development that target sickle cell disease, Type 1 diabetes and certain genetically caused kidney diseases. That includes a gene-editing partnership with Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP).

In early August, Vertex reported better-than-expected second-quarter results and raised full-year sales targets.

S&P 500 stock Vertex ranks second in the Medical-Biomed/Biotech industry group. VRTX has a 99 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and its EPS Rating is 99.

CRISPR Stocks: Will Concerns Over Risk Inhibit Gene-Editing Cures?

Cardinal Health Stock
CAH stock advanced 3.2% to 73.03 Friday, clearing a 71.22 buy point from a shallow cup-with-handle base and hitting a record high. But volume was light on the breakout. CAH stock leapt 7.3% for the week.

Cardinal Health stock’s relative strength line has also been trending up for months.

The cup-with-handle base is part of a base-on-base pattern, forming just above a cup base cleared on Aug. 11.

Cardinal Health, based in Dublin, Ohio, offers a wide assortment of health care services and medical supplies to hospitals, labs, pharmacies and long-term care facilities. The company reports that it serves around 90% of hospitals and 60,000 pharmacies in the U.S.

S&P 500 stock Cardinal Health will report Q1 2023 earnings on Nov. 4. Analysts forecast earnings falling 26% to 96 cents per share. Sales are expected to increase 10% to $48.3 billion, according to FactSet.

Cardinal Health stock ranks first in the Medical-Wholesale Drug/Supplies industry group, ahead of McKesson (MCK), which is also showing positive action. CAH stock has a 94 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 97 Relative Strength Rating and an EPS rating of 73.

Steel Dynamics Stock
STLD shares shot up 8.5% to 92.92 on Friday and soared 19% on the week, coming off a Steel Dynamics earnings beat Wednesday night.

Shares blasted above an 88.72 consolidation buy point Friday after clearing a trendline Thursday. STLD stock is 17% above its 50-day line, definitely extended from that key average.

Steel Dynamics’ latest consolidation could be seen as part of a larger base going back six months.

Steel Dynamics topped Q3 earnings views with EPS rising 10% to $5.46 while revenue grew 11% to $5.65 billion. The steel producer’s outlook is optimistic despite weaker flat rolled steel pricing. STLD reports its order activity and backlogs remain solid.

The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based company is among the largest producers of carbon steel products in the U.S. It engages in metal recycling operations along with steel fabrication and produces myriad steel products.

How Millett Grew Steel Dynamics From A Three Employee Business

STLD stock ranks first in the Steel-Producers industry group. STLD stock has a 96 Composite Rating out of 99. It has a 90 Relative Strength Rating, an exclusive IBD Stock Checkup gauge for share-price movement that tops at 99. The rating shows how a stock’s performance over the last 52 weeks holds up against all the other stocks in IBD’s database. The EPS rating is 98.

Genuine Parts Stock
GPC stock gained 2.8% to 162.35 Friday after the company topped earnings views with its Q3 results on Thursday. For the week GPC advanced 5.1% as the stock held its 50-day line and is in a flat base.

GPC has an official 165.09 flat-base buy point after a three-week rally, according to MarketSmith analysis.

The relative strength line for Genuine Parts stock has rallied sharply to highs over the past several months.

On Thursday, the Atlanta-based auto parts company raised its full-year guidance on growth across its automotive and industrial sales.

Genuine Parts earnings per share advanced 19% to $2.23 and revenue grew 18% to $5.675 billion in Q3. GPC’s full-year guidance is now calling for EPS of $8.05-$8.15, up from $7.80-$7.95. The company now forecasts revenue growth of 15%-16%, up from the earlier 12%-14%.

During the Covid pandemic, supply chain constraints caused a major upheaval in the auto industry, sending prices for new and used cars to record levels. This has made consumers more likely to hang on to their existing vehicles for longer, driving mileage higher and boosting demand for auto replacement parts.

Fellow auto stocks O’Reilly Auto Parts (ORLY) and AutoZone (AZO) have also rallied near buy points amid the struggling market. O’Reilly reports on Oct. 26.

IBD ranks Genuine Parts first in the Retail/Wholesale-Auto Parts industry group. GPC stock has a 96 Composite Rating. Its Relative Strength Rating is 94 and it has an EPS Rating of 89.

Obama’s Custom Social Network

The recent years have seen a lot of entrepreneurs moving to online platforms to grow their business. Specifically, by using social media websites to establish a profile and brand for their company online. The importance of using social networking sites has become apparent to business owners, but unfortunately a lot of bad advice is out there on how to grow a custom social network.I’ve spent five years studying and participating in social networking websites, and can tell you that most of the “new” advice out there on social media marketing is wrong! In fact, “experts” are having you chase around things that can have little growth affect on your business. So what’s the key to social media success? To use social networking websites to build and foster a community!One of the most important justifications I’ve ever seen behind this was with Barack Obama’s 2008 political campaign. The election was the first to massively use social networking sites to connect with people. No matter what your political views are, his case is a case worth studying when trying to figure out how to launch your social networking campaign.His campaign leaders recognized the importance of social networking (which later polls would show was one of the key reasons he won) early on in the election. They went out and actually hired one of Facebook’s co-founders, Chris Hughes, to run the online portion of their campaign. Now remember, we are dealing with a people who had millions of advertising dollars at hand, and almost unlimited resources and technology to reach out to people. Hughes, however, knew what Facebook (and all social networking sites) was designed for and launched a different campaign idea.His main focus was to build a strong social community around Obama. He set up the main website for Obama as its own custom social network, allowing people to register and design profiles based around the candidate, and to invite their friends to participate. Hughes knew the importance of viral marketing, and the importance of giving people the controlled power to promote their thoughts and ideas (centered on the candidate’s ideas). Hughes made sure that all of Obama’s Facebook, Twitter, pod casts, and other social media forums reflected the same goal, to build an online community for the offline election.Now, Hughes did use paid advertising on Facebook, but only after the initial community had been set up. The secret to Barack Obama’s online success was through building an online community around his ideas and campaigns. Hughes knew that social networking websites were designed for people to interact in online communities, and structured Obama’s presence accordingly. When you build a community around your business, you’re giving people the power to do all the work for you, like in Obama’s case.As Obama’s campaign ended, Chris Hughes came forward with the numbers he generated for the campaign. The users on his website had created more than 2 million profiles, partook in the planning of over 200,000 offline events, formed 35,000 separate groups, posted nearly 400,000 blogs, and raised $30 million on 70,000 personal fund raising pages.Instead of trying to sell to the community that is already online looking for your product or service, you need to become a part of that community, as the expert (or a expert) in your niche. Once you have established a community around your business, you will be able to grow (and sell) your business in ways that people only imagined before.-Jerry Nihen