Norwich City Council have released their latest economic barometer. The report highlighted:
Locally
Business activity picked up sharply in May, helped by an increase in new orders and demand. However this has subsequently slowed due to political and economic uncertainty
Unite is warning that the Constructionarium Project, which gives undergraduates construction experience, is at risk of closure as a result of the Construction Industry Training Board’s plans to close its HQ at Bircham Newton
More than 200 homes could be built in Norwich City centre on part of the former Jarrold printworks site. Plans also include a 60 bedroom hotel and offices.
Nationally
Mild improvements in both the UK manufacturing sector and the construction sector according to PMI data
UK wage growth fell short of expectations – slipping to 2.8% from 2.9%, raising further doubts about whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates in the summer
Tight labour market conditions have placed upward pressure on staff wages and are causing recruitment difficulties.
For the first time Norfolk Chamber has decided to enter the Grand Norwich Duck Race, in support of charity member Break. The Grand Norwich Duck Race will be held on Sunday 26th August where corporate and community groups will bring their decorated ducks to race from St George’s Bridge to St Fye’s Bridge, outside the Ribs of Beef Public House. After much deliberation and duck puns around the office, we are excited to reveal the name of our duck: Harry Quacker & the Chamber of Commerce! Harry Quacker was designed and hand-painted by our very own Sam Brown. You can keep up-to-date with Harry Quacker through Twitter – @HarryQuacker. Break support young people in care and moving on; children and young people with disabilities, families in need of support and children at risk, across East Anglia. Throughout 2018 Break are also celebrating 50 years changing the lives of vulnerable children and young people. Activities will begin from 11am including a cake stall, ice creams, face painting, Archers Butcher’s sausage stall, little duck stall, games and other activities. The main events are: 2.00pm – Individual Duck Race – 3,000 little ducks will take to the water to swim their way to the finish line 2.30pm – Large Painted Duck Race – large decorated ducks take to the water to compete to win the Grand Norwich Duck Race trophy Come along and support Harry Quacker & the Chamber of Commerce on Sunday 26th August as he magic’s his way to victory! Find our more about the Grand Norwich Duck Race: click here
We’re only a few days away from The Royal Norfolk Show, and we want to make our marquee the place to business at the biggest county show in the region!
Norfolk Chamber are returning to The Royal Norfolk Show on stand 74 with a range of activities to show you what your Chamber is all about. We have a dedicated business lounge serving refreshments throughout both days of the show. Invite your clients and business relations to meet you at stand 74 for a catch up, or come along to see what new business contacts are around. Enjoy a break from the madness of the show and see what new connections you can make.
At 3pm on the Wednesday we’ll be holding Gin O’clock with St.Giles Gin! Enjoy one of their speciality gin cocktails as you network in our lounge. Want to come along? Email hello@norfolkchamber.co.uk to let us know!
Throughout the show you’ll be able to come and meet our team to find out how we can support you; from networking to exporting abroad. We also want to know how we can better help your business with our ‘What do you need’ boards. Come and tell us what you need to help continue grow your business in Norfolk. We’ll also be highlighting two of our key campaigns with activity boards at the show; Not More Not-Spots and Just Dual It.
You can find out more about what we’re doing at the show here.
Norfolk Chamber members can get a 10% discount on Norfolk Show tickets using code RNS45 when booking tickets on The Royal Norfolk Show website.
As Britain’s heatwave continues across the county, businesses from across Norfolk, and even some from Cambridgeshire, came together for a networking breakfast at Knights Hill Hotel in King’s Lynn.
Delegates arrived early to enjoy the early morning sun and to make new connections. Not only was the room filled with Norfolk business, but our friends at Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce brought some delegates along to meet businesses across the border.
Welcomed by our West Norfolk Chamber President Michael Baldwin of Bank House Hotel, attendees started the event by taking part in our networking activity, in which they had to identify global cities by their ‘Street Map’ view. One table came close to full marks with 8 out of a possible 10.
Following this was breakfast served by Knights Hill Hotel, where delegates were able to continue conversations whilst tucking in. Once the plates were cleared we mixed the room up in our classic ‘Safari Network’ where attendees move tables to meet more businesses.
Next came our guest speakers. Elizabeth kicked things off giving an overview of how successful tourism has been in West Norfolk in recent years. This is shown by the fact that 18% of employment in West Norfolk supports tourism, and this percentage rises during peak seasons. Elizabeth also gave an overview of the new mobile apps in West Norfolk, including the ‘Visit West Norfolk‘ app which she encouraged businesses to get involved in.
After Elizabeth’s talk was Kate who kindly gave us her time despite being so close to the King’s Lynn Festival. Kate highlighted how the King’s Lynn Festival is one of the longest running art festivals in the UK. The festival takes place in venues across King’s Lynn including St.George’s Guildhall, which is the largest and best preserved medieval guildhall’s in the UK.
After some great question and answer time with businesses focusing on how they could get involved with the King’s Lynn Festival and the Council’s apps, the event drew to a close with the networking continuing.
The sun is out and temperatures are rising, which can only mean one thing – Lunch on the Green!
For the first time Norfolk Chamber of Commerce are taking an exhibition stand at the coolest summer networking event in Norwich – Lunch on the Green 2018.
Mix, mingle, and soak up the sun at Clapham & Collinge’s annual summer networking and fundraising event in support of Break Charity on Wednesday 11th July. With plenty of local businesses exhibiting across all sectors, many offering special deals and delights, this fabulous fundraising event is a great opportunity to network with the Norfolk business community whilst supporting Break Charity, during their 50th anniversary.
This year’s event will feature many summer-themed activities and attractions including garden games, a selection of wines from TFW Fine Wines, delicious canapés from The Feed, summer mocktails from 7 Surrey Street, wine tasting with Eastern Financial Consultants, roulette with Kings & Queens Fun Casinos, beautiful floral displays from Libby Ferris Flowers and live music acts including Bill Downs, Lydia Lee and the Manhattan Husk Duo.
Click here to download a full list of our exhibitors.
Advanced tickets cost £10+VAT (includes a glass of wine and a buffet lunch). Click here to purchase your ticket.
As Norfolk Day approaches we launch details of our #15SecBiz video premier, to be held at Norwich Cathedral on Friday 27 July.
Join us as we screen all of the #15SecBiz videos we’ve been recieving over the last few weeks. We’ll also be giving out our special ‘Norfolk Day Oscar’ to the best #15SecBiz video that really gives the ‘wow’ factor and shows how great Norfolk really is for businesses.
Network with fellow Norfolk businesses and hear from our CEO Chris Sargisson about why Norfolk is such a great place to do business, whilst enjoying a light buffet from Norwich Cathedral. See the full agenda below:
Agenda: 12:00 Arrival for light refreshments 12:15 Presentation from our CEO, Chris Sargisson #15SecBiz video showreel Light lunch 13:30 Oscar voting closes & prize giving 14:00 Event close Don’t worry if you haven’t made your #15secbiz video yet, there is still time to get your video to us and be in with the chance of winning the award. Visit our webpage for more information. Click here! Find out more about the event: click here!
Following the successful launch of two new job initiatives, Breckland for Jobs and West Norfolk for Jobs in April this year, local employers are continuing the good work for Norfolk Day.
Norfolk Day is on Friday 27 July 2017 and is celebrating all that is great about Norfolk, from its people; its places; its culture; and its local business communities. In celebration, we already have fifteen Breckland and West Norfolk for Jobs employers in King’s Lynn, Dereham and Thetford, who have agreed to open their doors for job seekers to visit them on Friday 27 July 2018.
For more information and timings on the employers taking part – please see the attached PDFs.
For more information about West Norfolk and Breckland for Jobs , please contact Nikki David, Strategic Coordinators – Breckland & West Norfolk for Jobs on email: nikki.david@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is looking for sponsors and partners to help deliver the UK Pavilion at World Expo 2020 Dubai. This major event will run from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021.
DIT explains: “Working with us to establish a presence at the largest business, economic and cultural event in the world will give you a global platform to gain significant commercial exposure and help the UK create a truly spectacular presence at the Expo.”
The theme of Expo 2020 Dubai is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.
According to DIT, it signals the global need to work together to inspire future generations and to develop partnerships across sectors, organisations and geographies to address the many needs of a fast-changing world.
The UK’s theme for the Expo is “The UK – innovating for a shared future”. It will have a self-build pavilion located in the Opportunity district of the Dubai site. The three sub-themes of the Expo are opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Aiming to drive significant trade and inward investment for the UK, DIT will use the Expo to highlight a number of key sectors, including infrastructure and finance, technology, healthcare, consumer goods, catering and food and drink.
Any company wanting to register an expression of interest, in either cash or value in kind sponsorship, should contact the Sponsorship and Partnerships team at DIT by 31 July 2018.
Contacts include Fay Wiltshire (fay.wiltshire@trade.gov.uk) and Rebekah O’Connor (rebekah.oconnor@trade.gov.uk).
Following the re-launch of the Norfolk Chamber in West Norfolk, we are now seeking to appoint new members to become part of the West Norfolk Chamber Council.
The West Norfolk Chamber Council will consist of a cross-section of the local business community and aims to represent the main business sectors within the local area, particularly key sectors such as manufacturing, professional services and IT/Digital companies.
One of the roles of the West Norfolk Chamber Council is to promote the views of the local businesses in the area, both to the Norfolk Chamber Main Board and to other local stakeholders, such as the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Norfolk County Council and both LEPs. Regular meetings are also held with the local MPs, to ensure the West Norfolk business voice is carried to Westminster.
As a member of the West Norfolk Chamber Council, you would have the opportunity to make a difference to West Norfolk and ensure your views and those of your counterparts are heard.
Norfolk Chamber and our partners are calling on all businesses in Norfolk to give their support for our Just Dual It! Campaign, which aims to get the A47 fully dualled.
Since March this year, Norfolk Chamber, the EDP, and Norfolk County Council have been campaigning to convince the Government to commit to dualling the A47 trunk road from Lowestoft in the east, right across Norfolk and through to Peterborough in the west.
Currently just 47% of this major route is dual carriageway and while Highways England have committed to making £300m of improvements to the road, including dualling some stretches, this will still leave substantial sections of the A47 as single carriageway, with no current plans to dual them.
Whilst we have received significant support for the campaign from across the east of England, we have been advised by central Government that evidencing support from key businesses along the A47 route will be crucial to our chances of success – which is where you come in.
If you agree with us that the A47 is vital to the region’s economy and believe getting the road fully dualled will benefit your business, please help us to make the case to the Government as strongly as we can by completing the enclosed outline template and returning it to us by either email: nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk
Or by post:
Nova Fairbank
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
9 Norwich Business Park, Whiting Road, Norwich, NR4 6DJ
We have tried to make it as easy as possible for you to support the campaign, we hope it will take you no more than a few minutes. Your combined support will be vital in helping us to secure the much needed funding to dual the A47.
We need your responses back by Friday 31 August 2018, ahead of going down to Westminster in Autmn to present our case to Department for Transport ministers. Please help us make it impossible for the Government to ignore us.
Last Friday was the first ever Norfolk Day and it was great to see the business community of the county supporting this campaign in the UK’s heatwave.
The day was an opportunity to shout about how great our county is from our innovative businesses to the fantastic landscapes. We were overwhelmed by the support and the number of Norfolk businesses who got involved from holding their own events, to creating a #15secbiz video as part of our Norfolk Day campaign.
Our campaign #15secbiz gave a real insight into the progressive work that is happening right now in Norfolk, and certainly showed a real ‘wow factor.’ We asked Norfolk businesses to create 15 second videos showcasing the amazing things they are doing both locally and globally: and we weren’t disappointed.
We received over 50 videos, which were showcased on Norfolk Day at the Norwich Cathedral with over 60 businesses in attendance to watch. Entries included Captain Fawcett showing their world class gentlemen’s grooming from King’s Lynn, who export globally, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices who are building a new hospice just outside of Norwich and Ember Films who work with the likes of Disney, Netflix, BBC and more! Sadly we can’t mention all of the amazing things that were shown, but you can watch them now – view the show reel by clicking here.
After putting the #15secbiz films out for voting, Tiger Eye Consulting scooped the most votes for their video and won the Chamber Oscar!
Norfolk Chamber would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who got involved and supported this day, and created a video too, without your help this day would not have been possible. The aim of our campaign was to really show how amazing Norfolk is as a place to work, with such unique and expert businesses. We want to continue this message, continue promoting our great county, and change the outside perception.
We know that just by watching our #15secbiz show reel, each viewer will come away thinking ‘I didn’t know that’ – so let’s really shout about it!
This is a pivotal time for UK businesses. As negotiations on the UK’s departure from the EU continue, the BCC seeks to understand – in this five minute poll – your business’s trade and investment plans, how your business might be impacted by Brexit, and what you would advise UK government to do.
British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) recent surveys have enabled them to present evidence directly to government ministers, policy makers, and the media about how a range of policies are impacting UK businesses. Your voice has been essential in helping them shape policy at the very highest levels of government.
To continue to do this, BCC need to gather the strongest possible evidence base from UK businesses to give your local Chamber and the British Chambers of Commerce the real-world business input we need to stand up for your interests. Thank you in advance for your support.