Digital marketing agency, Bigfork have redesigned the website for the Norfolk Car Club which provides new Volkswagen cars and vans for members to drive on a pay-as-you-go basis. Norfolk Car Clubvehiclesare operated by Co-wheels – a not for profit community interest company which is establishing a network of car clubs across the UK.Norfolk Car Club is supported by Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Transportand other partners.The aim of the club is to help:
Reduce your transport costs
Provide you with greater access to transport
Reduce your transport related carbon emissions
The new website is responsive to ensure that it can be viewed across desktops, tablets and mobiles and has an improved navigation to make it easy for customers to find their nearest Car Club car. You can see the site at www.norfolkcarclub.com
The Global Marketplace Series begins with our first event, taking place on 08 November at Fluke Precision Measurement Ltd in Norwich.
“Spotlight on Turkey” will look at this most dynamic and attractive market for UK companies. Already sizeable, the Turkish economy will be the second fastest growing economy in the world by 2018 and will out-strip those of Italy and Spain in the next decade.
A young growing population and EU funding mean there are opportunities for UK companies in a variety of sectors including:
Refined Petroleum
Chemicals
Harbours and harbour services
Automotive OEM and Side Services
Automotive OEM Investments
Automotive Side Supplier Investments
Railway/Tram Locomotives and/or Railway Cars
Transit Pipe Line Transportation Services
Electronics
Medical, High Precision and Optical Equipment
Pharmaceuticals
Aircraft and Space Vehicle and/or Parts
Machinery (including Electrical)
Integrated Metal Production
Hear from our host who, as a regular exporter to Turkey, can advise you of their experiences of trading with this market. All the information provided will help aide your decision on whether you should take the next steps to trading there.
Delegates will be able to learn from an informative workshop delivered by Matthew Dabbs, International & Trade Channel Manager of Barclays, who are sponsoring the series.
Registration will begin at 3.30pm for a 4.00pm start, ending at 6.00pm with a light networking buffet.
Book your FREE PLACE at this seminar to find out how you can access this thriving market, by emailing export@norfolkchamber.co.uk
Take a look here for details of the next five events in this series, covering Libya, Dubai, Angola, Saudi Arabia and Emerging Europe.
For help and advice any other matter relating to International Trade, you can contact Tracey direct on Tel. 01603 729711 or email: tracey.howard@norfolkchamber.co.uk
This year’s Norfolk Chamber Autumn B2B was a brilliant day with some wonderful speakers. Jake Humphrey, Formula One and 2012 Olympic Games presenter showed a real passion for local Norfolk businesses as he talked about how proud he was to have gone from being just a ‘Norfolk boy’ to becoming a BBC TV presenter, through hard work and determination. He talked about how businesses should work together and how this can be achieved by being part of the GoGoGorilla project, of which Jake is patron.
Delegates also heard from David McNally, Norwich City Football Chief Executive who talked about running the football club as a business. He highlighted the importance of having a good team around you from a business perspective as well as on the pitch. David was really enthusiastic about business in Norfolk and was pleased that the football club could be part of bringing them together at this B2B event.
The exhibition was opened by Emma Baker, ITV Anglia who also judged the best stand awards. Emma was impressed with the variety of exhibitors at the event and after much deliberation she announced the winners. The Break Charity won the overall best stand for their gorilla statues, one of which was being painted live at the event and NVCS Ltd was a clear winner for Best Stand Design for their great coffee display. The Forum won Best On Stand Promotion as they had a great opportunity to win a table of eight at their upcoming Comedy Store night.
Attendees also had the opportunity to gain knowledge as well as do business with four free workshops. Two workshops were delivered by Nial Adams, PUSH Academy who helped attendees to make marketing work and offered some top tips on selling more in a tough climate. Julie Bishop from JobHop highlighted how lots of companies use social media for recruitment and that it is an important tool for finding the right candidate. Finally Jean McNeil, Best Support led a really interactive workshop that discussed personality profiling, the different types of personalities and how these personalities affect networking style.
Overall there was a real buzz around the exhibition which wasn’t just coming from Hugh J Boswell’s buzzer game, won by Sarah Mintey from the Open Youth Trust. There was plenty to see and do, from putting at the Royal Norwich Golf Club stand to perhaps bagging yourself a green rubber duck at the Green Duck stand. 99Squared also showcased a unique way of using digital advertising with their square-code that could be scanned with a Smartphone and Archant were there as our Media Sponsors. The event was a huge success and allowed lots of local companies to raise their profiles, work together and do some great business.
Plain Speaking PR is looking for an experienced PR account manager who is ready for the next step in their career and wants to join an ambitious, quality-driven and enthusiastic team.
Plain Speaking PR is well-established, award-winning, specialist PR and communications agency, working with clients across the UK. With a home-based, flexible working model the company prides itself on its nimble and uncluttered approach.
“We are passionate about the power of ‘proper’ professional public relations and we always aim to deliver outstanding results and value for money for our clients,” says Pippa Lain-Smith, founder and managing director of Plain Speaking PR. “The person who joins us will be responsible for developing, managing and evaluating integrated PR campaigns across traditional, digital and social platforms. From copywriting to event planning; media relations to social media management; community relations to influencer engagement: they’ll be committed to delivering excellence across all areas of the PR mix.”
“We work across a wide range of sectors, including: retail and leisure; tourism and hospitality; arts and entertainment; manufacturing and business services; charity and non-profit; financial planning and property development. No two days are the same and our creative juices are always flowing. We strongly believe PR has the power to make a positive difference to businesses, individuals and communities and we love bringing great people together to make fantastic things happen.”
Due to recent client wins, there is now the opportunity for the right person to join the Plain Speaking PR team and help grow the agency.
Plain Speaking PR moved away from a traditional office more than five years ago: all team members now work from home offices. “Whilst we may not be in the same place every day, we believe remote working makes us stronger as a team,” continues Pippa Lain-Smith. “We make time to talk and to socialise and support each other both professionally and personally.”
The 116th Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting was held at Dunston Hall Hotel on Friday 5th October 2012. The event was well attended and the finalised minutes can be viewed by clicking on the attachment.
Entries are being invited from local businesses for the Mayor’s Business Awards, which have launched today (23 October).
The awards, originally established in 1989 by former mayor Cllr Les Daubney, are the borough council’s way of publicly acknowledging outstanding business achievement and recognising the contribution that local businesses make to the economy of west Norfolk.
Borough Mayor, Cllr Geoffrey Wareham, who will be helping to judge the awards this year, said: “As I have engaged with local businesses during my year as mayor, I have been impressed by the determination and optimism in the business sector in what we all know are challenging times.
“The Business Awards are well established and I would encourage local businessmen and women to put their enterprise forward for one of these awards. Previous winners and their staff have benefited greatly from the publicity and feel-good factor. I am looking forward to visiting this year’s nominations and seeing for myself the growth in our business sector.”
There are three categories to enter:
Manufacturing Business of the Year
Service Business of the Year
Young Business of the Year (for businesses trading between one and four years)
Judges for the Mayor’s Business Awards are particularly interested to learn about achievements in areas such as:
business growth
marketing and promotion
business innovation
development and investment
training and managing staff
performance management
environmentally friendly initiatives
Cllr Alistair Beales, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, added: “Our local businesses are vital to the west Norfolk economy and, despite the ongoing difficulties of the current economic climate, they continue to succeed. Celebrating their successes and achievements is absolutely crucial and helps us to show others that despite the challenges, local businesses are thriving. We are really keen to hear about local business achievements, whatever they may be, and would encourage people to submit their entry forms as soon as possible.”
Entries can be made by downloading the entry form on the borough council’s website www.west-norfolk.gov.uk. Entries must be received by 30 November. Shortlisting of the finalists will take place by the end of the year, with judges visiting the finalists during January. The winners of the Mayor’s Business Awards will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony on 15 March 2013.
The Mayor’s Business Awards are organised by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk with support from Lynn News, KLFM 96.7, NWES, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the West Norfolk Partnership.
For further information contact Paul Harrison, Business Development Officer, on 01553 616735 or e-mail paul.harrison@west-norfolk.gov.uk.
The much-promised legacy of the 2012 Olympics may appear much further afield than East London, with news that UK companies are already winning big contracts for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, London’s successful summer of sport has put UK firms in the box seat to win contracts with future international events.
So far, 22 British companies have won 36 contracts for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games (all to be held in Brazil), which together amount to over £70 million.
Projects include urban and transport planning for nine World Cup host cities, the Olympic Park master plan design contract, and communications and IT facilities.
Prime Minister David Cameron has led a trade mission of 58 companies to Brazil, where he brought British companies together with key decision-makers in Rio 2016 at a special summit on hosting sporting events.
Britain wants to make the most of its experience as hosts of London 2012 to strengthen its relationship with Brazil and deliver an economic legacy for the UK, he explained.
Research published by Deloitte reveals that more than a quarter of British firms (28%) believe the successful delivery of London 2012 will help UK firms boost their exports to the host countries of future major events.
The research also found that 50% of companies feel the Games have increased confidence in British companies’ ability to deliver large infrastructure projects.
As the Membership manager of the Norfolk Chamber, getting out there and experiencing the innovation of our Chamber members is always eye opening and inspiring but sometimes i do get to have a bit of fun in the process. Today I was invited to attend Ride and Drive day with Dingles Toyota at Sprowston Manor and experience two cars that sit at either end of their range.
First up was the Prius Plug-in
One of Toyota’s true electric cars. In support of the green economy, it’s not hard to see why 85% Toyotas fleet market is made up of sub 100g/km cars when in
Norfolk the awareness of the Green Agenda is growing daily. Reducing you businesses carbon footprint has now become a critical part of lots of our member’s businesses plans and every time I visit a business they are keen to tell me how they work hard in reducing costs and thinking working hard and becoming more sustainable. Those that have a fleet of company cars can dramatically reduce costs and carbon emissions by investing in hybrid technology and this car with CO2 emissions of just 49g/km and an astounding 134 mpg is one of the many sustainable solutions to reducing a fleet’s carbon footprint and saving fuel costs. With the emergence of more and more plug in points throughout Norfolk this type of hybrid will be seen more and more on our streets and hopefully in the fleets of our businesses looking to cut down on that all important Carbon footprint.
Second up was GT86.
Yes my job does have its perks and getting to drive Toyota’s long awaited performance car is certainly up there with the best of them. Yes the little boy in me made me take this out on the road for a spin and you can instantly see why the whole point of this car is to be fun to drive. You can’t help but grin ear to ear as
you pull away from the tree lined drive of Sprowston manor and hear the growl of the 2.0 litre Boxer engine and watch as the electronic speedometer hurtles through the numbers to 60 mph in just 7.6 seconds. There is a bit of a strange anomaly with this car as for some unknown reason the earth’s gravitational pull seems to have a dramatic effect of your right foot as soon as you get in.
Although not in exactly in line with the green economy, this is an example of car manufacture catering for all types of driver and although you would want to drive a Hybrid for work, you would want a GT86 in your garage at home.
So In my last few months I have experienced helicopters, steam-trains and cars, so what’s next in line for my excisions into the diverse Norfolk business community’s offerings? There is so much to choose from so one can only wait and see.
Members of Great Yarmouth Chamber Council, together with Cabinet members of Great Yarmouth Borough Council met recently to discuss the private and public sector working in partnership to promote economic growth.
The meeting, held at Great Yarmouth Town Hall, covered topics such as: broadband: road infrastructure, including the third river crossing; inward investment; the Enterprise Zone; and tourism.
John Morse, President of Great Yarmouth Chamber said “We are delighted that there is now a much closer engagement between the public and private sectors, working together with a clear aim of developing Great Yarmouth into a vibrant place in which to do business. Going forward, we eagerly look forward to working with the Cabinet to convert dialogue into practical solutions and to maximize employment opportunities in the town.”
Process instruments are delighted to work with British Sugar on a recent application to upgrade their Chemical clean-in-place (CIP) system. This allows the heaters to be cleaned automatically with the press of a button, using the latest technology to increase efficiencies across site.
Process instruments provided flow meters, pressure transmitters & temperature transmitters for this project.
We have provided onsite commissioning assistance via our service team and all data and programming has been managed by Siemens Process Device Manager (PDM).
Belgium may not be as well known as some other global markets, but it is an open and dynamic export market for British goods and services, and the most globalised country in the world . You wouldn’t guess that this country of 11 million people with three official languages is also the UK’s 6th largest trading partner in the world, with UK exports worth £12.7bn in 2012 – more than India and China put together!
Compact, close and affluent, Belgium is a great starting point to build your business across all of Europe. It’s just over two hours by Eurostar to Brussels or a short and hassle free hop from the wonderful London City Airport to Antwerp.
“It is an ideal place for the first time exporter and a great stepping stone to the rest of Europe” says Jonathan Brenton, HM Ambassador to Belgium, “English is widely accepted, and there are quick and easy communications and connections with the UK and the rest of mainland Europe”.
As a market place, the country is full of opportunities, especially for small and medium-sized business. Belgians value good life and place a premium on non-price factors such as design, quality, delivery, and after sales service. British exports to Belgium powered ahead by 9% over the past year, the highest increase for any EU market. Key sectors include chemicals, ICT, renewable energy and healthcare.
The Golden Bridge Award 2012 is a new annual award for the most successful UK businesses exporting to Belgium. Open to both service and manufacturing companies, the awards celebrate the success of UK businesses in the Belgian market, and give British products and services a higher profile at the heart of the EU.
For further information about the Golden Bridge awards, please contact:
Joanna De Keyeser Business Development Executive British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium Boulevard Bischoffsheim 11 1000 Brussels T +32 (0) 2 613 28 53 E Joanna@britcham.be
Commenting on Lord Heseltine’s independent review of UK competitiveness, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“Lord Heseltine’s analysis of the state of the UK economy is compelling. Businesses will welcome his call for steady, long-term thinking to improve the UK’s economic performance. Yet Heseltine’s prescription for action focuses too much on institutions, rather than on the fundamental barriers to business growth.
“Ministers should think carefully before committing to a restructuring of government, and focus first on the key constraints facing the real economy: the availability of growth finance, practical help for our exporters, our creaking physical infrastructure, and an education and training system that responds to business needs. Government can best support enterprise by collaborating with business to get the basics right.”
On Lord Heseltine’s recommendation that Chambers of Commerce play an expanded role in business support and local growth:
“We welcome the fact that Lord Heseltine has recognised that Chambers of Commerce are local, resilient, independent, internationally-focused and pro-active in their communities. We are pleased that he believes Chambers can continue to play a central part in making local growth happen.
“Lord Heseltine makes a range of recommendations that, in his view, would help bolster Chambers’ ability to serve local business. We will be studying these recommendations carefully and discussing their implications with Chamber members, the government, and other business organisations in the weeks and months ahead.”
On business access to finance:
“As long-standing campaigners for a British Business Bank, it is helpful that Lord Heseltine’s report acknowledges the fact that there is a structural problem around long-term, patient loan finance in Britain and that the Business Bank offers a possible solution. This is a much more fundamental issue for UK competitiveness and growth than the structure of government.”
On exports:
“Lord Heseltine argues that Britain’s competitors have a more systematic, joined-up approach to exporting and international trade, involving both government and business organisations. “This is a critical issue for our global competitiveness, and we are working actively with Lord Green on ways to better use Chambers of Commerce at home and across the world to provide British exporters with the best possible support to break into new markets.”
On skills and training:
“Lord Heseltine is right to highlight the fact that the education and training system doesn’t currently deliver to employers’ needs. Chambers of Commerce stand ready to link employers to local schools and other training providers to ensure that British businesses can compete globally.”
On decentralisation away from Westminster and Whitehall:
“Local businesspeople across England tell me they would like more influence over local growth and economic development. Many companies in the real economy will agree with Lord Heseltine’s view that England is over-centralised, and that power, money and real decision-making need to be rebalanced away from Westminster and Whitehall.”