Chamber News

With the recent success of being recognised as the UK’s first sharing city, Norwich is clearly doing all the right things to put our city and county on the map as a collaborative economy. We join other global cities such as New York, Barcelona, Athens, Dallas and Singapore. Supported by Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) and Norwich City Council, Norwich’s focus is six key areas as a sharing city are;

·         Economics Growth

·         Convenience and Efficiency

·         Sustainability

·         Digital Inclusion

·         Global Recognition

What is a sharing city? This whole movement has come about from the increased pressure on our worlds resources and the challenges we all face to maintain a thriving community with a decreasing impact on the environment. In many ways, we are returning to the traditional basic principle of ‘sharing,’ but with a 21st approach.

Norwich has a number of companies that work on sharing initiatives and are leading the way with their businesses, for example, Liftshare, Norwich Farmshare, and Inlet. The Chambers is really pleased to be a sharing partner. If you want to know more and celebrate Norwich’s success there is a conference coming up on Thursday 28th February 2019, come along and celebrate this great achievement. https://bit.ly/2DQt9aZ

Check out the Norwich Sharing City website for the full information. https://norwichsharingcity.co.uk/

The Big Debate

On Friday 8th February, with almost a year in behind the scenes planning, a windswept, blustery afternoon saw the opening of our high profile event, The Big Debate 2019.

The event was held at OPEN on Bank Plain, Norwich, ran from and was fully booked with over a 100 delegates leaving standing room only.

Thanks to our sponsors, Greater Anglian and to our Host Shaun Lowthorpe, Content Connective.

Shaun is a freelance writer and the owner of Content Connective specialising in business case studies and communications for brands and publishers. He was Business Editor at the EDP where he worked as a journalist for 16 years overseeing daily business coverage, the EDP Business Awards, Future 50, East Anglian Farming World, and Mustard TV’s Business Extra programme so was a perfect fit for hosting our event.

Aimed at discussing and debating the most pressing issues that our region is facing, Chamber members were given the opportunity to question an outstanding panel consisting of five Norfolk MP’s, Council members, New Anglia LEP, and local business leaders.

With every chair taken, delegates from industries and businesses across Norfolk came together to discuss topics ranging from the ever-present Brexit, education, diversity within Norfolk and perceptions of our county.

The Chamber identified topics that were forefront to the business community. Questions were uploaded live to a backdrop behind the panel and guests were able to see which topics were important to other members, creating an engaging and thoughtful debate.

The afternoon consisted of four debates, each with a mix of panellists;

Skills/Education

Stuart Rimmer, Chief Executive, East Coast College George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North

Place/Perception

Tom McCabe, Executive Director of Community & Environmental Services, Norfolk County Services Jeanette Wheeler, Partner, Birketts LLP Julian Munson, Head of Enterprise Zones and innovation, New Anglia LEP Rebecca Lewis Smith, Managing Director, Fountain Partnership Sir Henry Bellingham, MP for North West Norfolk

Diversity

Jeanette Wheeler, Partner, Birketts LLP Fiona Ryder, Managing Director, TCD Media Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South

Brexit Debate

Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North Chris Starkie, Chief Executive, New Anglia LEP Sir Henry Bellingham, MP for North West Norfolk Clare Hedges, Senior Associate – Head of immigration Team, Birketts LLP George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South

Our Host Shaun Lowthorpe expertly directed the constant fire of questions to the panel and the discussions were energetic, dynamic and lively.

The Brexit debate had possibly the shortest and the most poignant question of the day to be asked in the final debate, ‘What is Brexit?’.

Whilst it raised a smile with the audience, it was a discussion that led to serious points – Clive Lewis MP talked about one of his constituents experiencing more racism since Britain voted for Brexit, and that he fears the decision to leave may be seen by some as a sign that it is acceptable to have divisive views.

The event whilst debating relevant and serious issues concerning Norfolk both now, and in the months to come, was closed with a cross-section of opinions and viewpoints coming together in an atmosphere of positivity and energy going forward into 2019. 

On Monday 11 February Norfolk Chamber of Commerce presented three charities based in King’s Lynn with £3,440 in total donations from a charity event last year.

In November last year, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce held their annual West Norfolk President’s Charity Dinner at the Town Hall in King’s Lynn.

The black-tie event was held in aid of the Mayor of King’s Lynn, Nick Daubney’s favoured charity, The Purfleet Trust, as well Festival Too and King’s Lynn Night Shelter.

Over 60 local business people attended the event and were privileged to hear from the guest speaker, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, explorer, fundraiser, author and public speaker.

Local businesses donated some amazing raffle prizes and on the night, the raffle alone raised £560 for the nominated charities.  The total of the money raised is still being finalised, but is expected to exceed £2,500.

The West Norfolk President, Michael Baldwin presented the three charities with cheques last Monday. 

A very big welcome to our new staff member Haze Carver, who joins the Customer Experience Team.

Some of you might have met Haze on Friday at the Big Debate and no doubt you will get a chance to meet her soon! Haze joins us from Anglian Home Improvements where she was the Events Marketing Executive but comes from the Creative background of Design and Publishing.  

We are delighted to have her on our team! 

Thursday, March 28th 2019 is an unmissable event for you and your business.

You will be joining a high-level audience of business decision-makers, policymakers and the Chamber network so ensure you book your place and join us at the QEII Centre in London for The British Chambers of Commerce Annual Conference.

As Britain’s’ biggest and best ‘B2P’ – business to politicians – event,  It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of this inspirational day, with stimulating panel debates and keynote speeches from senior politicians, business leaders and opinion formers.

Three key themes will be the primary focus of the day; Innovation, People and Infrastructure.

The programme for the 2019 Annual Conference will focus on the topics most relevant to UK businesses, providing insight into these issues through panel discussions, keynote speeches and giving you the opportunity to meet with businesses from all sectors and sizes from across the UK.

Further speakers will be announced in the coming weeks including high profile politicians and commentators from the world of business and media, but the confirmed list are as follows:

• Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
• Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer, Shadow Brexit Secretary
• Will Gardiner, CEO, Drax Group plc
• Martin Griffiths, CEO, Stagecoach Group
• Alison Rose, CEO, Commercial and Private Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland
• Nigel Wilson: CEO, Legal & General
• Pawel Adrjan: UK Economist, Indeed

Economic changes

With Brexit approaching, the UK has to do its utmost to fix the fundamentals of the domestic business environment, or it will not be in as strong a position economically as it could be.

There is a need to focus on innovation in industry, developing the leading products and services for the UK and global markets.

The economy is changing and becoming more technologically advanced, and the workforce is demanding increased flexibility. The Conference is going to analyse these trends and discuss how the UK can move forward to meet the challenges that tomorrow may bring.

We are positive you will see this is a must-attend event and such an exceptional opportunity to network with hundreds of like-minded businesses from around the UK.

Book your tickets before 15th February 2019 for this must-attend event for you and your business with our early bird Chamber rate of £129 + VAT.

 We look forward to seeing you on the day! 

Lynsey Sweales, CEO of SocialB has been appointed as Joint Vice President of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. She joins Fiona Ryder from TCD Media, President of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and Paul McCarthy, General Manager of Intu Chapelfield, who has been a Joint Vice President since October 2017.

Commenting on her appointment to Joint Vice President, Lynsey said: ‘It’s an absolute honour to be representing and promoting our amazing county.  Norfolk is a real gem in the UK’s crown which when you scratch just below the surface there are a plethora of businesses doing amazing thing locally, nationally and internationally. I believe Associations & Membership organisations are a critical part of business success in the UK, it’s important to me to help organisations to thrive in our county while keeping abreast of the overall UK industrial strategy for growth.”  Lynsey Sweales, CEO of international digital agency SocialB (who have offices across the UK including Norwich).

A very warm welcome to Lynsey from all of us at the Chamber, and we are delighted to work with her over her term as our Vice President.

Commenting on reports that the Cabinet is considering options around making imports tariff-free across the board if we leave the EU next month without a deal, Adam Marshall, Director General of British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“Businesses across the UK will be deeply concerned by reports that ministers are considering setting UK import tariffs to zero in the case of no-deal. 

“Ministers have not consulted with business on removing tariffs. They have shown no clear understanding of the damage that such a move could cause to key parts of the economy, including manufacturing and agricultural firms across the UK. They have no plan to support the industries, places and people who would be affected overnight by these proposed changes, and no time left to prepare.

“A snap decision to move to zero tariffs speedily and unilaterally would harm domestic producers and exporters, and create a huge new source of extra uncertainty for business communities at an already difficult time. Some UK businesses would lose market share very quickly, and find themselves facing imminent threats to their survival.

“In addition to the real-life impacts of such a move, businesses will also be anxious at the thought of the UK government ceding one of its levers for trade negotiations with other countries, before it even gets started.

“Decisions of this scale and consequence should only be taken after deep engagement with those most likely to be affected, and must take into account the potential long-term impacts on both trade and inward investment. None of this has happened.”

Suren Thiru, Head of Economics and Business Finance at the BCC, added:

“While eliminating some de minimis tariffs may not impact on the competitiveness of some businesses, others would risk being decimated overnight. It makes it hard to see how the UK can build up tariffs from a zero base when there would be little incentive for other countries to negotiate.

“If the aim is to keep prices down for consumers should the UK leave without a deal, then analysis has shown that unilaterally reducing tariffs to zero would have little impact. Instead you risk losing businesses, and therefore jobs, in some sectors across the country, as firms find themselves priced out of being competitive overnight. In short, nobody wins.”

Local businesses joined Norfolk Chamber Great Yarmouth Borough Council and New Anglia LEP to consider the potential impact of Brexit and discuss what our region could look like post-Brexit.

Mike Spicer, the Policy Director for the British Chambers of Commerce provided an update on Brexit and also took part in a panel discussion on the potential impacts of Brexit, together with Paul Briddon, a Partner at Lovewell Blake and Nigel Best, the Growth Hub Manager from New Anglia LEP.

The discussions highlighted that many businesses have yet to prepare for Brexit.  Businesses should be aware of the potential risks to their business and have some idea of how they will mitigate them. 

It also became clear that businesses needed to have a good look at their supply chain – whilst their Tier 1 suppliers may be UK based; consideration needed to be given to Tier 2 and beyond.  An easy way to consider their preparation for Brexit would be to use the free Chamber’s Business Brexit Checklist. 

The Businesses were also asked to consider their future plans and what support they might need access to.   Plans included recruitment and upskilling of staff; access to funding and grants to innovate their businesses; and the need to positively promote the region.

On the very cold morning of February 1st we hosted the first 2019 breakfast in King’s Lynn.

We greeted many local businesses at Knights Hill Hotel for a morning of networking and an inspirational talk delivered by the very unique Richard Finney, owner of Captain Fawcett.

He not only captured the audience with his brilliant speech but also left the room talking about his amazing story on how Captain Fawcett got started.

Which is pretty perfect given that his speech was about ‘staying loyal to your brand’ and the importance of ensuring your brand has a story; something that your customer will remember.

We had two stand holders on the morning; EACH – our feature charity and Mark Wright from LinkedIn Strategy, Marketing and Training

Join us at our next event: The Big Debate held at OPEN in Norwich to engage with Norfolk MPs as well as local businesses.The event will focus on four topics; place/perception of our county, diversity, education and of course, Brexit. These topics have been identified by Norfolk Chamber as key to the business community right now.

Commenting on the latest votes in Parliament on Brexit, Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chamber said:

“Another day lost while the clock is ticking. Government and parliament are still going round in circles when businesses and the public urgently need answers.

“The real-world result of Westminster’s interminable wrangling is market uncertainty, stockpiling, and the diversion of staff, money and investment. For every big-ticket business announcing high-profile Brexit-related decisions, there are many more quietly making the changes they need in order to safeguard their operations in the event of a disorderly Brexit. The net result of this displacement activity and uncertainty is slow but very real damage to the UK economy.

“A messy and disorderly Brexit on 29th March would cause widespread damage to businesses and communities across the country. Neither Government nor many businesses are ready for a no-deal exit in two months’ time, and it must not be allowed to happen by default.”

Chamber members had the opportunity to highlight and discuss the challenges facing the local business community with Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South on Friday 25 January.

Brexit was the main topic of discussion and the business community’s need for certainty and clarity were clearly highlighted.  Mr Lewis provided an opposition perspective and his opinion as to how he thought Brexit should be delivered for the UK.

Broadband, 5G and overall connectivity were also brought up and Mr Lewis outlined his thoughts on a sustainable economy, that looked to protect our resources and limit climate change.  Improved connectivity would actively link into this agenda. 

Commenting on the meeting, Fiona Ryder, President of Norfolk Chamber said:

“We are really pleased to welcome Clive Lewis to the Norfolk Chamber office to hear from the local business community.  It is important that our MPs understand the needs of business and the Chamber will continue to ensure our members views are hear loud and clear in Westminster.”

We took over Hollywood Bowl on 24 January with over 120 attendees on the lanes for our annual Super Bowl event.

After a drink at the bar and some networking among the teams, we made our way onto the lanes ready to compete for the title of ‘Super Bowl Champion’. There were both company teams and mixed teams going head to head at this informal, social evening.

The competition was fierce with Price Bailey trying to take back their winning title, however it was Lovewell Blake who just snatched it from them, with an average score of 111.3 per player!

The full score board can be seen below:

Team Average Score 1st Lovewell Blake 111.3 2nd Price Bailey 108.2 3rd Naked Marketing 105.3 4th Credo Asset Finance (lane 3) 103.2 5th MIXED TEAM – Cracknell Law, Technique Recruitment Solutions, Coleman Opticians 96.4 6th BDO LLP 89.6 7th Credo Asset Finance (Lane 5) 89.2 8th Target Follow 87.6 9th Norfolk Chamber 82.2 10th Spire Solicitors 75.5 11th MIXED TEAM – Cassandra Andrews, Indigo Swan, Lime Learning, IoD Norfolk, Naked Element 75.1 12th Credo Asset Finance (lane 4) 73.5 13th Create Consulting 71.8 14th MIXED TEAM – Atkinson Moss, Vertas Group, Norfolk Chamber, Nor-folk, Hairsmiths Salon 68.8 15th MIXED TEAM – Charles Stanley, Ash Tree Barns, Anglia Business Cleaning 63.8 16th Cozens-Hardy 63.4

Following the bowling, we tucked into some grub and counted the scores ready to crown Lovewell Blake the winners.

Don’t miss our next evening networking event!

Wine Tasting with Harper Wells Thursday 28 March 08:00 – 20:00 at Harper Wells, Norwich

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