Chamber News

Please be cautious of any contact with the “The Irish Islamic Chamber of Commerce” with regard to Certificates of Origin.

It has come to our attention that an organisation calling itself “The Irish Islamic Chamber of Commerce” is claiming that British exporters must use their “British Islamic Certificates of Origin” for the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

This organisation is NOT authorised to issue Certificates of Origin in the UK, and exporters should be aware of this.

If you come across this organisation promoting themselves within the UK, then please report this back to [email protected] as soon as possible.

We will then report it back to the British Chambers of Commerce who will deal with the matter accordingly.

Norfolk Chamber members were out in force on 7 November to welcome the Chancellor to Norfolk and to ensure that he was in no doubt as to the potential growth of its business community given the right investment.

As part of the event Chamber members were asked to take part in a text survey to identify their key priorities which will provide the keystone to the Chamber’s priorities in 2014. The clear priority with 34% of the vote was improvements to transport & infrastructure. The Chancellor then heard from Ian Hacon President Norfolk Chamber of Commerce about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly side of Norfolk, who emphasised Norfolk’s potential for growth.

Six Chamber members ranging from rural start-ups to established firms, such as Bernard Matthews and RG Carter, then gave highlights as to what they were particularly excited about relating to their businesses and identified what would help them be even more successful.

It was made clear that Norfolk businesses are at last feeling more confident, but continued to need the support of the Government in key areas. They highlighted how much faster businesses could grow and create jobs with the right infrastructure in place particularly improved broadband and mobile coverage, the railways, NDR and A47.

Young people are Norfolk’s future and Norfolk Chamber members sought assurances that business education would be high on the Government’s agenda.

Ian Hacon, President Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and MD Blue Sky Leisure commented “We were delighted to host a visit from George Osborne, Rt. Hon. Member of Parliament for Tatton and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I would like to think he left Norfolk with a positive view as to what a great county it is to live and work in, and how a relatively small amount of investment in projects and infrastructure could unlock Norfolk’s potential to continue to play its part in the economic growth of the country.”

Caroline Williams, CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: “The Chancellor can be in no doubt about the innovation and dynamism of the Norfolk business community after today’s visit. We very much welcome his positive comments about Norfolk and its economy and will continue to encourage him to invest in this area in order to maximise the business community’s potential for growth and jobs.”

The Chancellor, George Osborne, in his speech stated that infrastructure investment was a priority for the government, from broadband and education, to road and rail, but that he was “here to listen, and here to learn”.

“We are doing what we can to create a competitive business environment. But we need your input, your thoughts and your ideas about where to take that next because by definition in a global race you cannot stand still.”

The Chancellor went on to outline that he was committed to the delivery of a faster rail service between Norwich and London (known as the Norwich in Ninety campaign). However, as this will take some time to implement, he also committed his support for the upgrading of the rolling stock, such as power points and refurbishment of carriages.

A number of members had the opportunity to ask the Chancellor questions and those not able to be heard due to time restrictions were assured that their questions would be answered after the event.

Brandon Lewis, MP Great Yarmouth who had organised the visit with Norfolk Chamber had to be in Westminster today but said “The Chancellor’s visit to Norfolk today is a real recognition of the economic potential of the area. I am delighted to have been able to help arrange this important visit and that Norfolk Chamber members had this opportunity to tell the Chancellor more about our area and the fantastic businesses that have made their home here. This is the perfect opportunity to signal to the Government that Norfolk is open for business and will be a key player in the UK’s continued economic growth. I shall continue to work closely with government departments to bring cabinet ministers to our area.”

Caroline Williams continued “The Chancellor has made it clear today that he values Norfolk and its business community and want to help us to reach our full potential. It is essential that we work closely together with our local MPs, our LEPs and public sector partners to take advantage of the exciting opportunities we have in Norfolk. The Chancellor has opened the door to communicate with him and his team and we will b ensure that the Norfolk business voice is heard loud and clear.”

Celebrating the outstanding achievements of our Norfolk Constabulary was the order of the evening at this year’s spectacular NOSCAS 2013 award ceremony held at the Holiday Inn.

The awards, now in its sixth year, is a time to offer people the opportunity to nominate individuals or teams who have gone above and beyond in their role in making the Norfolk community one of the safest in the UK.

This year the Norfolk Chamber proudly sponsored a very special award; The Chief Constable’s Special Recognition Award. This was the first time this award has ever been given and was awarded to an individual or team where their contribution to delivering the Constabulary’s performance has been significant yet under-recognised.

This year’s winner was PC Michael Andrew: described by his District Commander as always being the first in on shift; the last to leave; and always willing to assist his colleagues while taking a huge amount of pride in delivering a first class service to the public.

This officer has recently been involved in two activities which have been significant to both the Constabulary and the public, in which he has dedicated his own time to help make a difference to people’s lives.

Firstly, this officer was one of the driving forces behind a recent charity event which saw Norfolk Police take on the Fire Service at a boxing event in Norwich back in June. The officer took the time to help set up the event, train the team, and supported the boxers on the night ringside as they did battle with fire officers.

But perhaps more significantly this officer has been central to developing a new Cadet programme for the Constabulary. In his own time and with other colleagues this officer has provided the mentoring, training and support to a group of 14 young people who last week paraded in a passing out ceremony in Thetford.

Chris Perry Membership Manager from the Norfolk Chamber said:”The Chamber is always proud to support these awards as recognition of the work the Constabulary do in making Norfolk one of the nicest places to live in the UK. Norfolk is known for its safety and high quality of life, so this is vital when attracting more people, businesses and skills to the region which in turn are vital to the continued economic growth of the county”.

For more information on the NOSCAS visit https://www.norfolk.police.uk/newsandevents/newsstories/2013/october/nosc…

(Picture PC Michael Andrew & the Cadets, Simon Bailey (Chief Constable) Chris Perry & Nova Fairbank (Norfolk Chamber)

Latest update on Better Broadband for Norfolk In December 2012, Norfolk County Council and BT signed a deal that means around 80% of Norfolk premises will be able to access superfast broadband of 24mbps with all of Norfolk premises accessing speeds of 2mpbs. First services became available July this year. Work will continue in phases over the next couple of years.

What’s happened since the last update? More than 5,000 premises in Norfolk can now access high-speed internet services.

Parts of Baconsthorpe, Bayfield, Broome, Costessey, Cringleford, Ditchingham, Emneth, Great Yarmouth, Gorleston, Hempstead, Holt, Kings Lynn, Letheringsett, Little Thornage, Norwich, Old Buckenham, Scarning and Upper Sherringham now have better broadband services.

Parts of Attleborough, Besthorpe and Morley St Peter have better broadband services earlier than planned. In the first few months of 2014 parts of Bradfield, Downham Market, North Walsham, Norwich, Spa Common and Stow Bridge will be able to access the better broadband services.

So everything’s going well then? We’re making good progress, but a land ownership and technical issue has stopped us connecting some areas during the summer. When we have fixed this and revised a new date, we will update the website with the details.

Looking further ahead, what’s happening next? There will be new announcements every 2 months regarding new areas that are set – the next is due in December 2013.

Full information on the above can be found on the attached PDF.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) says a test run of Twitter’s share sale was ‘a success’, as it tries to avoid the debacle surrounding Facebook’s flotation on the NASDAQ.

Traders simulated buying and selling shares on the exchange on Saturday, to try and clear up any technical hitches that it may face when shares go public. With this, Twitter will be the biggest tech company to go public since Facebook. Trading is thought to begin in early November.

Twitter said it was planning to sell 70 million shares prices between £10 and £12 to raise up to £865m.

According to its IPO documents, Twitter now has 218 million monthly users and 500 million tweets are sent in a day, however, all those users and tweets have not yet resulted in a profit. Twitter has made a loss of $69m in the first six months of 2013, on revenues of $254.

Twitter is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for Norfolk businesses. The Norfolk Chamber have close to four thousand followers and it is an important way for us and our members to communicate to the wider business community of local and national influence.

On the back of the positive economic news last week of 0.8 growth – exporters are again in the news with Chamber member Rackheath based packaging manufacturer Redpack is looking to expand into Poland to exploit the potential of its growing food sector after taking a trip to check out the potential.

Find out about new markets is a good way to grow a business and if travelling is not an option the Chamber is running a series of events in Norfolk covering countries such as Brazil in November, Qatar, Russia, South Africa and Vietnam over the coming months. These are free to attend and open to all businesses.

The Chambers new International Trade Group also meets for the first time this month to debate issues affecting exporters.

The Government could use taxpayer money to guarantee loan insurance for small businesses under a plan being considered by the state back business bank.

The plan aims to remove the block on bank lending to small businesses by using the insurance industry. Small businesses would buy insurance to cover the risk of them defaulting on their own loans with they could then offer to banks as guarantee to borrow money.

As the economy starts to grow it is more important than ever that businesses can access funding to invest in their organisations. In this region New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership have also accessed funds; both grants and loans. So the Chamber would encourage businesses to investigate all options to access funding.

At a recent meeting of the West Norfolk Chamber Council, local Chamber members were invited to attend the meeting to debate promoting business in West Norfolk. Representatives from Germains Seed Technology, Hayhow & Co, Rural Broadband and Freebridge Community Housing were all part of the discussions on how to increase the business profile.

The group reviewed inward investment and customer care for existing organisations in West Norfolk. The region receives a diverse number of inward investment enquiries, which range from manufacturing to life sciences. Enquiries are received from around the world from the likes of: USA, Russia, Pakistan, and Australia. Many enquiries were based around the agri-tech sector and King’s Lynn forms part of a ‘golden triangle’ with Norwich and Cambridge for this sector.

All agreed that whilst West Norfolk has many exciting and innovative business already in situ, these businesses must raise their profiles and let the rest of the county know what they are doing to help highlight the opportunities and level of expertise already available within West Norfolk.

Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber Council said “It was encouraging to hear from local businesses about the exciting work they are doing and it is up to us, the business community of West Norfolk, to make more noise about how much we can offer and ensure the message that ‘West Norfolk is open for business’ is broadcast to everyone.”

At the risk of becoming repetitive, today’s Chamber Session was another full house. And if you missed it you missed out.James Thomas from Square Social was here to deliver a presentation to us on how to be better at Social Media.

He quoted Einstein who’d said that if you can’t explain something clearly you probably don’t understand it. The clarity of James’ Session showed that he plainly has a real grasp of his subject.

What he made clear from the outset was that the fundamentals of marketing still apply. What we have to do is use them as we embrace the new media opportunities afforded by the digital age.

So, firstly establish who it is you want to talk to, and where best to reach them. That’s identifying your target audience and selecting the most appropriate media to reach them – just as it ever was.

But, to really get the most out of the social media your strategy needs to be in tune with them. If it’s awareness you’re seeking then Facebook and Twitter are powerful conduits. When loyalty is your objective, recognise that the social media are best used as part of the bigger picture and your message shouldn’t be too sales oriented. Driving sales is where Liked In comes into play.

The tone of your message should be modified not just by your product or service, but by the media too. A B2B message can be serious and will work on Linked In. A consumer focussed message can be lighter in tone and will sit better on Facebook.

That in turn will help you decide on something else. What value are you going to give your audience? It could be a free e book or ‘learned’ paper in the business world. It might be hints and tips, to establish your credentials. Or, in the consumer field, a promotion is a possibility.

Vitally important, and often understated, is the fact that social media activity is measurable. Engaging in any form of marketing activity that doesn’t provide measurable results is, and always has been, folly. The tools available in this media area make for precise measurement.

James made some other essential points. Don’t use the social media for the sake of it, or from peer pressure. Have a goal and a strategy. And get your data and your presence right. Having selected two or three candidate suppliers from their social media marketing, and other activity, it could be your Linked In profile, for example, that becomes the tipping point in their deciding on you rather than your competitors.

Put simply a good strategy needs to a) build a presence, b) engage your audience and c) convert them into sales.

This was a great session from a man who certainly had presence, and definitely engaged us.

Which, personally leaves me with two thoughts. Firstly, we all have a huge opportunity to engage with a massive audience by placing articles, news and blogs on the Chamber website. It will spread your message to key players.

Secondly? In amongst all of this ‘content’ is still king. That means, as well as the technology and media skills, you still need the right words. That pleases me. I’m a writer.

We have a break next week, but be there for the Chamber Session on November 5. Jonathan Chapman of QMS is here for Be Better at Growing

Written by Pete Goodrum

Commenting on the announcement that a new nuclear power plant will be built at Hinkley Point in Somerset, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said:

“After months of uncertainty, British business will be pleased that negotiations for the UK’s first new nuclear power plant in decades have been successfully concluded. Nuclear power is a critical part of the UK’s future energy infrastructure mix, and will help ensure our businesses have access to secure sources of energy in the years ahead. Businesses in Somerset and beyond will be a vital part of the supply chain opportunities on offer.

“This is a major step towards ensuring nuclear power continues to play a vital role in the UK’s future energy security, but it is only one step. Dithering by successive governments has meant that this vital project, like so many before it, will end up costing the Exchequer and consumers far more than needed.

“Britain must adopt a comprehensive, long-term strategy to guarantee the security of our energy supplies. Only then will we see both certainty for investors and affordable energy for consumers. More politicking will only run the risk of the lights going out. We await such good news about Sizewell C in the future”

On Thursday 17 October, both floors of Norwich City Football Club were packed with the region’s very best businesses showcasing their products and services to the Norfolk business community.

Over 60 exhibitors were divided into six different business zones, wowing the 500+ delegates that attended with their quality and range of services.

Abi charter, Events Manager at Norfolk Chamber said “Ranging from large national corporate brands such as Lloyds Bank and PC World, through to independent start up businesses such as Anglia Sander Sales Training and Zealify, exhibitors at the B2B epitomize the Chamber membership network; where else could you get such a range of businesses under one roof? It doesn’t matter if you’re big or small, if you’re in business in Norfolk, you need to be part of the Chamber.”

The official opening of the B2B Exhibition 2013 was carried out by Johnny Hustler, MD of Archant Anglia, who encouraged Norfolk Businesses to shout about what they do. Johnny commented “Norfolk is spectacularly successful at breeding and encouraging new,

small, exciting firms full of dynamism and promise. I might be biased, because I have spent the last 35 years trying to market one thing or another, but I am convinced that marketing is every-bit as important an ingredient in your business as your people, your skills or your product. And if we could get every new business to agree with this – Norfolk would indeed be buzzing. There is no shortage of enterprise in this county but there is a shortage of shouting about it. So full marks to everyone who is strutting their stuff here today, you are shouting about it, and deserve success”.

The exhibitors did not waste any time heeding Johnny’s words of advice, and took to twitter to let the world know they were there, ready and waiting to meet them. The 2013 exhibition saw a record level of social media interaction, with the networking not being confined to the physical but virtual networking taking place well after the exhibition had closed its doors.

• @AdamNorthcut “@LornaBurroughes lovely to meet you. A fantastic exhibition hosted by @norfolkchamber Everyone I spoke to said it was a huge success!”
• @RTodd Insurance‏ “Phoo – just back from @norfolkchamber #B2B2B2B Good day. Several new contacts and opportunities made. Now for the important bit-FOLLOW UP!”
• @InsightTrack “Good visit to B2B Exhibition at Carrow Road, useful re-connects and new connects, thanks for hosting @norfolkchamber”
• @Selectplanner “@norfolkchamber #B2B2B My first visit to a B2B exhibition today and certainly not my last, thank you.”
• @ChrisReeve “At Carrow Road @norfolkchamber event #B2B2B – Getting connected with some great contacts within the #Norfolk business network.”

The 60+ strong exhibitors had not only stepped up their social media presence for the exhibition, they had also gone to town with their stand designs. The Henderson Business Centre’s design incorporated a giant bright green Chinese Dragon head to attract passers by. Hussey Knights, who were awarded the highly sought after Best Stand Award 2013, featured a variety of different print formats that made their space stand out from others.

In addition to the exhibition, delegates also had the opportunity to hear national speakers in specialist workshops hosted by Hewlett Packard, Archant and UK Bullion Direct and learn business-improvement tips from Norfolk’s ‘Big Thinkers’ during best practice sessions.

The best practice session speakers were selected to enthuse other businesses with their motivation, their secrets of success and included a real mix of backgrounds and levels of experience. From upcoming Future 50 companies such as Indigo Swan to established brands like Naked Wines, there were tips for every business.

One delegate listened to Rachel Paul of Consult East’s session & tweeted “Rrefreshingly reflective presentation from @consulteast’s Rachel @norfolkchamber #B2B2B captivating session”. The workshops provided expert advice and top tips across three varied subject areas.

Siam Kidd of UK Bullion Direct delivered an engaging workshop entitled“How not to get financially mugged – the importance of investing”. Archant’s Jamie Brown provided a hands-on approach to“Online Marketing – Making Websites Work”in his workshop, and the final speaker Marc Hollyoak of Hewlett Packard talked to attendees about “Innovation and the HP Hot House”.

Norwich Business School hosted the B2B 2013 VIP Reception, in which a presentation for Dr Jonathan Gander, the Director of Employability at Norwich Business School, took a few minutes to talk about theGraduate Trainee Management Scheme.

Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber officially closed the exhibition stating “This year’s B2B Exhibition has been amazing, I am so proud of our Members that exhibited. We have had a record number of visitors for this event which I hope will translate into business for you.”

Caroline went on to say “Without the support from our sponsors, Archant, Norse, Norwich Business School and Osbornenash, this would not have been possible.”

The next Norfolk Chamber exhibition takes place as part of the larger Opportunities 2014 event on Thursday 20 March 2014. It’s a Meet the Buyer incorporating a B2B exhibition and will be held at Norwich City Football Club. If you’re thinking about raising your profile amongst the Norfolk Business community and are contemplating exhibiting, don’t just take our word for it, here’s what some of our exhibitors had to say about the day;

@EposNow “Thanks for a great day @norfolkchamber – looking forward to next year! #NowTheWorkBegins !” ‏@TradedUK “Thank you @norfolkchamber for a great event. Thanks to Norfolk Businesses we raised £1600 for schools on launch day.” @NorwichforJobs “We’ve had a great day at @norfolkchamber B2B exhibition engaging with employers about their needs & how #N4J can help” @HughJBoswell “Good flow of traffic at the @norfolkchamber B2B. Looking promising for the afternoon!”

The exhibition got picked up in the local press as a key event for the business community, read the article entitled “Businesses descend on Norfolk Chamber of Commerce’s B2B event”here.

View the event Supplement, full of the exhibitors detailshere.

View photos from the event on ourFacebookorGoogle+pages

Half way through October and today was The Chamber Sessions number four. Brilliant to see not just another full house but a real cross section of people. The mix included new faces, big organisations, small ones and new ones. Pretty much exactly the profile of the Chamber, and what’s more everyone there had the same attitude; let’s learn something about how to do business, better. So absolutely typical of the Chamber.

Guest speaker today was the multi-talented Chris Liles on behalf of Smith and Pinching. His task? To teach us how to be better at face to face networking.

It’s an increasingly digital world but meeting people face to face is still an essential part of widening your spread of contacts, and winning new business. It must be true because, as Chris pointed out, there are upwards of fifty networking groups in the county.

From the start this was an interactive and engaging session. Everybody there did their ‘elevator pitch’, setting out who they were, what they did and why it would be good to talk to them. Interestingly everybody delivered well within the thirty seconds each that Chris allowed.

Questioning skills and, just as importantly, listening skills were addressed along with body language including that all important firm handshake.

Chris talked about choosing a networking group that suits you; somewhere you’ll find the kind of people you need to talk to. He had great tips on how to scan the room to find groups that would be easy to approach. Two really excellent pointers were to make sure you engage with the host as a centre of influence, and have plenty of business cards with you.

A great selection of hard copy hand outs with useful facts and questions for networking sessions made the session really useful.

This was another Chamber Session that really delivered. Get networking – although of course you are already a member of the county’s preeminent networking group!

Which is why you should be at the next Chamber Session on November 5th. It’s about be better at growing.

Be there, The Chamber Sessions are certainly growing into something quite special.

Get in to The Chamber Sessions. Check here for details. Start doing business, better.

Article by Pete Goodrum