Alex Colman

Internet marketing expert Susan Hallam speaking at LincUpLive

Some 150 delegates attended Lincoln’s social media conference, LincUpLive, with international speakers and experts taking the stage on Friday, February 24, at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.

Local businesses and twitterati absorbed the wisdom of social media gurus from the likes of IBM’s Delphine Remy-Boutang and Orange’s Yann Gourvennec.

Attendees also learnt how the medium is affecting local policing with a talk from the Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police Richard Crompton.

LincUpLive Co-founder Glenn Le Santo opened the event explaining how social media can help boost business in Lincoln and companies should let their staff embrace it.

“Social media can empower Lincoln, putting it on the map with modern marketing bringing the city forward.

“You can now sell sausages to America thanks to e-commerce, if you just look outside and see who else you can reach,” he said.

Former Worldwide Social Media Director at IBM, Delphine Remy-Boutang, spoke to The Lincolnite about how Lincoln’s businesses can embrace their community.

She said: “It is about engaging with the people you want to influence, when I arrived in Lincoln I tweeted the fact and a local bar called Dogma started following me, now I know where to go for a drink when I return.”

Remy-Boutang explained that social media shouldn’t be intimidating for small businesses as by starting slow and using tools like TweetDeck they can quickly gain visibility.

Educating staff to adapt to this cultural shift is also important in a customer services sense, according to Remy-Boutang.

“Social media brings a humanised experience to a brand and although there will be mistakes, that is fine; it is best to be part of any negative conversation to turn it into a positive,” she said.

As LincUpLive continues to grow since its inaugural event last year, the next conference has already been announced for September 14.

You can keep track of discussion around the event by following the hashtag #LUL360 on Twitter.

Photos: Paul Clarke and Luke Todd for LincUpLive

Two Michelin starred chef Michel Roux Jr and MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace and John Torode praised Lincoln joiner’s Eamonn Hunt’s fine dining dishes in Wednesday’s episode

Lincoln joiner Eamonn Hunt impressed judges and Michelin Star chef Michel Roux Jr to make it through to the final five of BBC’s MasterChef show.

Despite Roux Jr airing concern that Hunt’s dishes seemed like food you’d cook at home, his culinary skills shone through and made him a top contender.

Cooking two courses, Hunt started with pork two ways; rib and herb encrusted tenderloin with a herb crust served with celeriac puree, onion rings, calvados apples and Guinness and cider sauce.

Eamonn’s main dish was rib and herb encrusted tenderloin with a herb crust served with celeriac puree, onion rings, calvados apples and Guinness and cider sauce

After seeing the dish plated up, Michel Roux Jr acknowledged the finesse of the dish calling it “good cooking.”

Hunt’s second course was liquorice poached pear with lime Chantilly cream, blackberry sorbet and a sable biscuit

MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace tasted the desert and called it utterly divine.

Hunt said: “You enter to test yourself and see how good you really are and praise from Michel Roux Jr validates the year I’ve spent honing my skills since missing out on the finals last year.”

With a fine performance, Hunt stood out on the show and was among the first two to make it through to the final five.

Hunt watched the episode at home with his wife but was delighted to get a text from the Tap and Spile landlord to say the whole pub is cheering him on.

The series continues Wednesday, February 29, when the contestants will be cooking for three leading restaurant critics.

Photos: BBC