Fresh off the press and onto the net YesPLZ! is getting ready to launch in city near you.  The guys at YesPLZ! are trying to bring back the oldest economy that exists and repackage it in a hyper local web 2.0 setting that is extremely simple to use.

YesPLZ!, a location-based, peer-to-peer service barter platform, wants to help people trade their skills with other professionals in their local area.

“People need an ultra simple way to exchange their skills with other local providers to get the services they want and need without having to open their wallet.” said Mike Ray, CEO and Co-Founder of YesPLZ!. “We are just as excited to announce YesPLZ! is up and running as we are to use it ourselves. It takes five mouse clicks to post your service and connect with other local providers to discuss a trade that makes sense.”

YesPLZ! puts service people firmly in front of each other allowing them to list a valuable service they can provide, while browsing for services they need from people in their own communities. When a service provider posts an offer to YesPLZ — whether its for massage, or dental care — people in the community who match their trade profile can see the offer and easily get in touch.  The users have a place online where they can connect to utilize their available time, save cash, and produce new business.

“Bartering of professional service between service providers happens all around us every single day.  We want to open the door and make it easier to connect with new people”  said Ray. “Until now, the opportunity to trade services with people in your city might only come from word of mouth.  Whether you’re in need of childcare, getting a broken fence fixed, or want a lawyer to look over your new apartment lease you can use YesPLZ! to find someone close by whose willing to work on trade.”

As far as the the future of YesPLZ!, Ray said “We want to feature tight social integration, and mobile technology which is extremely important to large scale growth. We want you to be able to tell if someone is in your extended social network, which might make you more inclined to connect with them.  It’s an update on the barter system as a whole, a person-to-person marketplace brought up to date with location awareness and social-networking, making it easier than it’s ever been for service providers to trade for the things they want and need”.

How YESPLZ! Works

• Post the service you’re offering along with the service(s) you’re looking for.
• YesPLZ immediately posts your trade profile in the local community on the YesPLZ! platform, and also allows you to spread the word to your friends and contacts via social channels like Facebook and Twitter.
• Local people or businesses see the service(s) you want and service you can offer.  If interested they can contact you to discuss the details.
• YesPLZ! will automatically notify you if someone matches your trade offer. Users can set it (your service offer) and forget it.

The founding team of Mike Ray, and James Crane-Baker are each serial entrepreneurs with small business and start-ups under their belts. As a small business owner, Ray used barter with customers and vendors regularly. “I always felt like I needed a solution to find more barter partners but didn’t have the time or expertise to build one.”  In May of 2011 over a phone call with James the concept was born.  James, with a background in web development and successful start-ups, began building YesPLZ.  Less than 4 months after being founded, the YesPLZ! team had built its initial version of the application, and is running a “market test”  in Santa Barbara, CA.  They promise everyone who joins and uses YesPLZ during their beta launch period will have free membership for life.

Find YesPLZ! Online:

Website: http://yesplz.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yourservice4mine

Twitter: @yesplz_sb

Surveyed barter exchanges, banks and industry professionals were asked to attend workshops and submit copies of their internal documents, audited accounts and plans to help provide some background industry information for this report

As a large barter company with offices in 17 countries and customers in 54 countries, Ormita featured in this document in a positive manner. One thing that our company does believe in is both transparency and a zero deficit policy. This has been a crucial stance for the organisation as we believe that deficits (barter exchange owners spending their own barter dollars with no ability / intention to repay) are one of the major causes of inflation in a barter currency. (Inflation is too much money chasing too few goods and is not limited to the cash economy but also exists in the barter economy).

Staff from Ormita Sweden, Ormita Germany, Ormita Italia and Ormita International all attended the UK Government event together with Dorottya Szabo (IRTA Europe Chairperson) Matteo Carcascio from the Italian Trade Commission and some other guests.

According to the City of London press releases:

“Capacity exchange development presents untapped opportunity for London

The development of an innovative, global capacity exchange hub in London could improve productivity by reducing marginal spare capacity, stimulating innovation and providing an alternative to conventional credit, according to a new report released today commissioned by the City of London Corporation, Recipco and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Capacity Trade and Credit: Emerging Architectures for Commerce and Money highlights how businesses with spare capacity in their own goods, services or infrastructure – often the case in economic downturns – could utilise their surplus via an exchange to ‘finance’ the purchase of other goods and services that they need. Capacity exchanges have the potential to offer SMEs and larger businesses an alternative credit stream in the face of a challenging environment for conventional credit as banks rebuild bank balance sheets.

According to some reports, 20% of global trade (over US$ 100bn) takes place in non-monetary exchanges. Capacity trading across the world has traditionally taken the form of simple bartering, which involves two parties – commonly SMEs in local or national trading networks – settling a transaction through a flow of goods or services rather than sovereign currencies – or cash. This form of exchange has traditionally been seen as less efficient than monetary trade since it requires finding a suitable counterparty at one point in time and is often contractually more complex.

In contrast, the internet-based multilateral exchange discussed in the report could potentially lower transaction costs through market clearing. The report finds that London is uniquely placed to facilitate the expansion in scale needed for larger government and multinational organisations to utilise capacity trading more effectively. “

Download the full Capacity Trade and Credit report (203 pages, 3Mb)

Download Executive Summary (21 pages, 721Kb)

This was boasted as the biggest trade show on the Gold Coast in over six years with by far the best variety of product.

South Gold Coast Trading Manager Renee Drew said “Over 160 stands with everything from children’s toys, clothing and surfboards to high end jewellery and kitchenware.”

There was definitely something for everyone.

Trade show organizer and Gold Coast Trading Manager, Fiona Dixon, was very excited about the family friendly event.

“We had live music, Titans players and a photographer to take pictures, Santa even came down for a visit. It was extremely hot but I’m very happy with the result” she said.

The line up at the doors for the 10am opening was a sign that stall holders were in for a successful day.

Bartercard Founder and South Gold Coast Franchise Principal Andrew Federowsky said. “Our members turned out in masses to snatch up Christmas gifts for family, friends and clients, which allowed them to keep that precious cash flow in their business over the holiday season.”

South Gold Coast’s Events Coordinator Karren Griffiths said “The two Gold Coast franchises are the most powerful in Bartercard Australia and we were able to pull off this massive event but it wouldn’t have been possible without our members and their top quality products and services.”

IRTA is sending you this communication to inform you about the upcoming December 8th roll-out of the Z/Yen Group’s research study titled “Capacity Trade and Credit” commissioned by the City of London, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Recipco Holdings, (see invitation below).

IRTA contributed to the Z/Yen Group research study, (see Z/Yen’s emails thanking IRTA for its input, below), and IRTA will be attending the December 8th, 2011 seminar.

As Z/Yen Group Project Manager Stephanie Rochford stated to IRTA on July 6, 2011, the purpose of the study was ”to assess the operational potential for, and the requirements of multilateral business-to-business capacity exchanges (MCE’s) based in London, and will also estimate the potential economic and social benefits that might accrue from such business-to-business exchange platforms.  The project offers an opportunity to explore an innovative concept which may have important economic implications for trade and growth.”

Further, according to Recipco Holdings, the “capacity exchange” sponsor of the report, the purpose of the research was intended to “consider and assess key economic outcomes including the potential increase in employment, improvements in capacity utilization, the impact of stimulating innovation, the implications for social development, contributions to environmental sustainability, the potential to increase international trade and the overall impact in strengthening the competitive position of UK businesses globally.”

While no advance copies of the study have been released as of yet, IRTA has been advised that the study does make broad recommendations for different regulatory frameworks.  It is unclear at this time as to what extent these recommendations may be reviewed and/or adopted by various governments.  However, the report certainly is a significant piece of research that may indeed affect the barter industry in the future and as such IRTA encourages all members of the barter and alternative currency communities to attend this most important event.

Sincerely, IRTA Global Board of Directors

Emerging Architectures for Commerce and Money

The Future of Capacity Trade and Credit

Basinghall Suite, Guildhall Art Gallery, Guildhall, EC2V 7HH

8^th December 2011, 8.00am to 10.30am

The City of London is delighted to invite you to a breakfast seminar to launch and discuss “Capacity Trade and Credit”  a report into the characteristics and the potential for the UK of non-monetary exchanges, on 8^th December at the Guildhall, EC2V 2HH, from 8.00am to 10.30am (access through the Guildhall Art Gallery).

The event will be hosted by Stuart Fraser, the City of London’s Chairman of Policy and Resources.

Speakers include:

·         Lord Sassoon, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury

·         Stuart Fraser, Chairman of Policy and Resources, The City of London Corporation

·         Alpesh Patel, UKTI Global Entrepreneurs Programme

·         Professor Paul Boyle and Adrian Alsop, Economic and Social Research Council

·         Professor Michael Mainelli, Z/Yen

·         Professor Edward Nell and James Fierro, Recipco Holdings

·         Lynton Jones, Bourse Consult

The research been produced on behalf of sponsors the City of London, the Economic and Social Research Council and Recipco Holdings, by Z/Yen.

The findings of this research will be presented, followed by an expert panel discussion and Q&A session on the implications of the research, and an opportunity for networking over a breakfast reception.

As a relatively small country dependent on world trade, the UK has a long history of responding quickly to the competitive challenges of new technologies and forms of commerce. In a fast-changing world, now more than ever our future depends on meeting these challenges. The report looks at the prospects for business trade support offered by a non-monetary global exchange hub based in the UK. It explores the ability of the latest exchange technologies to lower the costs of global market access and improve the resilience and responsiveness of large and small scale businesses through these forms of trade structures.

Registration is free but space is strictly limited for this event and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. If you are able to attend, please RSVP by 18^th November to economic.research@cityoflondon.gov.uk If you are unavailable to attend, please feel free to pass this invitation to a colleague.

Ron Whitney

IRTA Executive Director

UC Administrator

524 Middle Street

Portsmouth, VA  23704

PH: 757-393-2292

FAX: 757-257-4014

SKYPE: ron.d.whitney

ron@irta.com

www.irta.com

Among the new code changes are articles addressing tax reporting, marketing language, provisions for unfair competition, and disciplinary actions.

To review the new IRTA Ethics Code click HERE.

Wow!

“Barter certainly has become one of the most valuable business tools that company owners and managers have discovered during the last several years. We have members conserving their cash outlays and actually growing their businesses, expanding their market share and increasing sales during these challenging economic times using barter. Our annual barter expo is one of the premier events for our members to trade goods and services while expanding their business network,” explained Debbie Lombardi, president, Barter Business Unlimited, www.bbubarter.com. “Several millions of dollars are expected to be traded during this year’s 2011 Barter Expo.”

The Bradley Hotel is located at 383 South Center Street, Windsor Locks, CT, phone (860) 627-7762, www.bradleyhotel.com. From I-91 south take Exit 41 and from I-91 North take Exit 42 then take a right onto Rt. 159. This year’s growing list of barter expo sponsors include Barnum Financial www.barnumfinancialgroup.com, Connecticut Business Hall Of Fame www.ctbhof.com, and the Bradley Hotel. In addition to BBU members attending the event, all business owners and managers are invited to attend the barter expo and experience the advantages of barter just by presenting a business card and proper identification at the entrance. Significant membership discounts are available to all new members who sign-up at the expo and corporate sponsorships are still available as well.

“As a longtime Barter Business Unlimited member, I find the annual barter expo a great opportunity to network and increase your sales. I also start my holiday gift buying season for friends and clients at the expo,” said Kris Rutkowski, owner, Tri-City Trading, New Britain, CT, www.tri-citytrading.com.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to host the upcoming 2011 Barter Expo. Thousands of people from parts throughout the United States are expected to attend as they trade their products and services utilizing barter as a smart business tool,” said Harold Thompson, events manager, Bradley Hotel. “We’re making arrangements for barter member booth exhibits that include companies involved in almost every area of business — from healthcare, entertainment, office supplies, retail to financial and legal industries, dental care, pet care, hospitality and many other areas of business.”

In a time where many businesses have been struggling and closing their doors Bartercard South Gold Coast has once again beaten all the odds, setting new records for growth.

Andrew Federowsky Bartercard Founder and Franchise Principal said “We started Bartercard during a recession and have weathered 20 years of the fluctuating economy helping our members save their cash flow, and move excess stock.”

The dynamic team at Bartercard South Gold Coast consistently pulls out top awards in the Bartercard World, both nationally and internationally.

“Having a team who shares my vision for the future is vital to our success, we are all dedicated to providing our members with top notch customer service and strive for excellence.” Mr. Federowsky said.

After a brief stint at retirement Mr. Federowsky took over the South Gold Coast Franchise about three years ago and has built it to become the fastest growing franchise in the world for two consecutive years with 700 members in the South Gold Coast and Tweed regions.

“Our business is consistently evolving, three years ago I started with four staff and now we have 18, with an expected two more starting by the end of the year. “He said.

This success is no mistake; every move for Bartercard South Gold Coast is deliberate in accordance to their goals for the year.

“Direction is very important, so each year we all sit down and go over our business plan for the year so we are all have the same goals in mind; everyone has a copy on their desk to refer back to.” Mr. Federowsky said.

The team at Bartercard South Gold Coast has no plans of resting on their past successes, but look to the future for new and exciting opportunities and challenges.

Saturday, October 15, 2011 – Chicago, IL
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 – Hartford, CT
Saturday, November 5, 2011 – Milwaukee, WI
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 – Columbus, OH
Thursday, November 10, 2011 – Rochester, NY
Thursday, December 1, 2011 – Chattanooga, TN
Saturday, November 12, 2011 – Wichita, KS
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 – Denver, CO
Sunday, November 20, 2011 – Santa Clara, CA
Sunday, December 4, 2011 – Santa Rosa, CA
Sunday, December 4, 2011 – New York City/Long Island, NY
Thursday, December 8, 2011 – Las Vegas, NV