CONNECTED magazine October 2013

OCTOBER 2013

DRIVING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

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36 PAGES OF YOUR BUSINESS NEWS AND STORIES

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CONTENTS |

Inside this issue 6

10-13

7

14-17

19

5

Chief Executive’s Comment

6

One year of CONNECTED

7

Ely Chamber News

8

Fenland Chamber News

9

Huntingdonshire Chamber News

10-13

Cambridge & South Cambs Chamber News

14-17

Peterborough Chamber News

19

Cambridgeshire Chamber News

21

In the Hotseat: David Surley

22-23

Out & About

Ask the Expert: I am never going to die...

25

26-27

Events

28

Policy Update

29

Chamber Updates

30

Update from the LEP

32

Charity of the year

34

Energy contracts

36-37

38

39-41

New Members Recruiting young people Sector Updates

22-23

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 3

| EDITOR’S COMMENT

Contributing this month...

Welcome Welcome to our first anniversary edition of CONNECTED which we are delighted to have available at the Cambridge B2B Exhibition.

THE Chamber magazine has grown in size since the first edition came out 12 months ago and we are grateful for all member contributions to make each edition a success. Please do keep your good news stories and photos coming through.

The Chamber had some good news at the end of August when we successfully went through an assessment to continue as an accredited Investor in People having met all the evidence requirements. If you achieve IiP recognition, send us a news article and photograph for the member news pages.

Lee White CUB (UK) Ltd Pricing Analyst offering advice to achieve competitive quotes on utility needs.

Ian MacKellar MacKellar Consulting A freelance journalist with a background as business editor for a local newspaper.

Oliver Halls Method Creative Recent English graduate and journalist working for a local creative agency.

Do you follow us on Twitter?

Sadie Parr Editor, CONNECTED s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

We regularly tweet Chamber news; follow us at @CambsChamber to be kept up to date with all the latest news.

DRIVING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE Chief Executive John Bridge OBE | Editor Sadie Parr | Creative Director Jillian Boys Publisher methodcreative.co.uk | Ebenezer House, Rooks Street, Cottenham, Cambridge CB24 8QZ | 01954 253060 | Print cambridgeprinters.co.uk Disclaimer Views expressed in CONNECTED are not necessarily those of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce.

Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/or omissions. The editor reserves the right to make amendments without notification.

Membership Development Officer Peter Watts 07545 697799 or Bren Coleman on 01223 209811 Cambridge Enterprise House, The Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge CB24 9ZR. Tel 01223 237414 Peterborough 6 The Forum, Minerva Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6FT. Tel 01733 370809 Email enquiries@cambscci.co.uk | www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

@CambsChamber Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce

4 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

Our editorial panel: We would also like to thank the other members of the Chamber Communications Sector group who will be responsible for shaping the key topics every month and researching these features to better serve the Chamber members in the pages of CONNECTED.

Advertise in CONNECTED and reach more than 7000 potential customers every month!

Contact Lorna Hopkins on 01954 253060 or email lorna@methodcreative.co.uk

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S COMMENT |

Business

Success

Every business measures its successes differently. For some, success is measured by profit margins and year on year growth.

For others, it’s staff retention levels or perhaps contribution to the local community.

However you measure your organisation’s success, what’s most important is that you take the time to step back and assess just what your company and all those who work within it have achieved every once in a while.

We’ve done just that here at the Chamber recently and, like many others in a similar position, we were pleasantly surprised by how much we had achieved.

Over the last year we’ve been driving business growth and supporting new and start-up businesses by providing a wider variety of networking opportunities than any other networking organisation in Cambridgeshire, including free networking evenings at eight different locations across the county and business-tobusiness exhibitions to new Independents Days in Ely and St Neots to drive local trade.

We’ve been encouraging businesses to up-skill their workforce with more seminars organised by our sector committees than ever before, covering a wide range of topics relevant to all companies, large and small. Just some of the areas covered include women in management, social media, the benefits of apprenticeships, advice on becoming a top employer, IT, employment law and sustainability and procurement in the construction industry.

Continuing our commitment to supporting international trade, we’re still experiencing growing demand for our export services

from members seizing opportunities to do business overseas. This is reflected in the significant increase in the number of export documents processed online and in-house at our Cambridge office.

Our Cambridgeshire Export Club is now up and running, offering exporters an informal opportunity to build links and share best practice, and our export procedures and documentation training courses are often over-subscribed.

I know that many Chamber members have been busy entering the various local business awards and indeed the national Chamber awards recently. This magazine, which celebrates its one year anniversary this edition, was recognised with a Gold Award for High Frequency Magazine at the recent Cambridge Building Society community magazine awards.

If you’re in the process of assessing your organisation’s achievements, whether for business awards entries or other purposes, I hope that it has given you food for thought and time to reflect on how far your company has come in the past year and where you hope to take it in the future.

John Bridge OBE Chief Executive, Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce

We were suprised how much we had achieved at the Chamber

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 5

| CONNECTED MAGAZINE

CONNECTED Special

CONNECTED celebrates one year

A snapshot of recent CONNECTED covers that illustrate the vibrant businesses we have in our area

THE last 12 months have been positive for the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce and the monthly magazine CONNECTED has played a part in it.

In this edition’s Chief Executive comment, John Bridge talks about measuring organisation success and what has been achieved at the Chamber including CONNECTED receiving an award.

September 2012 saw the launch of CONNECTED the new look monthly magazine for Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce.

A dramatic new design and subsequent Chamber re-branding has seen the magazine grow in size from 32 pages to the 44 pages it currently is today.

Creative minds The creative vision and strategic guidance behind the reinvigorated magazine is courtesy of Cambridge brand communications agency Method.

With a team of experienced publishing experts and talented creatives, they were able to bring CONNECTED to life and help our members to gain even more from their membership through the magazine.

“It’s been a really satisfying project to work on,” says Brand & Strategy Director Kirsten Corrigan. “We’re really proud of CONNECTED – it truly delivers results.” n

6 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

A result of these changes saw CONNECTED win the Best High Frequency Magazine award at the Community Magazine Awards

‘we are delighted with the new magazine’ Ceremony hosted by Cambridge Building Society. The award looked at magazines producing 10-12 issues per year and judged

them on editorial usefulness of the content to the community it serves.

Sadie Parr, Editor, commented: “It has been an exciting time for me personally as editor of CONNECTED. Our magazine has not only grown in size but the content has changed significantly to bring members informative articles on current topical issues.

“We are delighted with the positive feedback we have received since we took the decision to work with Method Creative to produce our monthly member magazine.” n

GET INVOLVED n Members, at any time, can submit good news stories of 100-150 words with a high-res image to appear on the local Chamber pages n Contribute to Ask the Expert and special feature articles. Contact Sadie Parr for details n You can advertise and reach 7000 readers. From £75.00 (plus VAT).

Sadie Parr, Editor: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

COMMUNITY MAGAZINE AWARDS 2012

ELY CHAMBER NEWS |

Ely Chamber NEWS

Ely Chamber of Commerce

A round-up of news and events from across Ely

Brand new Mercedes 29-seat coach for Greys of Ely AS part of Grey’s continuing commitment to high quality and reduced carbon footprint; they took delivery of a new ‘Midi’ coach in early September.

The 29-seat Mercedes coach comes with air-conditioning, three-point seat belts, full internal / external CCTV and Grey’s unique external passenger assist lighting system.

It conforms to the latest Euro V engine emissions and therefore helps ensure customers reduce their Carbon Footprint when hiring the coach.

Richard Grey, Managing Director, says: “We visited Plaxton, the Manufacturer, at the end

of August to check everything was in order prior to delivery and were exceptionally pleased with how the vehicle has turned out. We feel that it will have real ‘curb appeal’ to clients looking for a smart looking coach for small groups.”

Grey’s, who won several awards in 2012, have once again been selected as a finalist in this years RouteOne Operator of Excellence Awards (The Awards night is being held on the 2 October) for both Small Coach Operator and Coach Manager; the latter Richard Grey won last year. n

AWARD FINALISTS

Jo Evans and Cheriee Chater

MARKETING agency, Emerald Frog Marketing is a finalist for two awards at the 2013 East Cambridgeshire Business Awards. The company, established in 2010, has been shortlisted for the ‘Small Business of the Year’ and ‘Website of the Year’ award categories.

“We are delighted to be through to the finals” says Director, Jo Evans. “We are very proud of our hard work and the results we get for customers; it’s great to receive such recognition as we continue to grow. Huge congratulations to the other finalists, we look forward to seeing you on the night!”

The East Cambridgeshire Business Awards will be presented in the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral at a glittering event on 4 October. n

The new vehicle prior to Grey’s livery being applied

Team Expand AWARD-WINNING recruitment specialist Labour Tech has welcomed new Business Development Manager Steve Copeland to their expanding team.

Steve’s role as Business Development Manager will encompass new business acquisition, lead generation and networking. Steve has extensive sales experience within the recruitment sector.

“Steve has vast of experience in sales and building relationships and will be a great support to our growing team”, says Keith Wilson, Managing Director of Labour Tech Recruitment. “As first point of contact for customers and prospects, Steve will help us build upon our reputation as a quality and effective recruitment service across the region.” n

Steve Copeland, right, with Keith Wilson and Jo Cox

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 7

| FENLAND CHAMBER NEWS

Want to join the Committee?

Fenland Chamber NEWS

We are currently looking to recruit more members onto our Fenland committee.

To find out more please email Freda at f.kirchen@cambscci.co.uk

Fenland Chamber of Commerce

FPM support Barnardo’s work experience RICHARD Atkinson, 21, has undertaken a three-month work experience placement with Foster Property Maintenance (FPM) in Grantham, through charity Barnado’s, with excellent results.

When Barnardo’s Leaving Care approached FPM to take Richard Atkinson on a 12week placement the property maintenance company jumped at the chance. During that time, Richard has turned his hand to labouring and various other trades to show great potential,

proving to be an extremely practical young man.

Richard had ongoing support throughout the placement and was given an incentive payment each week linked to attendance and participation. 70 local and national companies currently support the programme.

Tim Drake, FPM Contracts Manager, said: “The placement has gone very well, so much so that we couldn’t believe when it was Richard’s last week. He is flexible, a hard worker and has been great to have around.” n

Richard Atkinson

Meet the Neighbours Quiz and Hog Roast ELGOOD & Son host the Fenland Chamber informal networking evenings from April to July. This July the Chamber extended the event to include a Hog Roast and Quiz inviting members from Norfolk and Lincolnshire Chamber to attend offering the opportunity to network with members of neighbouring Chambers.

The Hog Roast was provided by Chamber member The Fenland Roaster and quiz winners were Maze Media from Kings Lynn. n

Delegates enjoying the Hog-Roast

Exclusive UK distributors STRATLAB, UK laboratory supply and export specialists, are proud to announce their deal with Uniphos Gas Detection Solutions for exclusive distribution rights to the UK. Stratlab Ltd supplies laboratory equipment to all areas of the scientific, food, petroleum and analytical trade. n

8 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

HUNTINGDONSHIRE CHAMBER NEWS |

Huntingdonshire Chamber NEWS

Huntingdonshire Chamber of Commerce

A round-up of news and events from Huntingdonshire

IN BRIEF OCTOBER 2013 Factory Expansion!

Team photo outside the converted chapel

Beacon Wealth Management have moved BEACON Wealth Management Limited has moved into a renovated Chapel which has been converted into purposely designed offices. The Chapel was built in 1852 and carries a wealth of historical character.

The move has been greatly anticipated

by Beacon’s team and the local community.

After taking on the chapel approximately two years ago, the renovation process moved slowly until six months ago when the redevelopment progressed at high speed.

Tony Larkins, Beacon Wealth Management’s Managing Director, commented: “The move is a big commitment. Beacon started over 12 years ago with just four team members and has developed into a thriving business and today we are a team of 20. Expanding has always been a key objective, with our dedicated team and new premises we are able to fulfil more goals and ambitions.” n

Borney UK celebrated as signage division Your Sign Company expanded into new premises. Companies were given a tour of the new factory which was officially opened by the Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Bill Hensley.

Carli Beary, Brand and Marketing Director, said: “Due to the merger earlier this year we invested in new premises.

This is a great time for the team as we continue to expand our services.”

Carli Beary

Joshua joins the helpdesk team

Luminus raise over £1,500 for Race for Life EIGHTEEN determined Luminus ladies set out to raise money for Cancer Research by completing the Race for Life and holding a variety of fundraising events.

The ladies organised a fundraising week at Luminus’ head office with activities such as car washing, cake sale, a raffle, bonus ball game and the selling of bacon rolls and burgers with a salad bar which helped them beat their target, which in previous years had been £1,000.

All Luminus employees were able to get involved through sponsorship, buying raffle tickets and enjoying the edible treats that were available.

Kelly Linay, Communications & Customer Relations Manager said: “There was a great team spirit amongst

the ladies for the race and during our fundraising week. We worked really hard to ensure we reached our biggest target to date, and I’m so pleased that the rest of Luminus supported us in this very worthwhile cause. Let’s hope that 2014 sees us raise our target even higher!” n

Kelly Linay with Lizzie Baker and Lorraine Wallis

BrightVisions have recruited a new Helpdesk IT Technician to meet the growing demand for their specialist provisioning services.

Joshua Clarke joined in July and thanks to his vast experience and can do attitude he has become an invaluable member of the BrightVisions team.

Philip Mashinchi, Managing Director of BrightVisions, said: “Josh came across as an ideal person to join our dynamic support team and I look forward to watching him develop and grow.”

Joshua joins a team of highly skilled IT technicians who are on hand 7.00am– 7.00pm Monday to Friday answering the calls that come through to the IT Helpdesk.

Marcello Loddo, Helpdesk Manager, added: “Josh has an excellent background and I’m sure he’ll make the difference here at BrightVisions.”

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 9

| CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS

Cambridge & South Cambs Chamber NEWS IN BRIEF OCTOBER 2013 Committing to best practice in Market Research Beth Walthew, Market Research Director at Prospect Research, has become an Associate Member of the Market Research Society (MRS). In doing so, she and the whole research team at Prospect Research commit to following the best practice guidelines outlined in the MRS Code of Conduct.

“By joining the MRS, we’ll be able to ensure that our research work is informed by the most current and exciting developments in market research,” states Beth. “Committing to the MRS Code of Conduct will also give our clients the peace of mind that their research is being conducted in the most professional way possible.”

Cambridge & South Cambs Chamber of Commerce

Splashing Success BARKER Storey Matthews were crowned winners in the annual EG Bidwells punting challenge, coming in miles ahead of the others.

There were many cheating tactics being used; shoes stolen, extra paddles used – anything to try and gain the 2013 title.

Strutt and Parker weren’t giving up at the end, one very wet agent took one for the team and jumped into the River Cam and ‘swam’ the boat to the finish line – anything to not come last! n

Starting line-up

Dynamic duo

Polkadotfrog ‘Cancer in the Workplace’ Seminar’s this October Following the success of the first ‘Cancer in the Workplace’ seminar run by Birketts, polkadotfrog and Macmillan further seminars have been arranged for October.

The seminar offer advice to Employer’s regarding their responsibilities.

Lisa Hayward, Senior Partner in Employment Law at Birketts will speak about an Employer’s legal responsibilities whilst Macmillan Cancer Support representatives will be there to offer advice on the free resources available to employers and employees/carers.

Seminar topics include: Do you know your responsibilities as an Employer?

Did you know that cancer is classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010?

Does a member of your staff have cancer or are they caring for someone with cancer? Supporting employees so that they can remain in or return to work and benefits for the business and individual.

10 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

Stephen Mticham with Adrian Coles

The Cambridge launch training centre THE Cambridge Building Society launched its first dedicated training centre to give new recruits the knowledge and expertise they need while developing their understanding about how to enhance customer experience.

The launch took place on Friday 9 August and was opened by Adrian Coles, Director-General of the Building Societies Association.

Stephen Mitcham, Chief Executive said: “We have always offered a good induction process but this investment will help enhance the experience that our customers will have when doing business with us. n

COMMERCIAL property specialists Januarys has welcomed two new recruits to its expanding team as it prepares for a busy autumn period.

Anish Jadav and Sam Turner joined the planning and commercial and agency teams respectively in September as the business continues to enjoy a busy 2013 to date.

Anish joins the planning team on a one year placement from Nottingham Trent University, where he is studying planning and development. The commercial and agency team welcomes Sam Turner to a graduate position as it approaches one of its busiest periods. n

Januarys welcome Anish and Sam to the team

CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS |

Do you have some exciting news to shout about that you would like featured in these pages? Get in touch. tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Chains for Change IN June, two intrepid members of the Pure recruitment team set off from Cambridge alongside cyclists of all capabilities raising money and awareness for The Liam Fairhurst Foundation. The charity helps young people affected by cancer, disabilities and illness across the United Kingdom.

So far the cycling challenge has raised an incredible £6000 for the charity with every penny going straight to the cause. n

PhoneCamHD launched BLINKPIPE has launched PhoneCamHD to provide high quality, big screen telepresence at a low monthly subscription with no long-term contract.

For SMEs with a small work force, every hour counts. Using video conferencing to interact with colleagues at different offices, suppliers and clients rather than wasting hours travelling between meetings is a tangible way of improving efficiency and output.

Dave Gwilt, Director at BlinkPipe, said: “Our price has been pitched to make PhoneCamHD affordable for SMEs. Users can connect their phone and TV in minutes and start a video call straight away by simply dialling. It combines the reliability and simplicity of a phone call with HD video.”

Video conferencing is soaring in popularity, with many businesses opting to use it in place of face-to-face meetings. n

Cyclists arrive in Downing Street

International Conference DAVID Ball, Chairman of David Ball Group PLC and President of The Concrete Society (20102012), presented a Keynote Address and was an advisor at the ‘Our World in Concrete & Structures’ Conference in Singapore this summer. The prestigious event is now in its 38th year and attracts key industry figures from the private and public sectors.

The event focused on the growth of urban areas around the world and the importance of lowering the cost of providing energy, healthcare, infrastructure and services. The construction industry is showing a growing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and its consumption of natural resources as we see a rapid increase in the demand for greener buildings.

This demand provides both challenges and opportunities in relation to the materials

Strategic talent acquisition to ensure ongoing success We understand what makes a strong team and can help you build for the future.

David Ball

used during construction and encourages the use of materials with lower environmental impacts over their lifecycle.

David spoke about the invention and development of a replacement for conventional Ordinary Portland Cement based concrete. This new patented discovery, Cemfree from David Ball Group PLC, confronts the challenges of climate change, the rising demand for energy and carbon legacy of the world’s most widely used construction material. n

Founded more than 30 years ago, we understand the needs of both growing and established companies. Our attentive and personal approach gives us a distinct advantage as an independent agency. Trust us to be your recruitment partner.

Call us today on: 01223 350234 Or email: jobs@annpettengell.co.uk

annpettengell.co.uk

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 11

| CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS

A mortgage with built-in peace of mind “Our 2 Year Discount Variable Rate Mortgage lets you switch to a fixed rate mortgage any time.

This flexibility puts you in control if rates change.”

Michael Spurr, Mortgage Adviser

Helping your story happen Pop in or call 0345 601 3344

Available for new home purchase loans, remortgages and additional borrowing. Borrow up to 90% of the property’s value. Application and completion fees apply.

Early repayment charges apply during the discount period unless you are transferring to a Cambridge Building Society fixed rate deal. This is a limited offer and may be withdrawn without notice. Full details available in branch or at www.cambridgebs.co.uk. Other mortgages are available. All mortgages subject to security and status.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE.

THE CAMBRIDGE Building Society

The Cambridge Building Society, Head Office Administration Centre, PO Box 232, 51 Newmarket Road, Cambridge CB5 8FF Telephone 0345 601 3344 www.cambridgebs.co.uk Email enquiries@cambridgebs.co.uk

All communications with us may be monitored/recorded to improve the quality of our service and for your protection and security.

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12 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

Follow us @cambridgebs

Like us on facebook

09/09/2013 14:50

CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS |

Cambridge & South Cambs Chamber NEWS

A round-up of news and events from across Cambridge & South Cambs

Møller Spartan Warriors CONGRATULATIONS to the Møller Spartan team who all successfully completed the Cambridge Spartan race in September and drifted across the finish line to collect their medals.

Jessica Edwards, one of the Møller Spartan Warriors and Event Planning Executive at The Møller Centre comments: “The race was so much fun, we all had a great time taking on this challenge together and finished as a team. Everyone was so supportive to each other, proving we have such a strong team here at The Møller! It was an incredibly muddy course in some places, but such a great experience!”

The Møller Centre took part in this year’s Cambridge Spartan race to raise £500 for

Macmillan Cancer Support, the Centre’s nominated charity for 2013. Many thanks to everyone who has supported us on this journey, and we look forward to the rest of the fundraising activities during 2013. n

Moller Spartan Team

Cambridge & South Cambs Chamber of Commerce

IN BRIEF OCTOBER 2013 Four stars for St John’s St John’s College has been awarded a four star rating by Quality in Tourism, Visit England.

Bill Brogan, Catering and Conference Manager, commented: “This is fantastic news for college, we are very pleased.”

The report commented on their big bedrooms, very good cleaning and excellent choice of breakfast with Fair Trade and Organic products being available. The bar was highly praised with a wide range of drinks and snacks on offer and the Porters Lodge was also highly rated.

£500k closure

RealVNC collect their award

RealVNC wins engineering prize REALVNC, the provider of VNC® remote access software, has been named as the winner of the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award. The award and £50,000 cash prize were presented by HRH The Princess Royal at a ceremony at the iconic Battersea Power Station, London. It recognises RealVNC’s outstanding innovation, commercial success and contribution to society.

The MacRobert Award is the UK’s longest running national prize for engineering innovation and is decided by a panel of distinguished British engineers and entrepreneurs. n

AN insolvency firm recently charged £500,000 for the Administration of a small company.

It appears that secured lenders pulled the plug and appointed an Insolvency Practitioner (IP) as Administrator who paid 10p in the £ to unsecured creditors. Given that the order of payout in insolvency is secured loans first, then insolvency fees and then unsecured creditors, this small business must have had significant assets.

There is no mention of the directors having taken independent advice where often a company can be saved such as by using a Company Voluntary Arrangement.

Tony Groom, Managing Partner of K2 Partners Ltd commented: “In a similar situation, I was recently brought in as a restructuring expert to advise the directors on their options. The IP advised that administration was right, which would have been great for his fees, but it wasn’t right for the company or its creditors. The company was saved using a CVA, a result which was best for everyone concerned.

“This highlights the need for directors to take independent advice if their company is in financial difficulties.” n

St John’s College

Analytik welcome new employee Analytik Ltd has recruited Adrian Waltho as Sales Specialist. His objective is to be highly involved in direct sales and business development as well as delivering an excellent application support to customers.

Adrian has a BA Hons in Natural Sciences and an MPhil in Nanotechnology Enterprise from Cambridge University, plus extensive research experience in developmental cell biology.

“Analytik continues to move forward,” said MD Ian Laidlaw. “The strong scientific background and innovative practices that Adrian brings to the company stand Analytik in strong position for outstanding application support and business growth; which is core to our business. We wish Adrian every success in his role.”

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 13

| PETERBOROUGH CHAMBER NEWS

Peterborough Chamber NEWS

A round-up of news and events from across Peterborough

Peterborough Chamber of Commerce

Rawdat Al Khail Park Transformation OVER the last 12 months, the Peterborough and London offices of LDA Design have been leading the redesign of the Qatar capital’s most historic park, Rawdat Al Khail Park at the heart of the old City.

The brief, from the Emir himself, is to bring the currently derelict and overgrown park back to life by creating a stunning new location befitting the world stage that reflects the Qatari culture and becomes the destination of choice for local residents, visitors and tourists alike. Using their expertise in the design and delivery of local, regional and international scale parks and green-spaces, they will see the grand opening of the park in early 2015. n

Rawdat Al Khail Park

Campaign launched to help businesses CITY accountancy firm Rawlinsons is launching a six week campaign to support small and medium sized businesses to improve their efficiency and maximise profits.

Called ‘Better Business’, the campaign will focus on a range of topical issues affecting small businesses from getting the most from their accountancy systems, maintaining a healthy cash flow and managing business costs via workshops, seminars, blogs, e-newsletters, an e-guide plus useful tips.

Ken Craig, Partner at Rawlinsons, said: “Creating an efficient business is no easy feat, particularly in today’s current economic climate so we would like to share our knowledge in order to help local businesses to be as effective as possible at a time when they might need to tighten their purse strings.” n

Rawlinsons have a number of hand-outs to share their knowledge

14 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

European cleantech project meets half way point A European funded project, in which Peterborough is a key partner, has met the mid point of its three year programme.

Representatives from six European countries are working together to deliver the Cleantech Incubation Europe (CIE) project which is funded by the EUs INTERREG IVC programme.

The CIE project aims to create incubator hotspots to boost Europes cleantech sector which globally is worth more than €2 trillion a year. Incubators play a key role in this growth by stimulating and supporting start-up enterprises by providing focused support to entrepreneurs. The project is sharing best practice on this support to improve the effectiveness of existing incubators and to drive the development of new cleantech incubators in Europe. Since the CIE project started in 2012, representatives from each of the six contributing countries have met in Helsinki, Budapest, Turin and Peterborough. These working summits have focused on different areas of the clean technology industry.

The project concludes in September 2014 with the production of a handbook containing best practice examples and key learning for creating successful cleantech incubators in Europe.

Gareth Jones, Head of Business Development at Opportunity Peterborough, said: “We’re really pleased to be involved in the CIE project and look forward to collating all the best practice examples collected during the course of the project ready to launch the handbook next year.” n

PETERBOROUGH CHAMBER NEWS |

Do you have some exciting news to shout about that you would like featured in these pages? Get in touch. tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Celebrity gardener opens Larkfleet resident allotments LARKFLEET Homes hosted a special event at its development in Oakham to officially open its on-site allotment gardens.

A special ‘model eco allotment’ has been developed that demonstrates the potential for the cultivation of healthy wildlife ecosystems

and home-grown, sustainable produce.

Celebrity gardener Nick Hamilton was a special guest and planted a tree with Karl Hick, Larkfleet’s MD, to mark the allotments officially open. Pupils from Catmose Primary School and Langham Primary School also attended. n

Nick Hamilton and Karl Hick with pupils from Catmose and Langham Primary schools

Following her father’s footsteps HEGARTY Solicitors announce the appointment of newly qualified solicitor Lucy Bloom to its expanding Trust and Probate department.

Lucy is the daughter of partner and head of the Employment Law department, Martin Bloom.

Lucy says her father inspired her choice of career: “Dad was always so passionate about his work, and I grew up with a real fascination for the law as a result. I cannot imagine doing anything else.”

Martin, who has been with Hegarty Solicitors since 1979, said: “I am incredibly proud of Lucy and all that she has achieved.

I am delighted that she shares my passion and enthusiasm for the law, and know she will be a great asset to the firm. It is great

to see her following in my footsteps.”

Lucy completed her training contract at Hegarty Solicitors and joined the firm as a fully qualified solicitor in September 2013, specialising in Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Probate work. n

Martin Bloom with Lucy Bloom

IN BRIEF OCTOBER 2013 Funding Success for Cross Keys Care Cross Keys Care is celebrating the approval of its bid for extra care grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency and Department of Health.

The grant funding has come from the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund from the Department of Health.

The main aim of the fund is to support and accelerate the development of the specialised housing market. The fund is administered by the Homes and Communities Agency as the government funding body for housing in England.

Angus Kennedy, Chair of Cross Keys Homes board said: “It is an exciting time for care in Peterborough and we are determined to lead the way in delivering homes, services and rewarding careers.”

Walters bring something new to Business Focus To celebrate the launch of their new branding this autumn Walters will be bringing a mobile office furniture showroom to Business Focus.

Mike Walters, Managing Director at Walters, said: “We’re looking forward to this year’s Business Focus exhibition. By inviting visitors into the mobile furniture showroom we will be able to tell them all about our rebranding and give local businesspeople a taste of the products and services we can offer.”

In September Walters unveil their new corporate branding, including divisional logos and company website designed to reflect the dynamic forward thinking vision the company has. Established in Peterborough over 50 years ago, Walters is a name that promotes excellent customer service and true value for money.

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 15

| PETERBOROUGH CHAMBER NEWS

Peterborough Chamber NEWS

Study Success Leads to Job With College

By Roderick Sutherland, Assistant Principal Apprenticeship and Employer Engagement, Peterborough Regional College

Metrix award PR course Metrix Marketing has awarded a place on a CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) one-day workshop in London to Jasminder Sagoo, 17. She entered a press release competition after visiting the Metrix stand at the Opportunity Peterborough careers fair in July. Metrix is paying Jasminder’s train travel to London to attend the course donated as a competition prize by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. n

Angela Boyce at Jobsmart

Hannah Thomas (right) from Metrix with competition winner Jasminder

Co-operative comes to UCP UNIVERSITY Centre Peterborough has embraced the opportunity to work with co- operatives and provide two degree credit bearing modules. The first module, Ethics and Philosophy, will be launched by Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, on 1 October.

The modules will be delivered on a blended basis with some online and four face-to-face sessions within the 12 week programme. The modules are ideal for those currently involved with co-operatives or intending to be. The face-to-face sessions will have a keynote speaker and discussion forums so that you can support, share and develop the common goals of the cooperative movement.

16 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

Ed Mayo, said: “Co-operatives UK is delighted to recognise the value and relevance of this new course. There has never been a better time to start or grow a co-operative and as an enterprise sector, the field of social enterprise, mutuality and employee ownership is bubbling with energy.”

John Chillcott, CEO Anglia Cooperative, said: “Education is a fundamental requirement of co-operation, enabling people to help and improve themselves.

Working with UCP is also fundamental to supporting the community in which we trade, so Anglia Co-operative is committed to promoting and sponsoring these co-operative education modules.” n

ANGELA Boyce is one student who has shown that hard work does pay off in the long run.

Angela used to work as a Warehouse Operative for Ikea, but had to give up her job due to an unforeseen injury. As a result of claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), Angela was referred to Peterborough Regional College’s Jobsmart Centre, as part of her re-training programme for jobs in the local area.

At Jobsmart, Angela eventually opted for a BTEC Level 1 Award in Hospitality. The course covers events planning, customer service, plus food and beverage service. She attended the course at Jobsmart for 5 weeks, and eventually achieved her full BTEC qualification.

More importantly, hospitality was something that suited Angela’s skills set. Not only did Angela come top of her class and receive the annual college award for ‘Dedication and Commitment’, the staff at Jobsmart were so impressed by her work ethic, that they offered her a job.

Since Angela started as the ESOL for Work Programme Administrator at Jobsmart, she has also started her Level 3 Certificate in Business and Administration. Angela said of Jobsmart, “The staff at the centre are all really nice and approachable. They will help you to choose a course that will definitely boost your CV, plus they help you to apply for jobs that suit your knowledge and skills. Getting extra qualifications is also really helpful, as it shows potential employers that you are willing to learn.” n

COMMERCIAL FEATURE |

Digital Marketing Skills

Building your Digital Marketing Skills for the Future A recent report conducted by O2 identified that UK businesses expect at least a fifth of their new business to come via digital channels. Businesses believe that digital skills are as important to business growth as business development and customer acquisition skills, yet they claim there is a skills shortage of these digital skills available to them.

Many of us communicate personally via social and digital media, but using it within a professional capacity requires a very different approach. Anglia Ruskin University offer a Digital Marketing and Sales module as part of their Leading Business Development University Diploma.

The Digital Sales and Marketing module explores how, and when, mobile, social, email and web marketing initiatives can be used, either in isolation, or within an integrated marketing campaign.

This module aims to build knowledge to devise and implement innovative and successful strategies. The learning is reinforced through a final work-based project

where students develop digital marketing strategies within the context of their own organisation.

O2 surveyed 1,000 young people and found that 90 per cent reported they could use social media to promote an event, 65 per

Digital skills are important for business growth cent could design a website, and 20 per cent could design an app. There are a number of ways organisations can tap into this.

Apprenticeships – In partnership with the Digital Youth Academy, Peterborough Regional College offer a Social Media Apprenticeship programme. Apprentices are employed by the business and will attend college approximately one day per month to build underpinning knowledge through

interactive classroom teaching in addition to being supported by an assessor and online learning modules.

If you are looking to recruit a Social Media Apprentice, Peterborough Regional College can help you with recruitment. They can also provide advice on Apprenticeship Funding and the Employer Grant Incentive.

Internships – If you have a specific digital marketing project that you are looking to implement, through the University Centre Peterborough we can offer to place recent, high-calibre graduates or penultimate year students into your businesses to work on strategic projects. It offers organisations a flexible and cost-effective resource, with long-lasting benefits but no long-term commitment as well as providing the interns with invaluable experience. n

From NVQ through to Masters courses, we can help equip your workforce - and your business - with the skills to prosper.

To find out more contact Think Peterborough on 0845 196 6709 or visit thinkpeterborough.anglia.ac.uk

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 17

| CONNECTED MAGAZINE

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CAMBRIDGESHIRE CHAMBER NEWS |

Cambridgeshire Chamber NEWS

A round-up of news and events from Cambridgeshire

Thames path challenge STAFF from Wyboston Lakes completed their latest annual charity walk, raising £1,118 for The Bedford & District Cerebral Palsy Society.

The four day, 56-mile sponsored event, followed the Thames Path Walk and started at Wallingford and finished at the Magna Carta Memorial on the island of Runnymede.

Heidi Pegrum, HR Director, said: “As well as raising funds for a local charity, this was a great opportunity to get to know fellow workers out of our normal working environment. The Thames Path was extremely pretty with gentle walking.”

The annual walk was the brainchild of former Operations Director Barry Stonham and first took place 12 years ago. n

OCTOBER 2013 CTSA success at the British Shooting Championships

The Wyboston Team

KISS PR wins Snap-on Industrial

Sarah Matkin

New account manager SARAH Matkin joins Smart Messenger as an Account Manager. All customers have a dedicated account manager who knows and understands their business.

On her appointment Sarah said: “One thing is clear from my time here so far, people really value being able to pick up the phone and speak to someone who can give them good clear advice.”

In the last 12 months the Smart Messenger customer base has grown considerably with the new drag and drop, easy editor a massive hit. n

IN BRIEF

SNAP-ON Industrial has appointed KISS Public Relations to handle a highly focused trade media PR campaign.

Managing Director of KISS PR, Justine Smith said: “Snap-on Industrial is a great brand to add to the KISS PR portfolio and the team are excited to be working with a company with over 90 years of product innovation and market appeal.” n

Justine Smith

Sixteen CTSA shooters from Cambridgeshire, took to the road and headed to Bisley near Woking in August for the British Championships, praying that the weather would be kind!

A good week was had by all; both the weather and the shooting were good, even though at times the wind conditions were tricky, which made the shooting interesting! They fared very well and some lovely Trophies and medals came back with them.

Shooting is a sport for all, for young and old, families, disabled and able bodied alike.

CTSA with their trophies and medals

New Team Member Andrea Spurdle has joined the team at Applied Business Computing in Great Gransden. Andrea will be implementing Greentree software to help business owners to operate their businesses efficiently and provide operational intelligence to improve decision making. Andrea previously worked for Greentree in New Zealand and has worked on enterprise software applications for a variety of organisations around the world. She’s enjoying the opportunity to work with businesses in the greater Cambridge area, ranging from millers to sporting goods distributors to refrigeration engineers.

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 19

WE VALUE YOUR BRAND

Innovative brand communication experts.

Get in touch to share ideas on 01954 253060. @method_creative methodcreative.co.uk

SPECIAL REPORT |

In the HOTSEAT

David Surley Head of Business and Route Development, Cambridge International Airport Cambridge International Airport is rapidly gaining a strong foothold in the region. At the heart of its commercial and internal advancement is airline and travel expert David Surley.

OVER the last year, Cambridge International Airport has entered a new phase in its journey towards becoming the first choice for both leisure and business travellers in the region.

In 2012, the airport, owned by the Cambridgeshire-based Marshall Group, introduced charter flights to Italy as well as regular flights to the Channel Islands. More recently, regular scheduled flights began linking the airport with Amsterdam, Paris, Milan and Geneva.

A Unique Approach “All airports offer something a little different and have different strengths”, says David Surley, who is responsible for developing the airport both commercially, by attracting the right airlines, tour operators and partners, and internally, by helping the airport grow from within as a business.

“Cambridge International Airport does not specialise in hosting low-cost airlines.

City-to-city services and excellent convenient connections to worldwide services at major European hubs are more important to us and are key to our business strategy. It’s important to stress that low-cost airlines don’t offer this service! Cambridge has such a strong international business economy and we know a huge percentage of the market has to travel great distances to airports such as Heathrow or Gatwick for comparable flight options.

“Cambridge International Airport is therefore a much more logical choice based on convenience alone. Passengers can take a short hop to a major city or excellent airline hub like Paris or Amsterdam, connect with ease to Sydney or the Seychelles, and enjoy a relaxing airport experience, short check-ins

and wait times. Passengers that are already using the airport are loving our comfortable and compact surroundings.”

Making Strong Connections With the Marshall Group having evolved into a leading Cambridge business group in its own right, and with the Airport now gaining prominence, David feels it’s imperative to interact and work with other local businesses both large and small.

“It’s remarkable how well this region has weathered the economic storm. Cambridge is special and I love this city and area. However, I believe that business communities work best when they harness local potential and thrive from nurtured opportunity. This is part of the Marshall Group’s philosophy and it is why being connected with the local community, businesses and consumers is so important. It’s for this reason that Cambridge International Airport is only too happy to host B2B events and support SMEs in the region. Unfortunately it’s not possible to host everything we’d like to, but our hangars can be great available event spaces and can provide excellent exhibition venues located just a stone’s throw from Cambridge city centre and major road networks. We’re proud to be a Cambridge ‘gathering place’ again for B2B.”

Planning Ahead As the airport evolves at such a rapid pace, David must strive to find the balance between adhering to the consumers’ growing demands for new destinations without sacrificing what makes Cambridge International Airport so unique. “There are many influences that affect the travel industry; the business is nothing like it was 20 years ago and it will

look very different 20 years from now. We are focused, however, on the foreseeable future and we plan to see continued development of our new European services. This will be done through the managed implementation of further selected key routes that make a difference to this market and improve travel options for customers along the way.

“We have some new sunshine destinations – which will be available from 2014 – and I could see a few more coming available as well, but not too many! We’re a regional airport where compact convenience is a major appeal, so we have no plans to change that.”

Business communities work best when they harness local potential Despite this, David is well-aware that Cambridge is growing – quickly too – and the market is expanding, which means that the demand for travel is growing with it. He concludes by saying: “We will meet such a challenge in a controlled way, with a ‘can do’ attitude and a ‘fix it’ frame of mind. I am lucky enough to have a superb team of colleagues who all share that inspiring approach – of making things happen and delivering solutions, either in the office, or out in the market. Therefore, we will achieve these developments with great people, a service ethic and a customer care philosophy that runs right through our organisation.“ n CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 21

| OUT & ABOUT

Out&About Enjoy our monthly montage of events and happenings across the local area with this colourful round-up of gatherings. Make sure you send us your photos each month and we’ll include the best of the bunch! Email images straight to the creative team: connected@methodcreative.co.uk

Safari Networking Delegates came together at Cambridge City Hotel at the start of September to network safari style and listen to Rani Viknaraja from K8 Data Protection Consultancy.

NSPCC Bike Ride The Peterborough Business Support Group has reached a grand total of over £20,000 raised through its summer events to go towards funding the NSPCC’s work with vulnerable children and young adults in the Peterborough region.

A sponsored bike ride around Rutland Water proved to be a huge success, contributing just under £17,000 to total.

22 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

OUT & ABOUT |

Training Centre Launch The Chambers’ Freda Kirchen attended the launch of The Cambridge Building Society dedicated training centre on Friday 9 August.

Facilities Showcase Karen Dawson, Events & Training Co-ordinator, was one of 160 guests registered to attend an open evening to showcase the conference facilities on offer at IWM Duxford.

Karen Dawson swam one mile in the Thames to raise money for Shine You can still show your support by visiting www.justgiving.com/karen-dawson1

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 23

ASK THE EXPERT |

Ask the expert: I am never going to die…

Richard Lane, Solicitor at Hunt & Coombs, highlights some common excuses why some people postpone making a Will.

Some people are reluctant to make a Will, either because they do not like contemplating their own death or because they think it is something that they can put off until they are older.

Below are some of the common excuses people give as to why they postpone making a Will.

‘Everything will go to my husband/ wife/ civil partner anyway’ Rarely this is the case and even so, is it appropriate?

What if you have a business?

What if you are not married?

What if you and your partner die at the same time?

Do you want the Government to decide what happens to your estate - is it worth the gamble? ‘ I do not have anything to leave’ You may not think you have any assets right now, but parents should at the very least make a Will to choose a guardian for their children, otherwise the Local Authority may decide.

Similarly, if you are running a business, a Will can help your business to continue after your death to protect it for your family. Do you have Death in Service Benefits from your work?

‘I can do it myself’ You can make your own Will but there are

many things which you can’t do yourself such as education, car maintenance, surgery, dentistry. Unless you know what you are doing it is advisable to leave it in the hands of qualified professionals.

‘It is expensive to make a Will’ Charges may be less than you think and, if using a solicitor, you should be told the charge before you proceed. The cost of a Will is likely to be much less than the costs of trying to resolve problems later. There may be Inheritance Tax savings which can be made – many people are unaware of their potential liability for Inheritance Tax and the simple measures which can reduce, or even extinguish, this.

‘Making a Will is depressing’ You cannot avoid the reason for making a Will but a good solicitor should make the process as painless as possible. Almost invariably, clients express relief once they have made a Will and express the wish that they had done it years before. `I will die if I make a Will’ Contrary to common belief there is no known evidence linking the making of a Will to an increased risk to die. However there are two certainties in life: death and taxes.

upon the circumstances when it is written but has to deal with the circumstances at death, which may be many years later. For example, it can be hard to think of grandchildren when your own children are still at school. It is impossible to anticipate all the changes which may occur after writing a Will and failure to review it could make gifts ineffective or omit beneficiaries.

The Law or your financial circumstances may have changed since you made your Will.

Planning for Inheritance Tax or care fees may now be appropriate.

Gifts of specific items, such as a house or car, also should allow for changes in the future including, perhaps, the situation if at your death you have sold the asset. This can lead to beneficiaries losing out as their share of your residuary estate may have assumed that they would also receive the specified asset. Changes can also lead to gifts failing due to ambiguity when perhaps it is no longer clear to what asset the gift relates.

Executors may have little or no discretion in how they interpret a Will. Possibly the beneficiaries can come to an agreement but sometimes expensive court action is necessary.

Not only should your Will be clear when drafted but it should be reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains clear and still reflects your wishes. n

‘A Will is not for life’ Commonly problems arise as the result of a Will not being reviewed. A Will is based CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 25

| CHAMBER EVENTS

CHAMBER EVENTS Please visit the Chamber website for full details of all future Chamber events www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

Your essential business calendar for the next month

Autumn Collection DATE Wednesday 2 October TIME 11.45am-2.00pm

Doing Business in Australia DATE Wednesday 23 October TIME 4.30-8.30pm LOCATION Huntingdon Racecourse, Brampton, Huntingdon, PE28 4NL MEMBER PRICE £20.00 (plus VAT)

VENUE Cambridgeshire FA, Bridge Road, Impintgon, Cambridge, CB24 9PH

NON-MEMBER PRICE £27.00 (plus VAT)

MEMBER PRICE £20.00 (plus VAT)

CONTACT Daisy Rivetti on 01733 370809 or email d.rivetti@cambscci.co.uk

NON-MEMBER PRICE £27.00 (plus VAT) CONTACT Daisy Rivetti on 01733 370809 or email d.rivetti@cambscci.co.uk Whether you are solely or partly responsible for HR in your business, this event will keep you up to date with employment law and legislation. It’s informative and interactive and you will leave with better knowledge!

Come and listen to our panel of experts who will introduce their specialist subjects before delegates have the chance to debate and put questions to them over a ‘safari style’ lunch. n Sponsored by:

This event will bring together a group of international trade experts to help you understand the best and most cost effective way to start trading to establish your business in Australia.

Our panel of speakers include: Andy Thompson, Austrade Nick McInnes, Head of Australia UKTI Case Study from Courageous Success Mark Coulam, Treasury Department at Clydesdale Bank Catherine Woo representing the State of Victoria.

This event is organised by the Chambers’ International Sector and sponsored by Clydesdale Bank (a member of the Australian Bank) and UKTI. n

Chamber Member Induction Events Cambridge DATE Wednesday 23 October TIME 9.30-11.30am LOCATION Skills Funding Agency, The Business Centre, Station Road, Histon, Cambridge, CB24 9LQ Peterborough DATE Thursday 24 October

Health & Safety Risk Assessment Seminar DATE Tuesday 5 November TIME 9.30am-1.00pm

TIME 9.30-11.30am

LOCATION Skills Funding Agency, The Business Centre, Histon, Cambridge, CB24 9LQ

LOCATION Chamber Offices, 6 The Forum, Minerva Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6FT

PRICE Free to attend - Chamber members only

PRICE Free to attend but please book in advance CONTACT Bren Coleman on 01223 209811 or email b.coleman@cambscci.co.uk This event will help you to maximise the benefits of membership.

We offer a whistle-stop tour of our complete benefits package, with the opportunity to find out more about the elements that interest you most. n

26 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

CONTACT b.coleman@cambscci.co.uk or telephone 01733 370809 Aimed at SME companies without a dedicated H&S specialist in their team, our NEBOSH qualified tutor will talk you through the latest developments including a detailed look at the consequences of not complying. We’ll take an in-depth look at the risk assessment process, including top tips for putting pen to paper and some of the most common mistakes made. n

CHAMBER EVENTS |

businessfocus

Networking Events SPEED NETWORKING BREAKFAST DATE Friday 27 September TIME 7.45-10.00am LOCATION The Quality Hotel, Thorpe Meadows, Peterborough, PE3 6GA

Stand out from the crowd

SPEED NETWORKING BREAKFAST DATE Thursday 10 October TIME 7.45-10.00am LOCATION Burgess Hall, Westwood Road, St Ives, PE27 6WU

SAFARI NETWORKING BREAKFAST DATE Friday 25 October TIME 7.45-10.00am LOCATION Holmewood Hall, Church Street, Holme, Peterborough, PE7 3BZ

at Business Focus 2013

MEMBER PRICE £15.00 (plus VAT)

Wednesday 16 October / 9.00am - 5.00pm Peterborough Arena

NON-MEMBER PRICE £22.50 (plus VAT) CONTACT k.dawson@cambscci.co.uk or book online at www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

Cambridgeshire Export Club DATE Monday 30 September TIME 5.00-7.00pm LOCATION Park Inn Hotel, Wentworth Street, Peterborough, PE1 1QDH PRICE Free to attend CONTACT h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk or telephone 01733 370809 Cambridgeshire Export Club is an invaluable forum for exporters.

This month we have a representative from the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce attending to offer advice to those companies seeking to trade with Poland. n

Informal Networking Evenings October 2013 Wed 2

The Quality Hotel, Peterborough

5.00-7.00pm

Thurs 3, 17

Holiday Inn, Impington, Cambridge

5.00-7.00pm

Wed 9

Waterfront Bar, Wyboston Lakes

5.00-7.00pm

Mon 14

The Lamb Hotel, Ely

5.00-7.00pm

Tues 15

The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon

5.00-7.00pm

Wed 30

Oliver Cromwell Hotel, March

5.00-7.00pm

Secure your stand today!

Raise your profile and generate new sales at Peterborough’s premier business exhibition

Call us on 01733 513003 or visit www.businessfocus.uk.net Follow us: facebook.com/bizfocus2013 #BizFocus2013 Peterborough Arena, East of England Showground, Peterborough, PE2 6XE Sponsored by

Organised by Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 27

| POLICY UPDATE

Policy UPDATE Keeping you informed, representing local business

Driving Business Growth Over the past year the GrowthAccelerator programme has been driving growth for SME businesses.

During its first year of operation, GrowthAccelerator (introduced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) identified and started working with 6,000 businesses. GrowthAccelerator offers entrepreneurs’ business support, provided by more than 1,000 private sector Growth Coaches with the aim of accelerating their high growth potential.

The programme found that SMEs with rapid growth potential come from all sectors and locations and can be at any stage of their business life cycle. Whilst finance is often quoted as the main obstacle to growth, GrowthAccelerator clients report their main concerns are with people, strategy and marketing.

An end of year survey of GrowthAccelerator clients revealed that 97 per cent had achieved improvements in their management capability, 94 per cent had made changes to the management of their business resulting in a positive impact on business performance and 93 per cent felt more confident in being able to achieve their business targets.

28 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

So how does the GrowthAccelerator programme work?

It is backed by Government but delivered through a private sector partnership. Eligible businesses are assessed by a Growth Manager who consider: • The ambition of the management team to grow • The ability and capacity of the management team to deliver • The opportunity available for the business to grow.

To be eligible businesses need to have fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £40million. Eligible businesses contribute to the cost of the GrowthAccelerator programme according to the size of the business. For example, businesses with up to four employees pay £600 and businesses with between 50-249 employees pay £3,000.

A Growth Manager matches the business with an appropriate Growth Coach who understands the business’ specific challenges and is able to devise a targeted growth plan.

GrowthAccelerator is generating real business growth. High growth can come from anywhere and any type of business, it’s the people behind the business that count.

If you would like to find out more about GrowthAccelerator you can speak to Peter Watts or email g.prangnell@cambscci.co.uk or contact GrowthAccelerator direct on 0844 463 2995 or email enquiries@growthaccelerator.com n

CHAMBER UPDATES |

Chamber Updates An overview of news from your Chamber

ATTRACTIVE BENEFITS PACKAGE FOR MEMBERS IT’S not just the company that joins the Chamber - every employee becomes a member too with opportunities to get involved and benefit personally and professionally from our extensive benefits package.

One of our popular packages is AXA PPP. Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce work closely with AXA PPP healthcare to offer you free access to a variety of business resources.

Personal Business Assistance This service will look after things for you if you’re away from work ill and need to stay in touch with your customers and suppliers – so you can concentrate on getting better.

Health at Hand Chamber members have 24/7 telephone access to a team of qualified nurses, as well as support from counsellors, midwives and pharmacists. All calls are handled in confidence.

Chambers Business Healthcare plans Plans are flexible so you can choose the cover that suits your business – and only pay for the benefits you need. When you join you’ll also get 50 per cent off your Chamber membership fee.

To find out more visit www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/chambers or telephone 0800 387 754 and mention that you’re a member of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce.

The lines are open 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for training and quality assurance. n

Have you got a query about export? Margaret Chadwick answers your questions.

Q

We are manufacturing a new product range and are trying to classify these goods for export purposes. Is this something that we have to do and where shall we go to obtain these codes?

A

Meet Daisy!

Daisy Rivetti, Events Administrator, has recently joined the team at the Peterborough Chamber office.

Daisy will work alongside Helen taking care of the administration of the events generated from the various Sector groups.

She will be a familiar face at our events and looks forward to meeting as many members as possible. n

Margaret Chadwick

Daisy Rivetti

You, as the exporter (or importer where appropriate), are legally responsible for the correct Tariff classification of your goods. The implications of incorrect classification are explained within Public Notice 600 which is available to download from www.hmrc.gov.uk You are correct that you need to decide the correct commodity code for your products according to the UK Tariff in order to clear your goods through export Customs (or import customs). You can access the on-line Tariff at www.gov.uk which gives a representation of Volume II of the UK Tariff. You can seek guidance from the Tariff Classification Service, although this advice is for guidance only. If you require a binding decision, then you can request this written classification decision by completing form C103, which is legally binding on all customs administrations within the EC for up to six years from the date of issue. n

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 29

| CONNECTED MAGAZINE

LEP FOCUS

Keeping you informed and up to date

A bright economic future The Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is focused on delivering economic growth for our local area, which is why we wanted to bring Connected readers up to speed with the work that has been taking place at the LEP so far.

To date, the LEP has secured £16.1m worth of Growing Places Funding (GPF) and committed it to projects in our area, levering in an additional £26m of public and private sector funding and unlocking a total of 12,500 jobs.

A number of these GPF projects are already complete, or nearing completion, including the Future Business Centre that in Cambridge and the recently opened Fenland Horticulture and Land-based Skills Centre at Delamore.

The success of these projects means that we will be able to reinvest £6.7m of GPF across our area over the next two years.

Looking towards Alconbury Enterprise Zone, the team have secured £100,000 of Skills Funding Agency (SFA) to create and implement a skills strategy for the development, and the partnership has successfully bid for £4.6m of Local Infrastructure Funding for the Southern Access Road to the site.

More recently, our £3.2m Regional Growth Fund (RGF) bid for an innovative new AgriTech project that spans our LEP area into Norfolk has been approved, and we are currently working through due diligence with Government.

Our Grants Advisor, Kurt Scheepers, has helped local businesses connect with

30 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

£76,150 of Grants4Growth funding, and continues to support businesses in their grant applications.

Looking beyond the money we have secured for our area, we are the single largest local contributor to the A14 scheme, putting forward £50m to ensure the early upgrade of this vital road.

We have also committed £1m towards the Voluntary and Social Enterprise ‘LEP Prize Challenge Fund’ to help third sector organisations deliver innovative projects to get hard to reach people back into work or work ready. The successful projects will be announced later this year, and overall these projects will help 1,000 disadvantaged people become job ready and get 250 people back into work.

Looking ahead, we are working with partners to the north of our area to put in place our first Local Skills Teams, which will cover Rutland, Peterborough, Fenland, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. The Teams will link together local businesses with schools and training providers to ensure students have all of the information to select the right courses to get them into work as well as learning

the skills businesses require for their future workforce.

We are also working hard to create a European Funding Strategy, the first draft of which needs to be submitted by 7th October 2013, and our Local Growth Strategy to enable us to bid for further funding from the Government’s ‘Single Pot’ to support the continued economic growth of our area.

You can find out more about our work by visiting yourlocalenterprisepartnership.co.uk.

COME AND VISIT US… Kurt Scheepers, our Grants4Growth Advisor at the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership, will be on the LEP stand at the Cambs B2B Exhibition to tell businesses more about the grants available. Find out more about Grants4Growth here: www. yourlocalenterprisepartnership.co.uk/ grants4growth/ or come and visit us at the event. n

CONNECTED MAGAZINE |

Future Business Centre the new home for social and environmental businesses in Cambridge

SmartLIFE

OP AUTU ENING on Ki MN 201

- retrofit for business

ngs H 3 e Road dges

FREE support to help your business grow The Future Business Centre will be an enterprise hub that combines good business practice with the business of doing good. It will support start-up and early stage social and commercial businesses that deliver social or environmental benefits.

• A different kind of incubation hub • Specialist business advice • Flexible and affordable workspace • Cambridge Cleantech on site to assist start-ups • The place to grow ideas and make a difference – locally and worldwide

SmartLIFE - retrofit for business FREE workshops Understand the retrofit market Advice on energy efficiency & renewable technologies Develop employee skills Be contract ready

01223 715689

LP US E H U O Y N CA R G OA L? get U O H C A E R to are needed

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CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 31

| CHAMBER CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Wear Yellow and Shine

1 2 3

Pick a day to ask your school/work or all your friends to Wear Yellow and Shine!

Choose your brightest, snazziest yellow outfit!

Ask everyone to make a donation on the day to Shine

Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus

Awareness Week 2013 19th – 26th October

Thank you for supporting this national event to raise the profile of these conditions that affect thousands of people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Facebook: facebook.com/shineUKcharity Twitter: @shineUKcharity For more material to support your Wear Yellow and Shine event, or additional fundraising information, please contact Hannah on hannah.wysocki@shinecharity.org.uk or 01733 421351 Registered charity no: 249338

Awareness Week Poster 13a.indd 1

32 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

29/08/2013 17:08

UPCOMING PROGRAMME 2nd - 4th Dec 2013

DEVELOPING MANAGERS

FAST AND EFFECTIVE SUPPORT FOR NEW FRONTLINE MANAGERS Promotion into management can be a significant career achievement, but can also mean a move out of operations and into the ‘frontline’. New and different responsibilities come into play, and often new managers will feel overwhelmed.

Help is needed if they are to make a real contribution to the workplace.

Designed specifically for those recently promoted out of an operational role, Lord Ashcroft International Business School has launched ‘Developing Managers’. The programme introduces new managers to the tools required for effective frontline management, but also underlines the holistic nature of good management, showing how discrete capabilities work together to achieve organisational goals.

THE PROGRAMME Delivered as a continuous three-day programme or as six individual half-day sessions.

“An excellent diagnostic tool, enabling new managers, and their employers to understand their strengths while highlighting areas where capacity needs to be built Dr Terri Simpkin, Programme Director, Anglia Ruskin University

• Frontline management: An overview of the new manager’s role.

• Managing people: Achieving goals through teamwork • ‘Where the rubber hits the road’: Understanding, anticipating and meeting client needs.

• Managing client relationships: Using basic marketing principles to explore QA in the context of client relationships.

• Finance fundamentals for Frontline Managers • Strategy at the frontline

To find out more about ‘Developing Managers’, to book a place, or to enquire about bespoke programmes:

call 0845 196 5685 email laibs-info@anglia.ac.uk web www.anglia.ac.uk/laibs/ shortcourses

| SPECIAL REPORT

Energy Advice

Energy contracts fit for businesses big or small Energy and its associated costs are big news for any business of late; it’s the life blood in a technological age and it’s near impossible to go without consuming it.

BUSINESSES have been left to sit precariously when it comes to getting reassurance over energy bills. With energy company profits soaring it’s difficult for local businesses to follow suit when the biggest overhead cost to their company is their energy bill.

Business’ can get better options when arranging their contracts and companies can pull together to get the best deals.

The energy market is a complex one that can be daunting for anyone without inside knowledge or education; with the range of economic, political and environmental influences it can be difficult to know when to buy or when to wait for that perfect moment.

A lot of Consultancies within the energy industry have services that give customers better control and freedom when making purchase decisions.

It’s worth seeking advice on the risks involved in various contracts and ensuring you have full control of the purchasing strategy you put in place.

34 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

There are a lot of products that energy suppliers and consultancies have out there to help with the decision making process but even then the list can be intimidating without someone there to provide advice and simplify the jargon. Don’t hesitate to ask questions; at the end of the day it’s you who has to be happy with the decisions made.

Energy consultancies should be looking to fit businesses energy consumption to a product that gives them the best value for money. It’s all about reducing the risks involved when purchasing and limiting these as much as possible.

Some clients are often stuck in no-mans land as their consumption isn’t small enough to get the cheap one off deals, or not big enough to get the suppliers battling over the consumption amount. There are products that bring the medium businesses together so that they could have the same choices given to them as the big consumers.

The way it works is to team up businesses with consumption over 1m kWh into a buying group. This process assists in driving down supplier margins as well as providing the group access to cheaper electricity prices from the live electricity market.

So no matter what size your business is, big, medium or small, there will be a service out there to suit you. It’s all about knowing how you use energy and asking the right people the right questions.

Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves! n

CONNECTED MAGAZINE |

BUILDING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE IN YOUR AREA

Peterborough

Fenland Ely

✓ Promote Your Business ✓ Protect Your Company ✓ Get Involved ✓ Succeed Internationally ✓ Reduce Business Costs

Huntingdonshire Cambridge & South Cambs

01223 237414

www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

?

I DON’T WORRY ABOUT QUESTIONS I FIND THE ANSWERS I NEED. AS A CHAMBER MEMBER I’M WELL CONNECTED. IF IT’S NEW CUSTOMERS YOU’RE AFTER OR THE RIGHT ADVICE TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS GROWING, BELONGING TO YOUR LOCAL ACCREDITED CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEANS YOU ARE ALWAYS WELL CONNECTED. VISIT WWW.CAMBRIDGESHIRECHAMBER.CO.UK TO SEE HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS.

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 35

| NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS

NEW Members

A warm welcome to our new Chamber members

NEW MEMBERS

C4B Media

THIS MONTH

www.c4bmedia.com

Cambridge Network Cintra Ltd Hays Recruitment Peterborough Hillbrooke Public Relations Instant Home Ltd

C4B Media is a Cambridge-based creative design and marketing agency. What sets them apart from others is their passion for integrated, joined-up marketing.

That means you can use them for digital marketing, creative design, branding and communications or a complete package of everything you need.

JS Holmes Ltd Neaves & Neat Novacom Corporation Ltd

Cintra Ltd

Blinkpipe

Select CBS

www.cintra.org.uk

www.blinkpipe.com

Cintra is a leading provider of interpreting and translation services to businesses and public services. They specialise in providing highly trained, qualified and security vetted interpreters (in person or by telephone) and translators 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Alex Nancekievill and Dave Gwilt set up BlinkPipe at the end of 2010.

Based on East Road in Cambridge, BlinkPipe’s first product PhoneCamHD provides high quality, big screen telepresence accessible to businesses of all sizes.

Thorne

Skanska www.skanska.co.uk Skanska is one of the UK’s top 10 contractors with a significant presence in Cambridgeshire. They operate the Cambridgeshire Highways contract responsible for over 2,600 miles of roads and paths. They’re the main contractor for the RAF Wyton development in Huntingdon and have won multiple awards for their first residential development in the UK at Trumpington. They also operate a large infrastructure delivery contract for Anglian Water from Peterborough.

36 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

JCI Cambridge www.jcicambridge.org.uk JCI Cambridge is the local branch of the Junior Chamber International (JCI), a global network for young people in their 20s and 30s. It offers business networking, social and training opportunities to young business professionals from across the Cambridgeshire region.

JCI Cambridge provides a platform to network and socialise with like-minded business professionals. It is present in more than 100 countries and has almost 200,000 members across the world.

Meeting on a regular basis for fun and friendship, it runs inspiring events and projects with its members.

NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS |

Would you like to become a Chamber member?

Get in touch today and find out the many benefits. tel: 01223 237414 email: enquiries@cambscci.co.uk

Aldermore

Cambridge Network

www.aldermore.co.uk

www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk

Aldermore is one of the UK’s leading challenger banks with a focus on providing funding support to British businesses and homeowners through a selection of specialised products and services. They offer exceptional customer service and an altogether refreshing approach to finance and provide commercial and residential mortgages, asset finance, invoice finance and online retail and SME savings accounts.

They have over 15,000 SME customers and over 80,000 retail and business savers too.

Cambridge Network has around 1,500 members involved in the high skill cluster in the region. They help businesses from small to large by bringing leaders together to learn lessons from each other and academia, creating productive connections. They organise events and peer groups for members, organise shared training and help members recruit talented people to Cambridge.

Their website directory is used by growing businesses as a promotional channel.

‘Bringing people together for shared success’.

Burgess Hall www.burgesshall.net Burgess Hall Events and Conference centre, adjoining One Leisure St Ives, is the premier entertainment, events and conferencing venue in Huntingdonshire. Located just 20 minutes from Cambridge, with excellent road links to the A14, A1 and M11 and with plenty of free onsite parking this is the ideal venue.

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t: 01223 597919 adeptsoftware.co.uk

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 37

| SPECIAL REPORT

Education Update

Recruiting Young People How raising the participation age could impact on training and employment.

BUSINESSES in Cambridgeshire can still recruit 16 and 17 year-olds into full time employment in spite of raising the participation age to 17 from September 2013 and to 18 in two years’ time.

Education and training providers are at pains to stress that the Government has not raised the school leaving age, which remains at 16.

This was a measure legislated by the previous Labour administration in 2008 and is being introduced by the Coalition, so it has cross-party support even if it has not been explained very effectively - which may have much to do with the fact that Education Secretary Michael Gove, who is profoundly distrusted by the teaching profession, has taken charge of the policy.

What it means in effect - I simplify a bit for brevity’s sake - is that there should be some educational or training element to the lives of those who would have left school as 16-yearolds. It is designed to reduce the number of NEETs (youngsters not in employment, education or training), who are widely regarded as unfortunates, ne’er-do-wells or scoundrels, depending on the observer’s prejudice. At any event, they do neither themselves nor society much good - for the most part.

38 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

Sweeping generalisations apart, the County Council claims Cambridgeshire has one of the lowest NEET rates in England.

Nonetheless, colleges in the county dedicated

The measure will lead to closer ties with the local businesses to skills training rather than book-learning are determined to use the new regime to make non-academic youngsters employable - the very thing some businesses are sure will not happen if the young people stay at school.

Huntingdonshire Regional College’s principal, Susanne Stent, expects to see a significant expansion in the support HRC gives to employers providing apprenticeships, including helping find the right candidate - for which the employer can get a £1,500 grant or other in-employment training. Nonetheless, there will be no short-term penalties for employer or young person if the training

element is not provided.

Anne Constantine, who heads Cambridge Regional College, believes the measure will lead to even closer ties with local businesses and to young people understanding better the attitudes and disciplines they need to take onto the first rung of the employment ladder. What’s more, she promises that CRC will help employers through the associated bureaucracy, even though educational funding for post-16s is lower than schools receive for younger pupils.

The distinguished Peter Downes, former head of Hinchingbrooke School in Huntingdon and now an adviser to the Government and a firm supporter of RPA, agrees that Gove has got the funding skewed. The £1bn the Government has squandered (in Downes’s view) on academies and free schools would have been much better spent on more early years and primary school places, especially in Cambridgeshire, and on helping disadvantaged pupils, such as through the ‘pupil premium’ and RPA. He fears that will mean that what should have been a good scheme might fail to achieve its potential.

In the meantime, good Cambridgeshire employers will no doubt continue to help develop their young workers. n

SECTOR FOCUS |

Sector Focus

Updates from Chambers Sector Groups

For any feedback, general information regarding the Sector Groups, or to contribute, please get in touch with Helen Bosett. tel: 01223 209815 email: h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL

Doing Business in Australia THERE has never been a better time to sell goods and services in Australia. The economy is awash with money on the back of the mineral reserves boom and the country has a seeming insatiable demand for consumer goods, services and capital plant. Local business is not rising to the challenge and it is overseas providers that are filling the gap. This workshop aims to present the opportunities and demonstrate how to take advantage of them.

The Keynote address will be made by Andy Thompson of AusTrade (Australian Government Trade Organisation) who will present the case for Australia as an enormously attractive market to do business in.

Nick McInnes, Head of UKTI in Australia, is flying in from Sydney to help you understand where the opportunities lie and make recommendations on the best and most cost effective way to access this wealthy market.

Catherine Woo from the State of Victoria will speak on setting up a local office. There will also be a case studies from Courageous Success and a brief on currency and banking

by Mark Coulam, Treasury Department for Clydesdale Bank. You will have an unparalleled opportunity to explore the possibilities of exploiting the market for your company.

A buffet will be provided and there will be time for questions and networking.

Further details are on pages 28-29. n

Cambridgeshire Export Club OUR Cambridgeshire Export Club is proving popular with local exporters.

Representatives from UKTI attend to offer advice on different markets and international trade support activities and the Chamber Export team is on hand to answer questions on export

Delegates at Park Inn, Peterborough

documentation.

The September event welcomes the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce offering advice to companies looking to trade with Poland.

These evenings alternate between Cambridge and Peterborough venues on the last Monday of each month. n

HR & RECRUITMENT

The Disclosure and Barring Service THE Disclosure and Barring Service is an executive agency of the Home Office that helps organisations to make safer recruitment decisions by providing appropriate access to details of spent and unspent criminal convictions and other related information in certain circumstances. The disclosure service provides employers and organisations engaging volunteers with information to assist them in assessing the suitability of an individual for work which involves a position of trust.

Our Autumn Collection, organised by the Chambers’ HR and Recruitment Sector on 2 October, will provide an update on the current law and best practice for organisations seeking to check the criminal records of prospective and current employees, workers and volunteers. It considers the questions that employers can ask, as well as the options open to an employer upon discovering that a potential recruit, or current member of staff, has had a criminal conviction.

See event pages 28-29 for further details about the Autumn Collection. n

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 39

| SECTOR FOCUS BUSINESS WOMEN

Meet Lis! This month we hear from Lis Every (Kuschel), Chair of the Chambers’ Learning and Skills Sector.

If you would like to feature here, contact Helen Bosett, Sector Co-ordinator, h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk

Q A

What do you do?

Technically I have just retired from the world of education after 31 years as a teacher and deputy head. However I remain busy as a Director of King’s of Witcham, an independent specialist and authorised repairer for Volvo and Ford and Deputy Mayor of the City of Ely Council this year. I am absolutely committed to supporting skill development and helping young people in the area to achieve their career potential through my work as Chair of the Learning and Skills Sector. A current project is to develop a business mentoring programme for all local sixth form students. I am hoping to spend more time working with the local Chamber now I have more time!

Q A

What are your top three tips for running or working in a business?

1. Making sure there is a vision and it is shared.

2. Building and maintaining relationships.

3. Effective communication with all stakeholders.

Q A Q A

What do you do to unwind?

When I get time, I enjoy reading detective novels.

What’s your favourite book and why?

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. It inspired me when I first read it at the

Lis Every

age of eight and re-read it many times!

It’s about three young girls pursuing their dreams despite setbacks.

Q A

What value do you get from being a Chamber member?

The networking with members and the support from the team is absolutely invaluable in keeping up to date and sharing ideas and good practice. n

ICT

Here to help members A new, active and willing bunch of ICT Sector committee members are here to support Chamber members.

ICT Sector Committee

40 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

So what is the purpose of the ICT Sector?

The Sector is led by a committee which is represented by expert, dynamic, forward looking people who have an interest in assisting Chamber members. Meeting regularly they can discuss ICT issues facing local businesses and share their knowledge.

With aims which include keeping members up to date with new technology by providing regular updates and features within the Sector pages of CONNECTED and via the ICT sector page on the Chamber website, as well as provide a local gateway for Chamber members to seek and obtain impartial IT advice and guidance.

Spreading themselves around the county, you will find representatives of the ICT committee at future informal networking evenings – come along and pick their brains! They promise to talk your language too!

Or if you have a more pressing issue or question, this can be sent to Helen Bosett, Sector Co-ordinator, h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk n

SECTOR FOCUS | COMMUNICATIONS

Social Media as a Business Tool THE second of the series of our Social Media: Terrified towards Terrific workshops took people along the journey of using Social Media as a Business Tool.

Focusing on LinkedIn and Twitter, Social Media Trainer Ian Gibbins ran through a number of elements such as profiling connections and how to build up your networks, third party social media tools to include automation of activity, utilising LinkedIn and Twitter features.

Held at the University Centre Peterborough, this session was supported by Sara Drawwater of Something Beckons who is also a committee member of the Chambers’ Communications Sector.

If we were to repeat this series of Social Media Workshops in Huntingdon or Cambridge would you be interested? Let us know by emailing h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk n

Delegates at the recent Social Media workshop

The link between brands and communication THIS issue of CONNECTED marks the one year anniversary of the new look, rebranded CONNECTED magazine! That got me thinking about how brands succeed, or not.

Now I think I’m going to stir up a hornet’s nest. Brands are not just logos, slogans and meaningless gimmicks. It’s a little bit more serious than that! Your brand is your customers’ entire experience of your company, whether good or bad.

Everything your customer sees is part of your brand. All those visual messages like logos, campaigns, colours, images, your website and presence (or not) on social media channels, are just a few examples of communication that will impact your brand.

Everything your customer experiences in the exchange (or not) of goods and services is part of your brand. This experience starts from their awareness of your company maybe that sign written van, the advert, what other people say, the article they read about your company. This leads up to that very first enquiry, be that an email,

telephone call, or face to face discussion.

It continues through the buying process, hopefully onwards to the decision to purchase, and on to the delivery stages of your product or service. The experience continues further still, to after sales care and post purchase experience. Note that this entire journey involves a key ingredient communication.

As you build your brand remember that in today’s world, the visual experience of your brand tends to form the hub of your communications. This is simply because people tend to look for information about your products and services online. That world is a visual one, in which simple, visual, and valuable experiences perform better.

But apart from that, everything else about a successful brand is about customer experience. And customer experience is driven by how you communicate and deliver in print, online, face to face, over the phone, internally, externally.

Sara Drawwater, Something Beckons n

CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013 | 41

| CONNECTED MAGAZINE

ACCESSING FUNDING FREE Low Carbon KEEP Showcase Event A series of stimulating talks by government and non-government funding providers in the region, Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) funding managers and companies who have successfully accessed and utilised various types of funding.

Funding opportunities available for SMEs Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the financial and business aspects of the various streams of funding available

and listen to real world examples of how companies have used funding to increase profits, develop new products and improve competitiveness.

This event is ideal for SMEs who wish to learn more about funding opportunities available to them and learn from companies who have successfully utilised funding to spearhead their projects.

If you would like to learn more about the event or REGISTER, please email Carole Randall at carole.randall@anglia.ac.uk or phone 0845 196 2840. To find more information about the Low Carbon KEEP Programme, please visit www.anglia.ac.uk/lowcarbonbusiness n

EVENT INFORMATION DATE November 6th 2013 TIME 10:00 - 16:00 LOCATION the Trinity Centre, Cambridge Science Park The presentations will be followed by lunch, networking and the opportunity for in depth discussions with individual funders and companies.

Safe and secure High security and traceability as standard for each and every archive box we store.

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Providing Secure Document and Data Storage and the lifelong management of all stored media.

Giving your business complete peace of mind.

Want to know more about the £2.8 million funding available?

Find out about the capital and revenue funding for small businesses with the

LOW CARBON KEEP PROGRAMME

What is the Low Carbon KEEP programme?

This European and UK Government funded scheme is designed to enable small to medium size businesses to work in partnership with UK universities and colleges.

What can it do for my company?

This programme offers both capital and revenue funding towards the eligible costs of collaborative projects between universities and companies.

How does it work?

The company and university recruit an experienced graduate to work full-time at the company on a specific project with agreed timescales. The graduate is supported by a specialist academic from the university who dedicates at least half a day a week.

What could a typical project look like?

A Low Carbon KEEP project could address resource efficiency within a business, development of new products or services, innovation... the scope is huge!

What is the Low Carbon KEEP Innovation Voucher?

A The Low Carbon KEEP Innovation Voucher scheme allows SMEs to purchase standalone academic expertise from the region’s Universities to support innovation and business improvement. The Innovation Vouchers cover 40% of the costs of purchasing specialist support for a value from £1,000 up to £5,000, which will provide up to 12 days of bespoke assistance.

www.anglia.ac.uk/lowcarbon

lowcarbon@anglia.ac.uk carole.randall@anglia.ac.uk Tel. 0845 196 4310/5818 @LowCarbonKEEP

BMW i

The Ultimate Driving Machine

BE THE FIRST. BECOME ELECTRIC.

Some people follow. Others like to lead. If that’s you, you might be interested in the electric BMW i3, seamlessly designed to combine the benefits of an electric car with ultimate driving pleasure. Your Local Business Development Manager will be able to discuss the advantages of introducing electric vehicles into your fleet, along with the benefits of BMW i.

Be one of the first to test drive* the new BMW i3 when it launches in November. To keep up to date on the latest news and developments, please contact Elms Corporate on 0845 129 50 20.

0845 129 50 20

Elms Corporate

Sheepfold Lane, Cambourne Cambridge CB23 6EF 0845 129 50 20 www.elmscorporate.co.uk

Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3: mpg N/A, CO2 emissions 0 g/km, power output (electric motor) 125/170 KW/hp, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100 km (NEDC test cycle) 12.9, customer orientated range 80–100 miles, total range (NEDC test cycle) 118 miles. Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3 with Range Extender: mpg 470.8, CO2 emissions 13 g/km, power output (electric motor) 125/170 KW/hp, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100 km (NEDC test cycle) 11.5, customer orientated range 150–186 miles, total range (NEDC test cycle) 211 miles. Data subject to confirmation. *Test drive subject to applicant status and availability.