Chamber News

The Norfolk Chamber and enterprise GY are launching a brand new free-to-attend event to help businesses to gain the skills they need to successfully pitch for new business, and at the same time practice what they have learned.

Called ‘Pitching for Business’, the free to attend half-day morning event will be held during Global Entrepreneurship Week, on 14 November at the Novus Enterprise Centre, Great Yarmouth. It combines a series of informative workshops, networking opportunities with key Norfolk buyers, and a business support exhibition.

Caroline Williams, CEO of Norfolk Chamber, said: “GY Businesses have benefited in the past from the ‘Meet the Buyer’ events run with enterpriseGY. ‘Pitching for Business’ has a different more informative and informal style. Businesses from start up to more established businesses have a choice of 6 workshops throughout the morning to hone their presentation and procurement pitching skills, learn about online marketing, relationship building, securing finance and find guidance as a new start up going into their second year.

There will also be a networking lunch, attended by key regional buyers, where businesses will have the opportunity to practice what they have leaned.”

Peter Wright, Economic Development Officer at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “enterpriseGY aims to enhance entrepreneurial activity across all sections of the community within the GY Borough. ‘Pitching for Business’ is specifically aimed at helping new and existing businesses to develop local markets and learn how to win business .

We are delighted to be working closely with the Chamber .They are well known for their meet the buyer events and they have good contacts within the business community.”

The series of six, 40-minute, interactive workshops will be presented throughout the morning. Their topics range from online marketing tips, to securing business funding, relationship building and procurement and public sector pitching. One of the most popular workshops is proving to be ‘Pitching & Presentation Skills’, delivered by Jean McNeil, from Best Support. She said: “This workshop will be very interactive and help you improve the key pitching and presentation skills essential for any business.

“When a golden opportunity comes along you don’t want to blow it! You want to impress the buyer and not depress them. In this session you will learn how to prepare for specific buyers – learn what buyers tell us they need, deliver a clear message for maximum impact, avoid the pitfalls – top tips on what works and what may not, handle questions – listening and responding skills, and prepare yourself and be confident – people buy from people they like.

“Three of the main criticisms we have had from buyers regarding people who have pitched to them is that firstly they haven’t done their research, secondly they don’t listen and thirdly that they haven’t tailored their pitch to suit the buyers’ needs.

“I will be researching the key buyers before the event and during the workshop I will ask the attendees if they have done this research and help them to pick out relevant points to ensure they are fully armed with as much knowledge as possible before they actually speak to the buyers at the networking lunch.”

Buyers attending the event will include Gardline, HSBC, Hugh J Boswell, Midexco, Norfolk County Council, Performance Plus Partnership and Waveney District Council.

There will also be a business support exhibition, with stands from organisations looking to help and advise delegates in a variety of different areas that will compliment their business. They will be A4E, Economic Development Unit – Enterprise Zone, Federation of Small Businesses – Great Yarmouth & Waveney, Great Yarmouth College, New Anglia LEP, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and the University of East Anglia.

‘Pitching for Business’ will be held on 14 November at the Novus Enterprise Centre, Great Yarmouth, from 8.30am to 12.30pm, followed by a networking lunch until 2pm. For further information or to book your place, go to Pitching for Business

We are delighted to welcome two new Chamber Gold Patrons -Aviva, and Greater Anglia rail franchise – who join existing Gold Patrons Hugh J Boswell and Chapelfield.

Pictures show Chamber CEO Caroline Williams with Andrew Dernie, Head of Business Operations at Aviva, and Chris Perry, Chamber Membership Manager, with Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs at Abellio (Greater Anglia Ltd).

Last week saw business policy developments in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On Tuesday a package ofmeasuresto help cut unnecessary red tape were announced as new amendments to theEnterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. The amendments include removing automatic liability on business for civil damages in health and safety cases when they are not found negligent, and the removal of the provisions in the Equality Act 2010 which make employers liable for harassment of its employees by third parties, such as customers or clients, over whom the employer does not have direct control.

In the House of Lords, the beginning of the week saw a series of debates take place on trade, investment and start-up businesses in the UK. The Chamber Network’s important role helping businesses to export was cited during these debates by both Lord Cope of Berkeley and Lord Haskel.

This week will see the report stage of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill as well as the committee stage of theInfrastructure (Financial Assistance) Bill. The Chamber network will, as ever, be lobbying in the coming weeks to ensure that these Bills help to provide businesses with the support that they need to grow.

The deadline for agreeing a new EU budget for the next seven years is fast approaching; and if anyone harboured any hopes that this budget would be reoriented towards growth, they will be sorely disappointed. Farm ministers of France and Germany argued that CAP spending between 2014 and 2020 should be frozen, and not cut as some countries had demanded. If this position is maintained there will be no headroom in the budget for the EU’s policy priorities to be matched with more EU spending. France and Germany are arguing that the CAP can be a catalyst for growth, employment, innovation – rather than allowing opponents to portray the CAP simply as a social security scheme for farmers. The UK Government will undoubtedly regret this development but may not choose to fight it as it will need to use its political capital to defend its budget rebate.

The Commission consults on VAT

Last week the Commission launched a consultation on reduced VAT rates, as part of a wider exercise to reform the EU VAT system in order to make it simpler, more efficient and more robust. The consultation focuses on 3 specific areas where reduced VAT rates need to be reviewed: the impact of reduced rates on competition within the Single Market; the choice of goods and services which can benefit from a reduced rate; and the impact of technological developments on the VAT treatment of similar goods and services (which was agreed by Member States many years ago, and EU policy has developed and evolved since). Therefore, respondents are asked whether certain reduced VAT rates now contradict EU policy objectives. Here, answers should be concentrated on the reduced rates for water, energy, waste management and housing.

Commenting on George Osborne’s speech at Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“In what was essentially a political speech, Osborne was right to state that the public services, like businesses, should be judged by what they deliver not how much they spend or how many they employ. Osborne was right to acknowledge that the country must face up to the challenge of global competitiveness through enterprise, effort, aspiration and a real sense of urgency. We face a choice of becoming a ruritanian museum or a dynamic and prosperous economy, which could be uncomfortable for some in the Conservative Party.

“The Chancellor’s announcement of a new form of business ownership, with individuals swapping greater employment flexibility for an equity stake in the company, could be a useful option for some new and fast-growing businesses. It is an innovative and imaginative proposal that deserves to be tried out, but it is unlikely to be a game-changer.

“His clear support for a British Business Bank and further investment in science will be viewed positively by companies, as will his resolve on deficit reduction. But business will want to see far more weight on the growth agenda in the coming months – to create a new model economy that’s fit to compete globally and for the long term.”

Norwich City Football Chief Executive David McNally with one of the three well-known faces making an appearance at Norfolk Chamber’s B2B Autumn 2012 business exhibition on 18 October – Formula One and 2012 Olympic Games presenter Jake Humphrey, Anglia Tonight presenter Emma Baker are the other two.

All three personalities will be appearing at the free-to-attend flagship event to show their support for local business and give a boost to the popular event, which is the largest business exhibition in Norfolk.

David McNally will be speaking at the exhibition at 11.00am. Prior to joining Norwich City Football Club in June 2009, David McNally was Chief Executive at Fulham and Sales and Marketing Director with Celtic. Before working in the football industry, he held a number of roles at blue chip companies including Courtaulds Textiles, Sara Lee, L’Oreal, Max Factor and Colgate-Palmolive.

David said: “I am very excited to be speaking at B2B Autumn 2012, because this event has been giving a boost to the business community for 14 years. With the continually challenging economy that we currently have to contend with, anything that can give business that cutting edge or an extra spark of inspiration has to be of benefit.

“This B2B event gives businesses a chance to pick up some new ideas and innovations, which is something we are always looking to do at the football club. Given that the event is free to attend, it’s the perfect opportunity for local business owners or directors to come down to see what B2B can offer them.”

B2B Autumn 2012 will be held at Norwich city football Club on 18 October between 10am and 5pm. For more information or to book a stand, go here

Three well-known faces will be making an appearance at Norfolk Chamber’s B2B Autumn 2012 business exhibition on 18 October including Formula One and 2012 Olympic Games presenter Jake Humphrey, Anglia Tonight presenter Emma Baker, and Norwich City Football Chief Executive David McNally.

All three personalities will be appearing at the free-to-attend flagship event to show their support for local business and give a boost to the popular event, which is the largest business exhibition in Norfolk.

An experienced and knowledgeable Television and Radio broadcaster, Jake Humphrey, originally from Norfolk, is at the forefront of much of BBC Sport’s coverage for many national and international events. He was part of the team hosting an incredible Summer of sport, broadcasting at the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, hosting Summer Olympics coverage for BBC One and BBC Three, as well as continuing to anchor the BBC’s award-winning Formula One coverage, a role he has performed since the sport’s return to the broadcaster in 2009.

Jake will be the studio face of BT Vision’s Barclays Premier League programming from the start of the 2013/14 season. BT won the rights to show 38 live games a season for three seasons, including 18 of the best quality ‘first pick’ games, which is the first time anyone but Sky has won any of the prime live Premier League matches. As a patron for the Break Charity, Jake is also an Ambassador for the ‘Go Go Gorillas’ project, where a parade of painted gorilla sculptures will appear on Norwich city streets. Horatio the gorilla will be being painted live at the B2B Autumn 2012 exhibition and you can hear from Jake at 2.20pm on the day.

B2B Autumn 2012 will be held at Norwich city football Club on 18 October between 10am and 5pm. For more information or to book a stand, go here

Anglia Tonight presenter Emma Baker will be opening the Norfolk Chamber’s B2B Autumn 2012 free to attend business exhibition on 18 October then judging the exhibition stands. She will be joined during the day by Formula One and 2012 Olympic Games presenter Jake Humphrey and Norwich City Football Chief Executive David McNally who are lending their support to this important event.

Emma Baker is an experienced broadcast journalist. She got her first taste of the industry, working for The Independent and the BBC in Paris. She went on to secure sponsorship from ITV to study a Broadcast Journalism postgraduate degree at City University, later working at ITV London, and then ITV Anglia. She’s covered a range of stories both for ITV national news and regional news, including the 7/7 London bombings, the Suffolk murders, and the Olympic torch relay.

She has been nominated for a number of television journalism awards and most recently won an award for ITV News Group Feature of the Year. She is currently presenting Anglia Tonight on weekday evenings.

Emma said: “I’m very much looking forward to hosting this year’s Norfolk Autumn B2B exhibition. It’ll be great to see the wide range of innovation and business expertise that I know Norfolk has to offer.” Emma will open the event at 10.00am.

B2B Autumn 2012 will be held at Norwich city football Club on 18 October between 10am and 5pm. For more information or to book a stand, go here

A survey released today by the British Chambers of Commerce reveals falling levels of trust in financial institutions among businesses. The results, comprising responses from 1,560 businesses including Norfolk show that although banks and building societies are the main source of finance for firms, half of businesses lack trust in these financial institutions. Over a third of respondents said that they trust financial institutions less than they did a year ago, and almost four in ten are not confident in securing finance.

The survey shows the following:

• Almost half (49%) of firms use banks or building societies for external finance, with only 10% using equity, and 8% using grants, venture capital, private equity, peer-to-peer lending and angel finance combined.
• 50% of firms mistrust banks and building societies; 38% of businesses trust them less than a year ago.
• Only 57% of respondents feel confident that they could secure external finance, but over a third (37%) are not confident. However 59% of firms say a government-backed business bank would make them more confident about accessing finance.
• When asked about government-backed finance schemes, 43% of businesses had not heard of any of them, with younger businesses and micro firms more likely to be unaware of them.

Commenting on the findings, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said:

“As we approach the end of the party conference season, Britain’s politicians must stop scoring points against each other and start scoring points for economic management, starting with the thorny problem of business access to finance.

“Our new research clearly identifies the scale of the problem: half the companies we surveyed mistrust banks, and levels of trust have worsened significantly over the last year. Four in ten companies are not confident that they could get external finance. And awareness and take-up of existing government support schemes, which are run through the banks, is extremely low, with the recent LIBOR and mis-selling scandals damaging confidence among businesses. While it is important to avoid stifling growth in financial services with over-regulation, the City’s primary role should be to oil the wheels of the economy, providing the patient capital businesses need to plan for the future and grow.

“Financial institutions need to rebuild trust and repair damaged relationships with businesses and improve transparency. Regulators should look to increase competition in the banking sector to ensure businesses have more choice, and the government must ensure that plans to create a British Business Bank mean more funds available to growing businesses. Six in ten companies would feel more confident in seeking finance if Britain had its own dedicated business bank.

“While it is right that the businesses consider other forms of funding, the results of this survey show that bank finance is, and will remain, the dominant source for businesses. Other BCC surveys conducted this year have shown companies’ concerns about access to working capital, and the impact of this, for example, on small businesses looking to export for the first time.

“Political leaders always seek to woo the favour of corporate Britain. But the next election will be won or lost on what happens in the real economy. Our findings suggest that the parties need to focus on access to finance for Britain’s army of small- and medium-sized companies, and particularly new and growing companies, if they are to win the votes of Britain’s wealth creators, and the people who work in business, in years to come.”

Over 100 Norfolk businesses, large and small, came together this morning to discuss the economy from both a local and a national scale at a bustling Norfolk Chamber breakfast at Dunston Hall, sponsored by Steeles Law.

Attendees heard a presentation from John Longworth, Director General at the British Chambers of Commerce, who provided an overview of key economic issues facing businesses across the country, including the Eurozone and USA. Mr Longworth commented on the confusing economic data coming out of Government. He felt that the data was “not inaccurate but incomplete” and was causing businesses to lack confidence in investing.

He felt that access to capital remains key to economic success, as was the funding of infrastructure rail, road, aviation, energy, digital and of course skills. Mr Longworth complimented Norfolk Chamber on its campaign work and emphasised the need for the Chamber network to continue to make the business case to government and to “hold people’s feet to the fire” if they try to avoid addressing the key issues.

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North and Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, highlighted three areas that are essential for economic growth at a local level, namely infrastructure, in particular rail, young people and export. Ms Smith emphasized the need for local businesses to work together with the Chamber to get behind the new Norfolk Rail Prospectus as there is a window of opportunity to get the business voice heard.

John and Chloe then went on to interact with several Norfolk businesses by holding a Q&A session and addressing the questions and concerns of a varied audience.

John commented “I was delighted to be speaking at the Norwich Economic Breakfast. The economic climate is of concern to businesses of all sizes, though many tell us things aren’t as gloomy as newspaper headlines suggest. I enjoy hearing from members, and will do all we can at the British Chambers of Commerce to ensure the government listens to what Norfolk businesses need to grow, and contribute to a strong economic recovery.”

Chloe commented “As a local MP and minister, economic growth for Norwich, Norfolk and the country is my top priority. I make it my business to understand business, and so I was delighted to join the Chamber for such an informative event.”

The breakfast also featured a very special guest, Nelson the Gorilla, who was there to highlight the work the Chamber is doing with the charity Break. Aiming to have 50 Gorilla sculptures around Norwich in 2013, Break have launched their ‘Go Go Gorillas’ project and are looking for the support of Norfolk businesses to sponsor a sculpture.

Nelson’s cousin, Horatio, will be being painted live at the Chamber’s forthcoming B2B Autumn 2012 event, taking place on 18 October at Norwich City Football Club, with a special guest appearance from Jake Humphries, an Ambassador of the ‘Go Go Gorillas’ project.

To view photo’s from the Norwich Economic Business Breakfast, visit the Norfolk Chambers’Facebookpage.

Sponsored by Steeles Law

Working with partners, Norfolk County Council is seeking to progress a number of key infrastructure initiatives in 2012/13 and beyond. The attachedupdate aims to keepeveryone up to speed on progress.

Responding to Ed Miliband’s keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference in Manchester, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“Ed Miliband extended an olive branch to business by saying that Labour wants to engage with the private sector and small businesses. Many companies in the real economy will want to hear more over the coming months about Mr Miliband’s promise to support businesses focused on long-term growth.”

On banks and access to finance:

“Many businesses will sympathise with Ed Miliband’s ultimatum to the banks to reform or face regulatory action. However, there could be perverse consequences of a political witch hunt. In designing its future policies to improve access to finance, Labour must be careful not to undermine the financial services industry, which makes such a valuable contribution to our economy. Labour must also set out how it will make a British Business Bank a permanent part of our national growth strategy.”

On skills and education:

“Employers have long said that our national obsession with university leads to a blatant disregard for the majority of young people. Too often, young people come out of education without the skills required for the world of work. We need to value all types of skills equally, as they are all critical for the success of the economy. Business cannot function without the right mix of academic, technical and manual skills – they are all vital.

“Ed Miliband wants to put employers in the driving seat for training and skills. He’s right to say that giving employers greater control over training funds will deliver results. But introducing yet another overhaul of qualifications is not the answer. Businesses have a hard enough time determining the value of current qualifications. Instead, we need to focus on getting businesspeople into schools to help prepare young people for the world of work, boosting apprenticeships, bringing back enterprise education, and ensuring no one leaves the classroom without the basic skills needed to succeed in work.

“To get there, however, Labour may need to reconsider its long-held views on academic selection. The systems that work best in the rest of Europe separate academic, technical and manual schools, where they are funded and valued in equal measure. Labour must also look beyond the issue of apprenticeships in tackling problems with public procurement.”