Here are this week’s highlights from the team: Jack
It’s felt like one of those weeks where your feet don’t really touch the ground. On Wednesday I found myself running to the kitchen to make a coffee before I realised that doesn’t work on the return journey. Lesson learned – more speed, less haste. Black coffee and white shirts don’t mix.
A big-ticket item this week was our annual strategy session with the board, where we green-lit some exciting plans for 2024/25. But the real highlight for me was seeing our Customer Experience, Events and Marketing gurus present their plans for the year. Speaking to an audience doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and it’s no secret that the team is firing on all cylinders to keep giving businesses a great service…so seeing them proudly shout about their programmes and plans for the year was fantastic. They’re a credit to Norfolk Chambers and the business community they serve. The eagle-eyed may have clocked that we’re recruiting to grow our team, and much of my week has been on moving that forward. The last noteworthy bit for me has been spending a good chunk of time with Nova and Paul, the other 2/3rds of the Senior Management Team, looking at the next phase of our digital innovation – this is our ‘digital chamber’ work which brings us a futureproof, bespoke CRM, events booking (think Eventbrite but ‘in-house’) and a dashboard for every user. Next week is all about events, meetings with some key stakeholders in local government, candidate interviews and taking a few well-earned hours out to attend an event at my boy’s school…because we could all be better at taking a break from the screen! Rick (Me) This week, we have been diving into the details of upcoming events, shaping how the days will run, and looking at our Big Debate and the Festival of Knowledge. Lot’s of opportunities here for businesses to get involved, and the Festival of Knowledge is an event I think will become a recognisable fixture in the Norfolk calendar, in the same way the Royal Norfolk Show and B2B are. Interviews are progressing this week for our newly created Marketing Coordinator role, and having presented the 2024 Marketing Strategy to the board this week, I’m excited about putting my plans into action. I’m also keen to hear from our members. What do you want to see? We are here to support you, so the more input I can get from our membership, the better so please do message me or drop me an email with any suggestions or comments; all feedback is good feedback! Shelley This week, the Festival of Knowledge has truly come alive. With a staggering 3200 enthusiastic schoolchildren already booked for the two morning sessions, the anticipation is electric. The response has been remarkable, and exhibitor stands are selling fast, reflecting a shared commitment to education, skills, and the journey ahead. Katie After being off with the lurgy last week I was back in full swing this week, Monday I had a great day of planning Co.Solo, so keep an eye out as we will be going out with recruiting board members next week. Then Tuesday I presented the Co.Solo strategy plan to our main board which went really well, the rest of the week I have been out and about on some really lovely member meetings. Caroline
This week has been a lot of driving up and down the A11. One of those trips was to visit my new member, The English Distillery and meet with Katy Nelstrop who kindly showed me and Julie Austin around their beautiful facilities. Watch out for a joint Norfolk Chambers and The English Distillery tour in April. Details coming soon….
Thursday night I hosted an event alongside Tom Holmes where we welcomed the business community to view the new Big C Cancer Charity Support Centre on Dereham Road. Sometimes the events you run, or attend can impact you in more ways than you think they will. We heard from Adele, who looks after people at the centre, and she truly touched me with her words and how she spoke about the care they offer. She is a superstar and a true legend for her dedication to her job and care. A big shoutout to the team at Big C for all the support they give the local community. It’s FRI-YAY, bring on the weekend!
Have a great weekend everyone, although first I’m heading out to attend Norfolk Netwalking event at Whitlingham, it’s going to be a windy one.
Photo of the Week The photo of the week from the team has to be this picture of Adele from the Big C Cancer Charity event earlier this week. Hearing from Caroline what important work she does means there can never be too much recognition for someone like this! Thanks for reading. I will have more highlights next week! Rick Notley Marketing & Communications Manager
