You may not think of Psychopaths and The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce in the same sentence (well, hopefully not) but our West Norfolk Networking lunch on Friday 1st November was a very interesting couple of hours… Our West Norfolk events are relaxed affairs, our members being a chatty and engaging bunch, and new visitors are made to feel welcome and engaged the moment they walk in. We have a wide cross section of businesses and it is the perfect opportunity to meet other local companies. The relaxed setting was a perfect back drop for our guest speaker Chamber Member Steve Gaskin, Director of Right Angle Events to talk to us about his 25 year background as a Detective Chief Inspector with The Metropolitan Police. Busy these days running a successful teambuilding company, Steve is a fascinating and engaging man. We learnt how the traits of Psychopaths can impact upon certain sectors, and are used in business skills and training. Steve then invited the room to take part in a Psychometric test to see where they fell on the scale – thankfully he didn’t ask for the results to be shared, but it was an interesting and fun way to end to his talk and certainly created quite a stir! Following the success of our King’s Lynn Two Hour Tuesdays, the change of timings from our West Norfolk Networking breakfasts to a lunch event has happily been well received, and it offers a mix of timings that make networking that much easier in West Norfolk. We look forward to our next lunch and meeting you there!
The British Chambers of Commerce, together with the accredited Chamber Network, including Norfolk Chambers, run Britain’s largest and most influential independent business survey – the Quarterly Economic Survey (QES). The next fieldwork period for the QES will start on Monday 04 November and will be open for 3 weeks.
But why should your organisation take part? Nova Fairbank, Norfolk Chambers’ Head of Policy outlines why she wants more input from Norfolk businesses:
“The QES is Britain’s largest, and longest-running, private business survey and it’s a leading economic indicator – often picking up big changes in the economy long before other surveys or official statistics. With the continued uncertainty of Brexit and the UK economy effectively treading water, it is more important than ever that as many businesses as possible take part.
“By completing the QES you are helping to identify how strong our local economy is and how well it is performing against the national averages and some international measures. Norfolk has many dynamic and innovative businesses, we need to have a strong voice and ensure our region gets both the credit and the investment that it deserves.”
Below are just a few more reasons why your organisation should take part in this important economic survey:
It’s provided consistent data since 1989, and regularly receives over 7,500 business responses. Compare that to the average business survey, which garners only a few hundred responses.
Norfolk responses represent over 34% of the responses from the East of England. (East of England includes: Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire).
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee uses the QES as one of its key benchmarks when setting interest rates.
HM Treasury and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility use the QES to put together their forecasts for the UK’s economic performance.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) use the QES when comparing the UK to competitors worldwide.
The more Norfolk businesses that take part – the louder the voice of the Norfolk business community will be. So what can your business do to contribute to the QES? During the fieldwork period, the survey can be completed electronically. There are several ways to access this online survey either:
Use the link within the Chamber Policy news article or;
Use the link that the Chamber can send direct to you
To be added to the Norfolk Chambers’ QES email list, please contact Nova Fairbank or Jack Edwards. Emails: [email protected] and [email protected].
The online survey takes less than 3 minutes and your input is vital to help ensure that Norfolk business has a strong collective ‘voice’.
TOP-PERFORMING businesses are invited to take centre stage by entering the Spirit of Enterprise Awards, the most prestigious annual celebration of business excellence in the Great Yarmouth borough.
Organised by enterpriseGY, Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s business support and inward investment service, the popular awards aim to recognise and raise the profile of the area’s top-performing businesses, while boosting confidence in the strength of the local economy.
The awards are free-of-charge to enter online at www.enterpriseGY.co.uk. Businesses of all sizes and sectors are encouraged to put themselves forward for one or more of the nine categories before entries close on Friday, November 22.
This year, there are some new categories, plus extra incentive to enter as all entrants will automatically be entered into the Norfolk Business Awards in 2020, where there is a like-for-like category.
The finalists and winners in the Spirit of Enterprise Awards will be showcased in the media and at a glittering awards ceremony and gala dinner at the Town Hall’s prestigious Assembly Room in spring.
Each award is backed by a different local sponsor, who shortlists the finalists and chooses their category winner. This year, the main sponsor is last year’s Business of the Year, API Microelectronics Ltd, who will choose the 2019/20 Business of the Year from the winners of the other categories.
The other confirmed sponsors are P&S Personnel, Noritake Itron, ASCO Group, Potters Friends Foundation and Lovewell Blake.
For businesses wanting to understand what they need to do to prepare for Brexit, you can now watch this free HM Government online Brexit Business Readiness Event to watch presentations from government advisers and to find out what actions your business needs to take to prepare for Brexit.
Understand what Brexit means for business, find out why personal data matters, plan for imports, exports and international trade after Brexit, and learn more about how to prepare your services business, or what to do if you operate in food and drink, farming, fisheries, waste, or chemical sectors.
The B2B Exhibition made its debut at Norfolk Showground on Thursday 17th October, opening its doors to the business community 21 years after it first began. The move to Norfolk Showground saw the event grow significantly with more attendees joining us for a day for face-to-face networking and problem solving. Overall, the event had an increased sense of community with all exhibitors together in one hall, as well as a fun and buzzing atmosphere from start to finish. Doors opened at 10am and all 99 of our exhibitors were ready to go, including event sponsors Desira Group who welcomed businesses to the exhibition with an outdoor display of their vehicles. As visitors began registering and queues built up to get inside, Norfolk Chambers CEO Chris Sargisson began judging the best stand award with guest judge and Norfolk Chambers President, Fiona Ryder. Our judges went around the exhibition spending time with all of our exhibitors, taking part in interactive activities and meeting top Norfolk businesses. Although our judges encountered everything from puzzles, sweet treats and even puppies on stands, GGS were crowned winners of the best stand award 2019 with their fun and interactive photo booth – that they built and designed themselves! Our judges agreed that this not only allowed you to have a fun at the event, but it made visitors to the stand re-engage with GGS Norwich by having to visit their Facebook page to view the photos. The stand also showcased the work GGS do, with an exciting exhibition display, photography and the graphic design work. Photos from the photo booth can be found here. Chris Ball, Creative Director/Photographer at GGS said: “We always look forward to the Chamber of Commerce B2B exhibition as it is the only one we do on a regular basis, and, in fact, I think we have been at every one since it started. We love it that we can connect, face to face, with so many of our clients; many of whom we normally only deal with on the telephone, and that we have the opportunity to meet plenty of new people, too. The new venue was excellent. There was a real buzz about the place on the day and the increased ceiling height and roof space gave us the opportunity to be a little more creative with our stand this year. It’s always a challenge to come up with something a bit different and which will engage with and attract visitors. Previously it’s been cakes or a competition, or even a game; but this year’s Photo Booth was a real hit. Feedback was fabulous, and by only making the photos we took available next day on our Facebook page we managed to extend visitors’ engagement with us over a number of days after the event. And we were absolutely delighted that it won us ‘Best Stand’, too! Result!!” Throughout the exhibition we had 20 minute workshops taking place from Matt Sykes from Salescadence, Aimee Konieczny & Hayley Leech from Indigo Swan, Neil Foley of Business Growth Club, Kathy Ennis of Little Piggy and Eleanor Bougie-Smith of SocialB. Their expert workshops provided attendees with key takeaways covering customer service on social media to business boosting tips. We were also delighted to have Ian Hacon of Energise.me leading on some speed networking sessions in the centre of the exhibition. This provided attendees with the chance to meet various businesses in quick, 1 minute chats before moving on to the next person. Ian gave our speed networkers some useful advice before they started each session, including the tip to tell the person something interesting they’ll remember, don’t just pitch. For 2019 we took a big leap from previous B2B exhibitions, with a new venue, new opportunities and much more happening both behind the scenes and on display. The B2B Exhibition will return to Norfolk Showground on Thursday 15th October 2020. A big thank you goes to our sponsors and partners at this year’s event: Archant – Media PartnersDesira Group – Outdoor SponsorsBirketts LLP – Bronze SponsorsZing Insights – Feedback Partners
Norfolk County Council have released their latest economic report for July – September 2019 – Quarter 2. The report highlighted:
Employment levels in Norfolk has increased and is at its highest levels since 2017
Average weekly earnings in Norfolk have risen by 9% but are still lower than the national average
A vertical farming company is considering moving into Norfolk – there is potential for 4 farms each employing up to 35 people
Norwich Western Link preferred route announced. The route will connect the Northern Broadway to the A47
European Skills Funding call is currently open until 2 December. It is aimed at enhancing equal access to lifelong learning and improving labour market relevance of education and training systems
Commenting on Saturday’s Parliamentary debate, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“While the parliamentary drama continues, in the real world businesses wait anxiously for a clear outcome.
“In the coming days the onus is on the government to answer the many questions businesses are posing on the Prime Minister’s deal – and its potential impact on trade, investment, communities and jobs.
“At such a critical moment in the process, the government must give business an iron-clad guarantee that it will not seek to take the UK out of the EU without a deal on 31st October. Getting a Brexit deal is far more important than simply getting it done.
“Allowing the UK to slide toward a Halloween no-deal – whether by design or disarray – would be an act of economic and political negligence. As frustrating as it would be to many in business, a short extension to unlock a comprehensive solution and a smooth transition is still infinitely preferable to an overnight economic shock.”
Commenting on the announcement that the UK and EU negotiators have come to an agreement, Dr Adam Marshall of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“Business communities will recognise the huge efforts by UK and EU negotiators to reach an agreement. Understandably, many businesses will reserve judgment until they see the detail.
“Businesses need a chance to analyse precisely what the terms of this agreement would mean for all aspects of their operations. This is particularly true for firms in and trading with Northern Ireland. As companies carefully consider the real-world implications, politicians must do the same.
“Let’s not forget, we’ve been here before. There is still a long way to go before businesses can confidently plan for the future. Companies across the UK and around the world will be paying close attention to what happens next – and whether the deal agreed can secure parliamentary support.
“For business, this deal may be the end of the beginning – but it is far from the beginning of the end of the Brexit process.”
The EDP has recently released the exciting news of the finalist list for one of the biggest business awards in the county; Norfolk Business Awards. It’s great to see several of our members have been selected for a number of the categories, for the full awards list and finalists (click here). These awards highlight the hard work of the companies, and staff teams, as well as shining a light on our innovative businesses in Norfolk. We wish everyone good luck in the next stage.
The winners of the overall awards and business of the year will be announced at the Gala dinner on Thursday 21 November, held at the Norfolk Showground, with James Nesbitt the international TV star hosting the event- not to be missed! So do keep an eye out for the winners over the next month. To read the full EDP article published in Wednesday 16 October edition, click here.
Commenting on the Queen’s Speech opening a new session of Parliament, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce said:
“Our message to government is simple: put the economy at the forefront of your agenda. These are unnerving times for businesses facing Brexit uncertainty, global headwinds and a UK economy in stasis. The government’s economic plan must be grounded in reality, taking into account the conditions facing firms and the need to minimise further disruption.
“Amidst the ongoing political turbulence, businesses can’t afford for government to lose sight of its responsibility to create conditions that support growth and boost investment – much of which doesn’t require new primary legislation. That means action to lower the upfront costs hitting firms, boosting investment in infrastructure and skills, and providing considerable investment incentives to companies.
“We’re at a critical juncture in the Brexit process, but the voice of business has been constant and unwavering since the referendum: a messy and disorderly Brexit must be avoided. To avert an overnight change in trading conditions and damaging economic consequences, all sides need to do everything in their power to find a way forward in the coming days.”
On immigration:
“Business is looking for government to commit to a clear and consistent future immigration system that is based on economic need. Firms that rely on overseas workers to plug local shortages need clear detail on the rules for continuing to access these skills in the future. At a time of critical recruitment difficulties, companies need to be able to hire workers from aboard all levels and functions without masses of red tape, high costs or long delays.”
On trade:
“UK businesses need a properly-funded trade strategy that gives firms the support and confidence they need to sell their goods and services around the world. Prioritising continuity of trade for UK businesses and minimising the potential for any disruption in the turbulent times that may lie ahead should be the goal of this government. Alongside that, we need more ground-level trade promotion and guidance to take advantage of the opportunities that new trade agreements may present.
“Businesses are also still waiting for the government to legislate for a long-term Trade Remedies Authority to protect UK businesses and interests against dumping and unfair practises.”
On infrastructure:
“For the UK to prosper post-Brexit, we have to get the basics right, including a fully integrated and modern infrastructure network. The proposed National Infrastructure Strategy must engage closely with business communities to set out feasible measures for improving the road and rail network and boosting the reliability of broadband connectivity in all parts of the country.
“The message from government and ministers should be full-throated support of the major infrastructure projects that our businesses need and that send a strong message to global partners that the UK remains a great place to invest. There can be no further dithering on the delivery of all phases of HS2 and a third runway at Heathrow.”
On devolution:
“Business communities will welcome the commitment to a Devolution White Paper. Any proposals must have a clear purpose, a strong role for business, and a defined replacement for EU funding. Business will support greater devolution of spending decisions when it’s clear that money intended to boost local growth is actually spent on local growth.”
On the environment:
“The government’s ambition to position the UK as a global leader on the issue of climate change is laudable. For many firms the path to achieving this could bring growth across a range of sectors, technologies and markets. Together with business communities, the government should build a plan for how we will work across the four nations to reach net-zero by 2050, while also maintaining security of energy supply and stable prices.”
The construction industry contributes £90billion a year to the UK economy (6.7% of the total) and is set to grow by 5.6% over the next 5 years. As part of an ongoing project aimed at readying SMES to bid for major supply chain work Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, Norfolk County Council, New Anglia Growth Hub, and Vattenfall held a Gearing Up To Grow workshop in Swaffham on Wednesday 9th October. The half-day session gave delegates the tools and insights they might need to win such pieces of work.
First up was Saul Humphrey who covered a Tier 1 Construction Perspective, he gave an overview of the UK construction industry, the strategy in the region, minimum requirements for winning work from a Tier 1, the crisis facing the industry, and what the future looks like. Saul highlighted the major positive impact the construction industry has on the UK economy and the various ways it contributes. He gave delegates a number of tips for working with Tier 1s including checking out their individual requirements and coming up with an almost standardised approach to bidding for work. There are a number of factors threatening the industry from the housing crisis to climate change, Saul suggested that the responsibility for solving these lies with everyone involved in the sector. The skills shortage is also having an impact and he suggested a number of ways that companies could work with young people to get them interested and considering construction as a viable career path. His final point was that companies need to “modernise or die” and that the best thing companies can do is embrace change.
Next came Steve Grace from Adept Supply Chain Solutions who encouraged delegates to ensure business health by employing his tools. He explained that a business cannot thrive unless it is built on the solid foundation of health and the same can be said for the supply chain, it’s only as strong as its weakest link. Customer satisfaction and meeting their expectations should be the main driver of business growth, to ensure this he said businesses should consider Quality, Cost, and Delivery to keep customers happy. As part of a business plan leaders should consider a growth plan that incorporates a culture of change management, which is constantly being measured and evolving. Steve then introduced a number of tools that can be used to measure growth and ensure waste is eliminated. Steve’s key message? Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash-flow is reality!
Focusing on skills we had Martin Frost from Norfolk County Council, who introduced the council’s ambitions for combatting the skills gap through: driving skills progression, providing agile response training, and equipping young people for success. He used Netmatters as a case study as they found it very difficult to recruit enough developers to support their business growth, to answer this they developed their own in-house programme which brought in inexperienced candidates and gave them the opportunity to gain skills on the job. A degree course gives students about 150 hours coding experience over 3 years, Netmatters’ programmes gave 850 in six months. Martin invited businesses to give their thoughts on what other support Norfolk County Council could provide to tackle their own skills needs.
For most businesses accessing funding is part of the growth process, Nigel Best from New Anglia Growth Hub took delegates through the various types of funding to consider in the penultimate session of the day. New Anglia Growth Hub has awarded £28million in grants since it started through a variety of grant schemes, they are also able to signpost to other organisations and funding streams that may be suitable for your business. Nigel also highlighted that “traditional” funding such as grants and via the bank are not the only options available to a business and that they should consider the option that works best for them.
Our final speaker was the excellent William Bridgman from Warren Services, a family owned engineering firm, who gave their story about embracing IT to help streamline processes and create efficiencies that previously did not exist. He explained how embracing IT and incorporating it into their existing processes increase efficiencies without resulting in job losses. One clear example of this was their accounts department which had just over 3 people in it previously, through the introduction of new systems they reduced this to 1 but instead of making people redundant they encouraged them to retrain. One of the team who used to be in accounts and had years of experience is a now a developer who looks after their system! It was a really interesting lesson in how IT can have a very positive impact on your business and by working with suppliers and customers you can actually encourage them to do the same thereby streamlining the entire supply chain.
There were some informative stories told throughout the day and lots for delegates to go away and think about around innovation and collaboration. Every presenter had their own examples of when they themselves have had to innovate or collaborate with another company to thrive, showing that the way forward is to work together.
A big thank you to all our speakers: Saul Humphrey, Steve Grace, Martin Frost, Nigel Best, and William Bridgman for being with us. If you are interested in hearing about upcoming workshops please contact [email protected] who can ensure you are informed.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Bibby Financial Services (BFS) have revealed that uncertainty around Brexit, tariffs and exchange rate volatility are holding back the potential of many UK exporters.
The recent survey included 1,140 internationally active UK businesses, and found that general uncertainty around Brexit was considered the top barrier to export, listed by almost half (47%) of businesses, followed by specific concerns around tariffs and exchange rate volatility, listed by 35% and 33% respectively.
Administrative requirements or regulation were considered a barrier by 30% of businesses and the lack of free trade agreements by 23%. Only 7% of internationally active businesses said that they do not face any exporting barriers.
It is not only internationally active UK businesses that being held back from exporting. Among businesses that currently only trade in the UK (338 respondents), just 17% say that they do not face any barriers to export. Therefore, 83% face barriers to reaching their potential.
The lack of clarity around the UK’s future trading environment is clearly taking its toll. General uncertainty around Brexit is considered the top barrier to export by UK-only businesses (listed by 31%) as well.
As a result, amongst businesses currently trading only in the UK, just 7% per cent expect to begin importing or exporting over the next three years.
The research also highlighted the issues that businesses are increasingly facing in relation to stockpiling, payments and the transportation of goods. When asked about business changes experienced over the past 12 months:
around a third (31%) of businesses reported that they had increased the volume of inventory held;
15% reported that it already takes longer to transport goods to and/or from overseas, even before the UK’s exit from the European Union; and
almost a third (29%) reported that it takes longer to get paid by customers.
Commenting on the results, Dr Adam Marshall, BCC Director General said:
“UK businesses are facing unprecedented levels of uncertainty on multiple trading fronts – and, unsurprisingly, they’re holding back on importing and exporting.
“Just this week, the government finally provided some certainty around tariffs – but, the damage of uncertainty was already done for many firms.
“While international trade always involves an element of risk for businesses, government should be working to lower barriers rather than increasing them. Preventing a messy and disorderly Brexit is the immediate priority, but ensuring continuity of trade with third countries and providing firms with clear and timely information about future trade processes, would go a long way to removing unnecessary obstacles.”
Edward Winterton, UK Chief Executive, Bibby Financial Services, added:
“Chronic uncertainty resulting from Brexit is undoubtedly stifling international trade amongst UK SMEs. Importers and exporters are in limbo, and many are postponing investment decisions, while they await further information. Many others are focusing resources on ensuring they’re prepared to deal with the potential impacts of a no-deal scenario.
“SMEs are telling us that they need clarity over the detail, and it’s imperative that the Government looks to provide this as soon as possible to enable businesses to trade with confidence, both domestically and internationally.”