Inspire.06

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INSPIRE.06

The business magazine of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce Oct-Nov 2014

A business plan for Britain

Aspirations for Britain’s next Government

Chamber celebrates 90 years Spotlight on Letchworth Garden City Forthcoming Chamber events

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InspireIntroduction

From the Chief Executive Herts Chamber, over the last month or so, has been busy and successful. Firstly, we’d like to thank our Honorary President, Lord Salisbury, for his address at our 90th birthday dinner party held at Hanbury Manor Marriott in Ware. It was a lovely celebration, and so good to see so many of our patrons, supporters and members there. (p4)

Hello new members Secondly, I’d like to welcome our new members, from Hertford to Hemel Hempstead, manufacturers to leisure providers, B2B to B2C. Please come along to our networking events and meet the diversity of businesses and organisations represented by our thousand members. (p34)

Networking events Thirdly, to our new members and our older members, we have an excellent networking programme in the months before Christmas, from an evening Tring Brewery tour to wine tasting and a tour of The Wine Society in Stevenage. We also have an event on funding for leadership with GrowthAccelerator, a crowdlending master class in Stevenage and two Christmas breakfasts in

Hemel Hempsted and Knebworth, among many opportunities to meet more businesses in your supply chain.

STEM programme Our STEM campaign, as part of our Women in Leadership focus this year, is progressing well as we bring together school students and businesses in our pilot programme to raise girls’ career aspirations. At a networking lunch at the Thistle The Noke hotel in St Albans, over 40 women were addressed by two exemplary STEM examples and ambassadors, Kate Bellingham and Pauline Beszant (p8). We shall be reporting on the STEM programme in the next edition of INSPIRE.

Increasing the UK’s export base I attended the British Chamber of Commerce’s International Trade Conference in London recently. We will be welcoming more overseas

Publisher Ian Fletcher Benham Publishing 3tc House, 16 Crosby Road North, Crosby, Liverpool L22 0NY Tel: 0151 236 4141 Fax: 0151 236 0440 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com Published October 2014 © Benham Publishing and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

Please contact any of the team at Herts Chamber if there’s anything we can help you with.

A business plan for Britain Irrespective of which government we have next year, one thing is certain. Britain needs a strong, focused growth strategy. Our feature story (p16) is the British Chambers of Commerce’s blueprint. Hertfordshire Chamber will be drafting its own plan based on local circumstances, businesses and needs, to be published in the next edition of INSPIRE. One of the ways in which Hertfordshire can grow its economy, as I’ve always maintained, is through exporting.

Information Editorial and General Enquiries Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce MacLaurin Building, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9NE Tel: 01707 398400 Fax: 01707 398430 Email: enquiries@hertschamber.com Web: www.hertschamber.com Chief Executive: Yolanda Rugg

Chambers to Hertfordshire, and more publicity on trade missions in future to remove barriers to growth, or to help signpost important trade opportunities.

Contents Advertising and Features Karen Hall Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: karen@benhampublishing.com Production Manager Fern Badman Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: studio@benhampublishing.com Media No. 1392 Disclaimer Inspire is published for Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and is distributed without charge to Chamber members. All correspondence should be addressed to Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. Views expressed in Inspire are not necessarily those of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission. © 2014.

Please note that submitting an article does not guarantee publication. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in this journal, Benham Publishing and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributions in advertising or editorial content. Benham Publishing cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in web or email links supplied to us.

Up Front Cover Feature Business Tourism Up Front Conference News Up Front Members News Festive Focus Spotlight on... Big Interview Members News International Trade Chamber Training New Members Chamber Events Business News Work Place Patron Focus 24 Hours Forum News Membership Benefits Last Word

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4-5 6-7 8-11 12 -13 14 16-17 18-19 22 24-27 29 30-31 32 33 34-35 36-39 41 42-43 44-45 47 48 49 50

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UPFront

Chamber celebrates 90 years Hertfordshire Chamber celebrated its 90th birthday at the Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel and Golf Club, in Ware.

Herts Chamber business development manager for East Herts, Mary Sykes, in conversation

On an unseasonably warm October evening, some 70 guests gathered in the Garden Court to toast the near-century of the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. How perfect it is to conclude a week by sipping champagne beneath the stars, dining sumptuously with business friends, hearing an address from the Chamber’s Honorary President, Lord Salisbury, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, and ending the evening with live jazz and rock and roll. Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce's Honorary President - Lord Salisbury, 7th Marquess of Salisbury

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Martha Lytton-Cobbald, Henry Lytton-Cobbald (Knebworth House) and Yolanda Rugg, Chief Executive, Herts Chamber

UPFront People want to work and to live near where they work. The birth of garden cities like Letchworth and Welwyn, he said, are seminal places. They rectify the mistakes town planners made in urban development before the First World War.

Tim Hutchings (former chief executive of Herts Chamber) and Henry Lytton-Cobbald (Knebworth House)

Lord Salisbury, whose family has lived in Hatfield House for over 400 years, spoke about his abiding love for Hertfordshire and about the attraction of place. Place is where people gather, work, live and enjoy life. Lord Salisbury relished innovative ways that house building adapts to family life, the place of family. More must be built, each with innovative ideas about family living. He said that the Chamber’s own history has shown that it has moved with the times, leading the county of Hertfordshire through a commercial and industrial odyssey. Hertfordshire is the place of the aeroplane, of high tech capabilities, information technology, each with its question of place.

He applauded the Chamber’s campaigns over the nine decades: training and education, belief in the merits of higher education but also in apprenticeships. As a country, we sold out on technical education-unlike Germany, which is very good at prioritising its teaching of technical subjects and skills and giving it the stature it should have-and that, in Lord Salisbury’s opinion, was a big mistake.

Mark and Jan Gamble

He said that 54 was the average age of a construction worker here, but youth training, he said, is most important and we should be enabling them to learn these valuable skills, desperately needed for the future of Hertfordshire’s building … of place. Lord Salisbury concluded by saying it was a great honour for him to be asked to be associated with the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, and asked us to drink a toast to the Chamber’s future.

Chamber Patron, the Dean of the University of Hertfordshire Business School, Jerry Forrester, with party guests.

Yolanda Rugg, Chamber's Chief Executive, thanked him for his address and said "It is such a fantastic atmosphere here! It is great to see so many of our loyal members and supporters over the years celebrate tonight with us."

Daniel Moss (club director) and Kelly McDonnell

Carlene Clarke (A Fresh Start) and guest

Sharon Taylor (Council Leader of Stevenage Borough Council) in conversation

Laura Shoobridge, Sophie Watts and Sulina Odwong (Herts Chamber)

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CoverFeature

A business plan for Britain

ASPIRATIONS FOR BRITAIN’S NEXT GOVERNMENT

Britain’s next government must be assessed against stretching economic aspirations so that businesses and the electorate may judge the political class by what they help us to achieve. “Over the next five years we can become a more confident, more enterprising, more skilled trading nation - or retreat into slow but very real decline.” John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce gives Britain these two options. He also says:

N ESS PLA A BUSIN AIN FOR BRIT 14/ ESTO 20

S MANIF BUSINES

GDP Business Investment Employment Trade

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“A Britain built for growth is a Britain where government decisions are relentlessly pro-growth; business policies are for the long term; local business communities are empowered’ the machinery of national and local government works with and for business and those held democratically accountable for outcomes are free to appoint those in charge of delivery.”

The fastest GDP growth rate in the G7, over the life of the next Parliament The highest level of business investment as a percentage of GDP in the G7 by 2020 The lowest rate of youth unemployment in Europe by 2020 Double the value of exports to £1 trillion by 2020

Budget

Elimination of the UK’s budget deficit and a return to surplus by 2018/19

Taxation

Maintain the lowest rate of corporation tax in the G20, and achieve the lowest business input taxes and charges by 2020

Infrastructure Housing Education & Skills

Rise from the 27th to the top 15 in the world Economic Forum’s Quality of Overall Infrastructure rankings by 2020 Support private sector construction rates of at least 200,000 new homes per annum over the life of the next Parliament A workforce with literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills that rank in the top ten in the OEC D Adult Skills Survey by 2020

Ranked first among European countries for overall competitiveness by the World Economic Forum by 2020; Competitiveness currently ninth overall, fifth among European countries

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Develop the talents of our next generation

Businesses need a system that works better for their needs. They need schools, colleges and universities that prepare young people for employment, that work with businesses to address skill shortages, and that equip the next generation to start the enterprises of tomorrow. Businesses also need to invest in up-skilling their current employees. Essentials: • Ensure secondary schools are assessed on employment outcomes to better prepare young people for work • Guarantee a business governor in every school to increase business engagement in education • Guarantee universal ‘experience of work’ in all schools to improve employment prospects • Promote enterprise modules for all higher and further education students • Establish a childcare contribution scheme to help talented people stay in work

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Grow Britain’s global trade potential

Companies that export grow faster than those that do not. Developing the UK’s export base, both through more intensive and more first-time exporting must be a top government priority, given the drag on growth from Britain’s persistent trade deficit. Essentials: • Establish long-term support, commensurate with our major competitors to develop a world-class, global business-to-business network to support all UK businesses • Continue working to bring UK Export Finance (UKEF) to the level of the world’s best export finance agencies • Make foreign language learning compulsory from seven to 16 years • Introduce a fast-track passport issuance for British exporters and global traders overseas • Reform the points-based visa system for foreign students and skilled workers so that it directly addresses economic need • Simplify visa access for foreign business people seeking to conduct trade with the UK • Facilitate an International Business Placement scheme that develops the next generation of exporters • Reduce and reform Air Passenger Duty, a trade tax on Britain’s global traders

A BRITAIN BUILT FOR GROWTH The decisions taken during the next term of Parliament will have a profound impact on our ability to grow businesses here at home and trade across the world.

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Put business at the heart of local growth

For many firms, their local area is their business environment. That’s where many of the barriers to their growth can be found - the 4 quality and cost of local transport connections, access to skilled labour, permission to expand their premises or opportunities to supply the public sector. Local government and other pubic-sector agencies must redouble their procurement work in the interests of local growth. Essentials: • Guarantee a Business Ratepayers’ Vote on local economic strategy and how it is funded • Create a truly integrated and single market in public sector procurement • Increase SME participation in procurement by making it easier for consortia to compete for large public sector contracts • Compel a shift in local public sector procurement towards adding economic value to the area, and away from a narrow focus on the lowest spreadsheet cost • Enforce mandatory engagement standards for local government and agencies on public procurement

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Drive down business costs and taxes

The UK has the highest business rates in Europe, loading costs on to firms before a single sale has been made. To compete globally, UK businesses need a cost-competitive environment at home. When taxes and other costs like energy increase as a result of government policy decisions, it is business growth, investment and jobs that suffer. Essentials: • Freeze business rates for all companies until 2017 and deliver full revaluation of premises in 2017 • Commit to completing a thorough review of the broken Business Rates system by 2017 that is centred on delivering an internationally competitive local tax system by 2022 • Remove the income tax distortion that leads to those earning between £100k and £120k to face 60p tax rates • Merge income tax and employee NIS for full tax transparency • Abolish the ineffective Office for Tax Simplification, transfer its remit to the Office for Budget Responsibility and increase parliamentary oversight of tax simplification • Pledge to take no unilateral measures over the lift of the next Parliament that increase energy costs for UK business For the life of the Parliament and beyond, we need a business Plan for Britain – with governments, devolved and local, across the UK focusing their attention on creating the best possible environment for growth, aspiration and enterprise. Yolanda Rugg says this Business Manifesto reflects the needs of Hertfordshire-based businesses and

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Rebuild Britain’s business infrastructure

A world-class economy needs world-class infrastructure. The scale of the challenge facing the UK is large - the UK’s National Infrastructure Plan identifies 650 projects needed by 2030, costing £375bn. The UK’s ability to compete internationally with be undermined without significant efforts from future governments to accelerate the pace of infrastructure delivery. Businesses rely on transport networks to move people and goods, on energy to keep both production and technology running, on telecoms to connect people and data. Essentials: • Take immediate action to deliver aviation capacity following publication of the Airports Commission’s report. • Complete the legal framework for HS2 and proceed to deliver as quickly as possible a fully national high-speed network • Deliver promised investments in road and rail schemes of national importance • Develop and implement a 50-year UK Energy Security Strategy for reliable power sourcing • Ensure UK businesses have access to worldclass digital infrastructure by leading the world in the development of 5G technology • Freeform the planning system, including the green belt, to free up more land for housing • Create a new independent body to set the UK’s infrastructure requirements • Take infrastructure investment that boosts economic growth out of the national debt target

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Deliver a new settlement for Britain in Europe

For British businesses to truly regard the EU as home turf and reap the full benefits, the European Single Market must be completed and enforced. Services and e-commerce are pillars of the UK economy today - and it is for these areas that the barriers to trade across the EU remain greatest. The EU contains the most popular markets for current and potential UK exporters. Essentials: • Secure binding safeguards for the UK and other non-Eurozone countries in future EU decision-making • Drive the completion and enforcement of the EU Single Marke4t in goods, services and e-commerce • Focus the EU on securing global free trade for its member states the core concerns they face affecting their recovery and growth. She says that Herts Chamber will be developing its own local business manifesto and working with business leaders across the county to help mentor, support and advise SMEs, startups and larger organisations in business conditions improvement.

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BusinessTourism

Herts Chamber supports developments The Herts Chamber business leaders’ dinner on 11 September brought together senior business men and women to hear an address by the Stansted Airport’s managing director, Andrew Harrison, and to discuss the key issues affecting business today. The event, hosted by Brocket Hall in its dining hall one of the finest, if not the most splendid in Hertfordshire - was sponsored by Porsche Hatfield. After dinner, at the second longest table in the UK (only Her Majesty the Queen has a longer one), Andrew Harrison rose to speak about Stansted Airport’s recent return to growth and its eye on the future.

London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor The growth factors for Stansted Airport, mid point of the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor, arise from two integrated economic drivers: catchment and business community. Catchment, he explains, is factored on the life sciences industry burgeoning in Cambridge and Stevenage (GSK and the Bioscience Catalyst). He said that 19 per cent of its chief executives live in this corridor area. He had recent discussions with Chuck Schubert, vice president, network planning at American Airlines in Dallas regarding transatlantic flight routes to Stansted. Their interest in establishing a Stansted flight route is based on the corridor’s propositions - in Andrew’s words, not only the stories of catchment and businesses, but also those of tourism and education.

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BusinessTourism

Stansted

Stansted’s own focus, said Andrew, is to give its catchment area the destinations they would like. International airlines or carriers don’t understand the local story, says Andrew, whose task is now to tell it overseas and also, over here.

Long term Gatwick propose to build an £8b second runway. Heathrow want a third. All airport executives know a capacity crunch is looming in 2030 in the south east of the country and its critical we all plan for the future.

Stansted planning for the future Staffing the operations of an airport, international or not, is one of the present challenges that has serious implications for its future. Recruitment is a struggle; airport operations are about unsociable hours, hospitality and customer service and engineering skills. Like many airports, Stansted has an aging engineer workforce, predominantly male.

Education, education, education

Business leaders’ dinner guests

Selling Stansted by telling the local story

Short haul Ryanair and Easyjet have both signed 10-year deals. Their own stories are straightforward: integrating family and business travel with safe, low cost flying. Ryanair - the largest air carrier in Europe, with 86m passengers a year, more than BA, Virgin and transatlantic American flights has 25 per cent of its flights through Stansted.

To get airlines to Stansted, the airport has to tell the local story well: the great venues, points of interest, proximity to London, access to the north and south of the country and the reasons for flying people and cargo between Dallas and Stansted. Part of the story is Stansted Airport itself. A Sir Norman Foster building designed on principles of usability with inbuilt flexibility to accommodate ongoing responses to new technologies and to changes in demand, Stansted today is reversing the 2008 decline (the fastest rate of decline in the UK at the time) to become the fastest growing, at 11 per cent, month on month. Currently passenger numbers are around 18.6 million a year.

The airport is truly international. Stansted passengers are multi-lingual; less than 50 per cent have English as their first language.

They spent £5m on security and immigration handling and installed 15 e-gates to enhance UK Border Force capabilities, part of a £260 million, five year investment programme Stansted is now considered to be one of the most efficient in the UK.

Does Stansted Airport hope for long haul carrier deals? Andrew said that a critically important market for the airport exists. Gatwick and Heathrow, with its combined 36 million passenger catchment, is taking Stansted’s 12 million catchment area.

Freight is growing: 210,000 tonnes a year, to double over the next decade, a considerable part of which is time and temperature sensitive cargo to the US.

Long haul

To meet future staffing challenges, particularly in engineering, Stansted has developed a programme, telling the story, if you like, to engage with local young people on the brink of work, colleges that take them to the brink, and with even primary schools, where dreams begin. Students, both male and female, should be made aware of the rewarding careers in engineering. The danger lies in a lack of work ethic, few want to work on Sundays, and a lack of skills: language, engineering, interpersonal. There is a very real threat to their working lives: incoming immigrants, ready to take their jobs. The world is global, and that applies to employment markets too. Colleges also need to be a part of the solution, and offer the right courses that local businesses need - not just those that attract the greater government funding. A major development for Stansted will be its education centre for primary school pupils to 18-year old students. It will be a place where they can begin to think about careers, and experience at first hand the excitement of being part of a global connection. It’s due to open in Spring 2015.

Stansted opportunities Now that the airport is reversing the harsh declines of post-2008, it can plan to capitalise on its opportunities. British Airways is focused on Heathrow and Gatwick, which leaves the smaller airports to build relationships with other carriers and other destinations. There is opportunity, but there is also much still to do.

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BusinessTourism

New Stansted Tourism Forum to boost inbound travel to region The tourism industry in East Anglia is worth around £6bn, employing over 100,000 people. Stansted Airport and Visit East Anglia have announced details of an exciting joint initiative ‘The Stansted Tourism Forum’ that brings together the expertise of tourism representatives from across the region in a partnership to help boost inward leisure and business travel. The tourism industry in East Anglia is worth around £6bn, employing over 100,000 people, with overseas visitors making a significant contribution to the overall economic value. Stansted is the region’s major international airport and primary gateway for European visitors, serving over 160 direct connections and welcoming more than 18.5 million passengers a year, over 50 per cent of which are foreign visitors to the UK. The new tourism forum brings together representatives of Stansted Airport, Visit East Anglia, Herts Chamber of Commerce, Abellio Greater Anglia and Hertfordshire and Cambridge Country Councils to work in partnership to explore and maximise opportunities for inbound tourism and to boost the region’s economies. One of the first areas of focus will be the business conference market to tap into Stansted’s inbound flight connections that make it convenient to bring delegates together in one place and creating packages to include transport arrangements, venues across the region and tourist attraction add-ons. Greater support also needs to be given to the relatives of large student populations on the doorstep of Stansted wanting to arrange both short and long-term visits; and work will be done to help create packages to accommodate those inbound travel plans. Speaking about the new forum Stansted Airport’s Managing Director, Andrew Harrison said: “Stansted plays a very important role linking this region to over 160 direct scheduled connections across 30 countries that are vital for business and leisure passengers, but we also need to give better support to the inbound travel market. “We have ambitious plans to attract more airlines and offer even more choice of routes so I’m very

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Emma Thornton (Cambridge City Council) Keith Brown (Visit East Anglia), Yolanda Rugg (Herts Chamber of Commerce), Damien Sebastien (Herts Chamber of Commerce), Andrew Harrison (London Stansted Airport), Eleni Jordan (Abellio Greater Anglia), Graham McAndrew (Hertfordshire County Council), Helen Cutting (Visit East Anglia), Patrick Alexander (Low Cost and Charter Aviation Marketing)

excited to be involved with the new Stansted Tourism Forum that has a clear focus on boosting the inbound travel market to the region and helping maximise the full potential of this dynamic and exciting part of the UK.” Chief Executive Officer for Visit East Anglia, Keith Brown said: “We’re delighted to work in partnership with Stansted Airport to help grow the visitor economy across the region and hope this initiative will make the airport even more attractive to the inbound market and support Stansted’s efforts to secure new airlines and routes. “Overseas visitors generally stay longer, putting more into the economy and with East Anglia’s offer of unrivalled tourism experiences, from world class cities and towns to the best of the English countryside, together with the investment taking place to improve services and facilities at Stansted , this is going to be a powerful combination.”

Herts Chamber promoting tourism for 13 years Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce has managed the Tourism partnership in the county for over 13 years, and has been hugely appreciative of the support from its loyal members who have helped fund and resource activities to promote Hertfordshire as a destination for tourism and leisure business. Yolanda Rugg says “We are delighted to be invited to represent Hertfordshire as part of the recently launched Visit Anglia, and help promote the unique blend of experiences that Hertfordshire offers from heritage, arts, hotels, sports and attractions. We believe a strong tourism sector in Hertfordshire is absolutely essential to the local economy, from attracting inward investment to expanding jobs opportunities.”

SponsoredFeature

Words that work

Shaping the future of St Albans Cathedral Over 120,000 visitors come to 1700-year old St Albans Cathedral every year and it is the top visitor attraction in St Albans. It also has a 1,000 strong congregation, the largest of any British cathedral and is supported by more than 500 volunteers.

The cathedral is founded on the site where Alban, Britain’s first saint, was killed for his faith over 1700 years ago after giving refuge to Amphiblaus, a Christian Priest, who was fleeing persecution from Roman soldiers. The Cathedral has survived the Reformation, Civil War and two World Wars. And yet its national significance as a heritage site is widely unknown when compared to other cathedrals such as Winchester (300,000 visitors a year) and Durham (800,000 visitors). To help put St Albans Cathedral firmly on the heritage destination map and attract greater numbers of visitors, an project called, ‘Alban, Britain’s First Saint: Telling the Whole Story’ has been developed. The project has already secured the initial support of the Heritage Lottery Fund. It will raise the profile of Alban and the Cathedral built in his honour by sharing his story and by offering an enhanced visitor experience and will strengthen the Cathedral’s financial sustainability through an anticipated 40 per cent increase in visitor

numbers. Both the City and the Cathedral will thrive as a visitor destination, helping strengthen the local economy. The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a development grant of £390,000 to help the Cathedral develop its plans in detail over the next two years. During this phase the Cathedral plans to secure £3m in match funding before applying for a full £4m grant in 2016. Fundraising is well underway with appeals to trusts, and the local community. The Cathedral is also seeking support from regional and local businesses. It is devising an attractive corporate sponsorship package, including naming opportunities. It extends an invitation to Herts Chamber members to attend a reception on 2 February 2015 in St Albans to hear more about the project. For information, to make a pledge or attend the reception in February: appeal@stalbanscathedral.org or 01727 89 02 29.

With so much emphasis today placed on how things look, it is often easy to forget that once you have grabbed an audience’s attention, what you have to say is even more important. So, when drafting any copy, irrespective of its purpose, consider the following: Who is your audience? If there are multiple audiences can you talk to them in the same way? What is the focus of your story? Pick one core subject or objective and make sure all arguments support it. Find a unique selling proposition. The more your offer stands out from the competition, the better your chances of getting a response. Use a strong and compelling heading that grabs the attention of your target audience. People have limited time and you need to convey something that interests them immediately. Be assertive not conditional and write in the present tense. Banish words like may, hope, could, etc. Be confident in your writing style and use active words. Customer quotes speak volumes. A single line about you from a satisfied customer is worth an entire page that you write about yourself. Edit, edit and edit again. Once you have drafted copy, go away for a while and then come back with a fresh eye. Trim and refine your text until it is concise, clean and informative. And finally, Know your strengths. If you are not a natural wordsmith, consider using a professional writer. It will be much cheaper, quicker and more effective. For more information, or an informal discussion on creating strong, effective and interesting copy, call Jane on 07738017313.

Jane Ducarreaux, Director Artizan Communications Limited 01920 466678 07738 017313 www.artizan-on-line.com

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UPFront

C’MON GIRLS! STEM THE TIDE Women in Leadership networking lunch At a networking lunch at The Noke by Thistle in St Albans - sponsored by Lookers Lexus Hatfield - over 40 business women, educationalists and women in leadership positions in Hertfordshire exchanged their business cards, opinions and experiences of women at work. The sciences are not niche subjects - they are crucial for success in the modern world. Elizabeth Truss, Minister for Education

Kate Belllingham, Debbie Hunt and Pauline Beszant

KATE, PASSION AND POSITIVISM Kate Bellingham, possessor of A Level further maths, physics and music and a passion for getting girls to choose STEM (sciences, technology, engineering, maths) career advancement subjects at school, leads by example. While her qualifications are impressive - Oxford University where she studied physics, MSc Communications Systems (University of Hertfordshire), five honorary Doctorates in Science and Technology - her credentials and ardent commitment are even more so: Patron of Women into Science, Engineering & Construction (now titled WISE – Women in to Science and Engineering), having served on various boards of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), among others.

The girl gets around As director of STEM Innovation at the Gazelle group of FE colleges that specialise in entrepreneurial teaching and learning, Kate’s programme of action took her into schools and various engineering institutes and associations, bringing together the people who influence and who contribute to the

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STEM campaign to nudge girls into STEM careers, not only because they’re better paid or can offer greater advancement, but because their skills and aptitude are needed.

C’mon girls Kate says that the UK has one of the lowest rates of girls (10 per cent) choosing STEM-based study paths and that only six per cent of engineers are women. The UK has one the lowest numbers of professional engineers; other European countries have at least 30 per cent. At a particular co-educational school where 40 per cent of A Level students were girls, not one selected A Level physics. In a country that will need 100,000 engineering graduates over the next five to 10 years, far too few girls come forward. Of apprenticeships, Kate says, girls choose courses that lead to the lowest paid jobs. This has to be reversed. What makes the UK so different? Kate believes the reasons are partly societal, partly because of the education system, partly parental and perhaps the most influential of all, careers guidance.

Business losing half of the talent pool Society, schools, colleges, universities, professional institutes and employers need to stem the tide. The

Sarah Downsell, Lucy Andrews, guest, Kate Bellingham, Pauline Beszant, Sulina Odwong, Dr Adelia de Paula, Ellen McHugh

issue for business is that they’re losing 50 per cent of the potential pool of talent. Kate is adamant every young girl must have a fair chance of all opportunities that lie before her. Airbus, formerly Astrium in Stevenage, is stemming the tide. By its nature it gets the best of the STEM graduates, but recognises that their supply companies should also be employing STEM talent, actively encouraging them to do so.

HERTS CHAMBER STEM PILOT Kate is supporting Herts Chamber in launching and implementing a STEM pilot study (featured in Inspire 05). One of the challenges is getting SMEs involved. She is working with Sulina Odwong (Chamber) on the project. The pilot’s first priority is to find ways to get girls more interested in STEM-based careers, and getting local companies involved in this process; at the moment there are 13 companies engaged in the pilot trial. The current task - working with six Hertfordshire schools, their pupils and parents - is arranging for girls to spend a working day with scientists and engineers.

UPFront PAULINE, ENGINEERING ENLIGHTENMENT Pauline Beszant, Chartered Engineer, B Eng (Hons), M Eng, MIET, a director of Setpoint (hosted by MBDA Stevenage) was the second speaker. After 10 years of working abroad, she returned with her family to live in St Albans. Realising shorthand and typing were being replaced with emerging technologies she took on an engineering degree in Manufacturing Systems and a Masters degree in Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire. At this time enrolled as a STEM Ambassador.

Not only a man’s world While working for Electrolux, she specialised in injection moulding, and seven years later moved to ABB global leader in power and automation technologies - global leader in power and automation technologies - to lead a team to translate leading edge design of an automated metering system into a product for trials and the global market. Her next challenge, at Carclo CTP, which specialises in clean room and diagnostic injection moulding, was to launch a product for a multi-national pharmaceutical company. After a short career break, she changed direction and joined a civil engineering consultancy, Mouchel, as part of HertsHighways consortium with Amey, Le Farage and Hertfordshire County Council, to deliver an integrated project management system, now maintained by Serco.

Setpoint Now with Setpoint, a non-for-profit educational charity, she sets out to improve the educational outcomes for young people, encouraging them to choose STEM subjects at school and college. Setpoint connects places of education with local STEM-based businesses, industries and research projects. It opens portals to higher education and apprenticeships at the same time as working with local employers in STEM-based sectors. Setpoint’s current priority is to bring into the classroom the real-world experience and knowledge of business and industry - demonstrating theory with industry actuality.

STEM skills, knowledge, aptitude Pauline says that 42 per cent of organisations find it difficult to recruit STEM-skilled staff, 17 per cent have problems in finding suitable graduates and 13 per cent find suitable candidates for apprenticeships (CBI Educations and Skills Survey, 2012).

Rounded, grounded, ready for work Growing the STEM pool of employee candidates is vital to the UK economy, yet 80 per cent of employers are concerned about candidate quality (as well as quantity). Students, they say, are not aware of the opportunities open to them. Pauline believes this is partially down to young girls’ cliché perceptions of scientists, mathematicians and engineers, thinking of the latter as men in oily overalls or hard hats and the first two as weirdo or geeky.

Gender diversity Pauline said that 46 per cent of the workforce comprises women, but they occupy just 15.5 per cent of jobs requiring high-level STEM skills. Just eight per cent of engineers are women. The UK ranked the lowest for the number of female engineering professionals - so other countries are getting it right.

This is not because girls are unable; they are equally or more so than boys because girls are naturally good at communication and also at logic, both skills necessary for STEM-based work. Girls perform well in all maths and science subjects, but opt out of the STEM subjects at Year 9 when they select their ‘study options’. Young people simply don’t realise the rich path of career options that science and engineering can mean for their lives. Science careers embrace chemistry, biology, microbiology, genetics, zoology, mathematics… and engineering opens up hugely rewarding careers in civil and building services, mechanics or electrical engineering, environment, computer science, sports science.

HAVE Y HAVE YOU OU PERFECTED PERFECTED YOUR YOUR

DIGIT DIGITAL TA AL L STRATEGY? STRA ATEGY?

Exciting innovations and discovery Each needs specialists, graduates, technicians and apprentices - and that’s the exciting proposition. Young people don’t need to aspire to be PhD researchers; they can contribute equally meaningfully to innovation and discovery as lab technicians or at primary stage developments in computer or sports science.

STEM promoting programmes and projects STEM ambassadors - 863 registered volunteers, DBSchecked and trained to work with young people - have diverse backgrounds: 23 per cent are scientists, 29 per cent are engineers and the remaining of multidisciplined; 43 per cent have doctorate or masters degrees, 30 per cent have bachelor degrees and the remaining ambassadors are apprentices. This is a good mix, bringing together different perspectives and expectations.

Ideal people to awaken early interest Hoisting the flag for STEM careers at senior school is achieved through student workshops, Nuffield projects, e-mentoring, CREST Award incentives, exhibitions, shows and also teacher networking and continual professional development events. Making teachers aware of the breadth of STEM careers is part of the enlightenment process. Teachers, involved intensely in their own profession and teaching excellence, have little opportunity to engage with a different working world. Yet they are the ideal people to awaken early interest. So far, 94 per cent of schools in Hertfordshire and Luton have been involved in 1,923 ambassador-driven activities involving 14,000 secondary school students.

Getting them young Whipping up fun engagement in STEM activity at an early age is equally important to fire the imagination. Ambassadors run workshops and full-fun activities in primary schools. Pupils engage with Maths for Whizz, K’Next Challenges, British Science Week crazy-creature competitions.To date, 318 primary school workshops have been held for 16,000 pupils.

GIRL POWER What strong, personable, approachable and vocal advocates, like Kate Bellingham and Pauline Beszant, do is to show young girls that they are equal partners in an economy that is desperately relying on their aptitudes, capabilities and skills in the sciences, technology, engineering and maths.

Websites W ebsites to to drive drive yyour ou ur sales Apps to to expand your yourr rreach each SEO SEO to to increase increase your yourr traffic traffic Mobile to to sta onnect nected Mobile stayy c connected Email Email Marketing Marketing for for fast fast results results

www.digital-results.com www .digital-results.c t om

01920 444 797

digitalresults digital results ults

If companies are interested in the work of STEM engagement, please contact sulina@hertschamber.com for contact information.

INSPIRE

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ConferenceNews

Conferences see upturn as economy recovers The improving economy offers great opportunities for many companies and that is certainly having a beneficial knock-on effect on the conferences sector. be it for a conference or an exhibition. Such venues’ staff are highly skilled in making sure that events go smoothly. Another approach for conference originators is to bring in a specialist company to identify the best venues and do the organising, working in liaison with staff at the event venue. The staff at these outsource companies will have encountered just about every problem presented by the process and take all the worry away from the company originating the event.

The value of hospitality In an age that seems increasingly reliant on technology, corporate entertainment remains a key business tool. The main reason? It helps companies to maintain personal relationships with their clients. In a fast-moving age dominated by the Internet, texting and Cloud Computing, the personal touch remains highly valued because it is often when client and customer are together, and relaxed, that business is done, that relationships are forged and deals struck.

It has already proved itself a resilient sector, even during economic downturns, thanks to its ability to constantly try out new things while never losing touch with the needs of its clients. That has been underlined by several sources, including the report compiled jointly by the Events Industry Forum and the Business Visits & Events Partnership. It highlighted opportunities for growth in the UK Events Industry, which it suggested can grow from its existing £36.1 billion, to £42.2 billion in 2015 and £48.4 billion in 2020. Hertfordshire has plenty of fine venues which take advantage of those opportunities and allow companies and organisations to celebrate special events or promote their products and services.

Hotels and business centres have always hosted conferences and exhibitions but increasingly other venues are becoming involved. From football grounds to cathedrals and churches, such venues offer something a little different in terms of visitor experience. So as companies start to release more funds to organise conferences and exhibitions, what are they looking for when it comes to selecting a venue? One of the key factors is a good location, somewhere that is easy to reach and attractive for delegates.

All round the county can be found ideal venues, ranging from historic houses to hotels, specialist conference centres to sports clubs, all of which offer events and corporate hospitality.

When assessing the venue you are looking at other factors as well. Can it cope with the numbers expected to attend, has it got a good meeting room, will it provide equipment like projectors and Internet access, are the staff friendly and flexible in helping you meet your needs?

One trend increasingly being observed is the arrival in the market of venues previously not considered for such events.

The good venues are the ones that can tailor themselves to providing the exact needs of the event organisers and are prepared to be flexible,

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Creating that kind of environment takes many forms. For many companies, it often revolves around sporting events, a trip to the races, a day at the cricket or at a wildlife park or stately home or perhaps a meal followed by watching a football match. However, there are other options for the more adventurous, daytrips, teambuilding events, extreme sports challenges, or for the more cultural, events such as trips to the theatre or to take in a show. They may be diverse events in nature but the key to them all is that they represent time spent away from the office and a sense that the company staging the corporate hospitality truly values those whom it has invited, that their presence is seen as important. Those companies that are prepared to invest in corporate entertainment do so if they can see something to be gained from showing clients and staff alike that there is life after work. And that can pay dividends.

Your space, your way

The Training & Conference Place, a modern and well equipped venue in the heart of Stevenage. Ideal for conferences, meetings and training.

Our purpose built centre offers two rooms, able to facilitate from 10 to 65 people. We offer high quality accommodation, technology, support and hospitality. We are proud to offer a personalised event service that can be tailored to suit your individual needs, requirements and budget. We are a social enterprise providing real life work experience and support to achieve accredited qualifications in Customer Service, Hospitality, and Business Administration.

At The Training & Conference Place, we love what we do, and we hope it shows.

A high quality social enterprise venue in the heart of Stevenage

Contact us today on 01438 310590 / 07881335283 Armstrong House, Norton Road, Stevenage, SG1 2LX www.thetrainingplace.org.uk info@thetrainingplace.org.uk

Follow us on twitter

@TheTCPlace and facebook

The Training and Conference Place

THE GREAT HANBURY CHRISTMAS Cele ebrate this Christmas and New Year in the luxurious surroundings of Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel and Country Club and we promise you a visit to remember! Whe W ther you are joining ng us with your colleagues, family or friends: you will find great food, fantastic festive atmo osphere and attentive servicce. )HVWLYH $I $IIWWHUQRRQ 7HD DQG /XQFKHV ~-RLQ ,Q Parties * Private Party Nights * Dining Packages Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day Lunch and Dinner * Boxing Day Af Afftternoon Tea 1HZ <HDU V (YH 'LQQHU DQG 3DUW\ 1HZ <HDU V Day Buff ffet Lunch

For further details please contact our Christmas Coordinators on: 01920 48 77 22

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15

UPFront

Cyber-crime - costing the global economy $445 billion a year We are all vulnerable; we’re all potential victims. The cost of nearly five hundred billion dollars a year to the global economy is a price every one of us, man and woman, has to pay.

UK cyber threat assessment • Access via mobile devices doubled between 2010 and 2012 to 51 per cent • Average weekly online spend was £586.6m in July 2013 • Growth in retail sales via mobile of 326 per cent • 90 per cent of the world’s data was generated in last two years • The UK is assessed as top target in Europe for financial Trojans - “Perfect Storm” • £935m global fraud loss in 2012. The UK loss alone is estimated at £405.8m - from over 250,000 attacks Charlie McMurdie and David Waters (PricewaterhouseCoopers), Yolanda Rugg (Herts Chamber), David Lloyd (Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commisioner)

The cost of nearly five hundred billion dollars a year to the global economy is a price every one of us, man and woman, has to pay. At a networking breakfast hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in St Albans in September, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, David Lloyd, said there are only three types of crime: hurting people, depriving organisations or people of property and dishonesty. Cyber-crime fits in the third category - dishonest acquisition of private data. Charlie McMurdie, BSc (Hons) Policing and Psychology - fraud investigator, former head of the Metropolitan Police central e-crime unit and now senior crime adviser to PwC - began by saying that the UK was the perfect place for the proliferation of e-crime… unfortunately. We have plenty of cash, abundant IT for business and personal use, good internet and a slick banking infrastructure that moves money in fast time. What’s not to like?

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Youthful capers lead to global growth of a new underworld Cyber-crime in the UK is very sophisticated, she said, before explaining the oxymoron that many e-crimes were committed by young adolescents. In the UK, one teenager registered 120 domains using 40 online identities through which he acquired eight million pieces of financial information bank account numbers, addresses, personal details - of people like you and me. There are many well-documented examples of hacktivism and data breaches: Pentagon, CIA, Paypal, etc. The larger or more seemingly impenetrable the organisation, it seems, the greater the will to hack into its computer systems.

The internet is a world devoid of empathy In the words of LulzSec hacker Jack Davis “The internet is a world devoid of empathy.” Every day we are aware of malicious botnet

attempts to install malware on our hardware to manipulate our pcs or devices to spread viruses, attack other computers or servers, to commit fraud or send spam, in our name. It’s a global operation - and a global headache for crime prevention organisations.

No sense of the commercial implications The youngsters, extracting financial and personal data for fun, have little realisation of the enormity of what it is they’re doing. Two 12-year old girls, neither technology-literate, were looking for online postings of information of One Direction’s latest album, yet to be released. The digitalised music was accessed by the girls relatively easily because of a weakness in the security process. Fortunately for the production company, the girls didn’t link their discovery to YouTube. A 14-year old in Wales making substantial pocket money by using financial information she’d discovered online, attracted other crime elements such as drug

pushers to her small community through her lavish local spending. Charlie spoke about a boy on a Scottish island who went on a hacking spree, attacking major global brands and compromised customer data and those companies’ commercial operations. These children later said, “We did it for the laugh.” They had no sense of the devastating consequences for businesses, people and the economy.

Why mug a man in the street? It is easier, wiser and warmer to extract money unlawfully from behind a bank of pcs or mobile devices connected to the internet. One police investigation uncovered 25 East Europeans, operating like a terrorist cell under the radar, who built a global money-laundering operation. Deploying various methods, including scams, they purported to be legitimate recruiting businesses, to entice individuals to send their bank account information

UPFront to them. They built a massive number of bank accounts through which they could transfer funds, laundering money - and then offered their money-laundering services to other criminal operations. By working together, Charlie says, organisations and police can minimise attacks or pull together damage limitation strategies when attacked. But she says, some companies won’t want to go public and help the police, and take their hits quietly.

Cyber supermarkets An innocuous laptop and an adolescent in a dark bedroom somewhere in the heart of UK’s Midlands can be the means to billions of dollars in fraudulent gain through ghost markets. Charlie says there are numerous sites in the underground dark web with thousands of cyber criminals trading on these sites. One individual operated globally, from China to Russia through Europe, traded in stolen data - yours and mine - to the tune of a potential £15.7 billion. It is not just money laundering activity that resides in these ghost markets. Equally worryingly, there is drug-making advice that spawns the dangerous concoctions traded as Viagra and other online ‘pharmaceutical’ products. There is also guidance on bomb-making and other subversion activities.

Held to ransom Over 100 UK companies and individuals were CryptoLocker ransom victims, paying the ransom fee to cyber-criminals to get a code to access their locked-down networked systems. An online trading company, unable to trade through to cyber lock-down of their system-stands to lose a lot of money, or even their business. Sometimes it’s easier to pay the ransom. The UK’s National Crime Agency warned that CryptoLocker was targeting tens of millions of UK users. Was your company one of them?

Also pyramid selling A young man exploited social engineering and a simple off-theshelf, wifi device, to access bank computers from nearby locations and internet cafés. He obtained a list of security questions that each bank uses to determine the validity of its customers making incoming calls to their customer services.

Consumers who are subjected to lies or pressure selling by unscrupulous traders have new rights from October.

Some buyers in these elicit markets purchase information simply to test their cyber assault tools or their attack powers on banks, or security weaknesses in organisations.

The insider threat Many organisations are vulnerable to employee intrusion, whether the employee intends to steal intellectual property, to gather intelligence or to upload malware. Poor employee vetting and inadequate computer security, could have devastating results.

Taking action The Cyber-security Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP) is a joint industry government initiative to share information on cyber threats, attacks and vulnerability to increase overall awareness of cyber threats and to reduce its impact on UK business. ActionFraud is a national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre. Businesses and individuals are asked to report any anomalies they experience or are aware of to these organisations. Charlie said that several industries had organised themselves into cohesive working task forces: hotels, banks, retail. They share information between themselves and with police. The only way to eradicate or minimise cyber-crime is through building relations and working with the various groups and communities. Addressing your cyber threats helps you prioritise what matters most. For information, contact PricewaterhouseCoopers, St Albans: Ben Wright (ben.wright@uk.pwc.com

Questions to ask yourself • • • •

Consumers get more clout with new laws

Why are these cases relevant to you? Do you know what the threats to your organisation are? Do you know where your vulnerabilities are? Are you putting the appropriate security measures in place?

When the changes come into effect, the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations will give consumers the right to unwind contracts, claim a discount or raise a claim for damages against businesses who have subjected them to misleading or aggressive tactics. Although crooked business practices were the target of the Consumer Protection Act in 2009, the original regulations did not give consumers any private right of redress against the trader, so victims had to rely on complex civil law, or in some cases had no options at all. Now there is a route to remedy, but it’s not enough for the consumer to feel intimidated or misled, they must have made a ‘transactional decision’ such as buying goods or services from a business or selling goods to the trader. There is also an 'average consumer' test, which asks whether someone who is reasonably well informed and observant would have entered in to the contract or made the payment. Therefore, it will not be enough for a consumer to say that they personally felt intimidated or misled, although there will be a separate test for vulnerable consumers. And to make a claim, a consumer will have to show they suffered a loss or distress as a result of the misleading or aggressive commercial practice and the right to damages will be limited "in respect of loss that was reasonably foreseeable at the time of the prohibited practice". Traders will have a number of defences, such as if they can show that the misleading or aggressive practice happened as a

result of a mistake or other cause beyond their control, and that they took all reasonable precautions to avoid the misleading or aggressive practice from occurring. Financial services contracts between businesses and consumers, such as for pensions, mortgages, insurance and banking, will not be covered by the new Regulations. Litigation solicitor Gary Beecham of solicitors Vanderpump & Sykes in Enfield said: “These new regulations represent an important change in the law, and should prompt businesses to check their processes and make sure that staff know they must keep clear of such practices. “We are seeing a wholesale overhaul of consumer law at the moment. Coming soon will be the Consumer Rights Bill, which is now in the final stages of parliamentary review, and this is intended to be a simplified, modern framework of consumer rights. It should become easier for both business and consumers to know where they stand.” The above article does not constitute legal advice as is for general interest only. For advice on any consumer or other litigation matter please contact Gary on 020 8370 2870 or by email at garybeecham@vanderpumps.co.uk. Gary would be pleased to offer you an initial appointment for only £75 plus VAT. Wednesday evening appointments upto 8pm may be available on request.

@VanderpumpSykes Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

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MembersNews

Apprenticeship awards Herts Chamber members, Building Research Establishment and MBDA cited in apprenticeship awards. Herts Chamber has for many years championed the benefits of apprenticeships both to young adults on the brink of beginning their careers and to the companies that offer structured, meaningful and rewarding apprenticeships. It is even better when two Chamber members are cited in Central Eastern National Apprenticeship Awards 2014. The National Apprenticeship Awards, now in their 11th year and run by the National Apprenticeship Service, recognises excellence in businesses that nurture their own talent with apprentices and also in apprentices themselves, who make a significant contribution to their places of work. Building Research Establishment, employers of 19 apprentices in engineering, IT and finance in Watford, won the regional Newcomer Larger Employer of the Year award. Tara Bishop, resourcing manager for BRE said "Our apprentices have injected new life blood into our organisation at a time when we are driving for significant growth in domestic and overseas markets. "They are client facing, practical professionals who are great representatives for BRE and contributors to its continued success." The other winner was mechanical engineering apprentice Danielle Calvert, 18, from Royston, who won the regional Learndirect Intermediate Apprentice of the Year award for her commitment to her apprenticeship with MBDA Missile Systems in Stevenage.

Training Centre giving the spark Lister Hospital needs A new training centre in Stevenage is holding a grand opening, which aims to raise money for East & North Herts Hospital Charity ‘The Magic of Play Appeal.’ ESS Technical Academy, a new electrical and health & safety training centre in Stevenage, is holding a Grand opening on Friday 31 October 31, 2.00pm, which will be opened by Mayor of Stevenage, Councillor Sherma Batson. Based in Arlington Business Park, the centre has derived its passion from giving real life experience to industry qualifications. Director of ESS Group, Paul Webber said “I am excited to give back my knowledge to the electrical industry, one which has given me so much over the past 30 years.” ESS Technical Academy run a wide range of electrical and health & safety courses, from 1-day short courses for adult learners to bespoke programmes for corporate training requirements, in- house or at their premises. All of the courses are accredited with national awarding bodies especially City and Guilds, EAL and CITB. ESS prides itself on providing a one-to-one style of training; courses are never overbooked or

overcrowded so that proper focus is given to each student’s training. As well as being a day of celebration, ESS Technical Academy is taking the opportunity to help raise money for East & North Herts Hospital Charity ‘Magic of Play appeal’ by selling cakes and hosting a raffle. The appeal aims to raise £250,000 to build and equip a new playroom on the Children’s Unit at the Lister hospital in Stevenage. Paul Webber said: “It’s great that we can take something positive for the business, and turn it into a positive to community at the same time. We are still looking for prizes for the raffle so if you would like to donate anything for the raffle, please email us info@essta.uk.net” The event aims to establish ESS Technical Academy in the community and give something back at the same time.

Power your business for less Business electricity and business gas prices are one area where the high cost of credit is still being passed on to customers, with those who don’t use a specialist utility broker risking higher business energy bills as a result. LSI aims to power businesses for less, with an independent approach to ensure all clients obtain the best rates for all utilities combined with a high quality service. It aims to take the stress away by providing energy procurement, energy management and advice on market trends undertaken by a dedicated account manager. LSI has over 20 years experience in the energy industry and has relevant knowledge about the industry that best represents customers, along with a dedicated and experienced industry trained staff.

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LSI will switch an energy supplier when a business’s business contract renews to make sure clients receive the best possible credit terms as well as the cheapest rates for business electricity and business gas bills.

Energy alarm call service Utility trading is about timing and even if a business is in a long-term contract, LSI can still assist by registering the business for an energy alarm call. They track the market and at the appropriate time will work with the client to make sure they

have the best possible price and product. Certain suppliers allow businesses to forward purchase up until April 2015, so organisations can take advantage of the current market prices before they change and ultimately be able to budget effectively for the future. Earlier this year, LSI was voted one of the Top 5 Energy Brokers in the UK by Cornwall Energy and were also awarded SME Best Customer Service and SME Most Trusted The Energy Live Consultancy Awards 2014

MembersNews

Chalmore, finalist in UK’s largest search for new green innovation Chalmor has been selected as a finalist in the RBS Innovation Gateway campaign, a major international search for new ways of reducing energy, water and waste. The innovation submitted by Chalmor is eTRV+ an energy saving retrofit for heating which can realistically reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent. The best ideas will be tested on the RBS estate of 2,500 buildings and branches in the UK. Over the last six months, an independent panel of experts from academia and the business world has worked with RBS to analyse each submission, to assess how they could help drive resource efficiency if the innovation was installed on the RBS estate. Being a finalist means that Chalmor is just a step away from having its innovation installed by RBS. The company will now go before a Dragon’s Den style panel at the bank’s London headquarters on 10 November for one final pitch.

Successful, market ready ideas will be tested in RBS buildings and branches. All successful concepts will be given a ÂŁ3,000 grant to develop their idea further before any possible test on the RBS estate. The bank’s property portfolio in the UK is made up of 2,235 branches, just over 300 large offices, 42 industrial sites and 5 data centres. With 17 million customers, 115,000 employees and such a large estate of new and historical buildings, RBS’ footprint is significant. Steven Henry, managing director of Chalmore says “eTRV+ fits directly to radiators, enabling accurate heating control on a room by room basis. It saves energy through close temperature control and preventing overheating, it also switches off the heating when no one is in the room.

Leading Firm in Legal Directory Legal 500 (which has been analysing law firms worldwide for 27 years), has just announced which firms have been ranked this year as leading law firms. Hertford- based Longmores Solicitors LLP has been ranked amoungst the small number of leading law firms in the Beds, Bucks, Herts and Middx region. Longmores prides itself in offering specialist teams of lawyers in all the areas of law in which it operates. All its teams which applied have been successful in achieving recognition by Legal 500; they are Corporate and Commercial, Commercial Litigation, Employment, Family and Private Client. Senior Partner Anna Baptist says..... ‘Coming only a few months after similar recognition in Chambers UK, another prestigious legal directory, where seven of us were also ranked as ‘Leaders in their Field’, our

recognition by Legal 500 clearly endorses our commitment to providing all our clients with comprehensive, creative and costeffective legal solutions tailored to meet their needs. The application process for entry into the Legal 500 involves an in-depth consideration of a variety of cases worked on during the preceding year, plus obtaining feedback from a number of referrers. The referees’ input is utilised as part of the rigorous assessment process, along with interviews with the relevant practice area lawyers that are conducted by a team of researchers who Legal 500 boast have unrivalled experience in the legal market.

S T

“Our innovations are a range of new features, developed specifically to enhance energy saving in commercial settings – prompted by our own experiences of visiting large office blocks on freezing days in February, to be greeted with sauna like temperatures, with all the windows open! eTRV+ could help RBS reduce their heating energy consumption by up to 30 per cent.� Prof Doug Crawford Brown from Cambridge University, who sits on the RBS Innovation Gateway panel, says “While there are solutions to a low carbon world available, many remain costly and ineffective. Innovation in materials and energy are therefore crucial to the world's sustainability goals.

A L BA N S

S C HO OL

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the first School in Hertfordshire

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Health&Wellbeing

Pinehill Hospital, a private hospital in Hitchin, welcomes breast surgeon to its special consultants team. “Regular checking of your breasts is vital” says breast surgeon at Pinehill Hospital Miss Deol is a very approachable and friendly breast surgeon. She is passionate about the importance of both men and women checking themselves on a regular basis, understanding what ‘normal’ feels like and reporting any abnormalities to their GP. “Most women know that they should be checking themselves but do not know what to do or what to look out for,” said Miss Deol. To this end, Miss Deol will be holding quarterly free public open evenings at Pinehill Hospital in Hitchin. The first of these has been arranged for 27 November and has received a fantastic response. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Both women and men can be affected by it,” said Miss Deol. I want to encourage all women to check themselves regularly as the sooner breast cancer is diagnosed the more effective treatment may be.” Miss Harleen Deol is a breast surgeon specialising in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer.

Her approach is to provide clear and concise information or explanations to her patients, up-todate treatment focusing on the medical management of breast cancer, psychological support for patients through their treatment and a range of innovative surgical methods. Miss Deol qualified as a doctor from Barts and the Royal London in 1997, and was the first woman to enter the Royal London Hospital General Surgical Rotation in over 20 years. Women can see Miss Deol on a private basis by either paying themselves or using their private medical insurance. Miss Deol charges £200 for an initial consultation - money well spent for peace of mind. Ladies who would like to come along to one of the free self examination health talks can call Simone or Saff on 01462 427207 to book a place. Please visit the Pinehill web site at www.pinehillhospital.co.uk.

FREE Health Information Evenings at Pinehill Hospital, Hitchin Questions about Cosmetic Surgery? Thursday 23rd October 2014 Friday 7th November A great opportunity to meet a cosmetic surgeon for 10 minutes in private and ask your questions. You can then proceed to a formal consultation if you choose Have you ever wondered about cosmetic surgery but have far too many questions? Help is at hand! Pinehill Hospital is offering you the opportunity to come along and see an experienced Cosmetic Surgeon, either Mr Papanastasiou, Mr Schreuder or Mr Javaid. STOP PRESS The Breast Care evening is now fully booked but we are arranging another evening so please do call to reserve your place. We will confirm the new date to you as soon as possible.

For more information call:

Breast Care - what to look out for! Ladies Only Evening Wednesday 26 November 2014 - 7pm Miss Harleen Deol is an extremely popular Consultant Breast Surgeon specialising in the diagnosis and management of breast conditions. Miss Deol will start her talk at 7pm and will explain common breast conditions, give a demonstration on how to self check and explain the steps to take if you are concerned. You will then be shown our brand new mammogram machine.

Problems with varicose veins? Thursday 27th November 2014 Come along and see an experienced Vascular Surgeon, either Mr Selvakumar or Mr Guest completely free of charge. You will meet the surgeon in private for 10 minutes and are welcome to bring a friend or relative. Suffering with back pain? Wednesday 3rd December 2014 Back pain can seriously affect your quality of life. Come along to this free health talk where you will hear from a Physiotherapist, a Pain Management Consultant and a Spinal Surgeon. A great opportunity to get your questions answered by the experts! Just call Saff or Simone on 01462 427207 and they will reserve a place for you. These evenings do fill up very quickly so please reserve your place now.

01462 427 207 w w w. p i n e h i l l h o s p i t a l . c o . u k Pinehill Hospital, Benslow Lane, Hitchin, SG4 9QZ

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FestiveFocus

Getting ready for the season of goodwill It’s that time of year when the nights are drawing in and people are thinking about booking that all-important Christmas Party.

A good Christmas Party can do wonders for staff morale and in Hertfordshire the chance of finding the best venue for your needs is very high indeed, whether it be in a town or a more rural location. The area is blessed with excellent restaurants, hotels and other venues that can stage the best parties possible, taxi companies that can get you home or hotels and guest houses should you decide to spend the night. Venues ranging from Hanbury Manor and Sopwell House to The Forum are able to prove special festive experiences. When organising company Christmas parties, there are a few things to bear in mind. Just as people remember a great party, they also remember a bad one. So how do you know how to select the best venue? Well, it’s all down to first impressions - do you like the setting and the décor, does it look

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like it can generate a good atmosphere, are the staff friendly? In short, is it the right place for you and your friends and colleagues? When planning Christmas events, themed parties can work really well so consider what will generate the most goodwill and what kind of event will appeal to most people. It is crucial to continue that mindset when selecting venues that make everyone feel welcome. Older staff members might not appreciate a busy pub, younger ones might not want a restaurant whose clientele are normally on the older side. It’s worth putting a bit of thought into making a choice that strikes the right balance. Choosing the right menu is important as well. People like choice so even though most guests will go for the traditional Christmas meal, it’s a good idea to make sure there is an alternative and definitely a vegetarian option.

Also, people like to be appreciated. Maybe your staff and suppliers have gone over and beyond what was expected of them to help the business emerge from the recent economic tough times in good shape? A good boss knows to acknowledge that at the Christmas party. Maybe a tribute in a short speech or a thank you note on place settings would be a good idea. And, yes times, have been tough, yes, budgets have been tight over recent years, but a cheap party looks cheap so if you are a boss who is determined to hold one, loosen the purse-strings a little - err on the side of generous and your staff will appreciate the gesture. Next year will bring its own challenges and a little bit of goodwill will repay itself many times over.

SpotlightOn

Letchworth - where it’s

Things are happening in Letchworth. From cinemas to educational institutions, the area is seeing major investment which is transforming its local economy.

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The Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, a self-funding charitable trust which invests profits from its property portfolio to maintain and enhance the world’s first Garden City, recently announced a raft of developments. Among them, the organisation approved plans to transform Broadway Cinema into a multi-use entertainment venue, with a theatre to complement its four screens.

SpotlightOn

all happening

The new theatre will add live music and plays to Broadway’s repertoire after an expansion into live screenings of opera and theatre proved a success. This summer North Hertfordshire District Council granted planning permission to add dressing rooms and a stage to Screen One, which will allow the venue to host a range of productions, from theatre to children’s shows, live comedy and acoustic music, as well as blockbuster films. It is hoped work will start early next year and the theatre will open in late 2015. Foundation chief executive John Lewis said: “Adding a theatre to the cinema is a cost-effective way to drive the plans forward. Live screenings have proved such a success we know there is an appetite for more great arts events in the town.” The move is part of work to create a cultural and leisure hub around the cinema, including a new restaurant, Prezzo, which has opened opposite the cinema. Adding to the creativity theme, the Da Vinci Studio School of Creative Enterprise, sponsored by North Hertfordshire College,

moved in the Old Grammar School building on Broadway in September, following investment into an extensive refurbishment of the building. The Studio School, which opened in September 2013 and was initially based next door in Da Vinci Hall, offers an innovative curriculum to students aged 14 19, who are seeking a career within the creative industries. The commercial property market has improved as well and since the beginning of the year Letchworth Heritage Foundation has completed 20 transactions. These include the lease for the new Prezzo restaurant and a new office letting at the Spirella Building to Prescript Communications, a pharmaceutical and bio-technology consultancy which has relocated to Letchworth. In the town centre new lettings include a new café in The Arcade, a dress agency in The Wynd and Letchworth Mobility on Openshaw Way. Foundation managers have also concluded new lettings across industrial and office portfolios and existing tenants; NA Birch, a family-run paint spraying and French polishing firm, expanded into larger premises. There is also major investment planned at the heart of the town after the owners of Garden Square Shopping Centre unveiled new plans.

They aim to build 47 flats and two shops by refurbishing Commerce House and 23/25 Leys Avenue, as well as installing a new front to the shopping centre which looks out onto Leys Square. John Lewis said: “It’s encouraging to see businesses confidently investing in the town. Their plans fit well with our strategy to bring more activity into the town centre. “We have had recent successes securing new restaurants and a range of businesses and commercial clients, and we’re also exploring redevelopment opportunities. “We are able to be flexible and offer more options because of the large, diverse portfolio we have across the town.” For Cllr David Levett, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Enterprise at North Hertfordshire District Council, the ethos of the town is a big plus when it comes to attracting investment. He said: “Letchworth Garden City is a great place to do business. The Garden City principles make it an attractive place to both live and work. “There is a wide variety of businesses and the recently-enhanced town centre provides a vibrant mix of shops and services. “The Council has been a key stakeholder in the town centre partnership which has lead to the creation of the Business Improvement District (BID). It also invests grants into town centre events which help increase footfall and trade.”

“We are able to be flexible and offer more options because of the large, diverse portfolio we have across the town.” Images courtesy of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation

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SpotlightOn

Loungers moves in The award-winning café-bar company Loungers has announced the creation of an an all-day restaurant in Letchworth Garden City, overlooking Leys Square and the forthcoming Royal Horticultural Society gardens. When the changes come into effect, the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations will give consumers the right to unwind contracts, claim a discount or raise a claim for damages against businesses who have subjected them to misleading or aggressive tactics. The fast-growing group, who opened their 51st restaurant earlier this year, offer everything from breakfast to a bottle of wine and a full evening meal, in a stylish and comfortable setting. Loungers Managing Director Alex Reilley said: “We’re really excited at the prospect of opening in Letchworth Garden City and we’ve been very encouraged by the enthusiasm that the Heritage Foundation has shown towards the proposed scheme. “We’re extremely hopeful that our all-day, informal offering will be well received within the town and will give shoppers somewhere else to go during the day as well as attracting more people into the centre in the evening.” Heritage Foundation Projects Director Tim Roxburgh added: “This is a great company and a great location for a new restaurant which will offer shoppers somewhere cosy to chat and enjoy a meal, as well as catering for evening diners. It’s a welcome addition to the town’s offer.” This is the second restaurant attracted to Letchworth Garden City in a year, as the Heritage Foundation works to create a leisure hub and enhance the town centre. Prezzo opened an Italian restaurant opposite Broadway Cinema in June, which is already proving popular.

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SpotlightOn

Company wins award Letchworth company Altro has been awarded first place in the Innovation in Products and Processes category of the prestigious Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2014. The awards, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, is a business improvement programme that supports and promotes manufacturers in the UK. The programme is widely recognised in the business world for promoting the very best of UK manufacturing and Altro won for its constant commitment to innovation, having made its name inventing safety flooring and hygienic wall cladding systems. Richard Kahn, CEO of Altro, said: “We are very proud to have won this award and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in this achievement.”

Widely recognised in the business world for promoting the very best of UK manufacturing and Altro won for its constant commitment to innovation

Altro’s Manufacturing and Technical Director, John Patsavellas, with the award at the event in Coventry

Images courtesy of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation

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you protected?

Herts Chamber members, Page Hargrave, offer advice on protecting that valuable business asset … your Brand.

You've chosen your brand, got your company name safely registered, grabbed a neat domain name and are now safe to set out to grow your business. Or are you? Ideally, before using a brand, you should have searches performed to check for the existence of similar prior trade mark rights, or you may run straight into a conflict. However, even if you've checked prior rights, and been trading for some time, your brand may be vulnerable. If a third party subsequently registers a trade mark, identical or similar to your brand name, logo or domain name, they could cause you problems. Even though you started using the branding first, it is possible that a competitor could rely on their later registration to prevent your business from expanding, or even force you into an expensive rebrand. This would be very serious for a new business, trying to build up its brand reputation. The simplest way to avoid these problems is to register your own trade mark first – it's also a defence against allegations of infringement.

There are other benefits too – a trade mark registration enables you to enforce your rights against anyone who uses or attempts to register an identical or similar trade mark without your permission. A registration allows Trading Standards to bring criminal charges against counterfeiters. It is also a business asset which can be sold, mortgaged, franchised or licensed.

There’s no cut-off deadline for applying for registration. You can wait until your branding is finalised and your product line planned before you apply; one application can then cover all your intended products and services. So even if you're already using your brand, it's not too late to apply. Money well spent? A trade mark registration lasts for ten years and can be renewed every ten years thereafter.

Not only does it provide security for your business but it is also an asset which adds value to the business and can be included on the company's balance sheet. The more successful the business becomes, the more valuable your trade mark becomes.

Sixth Form Open Evening Tuesday 21 October 6.00 - 8.30pm Outstanding preparation for Higher Education For further information please contact our Registrar, Pauline Barker. 01462 650947 admissions@stchris.co.uk

www.stchris.co.uk

NASH SYSTEMS NASH Systems are IT Consultants based in Letchworth, North Herts offering IT Services to local businesses, organisations and home users at competitive rates. Services offered include:

• advice on existing computer systems and upgrades (Windows XP, Vista, 7 & 8)

• computer equipment and software supply, installation and project management. • maintenance contracts and ad-hoc repairs

• network design, installation and upgrades. Contact Peter Nash at Nash Systems for a free initial consultation without obligation Tel: 01462 684169 Mobile: 07973 550142 email: peter@nashsystems.com

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BigInterview

Following the beacon offers exciting future for company Beacons are one of the newest technologies around, one which could transform everything from shopping trips to museum visits. For instance, when you walk into a store, a notification is sent to your phone informing you of the available brands that fit your buying patterns then telling you where to find them, saving on all that rummaging through racks. Townhouse Creative thinks that the technology has much wider applications. Richard said: “We had been aware of this technology for 18 months to two years because being aware of emerging technologies is a big part of what we do. “However, although the software was emerging from America, we had to wait for the hardware to catch up. That has now happened, which is why we can press ahead with our platform.” One of the crucial developments came when Apple included beacon technology in its iOS7 devices. With more than 80 per cent of Apple devices running on iOS7, most phones probably already includes beacon technology. Richard said: “Now that the hardware has caught up with the software, we think the technology has the potential for a wide range of applications and are moving head with our platform. Simon Malloy and Richard Bennett at the Inspiring Herts Awards 2014

A Letchworth company is about to go public with an exciting way of taking advantage of the opportunities that the technology offers.

“We were spending most of the budget on essentially reverse engineering CMS products, which did not make sense.

Townhouse Creative believes that the technology, which uses small beacons placed near items such as gallery exhibits to trigger responses in mobile devices when people walk past, will open up whole new markets.

“It felt like a natural decision to start a company which could develop our own Content Management System.

The company is developing its own beacon platform and has taken advantage of its membership of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce to develop links with potential clients as it seeks to expand the technology‘s uses. Townhouse Creative, a full service digital agency, was created in 2012 by co-directors Richard Malloy and Simon Bennett, initially to develop their own Content Management System (CMS) for websites. Richard, a graphic designer, said: “We set up the business because we had worked on lots of projects together as freelances and our experience was that a lot of the off-the-shelf products we were using required a large amount of adapting to meet clients’ needs.,

“Initially, because of our contacts, we did most of our work In London but gradually we realised that we did not have many clients in Hertfordshire, which made us refocus our business. “We looked to do more work in Hertfordshire, where we felt there was a gap for what we offer, but we also decided to focus much more on developing beacon technology rather than expanding purely as a website company.”

“It has proved popular in retail but you can use it in many other settings. For instance, you could be visiting an art gallery and, as you walk past an exhibit, you could receive information about it, maybe in the form of video, audio or other information. “We tried it out at an exhibition held in Letchworth Arts Centre and it worked really well with the system able to provide people with information on the artefacts that were part of the display. “Having achieved proof concept for the platform, we aim for a soft launch in December. ”We have already been talking to other organisations which we think could make us of the technology, including stately homes and museums.” Membership of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce has played a big part in the company’s development.

Beacons are Bluetooth-enabled pieces of hardware small enough to attach to a wall or a counter, from which they can transmit messages to other Bluetooth devices like smartphones and tablets as owners pass by.

Richard said: “One of the things we did when we refocused was to join the Chamber which has allowed us develop links with local businesses and spread the word about the new platform.

Because they use Bluetooth, they are low-energy and battery-friendly and they have already proved a big hit in the retail sector.

“We have been to plenty of networking meetings and were nominated for an Inspiring Herts award. We did not win but it has helped us develop contacts in the area and raise our profile.”

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MembersNews

Photographs of Route 66, exhibition in Hertford Route 66 once epitomised the American dream. It took in eight states and 2,500 miles as it linked Chicago in the east to Los Angeles in the west. Christened the ‘Mother Road’ it has legendary status in popular music and film. As interstate highways became established the road fell into decay as the towns it linked were bypassed. But today the spirit of Route 66 lives on. The people and places encountered along the journey make this the greatest road trip of them all. Through a series of captivating images photographed over ten years, Martin Smith has documented Route 66 during several journeys covering its length and breadth. A series of these images depicting the road, its old diners, gas stations and restored neon signs will be shown in an exhibition in Hertford. Martin Smith is a Hertford-based documentary photographer. His

extensive travels over five continents have resulted in a body of work that includes some of the world’s most famous as well as lesser known locations. His work is on display in hundreds of homes and businesses (including hotels on Route 66) and has featured in the international press. This is his first exhibition in his home town. The exhibition is at the Hertford Theatre, The Wash, Hertford, SG14 1Ps and runs from 21 October to 15 November. He will be available at selected times to meet visitors and discuss the stories behind the exhibits. www.mrsmithworldphotography.com martin.smith@worldonfilm.com

New training and conference venue opens in Stevenage The Training and Conference Place in Stevenage, is a new events venue. It has high quality hospitality and service as well as IT and audiovisual technology and support. There are two large meeting rooms with capacity for 10 to 65 delegates. The training environment is light, spacious and contemporary with comfortable furniture and good catering. It provides a personalised event service that can be tailored to suit needs and budgets. The training centre is part of a social enterprise of the CRI Spectrum. A feature that sets it apart from other training venues is the real life work experience it provides its volunteers who work in the running and administration of the centre. They are given support and help to achieve accredited qualifications in hospitality and business administration. The centre’s volunteers may have been affected by substance misuse, a criminal record, homelessness or missed education. Any of these reasons make them hard-to-reach, vulnerable members of society. By providing them with them useful positions and work experience, the volunteers learn responsibility, routine and structure, and they learn that they are a valued

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team member. This helps them to build their self confidence and beliefs and gain them accredited qualifications. It is the hope of the Training and Conference Place that the support and guidance that is given to the volunteers will enable them to find paid employment in the future. The training venue also works with its sister social enterprise, All Seasoned. This is a café and catering business, based in Letchworth, which provides delicious, healthy lunches made from locally sourced ingredients. Training and Conference Place is keen to earn a reputation for high standards in customer service and works hard to provide a personalised, allinclusive service for all of its clients. They say “We love the work that we do and believe that it shows.” For information: info@thetrainingplace.org.uk

MembersNews

Stevenage students experience WWI at Knebworth House

What should you do if you cannot afford the salaries being demanded by candidates? Any SME who has dipped their toe in the recruitment market will have discovered, probably to their dismay, that wage inflation for many roles is far exceeding the ONS labour market statistic of 1.6%. A variety of studies indicate that although job vacancies are up, the number of candidates available has fallen every month in 2014 which is translating into a skills gap in many industries.

More than 1,200 students from secondary schools in Stevenage visited Knebworth House in September to participate in a WWI experience organised by a partnership of Knebworth House, Stevenage Educational Trust and Stevenage Museum. Actor-interpreters from the National Army Museum brought the sessions to life. The Drill Sergeant Major welcomed children, assigned them to their regiments and ordered them to line up smartly to await orders for the day. Students enjoyed learning about the role of animals in the war. Andy Smeaton introduced the children to the horses, donkey and goat and explained the LADY LYTTON ’S HOSPITAL FOR SOLDIERS vital contribution that animals made at the front. A WARTIME ST O A Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse told the children about her hospital work. This was a voluntary organisation founded in 1909. Pamela, Countess of Lytton set up a Hospital for Soldiers in London staffed by VAD nurses. There was also a film by Herts at War and an exhibition about WW1 and its impact on the East of England region. Staff from Stevenage Museum brought some interesting original documents and personal letters from soldiers for the children to read.

1914-1918 RY

KHEPT

KNEBWORT H HOUSE EDUC ATION AND PRESERVA TION TRUST REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 289346

www.knebworth house.com

Those candidates available are demanding increasingly higher salaries and employers are being sucked into making counter offers, fuelling the situation further. Although a short-term solution, this is a recipe for disaster having a damaging effect on a company’s profitability and eventually, SMEs becoming priced out of the market. It can also cause disparities between new and existing staff’s remuneration creating resentment and higher employee turnover of experienced staff. So what should businesses be doing? It is a two pronged approach - to help attract candidates without having to always offer the highest salaries SMEs should: • Review their workplace and identify what makes them special. What is it that attracts its existing employees to work for them? It could be the location, the flexibility in working hours or the people. This should then be communicated to existing employees and candidates. • Review the ‘other’ benefits that they do or could offer. Look beyond the traditional

benefits like pensions and healthcare, to those such as discount portals or gym memberships which may be more attractive and less expensive. • Ensure they make ‘the candidate experience’ outstanding – this covers every contact the candidate has from the moment they apply to the job offer. Secondly, to ease the skills gaps in the longer term, businesses should: • Identify their own skills gaps - this may be entire roles or specific skills, behaviours, qualifications which are in demand. • Ensure they know what their existing staff can do and identify potential in existing staff to increase their skills and experience. • Look at ‘growing their own’ – this could be through apprenticeships or a graduate scheme. Growth is positive for most companies but do not let issues such as these cause a fall at the first hurdle. Further information or help is available from beststart HUMAN RESOURCES on 01438 747 747

The students were given a souvenir information pack about wartime Stevenage and Lady Lytton’s Hospital for Soldiers. The event will launch a WW1 writing initiative in Stevenage secondary schools that will continue until December 2014.

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InternationalTrade

Speaking up for British Exporting Speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) International Trade Conference in London recently, the BCC Director General, John Longworth said that it is a very exciting time for UK business.

“Our economy is growing much faster than any Eurozone economy and faster than almost all developed economies. By contrast, many Eurozone economies are contracting, and the OECD forecast growth for the UK is 3.1 per cent. “The UK has topped the growth league table of the G7 nine times since 1980, and that GDP growth per capita has been highest in the UK during that period. So much for the productivity doom merchants. The UK is strong and vibrant.”

“And we know that when businesses do have a go at exporting, they grow, on average, 20 per cent more than businesses that don’t export. It’s not rocket science, but it is challenging.”

Mid-sized companies

In 2012, the Prime Minister launched a new partnership of the British Chambers of Commerce, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade and Investment.

He also pointed to the importance of mid-sized companies. “In real terms, these companies provide significant bang for buck in the economy in terms of both employment and economic impact.

“We set out to respond and increase the range of business to business support overseas and create an international UK business network. Two years on, I’m pleased to report back that we are making exciting progress, John said.

John also said “Overseas, membership in our network is up between 12 and 30 percent across diverse markets and the overseas teams are flat our dealing with enquiries from the UK.”

“So, isn’t it brilliant that mid-sized companies also happen to be the backbone of the Chamber Network!.

The Overseas Business Network Initiative has great progress in creating practical, business-tobusiness support for UK exporters in fast growing markets around the world. But, he cautions, there are still many challenges ahead.

He said that the BCC knows who they are, and so is uniquely positioned to help them. The pilot programme - the Overseas Business Network Initiative - is a first-class opportunity to stepchange what the BCC is doing on exports.

“We know we have a trade challenge – a stubborn trade deficit, and falling global market share. It is the one area of the economy in which we are not succeeding. Our own Quarterly Economic Survey, published recently by the BCC, tells us that UK export growth has slowed this quarter and the official figures show poor growth in exports in recent years.

He explained that in the UK, we have never previously been able to invest properly in building a modern international business network and to help provide practical business to business support to companies on the scale required to resolve some of today’s challenges.

Solutions to increasing the UK’s export base “The exciting thing is that we have at our finger tips some of the solutions to increasing the UK’s export base.” He said that part of this is improving awareness of the growth opportunities overseas, helping to break down the fear of exporting and providing easy access to practical support on the ground all to help companies get started in export markets.

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Partnering UK Trade and Investment

UK, famous for ingenuity, entrepreneurialism and creativity

So far, the following, among others, have been accomplished: • creation of a wider range of practical business support in 20 high growth markets. • doubling of the support on the ground in Colombia • establishment of 15 new business centres around the world, offering practical space to plug in and get started when businessmen and women get off the plane • opening of the first British Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar since sanctions were lifted • creation of the largest foreign business network in the Philippines Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, former Minister for Trade and Investment, has agreed to chair a new BCC International Advisory Council comprising the chairmen and chief executives of some of the UK’s most successful exporters.

“The UK is of course famous for its ingenuity, entrepreneurialism and creativity. When we set our minds to something, we are world beaters, so there is no reason to think that we cannot find solutions to the current challenges. One thing is clear though – we need to work together to be successful.”

He said that their role is to advise him on international trade, and both champion and help British Chambers of Commerce strengthen the role of our international and UK business network.

John Longworth said that we need to bring together our collective expertise - Government and Business, Business and Government together - and focus on solving the challenges together.

He said that the BCC are doing the right things and based on current progress, it will be in a very different place to do even more to help UK business export by this time next year.

ChamberTraining

Herts Chamber seminars and training

Chamber seminars

Chamber training

International trade seminars

A practical guide to import documentation and procedure

Herts Chamber is running a series of international trade seminars and country-aware events, some in collaboration with Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

Mexico - 13 November, 16:30-19:30 Hampton by Hilton, Luton Covering an area of 2m sq kms, Mexico’s population is over 113m. Its bleak economic history, particularly through the early 1980s of hyperinflation, spiralling public spending, high unemployment and devaluation, left the country in a poor place. Since then it is rebuilding its economy on industries such as agriculture, forestry, fishing, construction, mining and importantly, energy.

18 November, 09:00-16:00 MacLaurin Building, Hatfield Helping businesses handle their imports more efficiently, with minimum finance expense • essential knowledge for import activity • understanding the necessary procedures, how to plan for them, and work with them • avoiding unnecessary costs

More information: frances.harris@hertschamber.com

The half-day programme for each is: • Arrival and networking over coffee • Welcome and introduction to the country • Entering the market - advice and information by an expert • Entering the market - case study of successful activity • Legal and financial considerations • Market and business culture • Q&A panel • Individual 10-minute meetings with experts

More information: jodiereid@hertschamber.com

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NewMembers

Welcome to new members Helen McFarlane Translations

IT'SEEZE Hertford

Hubert C Leach Ltd

Translation & interpretation. French and German in to English (Native Speaker) 4 Fenwick Road, Houghton Regis DUNSTABLE, Bedfordshire, LU5 5RP 07789 581 864

Creative, flexible and affordable website design 78 Swimburne Avenue HITCHIN, Hertfordshire, SG5 2RR 01462 620071 www.itseeze-hertford.co.uk

House builders and estate developers Hamels Mansion, Knights Hall. BUNTINGFORD, Hertfordshire, SG9 9NF 01920 824 729 www.leachhomes.co.uk

Mayhem Theatre Arts

Tender Assist Ltd

2by2 Holidays

Performing Arts Studio; lessions for children and adults Brewery Yard, Brewery Rd HODDESDON, Hertfordshire, EN11 8HF 01992 465 100 www.mayhemtheatrearts.co.uk

Wallace Holdings

Helping organisations bid for public sector tender contracts 37 Cherry Tree Rise WALKERN, Herts, SG2 7JL 01438 861931 www.tenderassist.co.uk

Blue-I-Event Technology Ltd

CafĂŠ, Meeting Rooms and Party Venue specialising in Caribbean Cuisine 117 Hatfield Road, ST ALBANS Hertfordshire, AL1 4JS 01727 568 381

Audio-visual service for events industry Unit 18 McDonalds Business Park Maylands Avenue HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, Hertfordshire, HP2 7EB 01442 215105 www.blue-i.tv

Clydesdale Bank (St.Albans)

VolkerWessels UK Ltd

Financial Institution - banking 4th Floor, Verulam Way, Station Point ST ALBANS, Hertfordshire, AL1 5HE 01727 898 738 www.cbonline.com

Civil engineering and construction group with multi-disciplinary projects Hertford Road HODDESDON, Hertfordshire, EN11 9BX 01992 305 372 www.volkerwessels.co.uk

Give your Town the Run Around Ltd Combining community fitness and business 20 Christian Close HODDESDON, Hertfordshire, EN11 9FF 07702 359 021

Allendale Electronics Ltd Suppliers of electronic and engineering tools and equipment Pindar Road HODDESDON, Hertfordshire, EN11 0BZ 01992 450 780 www.allendale-elec.co.uk

Support UK Ltd Supply, maintenance of business communications Devonshire Business Centre, Works Road LETCHWORTH, Hertfordshire, SG6 1GJ 02033 703 087 martingreen@support-uk.com

The Micklefield Partnership Country House, weddings and events venue in 16th Century Barn Micklefield Hall, Sarratt Road, Sarratt, RICKMANSWORTH, Hertfordshire, WD3 6AQ 01923 778898 www.micklefieldhall.com

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Car Wash Company Hand car-wash company Unit 5, Priory Wharf, Priory Street Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG14 1RJ 0844 3352001 www.carwashcompany.org

Ether NDE Ltd Manufacture and sales of Eddy Current equipment 3 Roundwood Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire. Al5 3BW. 01582 767 912 www.ethernde.com

Harts of Oak Feel Free Farm, Cock Lane, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 8LS 07794 065 674 www.hartsofoak.co.uk

Prism Power Ltd Manufacturer of expert switchgear systems, IT products Caxton Court, Caxton Way, Watford Business Park WATFORD, Hertfordshire, WD18 8RH 01923 296 700 www.prismpower.co.uk

Holidays to Africa, India & beyond The Old Stables, Grove Farm, Pipers Lane HARPENDEN, Hertfordshire, AL5 1AJ 01582 766122 www.2by2holidays.co.uk

Pawbakes Ltd Pet Treats 44 Newpark Road, Newgate Street Village, Hertfordshire, SG13 8RF 07952 188 841

Club Batchwood (The Luminar Group) Elegant Victorian hall night club for private hire Batchwood Drive, ST ALBANS, Hertfordshire, Al3 5XA 01727 856 596 www.clubbatchwood.com

The Resource Centre Promoting B2B business and increasing sales 96a High Street Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 9AP 01920 4712000 www.theresourcecentre.co.uk

The Outsourced Pension Department Pension, consultancy, financial services for small and medium firms 28 Castle Street Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG14 1HH 0843 479 0090 www.topd.co.uk

RP Business Development Project management, business development, sales leads, event representation, management 2nd Floor, Titan Court, 3 Bishop Square Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, AL10 9NA 0776 9937446 www.rpbusinessdevelopment.com

Scan Optics Ltd Global leader in document processing and imaging solutions and services 5 Brookside, Colne Way Watford, Hertfordshire, WD24 7QJ 07785 277 329 www.scanoptics.com

NewMembers

Yellowhawk Ltd

The Princes Trust

Silver Fox Ltd

Digital marketing Orion House, Bessemer Road, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, AL7 1HH 01707 800 819 www.commsbox.co.uk

Charity 1-3 Premier House, Argyle Way STEVENAGE, Hertfordshire SG1 2AD, 01438 730 320 www.princes-trust.org.uk

Manufacture of labelling solutions Unit 2 Swallow Court, Swallow Fields, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Hertfordshire, Al7 1SA 01707 373727 www.silverfox.co.uk

Green Footprint Consulting Ltd

Berkhamsted Chamber of Commerce

Pangaea Laboratories

Energy and carbon reduction, renewable energy Warlies House, UPSHIRE, Essex, EN93SL 07526 808069 www.greenfootprintconsulting.co.uk

P-Zazz Performing & creative arts club The Barn, 1 Watford House Lane, WATFORD, Hertfordshire, WD17 1BJ 01923 221527 www.p-zazz.co.uk

Beechwood Homes Developer, house builder 5 Arlington Court, Whittle Way Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2SF 01438 758 388 www.beechwood.co.uk

225 Highstreet, BERKHAMSTED Hertfordshire, HP4 2PT 01442 879 787 www.berkhamsted-chamber.co.uk

Comms Room Services Ltd Comms room, server room and data centre design, refurbishment and construction Oxford House, Northbridge Road Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 1EH 0778 9024588 www.commsroomservices.co.uk

DS Property Maintenance Ltd

Ginicam Ltd Interactive digital casting platform The Innovation Centre, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane HATFIELD, Hertfordshire, Al10 9AB 01707 278000 www.ginicam.com

The Whistling Duck Restaurant in Hertford, fine dining experience Lower Hatfield Road, HERTFORD, Hertfordshire, SG13 8XX 07500 110876 www.thewhistlingduck.co.uk

Qudo

Property maintenance experts The Coach House, Longcroft Lane FELDON, Hertfordshire, HP3 0BN 07979 914752 www.aspect.co.uk

Ian Lees & Co Asset Management Financial planning for individuals and businesses 59 Watling Street, ST ALBANS, Hertfordshire, Al1 2QF 01727 833 857

HRJ Foreman Laws Solicitors commercial and private clients 10 Parkway, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Hertfordshire, AL8 6HG 01707 887700 www.hrjforemanlaws.co.uk

Panel2Panel Ltd

IP telephony and business productivity solutions No 1 Croydon, 12-16 Addiscombe Road, CROYDON, CR0 0XT 0208 288 1267 www.qudo.com

Supply of plastic panels from recycled sources Orion House, Bessemer Road WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Hertfordshire, AL7 1HH 07879 846310

The Pig & Truffle

Devices Ltd

Brasserie & bar 1 Howardsgate, WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Hertfordshire, AL8 6AL 0798 0433412 www.thepigandtruffle.com

Manufacture & service of pacemakers & cables 28 Fiddlebridge Industrial Centre, Lemsford Road HATFIELD, Hertfordshire, AL10 0DE 01707 327641 www.devices-ltd.com

Need

Cosmetics manufacturer 240 Centennial Avenue, Centennial Park, ELSTREE, Hertfordshire, WD6 3SJ 020 8458 2500 www.pangaea.co.uk

Martin Wilkinson Saddlers Sales and alteration of Saddlery Flint Barn, Coursers Farm, Coursers Road ST ALBANS, Herts, AL4 0PG 01727 821020 www.mastersaddlers.com

Tesco Stores Ltd Supermarket New Tesco House, Delamare Road Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, EN8 9SL www.tesco.com

The Training & Conference Place A social enterprise events venue for hire Top Floor, Armstrong House, Norton Road Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2LX 07881 335 283 www.thetrainingplace.org.uk

The Online Marketing Shop Digital marketing Unit 8, Devonshire Business Centre, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, SG6 1GJ 0800 135 7622 www.theonlinemarketingshop.com

Karma Se7en Ltd Online body piercing jewellery shop Unit 2 The Hertfordshire Business Centre, Alexander Road, London Colney, ST. ALBANS, Hertfordshire, AL2 1JG 0845 299 7797 www.karmase7en.com

Annual reports Web SEO content, blogs Brochures Magazines, newsletters PR, editorial Award entries

then use our expertise to communicate yours 01438 900 284

www.guineafowl-creative.co.uk

marketing copywriting design INSPIRE

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ChamberEvents

Wine tasting how could you not? 23 October, 18.00 to 20.00 The Wine Society, Stevenage What is great food without a great wine to accompany it? How suited is a Bordeaux to a hearty beef stew? Do you know a Cabernet Franc from a Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Gamay from a Grenache? Wine tasting - a hobby for some, a business for others, and a pleasurable interlude for most - is about knowing a bit about terminology, grape varieties, wine characters,

viscosity, aromas, flavours, the nose, legs, the aftertaste, and a lot about the pleasure of the first whiff of a good bottle. Herts Chamber has arranged a wine tasting with the UK’s premier wine experts, The Wine Society in Stevenage. After a tour around their operation, Simon Mason, Tasting Manager, takes us through the art and etiquette of wine tasting.

We’ll learn something about reds, whites, rosé wines, perhaps sherry aperitifs for before dinner, sweet wines for puddings or ports for after dinner. Normally only available to Wine Society members, we will have the opportunity to buy wine for a Christmas delivery. Now, isn’t this a great way to network and build business relationships!

Can’t get funding from your bank for your business? If you run a business and you can’t get banking finance for your growth plans or operational process improvements, what do you do? 13 November, 07.30 to 9.00 You research alternative sources of capital finance. Herts Chamber in partnership with ArchOver will be addressing this at a freeto-attend event in Stevenage. ArchOver, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, helps companies to borrow. Crowd-lending is a popular and effective way in which people, organisations and businesses, including start-ups, can raise finance through online portals. Crowdlending platforms are a means to provide

finance providers with a return on investment with finance-seeking businesses in a way that cuts the banking middle-men out of the process. The presentation will explain what crowdlending is and why it’s prevalent and how it can finance business development and growth. It will also provide the rationale for this alternative finance source as part of a borrowing strategy. The event is for established UK businesses with a turnover of £2m or more, looking to borrow between £75k and £10m.

To book a place at any of our Chamber Events please contact: jodiereid@hertschamber.com 36

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ChamberEvents

Dates for your diary... Oct

Nov

22

23

12:00–14:00

18:00–20:00

Chamber Networking Lunch with Growth Accelerator

Networking and Wine Tasting Evening

Network over lunch and discover how to accelerate your business with government-backed business support. Cheshunt Park Golf Course, Cheshunt

For those with discerning palates, this is a great opportunity to network while experiencing the varied wines available to buy for Christmas. The Wine Society, Stevenage

4

6

12

13

08:30–10:30

12:00–14:00

19:00–22:30

07:30–09:00

West Herts Networking Breakfast Including a tour of the industry’s complex and an insight into how the business community can help offenders integrate into society and avoids re-offending. HMP The Mount, Bovingdon

Developing an effective supply chain is crucial to business success in the 21st century. RES Group Head Office, Kings Langley

Networking Evening Brewery Tour Network with other business people equally eager to learn about the brewery process and tour the beer-making operation. Tring Brewery, Tring

Chamber Networking Breakfast - Crowd-lending Masterclass In partnership with ArchOver; an opportunity to understand crowdlending, and why it will be a part of your borrowing plans in the very near future. Holiday Inn, Stevenage

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18

20

27

18:00–20:00

08:30–11:30

07:30–09:00

10:00–11:30

NCPM Hertfordshire Business Connect Networking with special guests: Aon Hewitt Jon McEnery & Rupert Kotowski: senior consultants will talk about the latest government projects in the financial arena and give insights into what is happening within the economy. Aon Hewitt, St Albans

Dec

Property & Construction Forum - Supply Chain Management

Stevenage Business Summit Leader of Stevenage Borough Council discusses the town's growth plans, super-fast broadband, and GlaxoSmithKline and MBDA share best practice in sustainable travel. Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Stevenage

Chamber Networking Breakfast Ambition Broxbourne Global Entrepreneurship Week Business author, Jodie Newman, will speak on why creativity is business critical and why ideas are essential for businesses wanting to thrive. Cheshunt Marriott Hotel, Broxbourne

Chamber HR Forum Richard Gvero and Catrin Mills will brief on several employment law ‘hot topics’. These are important areas of change which employers need to know about if they are to avoid unnecessary costs and issues. Longmores, Hertford

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10

18

18

07:30–09:00

07:30–09:00

17:30-19:30

16:00–17:00

Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce AGM

West Herts Christmas Breakfast

Chamber Christmas Breakfast

Inspiring Hertfordshire 2015 Awards Launch

Dacorum Borough Council is working with the local businesses to make Dacorum a place where businesses can flourish. Join us to hear from Lisa Devayya about current plans. The Watermill Hotel, Hemel Hempstead

Workplace health and well-being is the focus of this Christmas breakfast. It's a topic of importance for all employers.

Join us to hear about 2015 Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards, and learn how previous winners approached entry preparation. Marriott Hanbury Manor Hotel & Country Club, Ware

Knebworth Barns Conference Centre, Knebworth

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ChamberEvents

Tour a brewery in Tring, networking on the hop How about a brewery tour, with some business networking to boot! 12 November, 19.00 to 22.30 A Herts Chamber’s networking evening at Tring Brewery Company, founded in 1992 after a ‘brewing drought’ of over fifty years, is an evening with a difference. Tring Brewery’s ales are prepared by the traditional method, using malted barley, hops, water and yeast. The finest ingredients, most of

which are home grown, include hops from Kent and Worcestershire. This, with Tring’s ideal hard water, provides the perfect formula for classic ales. The majority of the names for Tring Brewery’s ales have been themed around intriguing ghostly tales, myths and even

sayings from the rich history of Hertfordshire. You will be given a full tour of the brewery to learn about the brewing process and history of this brewery. The bar, open throughout the evening, provides a focal point for a fish and chip supper (vegetarian options available).

Stevenage Business Summit Discover more about the future growth plans and development of Stevenage a town for the 21st Century 18 November, 08.30 to 10.30 Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst is proud to host the Stevenage Business Summit in partnership with Stevenage Borough Council and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

Plc for super-fast broadband in Hertfordshire; Andrew Lee will be updating us on progress for Gunnels Wood Road employment area at this event.

Sharon Taylor, Leader of Stevenage Borough Council, will be discussing plans for the growth and development of Stevenage. The Connected Counties’ latest newsletter announces that a contract has been signed with British Telecommunications

Major local businesses, GlaxoSmithKline and MBDA will share advice and best practice in how to promote sustainable travel for your organisations and how Smartgo membership can help you and your employees save money.

Martino Picardo, Chief Executive of Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, will talk about the Catalysts’ progress and projects, and will host a tour of the bioscience catalyst facilities. This free-of-charge event will also provide networking and buffet breakfast and an opportunity for question time with speakers.

To book a place at any of our Chamber Events please contact: jodiereid@hertschamber.com 38

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ChamberEvents

Networking Lunch with GrowthAccelerator Find out how this government funded service can help you and your business find new routes to achieve your full potential 19 November, 12.00 to 14.00 Cheshunt Park Golf Club Joins us for lunch and a presentation on accelerating business growth by GrowthAccelerator, which will be an interesting, thought provoking overview of what businesses, in various stages of maturity, can achieve. GrowthAccelerator is a unique service, government-funded, led by business growth specialists that help you and your business find new routes to investment, new connections, new ideas and a new strategy to achieve

the business’s full potential. As a business owner or executive, you might already have a thriving company ready for the next growth spurt. This government initiative helps young businesses prepare the business for investment, identifying and winning profitable customers, developing an effective organisation and winning grants for innovation. It also helps established businesses differentiate themselves from their

competition, retain customers, get finance for growth and build high performance teams. The scheme gives collaboration and partnering support to those businesses that are well established in managing change to enable high growth strategies, getting into new markets, accessing finance for acquisitions, sustaining growth and developing a team into a high growth team, among other highly successful mechanisms.

Networking breakfast Ambition Broxbourne: Global Enterprise Week 20 November, 07.30 to 09.00 Cheshunt Marriott Hotel Ambition Broxbourne is the Council’s economic growth initiative working in collaboration with various partners to support innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship. Its activities are to drive innovation and business growth to provide 6,300 new jobs. Business author, Jodie Newman, will be discussing the subject of creativity in business, why it is business critical and why ideas are no longer a nice-to-have for businesses intent on thriving and standing apart from their competitors. Jodie is a creative consultant, passionate about putting creativity

at the heart of business. She runs highly interactive idea generation workshops, and brings enthusiasm, fun and creativity into businesses. The session will be packed with practical tools and advice on how to inject creativity into a business for commercial gain. Jodie will be talking about making the most of our Brain Capital and why the notion of ideas-people is outmoded. She will teach us how to identify Ideas Killers that stops creativity in its tracks and how to begin a creative culture to foster innovation that takes the business forward. Come to be inspired, and leave with a raft of ideas

Garden Construction

Building Patios & Driveways Fences & Gardens for over 50 years

Tel: 01438 369321

email: sales@ft-gearing.co.uk www.ft-gearing.co.uk INSPIRE

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BusinessNews

Dentist gets teeth into new challenge Dacorum is home to a dynamic mix of businesses from innovative start-ups through to global giants, each with its own story of setting up, growing and evolving in the county. One such organisation is specialist mouthguards company OPRO. Dentist Dr Anthony Lovat set up OPRO in 1995 from the living room of his Radlett home eventually moving the business to Hemel Hempstead five years ago. Frustrated at seeing children with teeth broken playing sport at school, Dr Lovat realized that very little was being done to prevent them from being injured. Mouthguards available at the time were of a poor quality and Dr Lovat wondered whether schools themselves would be interested in a service that provided pupils with credible, custom fitting dental mouthguards. Speculative letters were sent to a hundred schools but only one response was received from Harrow School’s head of sport, former England and Lions player and coach Roger Uttley. Positive feedback from parents and pupils encouraged Uttley to help promote the use of mouthguards to other schools. This led to an invitation for Dr Lovat to speak at a conference of independent school heads of PE. “Sports teachers were very conscious of their legal liabilities if a child were to lose a tooth at school,” he explained. “It triggered the right emotion and at the end of lunch we had seventy five of the top British private schools signed up.” In its first year OPRO manufactured custom mouthguards, using external laboratories, for around 300 private schools. In its second year, OPRO took on 2000 sq ft premises in Park Street near St Albans and set up its own laboratory. “The challenge was to work out how to make an awful lot of mouthguards in one day,” said Dr Lovat. “I employed a production line engineer to analyse how mouthguards are made to give us a different perspective and to see if we could be more efficient. In our first year, we could make 1,000 mouthguards a day. Now we can make 3,500 in a day.” OPRO became the only company at the time to produce a fully CE certified set of custom mouthguards and was granted the Queen’s Award in 2007. “We set ourselves the challenge of creating a retail set of mouthguards that would pass the stringent tests that we had set for our custom mouthguards,” said Dr Lovat.

“There was an untapped market of state school pupils and adults, who didn’t have access to the school service, who needed a well-fitting, properly designed mouthguard.”

“Our difference stems from where we came from which is our dental heritage,” suggests Dr Lovat.

The move into the retail sector with the OPROshield range proved successful and by 2010 the company was supplying virtually every sports retail outlet in the country, from huge multiples to small independents.

OPRO took the decision to leverage its retail and logistics know how to distribute Mueller, a popular American brand of sports protection products, doubling its distribution in the first year.

OPRO was attracted to Hemel Hempstead and the Maylands Business Park because of its excellent transport and communications links that enabled the company to fully utilise its logistics expertise. In addition, many of its suppliers are either based locally or up and down the M1 providing easy and convenient connectivity.

More recently, the company acquired Maru, a successful twenty-year-old brand of performance swimwear to reinforce its focus on high performance, technical sports innovation.

OPRO is now the official mouthguard of England and New Zealand rugby, as well as a number of premiership clubs, and is used in hockey, lacrosse and amateur boxing. OPRO manufactures all of its own products in the UK and, in its lab for custom mouthguards in Hemel Hempstead, OPRO has over a million sets of data from various mouths that it uses for product development.

Looking ahead, the newly rebranded OPROGROUP has no intention of staying still and is exploring ways to keep innovating as well as expanding its international presence into Australia, New Zealand and America. For free advice and guidance on how to grow your business in Dacorum call 01442 228396, email business@dacorum.gov.uk or visit dacorumlooknofurther.co.uk www.oprogroup.com

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WorkPlace

Employers: how to deal with social media at the workplace The subject of social media raises a number of serious implications for employers and employees. Breeze & Wyles Solicitors invited Michael Duggan (barrister, Little Chambers: London) to address some of these issues more roundly for clients. Social media - since its early surges with Facebook in 2004 and Twitter in 2006, has been a global phenomenon. It is estimated that there are 200 million Twitter users generating 65 million tweets a day (Michael Duggan: Littleton Chambers, April 2013). LinkedIn has 10 million members in the UK (bbc.co.uk/news/business19624075: 19 Sept 2012). The repercussions of social media use and employment will be profound, as employment tribunals set about examining employee vs employer conflicts. It is easy for employees to forget that tweets and Facebook postings are largely in the public domain, and can be reposted. There are two broad areas for employers: conduct and business ownership.

Conduct issues The major issues for employer and employee concern at the moment are: • staff spending employer time engaging on networks • the effects of social-media-posted remarks about the employer • cyber bullying, harassment • discussion of legitimate employment issues outside the workplace • use of social networking sites outside work that have an impact on work and the employer’s reputation • policies, procedures and reasonableness Employer staff policies and the Contract of Employment need to be clear that the use of social media sites is forbidden during office or work hours.

Employee comments about work on social media sites Regarding the content of postings or comments by employees, HR has to establish whether social site employee comments or grumbles raise misconduct concerns or not. There has been a flurry of cases recently; the temptation to make inappropriate comments could lead to serious repercussions or expensive tribunals, even when the employee considered his or her remarks were private or he or she had merely ‘liked’ a posting by another employee or former employee. A comment on a social media site could have a negative impact upon client relations or may create an intimidating work environment. In Preece v JD Wetherspoons plc (ET No 21004806/10) the employer’s decision to dismiss an employee for making derogatory comments about customers, following a full and fair investigation, was upheld by a tribunal. The company’s email and internet policy prohibited writing or contributing to a blog whose content adversely affects the reputation of the organisation, staff or customers.

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Personal privacy settings Believing one has the right, particularly when using very restrictive privacy settings on Facebook, to be entitled to shield private postings and photographs from employers may not always be upheld in a tribunal. Using social media outside work that has an impact on the employer and its reputation needs to be addressed and clearly communicated to all staff. Where the employer’s reputation is at stake, interference may be permissible. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has a bearing on the rights, ability and restrictions of the employee who has made comments on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, who thought he or she was entitled to privacy. Articles 8 and 10 - Right to respect for private and family life and Freedom of expression respectively - carry their own caveats, and protections for employers. Some of the issues employees have argued have been that they: • do not expect their Facebook ‘private’ comments to be used • do not expect that out of work comments be relied upon by the employer • are using the right to freedom of expression (Article 10)

Business ownership The issues around an organisation’s entitlement to protect its data property are: • confidential information posted on social networking sites • business protection • ownership of data created during the course of work on social media sites such as LinkedIn • restrictive covenants and social networking solicitation • interim injunctions, Compromise Agreements and restrictions regarding post-termination use of connections made in the workplace Michael Duggan says that the legal complexities must be understood by employers so that their HR staff can take the right steps to protect the business.

Employer information on social sites Gross misconduct queries may arise when an employee places information on social media that is deemed by the employer to be confidential. A hotel employee frustrated with management inaction on his frequent reports of banqueting operational inefficiencies created a blog in which he recorded various management failures - not through malice but a genuine desire to improve the situation - and directed his manager to the site. Despite the sympathy with the employee, who was aware of the employment terms of confidentiality and who had fully understood the

public nature of the blog and its risk of being accessed by the public, the tribunal concluded that the employer’s decision, after having carried out a full and fair procedure, to dismiss him, was within a reasonable response. (Zaver v Dorchester Hotel Ltd ET N0 2201485/06). An alleged breach of confidentiality has arisen in a case where an HR staff member uploaded his CV on LinkedIn and indicated interest in other career opportunities. In his CV however, he stated how he had reduced the company’s attrition rate. His employer objected to this and also believed there was a conflict of interest as he was putting himself about for alternative employment. In response to his employer’s call to remove the CV and to attend disciplinary hearing at which he was told he faced dismissal, the employee resigned and claimed unfair constructive dismissal. He succeeded because of the way that the disciplinary procedure had been handled.

Client contact lists, databases Employee departure with paper records, then with the more convenient USB stick and now with contact lists through Outlook-type programs, has always been a cause for employer concern. Now, contacts are being established in other environments, Facebook and LinkedIn, particularly in recruitment, where such lists are a valuable business tool. Beyond information ownership, there are postemployment issues relating to the use or exploitation of such social media contacts in a competitive way. The exponential growth of social media has outstripped the development of case law to deal with these matters.

Employer action The employer needs to review its contractual provisions and procedures to ensure they’re capable of dealing with the use of social media and the impact upon its business, and make employees aware of the policies and procedures in place. The employer must also examine its contractual provision that define database development and ownership rights relating to acquired and stored data in the course of employment, and also reexamine post-term obligations as they impact on social media sites and their use by former employees. Proper policies and procedures, and communication of these with staff, will deal with the myriad challenges that social media raise. (More information, Maria KoureasJones@BreezeandWyles.co.uk)

WorkPlace

Employers, reduce your headaches and their sickies

Breeze & Wyles Solicitors Limited celebrates its Centenary Breeze & Wyles Solicitors Limited have been at the centre of innovation in the legal profession for a century. At the very beginning, in 1914 the firm was made up of just a few people; the company now boasts 11 directors and employs over 180 permanent or temporary staff. From humble beginnings of only one office in Bow, East London the firm now has three offices along the A10 corridor and a further office in Bishops Stortford near Stansted Airport.

As winter sets in, staff sickness can increase. These top five tips will help you reduce your own headaches: 1. Prevention is better than cure: flu jabs are easily available on the high street. Why not encourage your staff to have one by offering to refund the cost? 2. Tell me, don’t text me: we all hate making that call to work to explain why we are ill, no matter how bad we feel. Texting or emailing or using social media makes it too easy to pull a sickie. Insist staff call you or let them know you will call them back on their home number. 3. Let me come back: If their GP says “no work” but they say they are fine, speak to your insurance company first. It’s unlikely they will be covered by your employer’s liability insurance if they work while signed off as ill.

4. Monday morning blues: If you have a regular offender, reach for a calendar. Mark the days they are off sick and see if you notice any pattern. Look for common days and dates around bank holidays. One person who regularly took the same day off sick was found to be working in her family’s burger van. 5. Let’s have a chat: Make it your policy to speak to everyone when they return from time off sick. Find out what was wrong, what medication they have taken and see if there is anything recurring. You may help them spot a problem they have not wanted to face. More information: Debbie Glinnan, Parallel HR Ltd. Debbie@parallelhr.co.uk

131 million days were lost due to sickness absences in the UK in 2013

Breeze & Wyles Limited has gone from strength to strength, riding out several recessions over the 100 year period. The name may have changed from Breeze & Wyles, to Breeze & Wyles Solicitors LLP and now Breeze & Wyles Solicitors Limited but one thing that has remained however, is our aim to provide the very best in legal advice and customer service. The excellence of advice and provision of an efficient legal service means that we are the firm of choice for both the private individual and the corporate client. There have been many changes in the legal profession in the last century but Breeze & Wyles have used this as a tool to create new processes and procedures, such as innovative IT, enabling them to meet the challenge of the ever changing legal field. Brendan O'Brien, Chief Executive of Breeze & Wyles Solicitors Limited, on the firm reaching its centenary said: “The fact that Breeze & Wyles is 100 years old is based on three features; management embracing changes in the legal profession including technological developments in the delivery of client service, the combination of quality, dedication and accuracy of staff and the loyalty of the business’ clients and customers. I would like to thank the staff of Breeze & Wyles both past and current for the efforts that they have made to the success of the business. I also take this opportunity to thank existing and past customers of the business for their loyalty and custom. For further information call us on 01992 558411

Office for National Statistics

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PatronFocus

Affinity Water - hydrating Hertfordshire

All sectors, including major international airports, the public sector, schools, manufacturers to local community shops, rely on Affinity Water for fresh supplies of life’s essential resource. It has three main supply areas, Central (Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, and parts of London), Southeast (Folkestone and Dover and surrounding rural areas) and East (north east Essex including Harwich and Clacton on Sea). Affinity Water, patrons of Hertfordshire Chamber, supplies water in one of the fastest growing, most economically active regions in the UK, in areas the government has designated as being under serious water stress. Population and economic growth will increase the stress on this finite resource.

Small changes can make big savings Affinity Water’s business relationship team supports business customers to ensure their water supply requirements are met and their operations continue as normal. The team provides advice, services and products that help businesses to reduce their water consumption and to save money. It has the knowledge and expertise to provide customised solutions, and to give practical assistance in water quality testing, leak detection and account management. The team uses the latest technologies to help businesses understand their water usage to help reduce bills. Small changes can make big savings, both in terms of bill savings for businesses and water savings for all.

Affinity Water is the largest water-only supplier in the UK. It serves more than 3.5 million people and over 80,000 businesses in South East England. 44

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Working with customers to reduce their water usage can make a real difference - small changes in how organisations use this precious commodity can lead to big consumption and bill savings.

PatronFocus

Good reasons to be a waterefficient business Using water judiciously has long-term business benefits: • Lower costs through reduced consumption and related costs - energy, chemicals, filtering processes and water movement and distribution • reduction of environment impact - energy, waste, industrial effluent • brand enhancement through a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme • Carbon footprint reduction

Automatic meter reading (AMR) can save money Businesses can save money through water efficiency by using Affinity Water’s Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) service. AMRs record water consumption; data can be accessed on any internet-enabled device without need to install other software. AMRs put companies in control through cost savings analysis and by determining a clear payback period for infrastructure investments that helps future financial budgeting.

Health and safety AMR is also a workplace safety feature. With online user-friendly access to data, any physical difficulty of accessing a company’s water meter is removed.

Leak management AMR can reveal unexplained water usage in an organisation, identifying leaks to reduce water loss and saving money. Alarm warnings to a specified company’s email address (usually the facilities manager) mean that arising issues can be identified and resolved quickly with minimal

disruption to organisations using Affinity Water’s leak detection and repair services.

Finding and fixing leaks Leaks have the potential to seriously harm business operations. They must be identified and dealt with swiftly to mitigate an increase in bills and structural damage to premises. Finding and fixing leaks will reduce water consumption, lower water bills and reassure a company that its pipes and networks are secure. There are a number of leakage signs: • an unexplained rise in water consumption or bills • finding the dials are still turning or spinning when the water is switched off, and every tap and valve is turned off when checking the water meter • audible water hissing or the sound of running water, for example, when a tank or toilet cistern is filling, when no water is being used • long-term drops in water pressure Affinity Water’s account managers help organisations with leakages by using the latest technology to find and fix leaks. As a preventative measure, AMRs can be fitted which alert organisations when water consumption is irregular, through online readings every 15-minutes.

Case study - water management

readers (AMRs) on the school’s three largest meters. The result was a clearer understanding of water usage - when, where, how - producing a water-efficiency strategy that reduced unnecessary usage, wastage and costs. Ken Young, St Margaret’s bursar said “Unlike most other cost reduction initiatives, it was the supplier, Affinity Water that drove this project forward. We now know how much water we use, when and where. As a result, we can now detect and repair leaks when they occur, which has helped towards our money saving and efficiency goals. I also greatly appreciate the constant monitoring by Affinity Water at time when I need to do other tasks.” Case study – 30 per cent water bill reduction The Chiltern Hotel in Luton saved 30 per cent per month on water bills after taking part in a water usage assessment. After a meeting, the Affinity Water business relationship team understood the hotel’s unique needs and provided services to produce specific outcomes. Savings were made by using water efficiency devices and from repairs to a number of small leaks that seemed insignificant, but which when repaired, achieved substantial savings. The 99-room hotel reduced their monthly bills by 30 per cent. The devices are simple to install and have the potential to save businesses thousands of pounds a year.

St Margaret’s School, a large independent boarding school for girls founded in 1749, is a combination of historic buildings and modern facilities on a 74-acre site in rural Hertfordshire. The school presented some unique challenges.

Chiltern Hotel maintenance manager, Massimo Dinoia, said “It is important that we all play our part to help save water; it is refreshing to know that the necessary technical assistance, including the provision of water saving devices, subsidised by Affinity Water, are available.”

A tailored water efficiency solution in line with the school’s sustainability goals was devised to give St Margaret’s greater control over water usage and costs. Affinity Water recommended the installation of three easy-to-use automatic meter

For more information about services to organisations: www.affinitywater.co.uk/business email:commercial.central@affinitywater.co.uk call: 0345 357 24 24

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SpotlightAustin’s

Serving the Local Community for Ten Generations

AUSTIN’S HORSEDRAWN GLASS HEARSE 1902 Outside ‘Woodbine Cottage’, Six Hills, Stevenage. (Seated) Mr. William Austin, (Standing) Mr. Herbert Austin and Mr. William Austin

Arthur Austin and Arthur ‘Billy’ Austin Father and son outside Letchmore Road premises in 1923

Austin’s Funeral Service, established in 1700 in Stevenage is still owned and operated by the Austin Family. We are proud to have served the community for ten generations. Over recent years the company has extended its services to include branches in Buntingford, Hitchin, Knebworth, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Ware and Hertford

Harwood Park Crematorium & Memorial Gardens

Geo. W. Blow of Welwyn and Alfred Scales of Hertford were acquired by the company and until quite recently continued to trade under their original names. The family then decided that, to reflect their ownership, all funeral offices should trade as AUSTIN’S. The staff at AUSTIN’S ensure that families receive a superior quality of service, providing sympathetic and personal attention at these most sensitive of times. In 1997 the Austin family designed and built Harwood Park Crematorium and Memorial Gardens.

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The Austin’s Team Today

Set in the beautiful countryside of Hertfordshire on the outskirts of Stevenage, Harwood Park is one of the few privately owned crematoria in the country. Funeral services are provided seven days a week in peaceful and tranquil surroundings. A wide selection of memorials is available for dedication in the twenty-five acres of Memorial Gardens, which include a beautiful lake and waterfall feature. Those wishing to lay their loved one to rest in a local churchyard or cemetery may like to consider the extensive range of traditional

memorials available from AUSTIN’S own stonemasons, whose offices are located in Church Street, Welwyn. AUSTIN’S also provide a tailor made pre-payment funeral plan. Designed to give peace of mind to families and individuals by relieving them of the worry of funeral expenses and arrangements. ‘The Hertfordshire Funeral Plan’, operated by an independent trust, is exclusive to AUSTIN’S and gives the opportunity of selecting and securing all aspects of the funeral service in advance.

Our commitment to bereaved families has established Austin’ as Hertfordshire’s leading, family owned and operated Funeral Director. Those working within our family business are proud to provide a standard of professionalism, dedication and depth of knowledge, recognized by members of the public, professionals and other funeral directors. Further information may be obtained from any AUSTIN’S office or Harwood Park Crematorium.

www.austins.co.uk

24Hours

24.Hours Fiona Wilkinson Senior Partner Guinea Fowl Creative LLP

“Social media today is a constant clamour. Getting marketing or business messages above the noise, when so many people are posting online, is a greatly enjoyable challenge.”

Creativity the key for Fiona For Fiona Wilkinson, keeping creativity fresh is the key to the business and it is an approach that shapes all parts of her working day. The senior partner in marketing, communication and design agency Guinea Fowl Creative LLP said: “I like to start the working day about 8.30am after a three mile walk to invigorate the senses. “The walk wakes me up to my surroundings; a brisk step in morning freshness to greet the world helps the day’s planning and prioritising, and with finding best approaches to tackling particular jobs: developing a client’s marketing proposition, or communicating their marketing messages, or if I am writing a major editorial piece, thinking about its structure, pitch and research. “I am a morning person who likes to work with creativity and freshness and that happens best before the day gets ahead of itself and saps the ability for clear or imaginative thinking. I don’t want to waste it on doing admin or emails first thing. “Big admin tasks I prefer to leave until Friday afternoons when I suspect clients will not want to hear from me. “The important thing is using originality in whatever I produce to make a point, or to make it stick, to get the client’s brand entrenched. Getting together with a client in the morning to take a brief is best for me because I am at my most inventive and attentive.

“A big part of what I do is listening to follow the way they think, to comprehend their priorities and concerns and to understand their business and markets. “In terms of the length of a working day, I tend to work until the task is done. If I have a piece for a newspaper, for example, I will ensure that the copy is written and the approval is secured so that we meet the deadline. “Social media today is a constant clamour. Getting marketing or business messages above the noise, when so many people are posting online, is a greatly enjoyable challenge. “I have no set finishing time for a working day. It all depends on what needs to be done so I could be working until 7.30-8 in the evening if the task demands it. “One of my big pieces of work at the moment is developing and writing content for websites. It’s quite thrilling to begin with a blank page and thinking through ways that make the client’s business proposition stand out in their crowded marketplace. They’re all in highly competitive markets. Making content readable, enjoyable and search engine optimised is a lovely job. “I love what I do, whether it’s putting together an annual report, or writing and designing a brochure, or developing content for a 30-page website – if it gets my client the business – that’s the real deal.”

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ForumNews

Herts Chamber HR Forum Understanding the post-baby boomer generation dominated the agenda of the recent HR Forum meeting held at Bourne Leisure Centre in Hemel Hempstead. The meeting, chaired by Anita Wynne of beststart HR, was attended by solicitors, HR specialists, an apprenticeship training provider, a catering company and Yolanda Rugg and Tamsyn Hammond from Herts Chamber. Anita’s kick-off presentation on Generation Y (born between late 1970s and 2000) and Generation Z (born after 2000) discussed the baby-boomer’s (born between 1945 and late 1970s, just preceding Generation Y) general perceptions of these generations, in terms of recruiting and employing these 20 to 34-year olds. This was with a view to understanding these two generations, knowing how they think and react to events and people and their general characteristics.

Patrick Philpott (born late 1980s) challenged the last perception; the reason for his generation’s what’s-in-it-for-me preoccupation is a result of their upbringing. He also explained that the resistance to a 9-to-5 work routine is their knowledge that technology today enables work to be done differently. He is the managing director of Visionpath Education, a business he started himself at the age of 16 in 2005.

There was general consensus that Gen Y was tech savvy and achievement oriented, but that they had less job loyalty than the generations preceding them and didn’t have the stamina or desire to ‘knuckle down and get things done.’ There was also the perception that both generations were characterised with strong notions of what’s-in-it-for-me.

The discussion was followed by a presentation by Sue Davis of Bourne Leisure, with ample experience of traineeships and apprenticeships. Bourne Leisure runs Butlins, Haven and Warner Hotels, two prime organisations that undertake extensive young employee skills training and on-the-job training programmes.

Next forum The next forum is on 27 November at Longmores Solicitors, Hertford. Richard Gvero and Catrin Mills will brief on employment law hot topics: •

the new compulsory early ACAS conciliation scheme and its impact on employment tribunal claims

•

changes to the rule on ‘without prejudice’ discussions with employees and how to approach negotiating termination packages

•

the new flexible working regime which gives employees new rights around working flexibly

More information (tamsynhammond@hertschamber.com)

Chamber business forums The Chamber’s business forums meet regularly to provide to share information, showcase services or products and to develop collaborative associations. There are six specialist groups:

Property & Construction

Engineering & Manufacturing

Environmental

Tourism & Leisure

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Connecting and supporting property, building development, design & architecture, construction businesses to develop local supply chains

Contact: Mary Sykes marysykes@hertschamber.com

Sharing best practice and connecting engineers through a series of tours and presentations across world-class centres of excellence in Hertfordshire.

Contact: Laura Shoobridge Laura.shoobridge@hertschamber.com

Bringing together business leaders and entrepreneurs in the green marketplace to encourage and drive change, and share best practice

Contact: Sheryl Hartigan sherylhartigan@hertschamber.com

A partnership, formed in 2001, to bring together key county organisations to promote and grow tourism and place

Contact: Helen Rowe helenrowe@hertschamber.com

HR

Connecting business professionals across different sectors to share, collaborate on issues and develop smart working practices

Export

Developing strong links and understanding of international trade, working with British Chamber of Commerce Overseas Business Network and trade partners along with large organisations to help businesses grow, develop and trade abroad.

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Contact: Tamsyn Hammond Tamsynhammond@hertschamber.com

Contact: Helen Rowe helenrowe@hertschamber.com

UPFront

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LastWord

In this issue we feature the University of Hertfordshires’ Pro-Vice Chancellor (Enterprise) and Director of Marketing and Communications, Julie Newlan, MBE Q

What was your first job and what was the pay packet?

Q

Saturday girl at Hall of Cards - pay packet £5.00 per day Q

Q

It is not for me to judge if I have them, but in my view they need to be: courage, ability to reflect and creativity

What do you always carry with you to work? Glasses - absolutely blind and cannot work without them

Q

If you were the Prime Minister, what one thing would you change to help business?

Q

Reduce bureaucracy Q

What can you see from your office window?

If you could do another job, what would it be? I have the best job in the world and do not want another job

Patrons

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What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? Get on and do it. Do not make excuses to yourself and see setbacks as opportunities.

The Mountain sculpture by Diane MacLean Q

What was your biggest mistake in business? Removing a group of people’s freedom to make their own mistakes. It holds back a business, it holds back institutional learning and holds back creativity

What is the biggest challenge in your business? Constant change

Q

As a business person, what are your three main qualities?

Q

Who do you most admire in business? Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook

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