CHAMBER NEWS

BACK IN BUSINESS!

CORNWALL CHAMBER CEO KIM CONCHIE LOOKS BACK ON A TRULY MEMORABLE CORNWALL FESTIVAL OF BUSINESS AND AHEAD TO SUSTAINABILITY SEPTEMBER

I’m still absolutely buzzing from a truly wonderful Festival week here in Cornwall and in particular a brilliant Business Fair.

The atmosphere at Cornwall Business Fair was one of excitement, positivity and ambition and it was terrific to see so many people networking and arranging follow-up meetings.

We need to keep the momentum going and hold onto that positivity. It can be difficult to generate ideas or troubleshoot when working alone remotely, so if you are, try and arrange a couple of face-to-face meetings a week to give you that space to be creative.

At the Chamber, our foot remains firmly on the gas (or green alternative!) as we put the final touches to our plans for Sustainability September and our Planet C Conference, sponsored by Don’t Cry Wolf. We’re planning

WHY JOIN?

Cornwall Chamber of Commerce is an independent not-for-profit organisation accredited by the British Chambers of Commerce. We solely exist to represent businesses in Cornwall. Our events provide a platform for businesses to connect, create and make valuable business relationships. Membership to the Chamber starts from as little as £17 +VAT per month and provides you with the tools to promote your business.

Get in touch today to have a chat about how we can support you and your business. a month of events all geared towards encouraging Cornwall’s business community to really get to grips with its role in helping the Duchy achieve its net zero ambitions.

We’re privileged to have Green Works Consulting as our Project Partner for Sustainability September. They’re helping us navigate our way around this huge topic, and really deliver on providing appropriate information to support SMEs and micro businesses in Cornwall.

When Cornwall is hailed as a leader in the green revolution, topics like lithium mining, geothermal energy and offshore wind usually follow. The majority of businesses in Cornwall aren’t involved in these projects or sectors; Sustainability September is all about giving every business in Cornwall - regardless of size, scale, budget or industry - practical tools to enable them to do their bit for sustainability. The plan is to ensure Cornwall takes ownership of the green agenda and every business plays it part.

Sustainability September will feature Carbon Literacy Training for businesses – the aim is to train 300 businesses across Cornwall to be carbon literate by the end of the month. The foundation course – which will be CPD certified, is focused on enabling action, looking at what an individual business can do to support the green agenda, and why it’s relevant to them and their audience.

We’ll also have a talk on the Future of Built Environment, a series of online sessions on Social Sustainability - looking at why a green agenda matters to everyone; beach cleans, an EV event, a BIG breakfast at Eden, and of course, our Planet C conference.

The Planet C conference, on Wednesday September 28, will focus on the big net zero challenge, cutting through complexity to find out how we as small businesses can get there. We’ll also have case studies, panel sessions, and a choice of interactive workshops including things like Carbon Footprinting and Certifications (including Bcorp), and a guide to funding and grants.

Lots to look forward to – I don’t want to wish the time away because we have the whole summer to enjoy first!

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available for Sustainability September and we welcome ideas for additional events, offering businesses the chance to co-host or jointly organise with us.

If you would like to be involved, please contact darren@cornwallchamber.co.uk

BUSINESS FAIR BUZZ

“ What a fantastic day! In a world of Zoom and Teams it was so nice to get out and about and actually meet people ‘in person’. We had some fabulous conversations and came away with some great contacts and opportunities we would never have predicted beforehand. Thank you and already looking forward to the next one! The Wave Project

“ I was so pleased to have the opportunity to network in person after such a long time. The atmosphere at the fair was so positive and people looked like they were really enjoying themselves. The venues for both the fair and breakfast were very classy and parking was easy. What more could we want?” Helen Willett, Coodes

“ Just wanted to say what an amazing day!! The highs were the people, the vibe, the atmosphere, it was incredible.” Focus