Patron Focus 11

The positive side of Chamber events is that you can share ideas and hear about challenges other companies in completely different industries are facing. Croft’s Herts Chamber experience just the start of things

Mark Bramley, CEO Croft Communications

Why and when did you sign up to be a Chamber patron?

I think it is coming up to three years now – and we went straight in as a patron rather than a member. Hertfordshire was the first chamber of commerce we joined (and in our view the best) and we have since followed this by joining the Essex, Sheffield, West & North Yorkshire and Business West (covering Bristol, Bath).

What benefits are you getting being a patron?

Chambers of commerce offer connections. Business is about building trusting relationships. People don’t talk to people the same any more – working remotely during Covid only heightened this. Through chamber events and meetings you get to talk to people in a non-pressured (not sales-led) environment.

Yes, the Chamber is about connections and networking but each event is not expected to guarantee a tangible business return. We are a massively acquisitive business so we might meet a company we would like to buy or we meet a person we’d like to hire. If we do, great but the most important thing is we are out there talking to people about who we are and how much we care about what we do.

How have your dealings been with the Chamber so far?

Because of Covid we are only now starting to get involved more. The positive side of Chamber events is that you can share ideas and hear about challenges other companies in completely different industries are facing. For instance, I got to hear about the tech challenges at Ocado.

What benefits do you provide for other Chamber members?

We were asked by the Herts Chamber to provide a presentation on entrepreneurship and how a company can set up from scratch. There was an accountancy firm talking about setting up in business from a tax angle, while we at Croft Communications provided insight from the cyber security angle.

What are the main strengths of the business community in Hertfordshire?

Location-wise it is a great place to be. We are 40 minutes from four different airports and close enough to London without having all the pressures of being in a huge city. The Herts Chamber is well focussed on how they give value to patrons with online forums and events with really interesting and enlightening speakers. It is a very positive environment.