Norfolk Voice 37

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Learn to love networking 1

Plus… our Big Interview with MigSolv CEO Highlights of our 120th anniversary year

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

MARCH/APRIL 2016

NOVEMBERDECEMBER 2016

For more information about our tailored on and off the job training programmes email ncls.apprenticeships@norfolk.gov.uk or phone us 0344 800 8020 www.norfolk.gov.uk/adultlearning @NorfolkCLS Norfolk Community Learning Services

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CONTENTS

Welcome!

Norfolk Chamber has had an amazing couple of months since our last issue. We officially celebrated our 120 year anniversary on the 7th October, the observant amongst you will have noticed we have been celebrating this fact a lot this year… and why not .. 120 years committed to helping business to thrive needs celebrating! See page 28 for more details.

The Chamber offers a lot more than our networking events as you know, but relationship building face to face or online is key to growing a business and that is what the Chamber offers you as a member. The old saying of ‘it is not what you know but who’ is as important today as ever. Being an integral part of the Norfolk community we can help you reach new potential customers in numerous different ways. See page 26 for more details The Norfolk Chamber Board has taken a strong stand backing the Devolution deal on the table for Norfolk and Suffolk to be voted on by our Councillors later in November. Many Councillors say they are for Devolution BUT not this one. The result will be less money in the short term to improve our infrastructure, online communication channels etc plus not bringing the decision making process closer to Norfolk. Read more about what you can do to help on page 12.

So what is going on for the balance of this calendar year? Lots! Do check out our website norfolkchamber.co.uk to ensure that you are not missing out on events, training and influencing opportunities too numerous to mention here but many are covered within the magazine. Please do take advantage of using our website and magazine to promote your own activities as members, and remember that a picture paints a thousand words and will have more impact on your target customers… and is more likely to be featured in our next magazine.

Finally, for those that are wondering…the new CEO recruitment process is underway… but I am still around until next Easter which is a long time in business!

CHAMBER NEWS

YOUNG CHAMBER

CHAMBER POLICY

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

FOCUS ON FINANCE

FEATURES

MEMBERSHIP & NEW MEMBERS

CHAMBER EVENTS

PR & MARKETING

MEMBER NEWS

MEMBER NEWS

BUSINESS SUPPORT

THE BIG INTERVIEW

MEMBER NEWS

MEMBER NEWS

VIEW FROM THE BOARD CHAMBER’S GOLD PATRONS

Norfolk Voice is a Norfolk Chamber of Commerce publication.

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

elinor.goodhead@norfolkchamber.co.uk

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NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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ALL EDITORIAL AND GENERAL ENQUIRIES:

FEATURE EDITORS

Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

John Dean & Francis Griss email:deangriss@btinternet.com DISCLAIMER: Distinctive Publishing or Norfolk Chamber cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Norfolk Chamber.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

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Representing Norfolk’s views on Brexit.

It’s been a very busy few months at the Chamber since the last edition of Norfolk Voice; the economic breakfast discussed Brexit and the potential risks to the economy, a very successful B2B Exhibition which was sold out in advance and experienced record levels of footfall, and our 120th AGM. With Brexit still rumbling on, I was pleased to be able to have the opportunity recently to question Lord Bridges, the Parliamentary Under Secretary for State at the Department for Exiting the European Union. Lord Bridges was invited to meet the Chamber Presidents’ Assembly in London. Whilst Lord Bridges did not give too much away, maybe because they are still formulating their proposals, it was clear that they are very keen to engage with business and hear first-hand what we want out of any renegotiation with Europe.

It was clearly evident that Government sees the Chambers of Commerce and their members as key advisers in respect to all business related activities.

With both Frances Martin, our new BCC President,

and Adam Marshall, the new Director General of BCC, regularly meeting ministers and being invited into No 10, the Chamber network is the real voice of business.

I appreciate many Chamber member businesses may think that what happens in Westminster is a million miles away from us in Norfolk. However I think it is clear that the Chamber network on the whole has a significant influence. If there are specific issues you would like us to take-up, we will do what we can to get the message through.

With the nights starting to draw in, and temperatures dropping, autumn is definitely here and we are quickly moving towards winter and the festive period. It’s this time of year when people often stay in watching TV. This year we have a new comedy, the Clinton/Trump show, to keep us entertained.

By the time you read this we will have a decision and let’s hope whichever way it goes it does not create any more turmoil in confidence in the markets. You never know - the pound may even go back up.

Jonathan Cage

President, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

Guests get insight into extreme business success.

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Carl Bates

Plenty of business networking at the Great Yarmouth Town Hall.

Recently, over 70 members joined us for a Business Breakfast focusing on the tourism industry, at the Great Yarmouth Town Hall.

We kicked off the morning with a talk from our event sponsors, Santander. They provided an overview of their services in the sector. Following this we tested how awake our guests were with a bit of Speed Networking! Guests commented that the activity gave them lots of new contacts and made their networking a lot swifter overall.

After a delicious breakfast was served we heard from our guest speaker, Rebecca Harris, Communications Manager at Hoseasons. Rebecca discussed how

she has used a range of techniques and innovations to help make Hoseasons as successful as it is.

Customer service was a key message throughout her presentation, along with the use of technology and keeping up to date with it. Guests questioned the use of Live Chat on websites and the benefits of it, to which Rebecca provided impressive usage figures from their experience, proving the Live Chat a success.

We finished the event with some time for free networking, in which many guests took this opportunity to talk further with the speakers and get in some final business card exchanges.

Does this sound like something you’d like to attend?

Check page 36 for our upcoming events.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Lately, over 25 business owners joined us at The Ideas Factory, Norwich, to learn about the laws behind ‘Extreme Business Success’.

Guest speaker, international entrepreneur and author Carl Bates, who was visiting the UK, highlighted various ways in which you can make your business a success and take it to the next level.

Carl started by explaining how, as the business owner, you should play to your strengths and do the work you enjoy. He then went on to look at the laws in his book: “The Laws of Extreme Business Success”. The laws ranged from; recruiting the right board with a range of personalities and attributes, to, seeing your company as an investment and not being too emotionally involved.

Guests commented that the event challenged their thinking and many purchased Carl’s books afterwards to continue learning.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ChamberNews

Our members’ success at Chamber Business Awards.

Norfolk Chamber is delighted that two of our members, Finn Geotherm and MLM, have been crowned winners in the eastern heats of the British Chambers of Commerce Business Awards 2016. Now in their thirteenth year, the awards are a highlight of the business calendar, and they pay tribute to the key role that local businesses play in driving the UK economy.

We wish them the best of luck as they go forward to the national finals, which take place in London this November.

“We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. We have been proud members of Norfolk Chamber for many years and it was an honour to be crowned Small Business of the Year in the East, particularly as Finn Geotherm is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

To win such a prestigious award is the icing on our birthday cake!”

Guy Ransom, Commercial Director at Finn Geotherm

Jason Williams, Norfolk Chamber, and Guy Ransom, Finn Geotherm

MLM presentation by Jason Williams, Norfolk Chamber

“Our Norwich Office entered the Chamber of Commerce’s Business Awards and we were delighted to have been awarded Regional winners of the ‘Best Use of Technology Award’. We found out there were over 500 entries for the awards and over 186 entries in this category alone, so we are thrilled to have won.”

Loma Kanu, MLM Multidisciplinary Consulting

Strengthening the region’s business economy.

Friday 7th October 2016 marked a very special occasion for Norfolk Chamber as we celebrated the official date of our 120th Anniversary. This coincided with our Annual Economic Business Breakfast and AGM where over 95 Norfolk Chamber Members gathered at OPEN, Norwich for a morning of networking and business insights.

took delegates through our popular networking activity; ‘Speed Safari Networking’. With 4 minutes at 4 different tables, delegates had the opportunity to network with up to 32 different people in as little as 15 minutes.

With a change of venue this year, The Old Banking Hall at OPEN provided the perfect setting for our members to hear expert views on how we can strengthen the regions business economy, following Brexit.

Once guests had been treated to a delicious Full English breakfast accompanied by a glass of Bucks Fizz, it was time to hear from our key note speakers; Luke Morris, Partner at Larking Gowen and Naresh Pandit, Professor of International Business, Norwich Business School, who discussed their thoughts on what lies ahead for the regions business economy.

The morning was hosted by the event sponsors Steeles Law who

The event closed with some free networking, followed by our AGM.

Norfolk Chamber Board Members at our AGM

Are you looking to boost your networking opportunities?

Our next Norwich Business Breakfast takes place on Thursday 8th December 2016.

Book your place at www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/events

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

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ChamberNews

Talking Tech brings big brands to Norfolk.

In September, we delivered our most exciting and dynamic business technology event to date, with over 175 businesses in attendance. This year also saw our most exciting and varied line up of expert speakers, delivering thought provoking and content rich presentations.

Photography by Paul Harrison

Immersive VR interactive demonstration

Big Data – The Catalyst to Digital Transformation John Fagan, Axon Vibe discussed how data can be used for everyday life, followed by Simon Thompson, BT, who shared their secrets to Big Data success.

Securing the Digital Economy

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Joe Cooksey, Barclays, delivered a highly entertaining and interactive presentation on Cyber Security, including a live hacking demo and live polls, complimented by Paul Maskall, Norfolk & Suffolk Constabularies, who highlighted that ‘we need to adopt an information security culture.’

Growth in the Age of The Consumer Venetia Scott-Dalgeish, Airbnb, discussed the rise of the ‘Sharing Economy’ and stressed ‘experiences over features’, whilst Tom Haczewski, The User Story, suggested that ‘how you see your business and how customers perceive it can be two different things!’

Venetia Scott-Dalgeish, Airbnb

Simon Thompson, BT

Exhibition and Workshops Visitors experienced our most interactive exhibition to date, complete with virtual reality headsets, digital screens, 3D printers and a smart home tech wall. Included in their tickets, delegates also attended two of our four practical workshops exploring Getting Seen Online, E-Commerce, Website Analytics or Apps for Business.

Ideas Inspiring Innovation The event closed with a selection of presentations exploring digital or technological innovation.

Steffan Aquarone, opened the discussion stating that ‘innovation is a process of reduction, working downwards and not attempting to improve by additions.’ Following on from this, Kieran Miles, KakeCo, presented our first ‘Lightning Talk’ advising the audience to ‘be authentic and stay relevant’. Vickie Allen, SYNC DevelopHER, aimed to inspire women to work in tech industries.

Hayley Johnson, Epos Now, shared how she uses tech to help her manage the key areas of her business and finally, Matt Martin, Immersive VR, highlighted how virtual reality can help to sell services and products more effectively.

Ideas Inspiring Innovation panel

New Director General for British Chambers.

Adam Marshall

We would like to congratulate Dr Adam Marshall on being appointed as the new Director General for the British Chambers of Commerce.

Joe Cooksey, Barclays

If you’d like to learn how digital technology can enhance your business, register your interest now for Talking Technology 2017, Wednesday 20th September 2017, here: www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/TalkingTech17

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Previously, Adam served as the BCC’s Executive Director for Policy and External Affairs (July 2009 – March 2016), and as Acting Director General (March – October 2016).

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

MemberNews Bigfork works with Porelle to design and build new website.

British Sugar TOPSOIL's sales team

British Sugar TOPSOIL grows by 5 per cent as UK economy rallies.

British Sugar TOPSOIL, the UK’s largest supplier of topsoil to the construction, landscaping and amenity sectors, has reported a 5 per cent growth in turnover in the financial year to September 2016 and has plans for further growth.

Thanks to the unexpected resilience of the UK economy following the Brexit vote, customer confidence is strong and the company aims to take full advantage with new product offerings.

National TOPSOIL Manager Andy Spetch said: “Five per cent growth in turnover is an excellent result.

Despite concerns that customers might be affected by the uncertainty caused by the Brexit vote we have experienced sustained strong

demand for our products and been sufficiently confident to continue with new product development.

“In June we launched Hort Loam, a premium BS3882:2015 compliant planting topsoil, and this autumn our Sports and Turf product, which is an 80 per cent sand dressing for the sports and home lawn markets, will be launched. We expect both products to have a significant impact on performance in 2016-17.”

British Sugar TOPSOIL is currently working on capital projects to increase storage capacity at its Wissington, Norfolk and Newarkon-Trent, Nottinghamshire, sites to ensure the increasing demand for its high quality topsoil products can be met.

Chamber member Bigfork designed the new UK website for membrane manufacturers, Porelle.

The objectives of the new site were to make it responsive, mobile friendly and to add the new company branding.

Porelle’s customers are technical designers and buyers so the design had to present their breathable and waterproof membrane technology in a

highly visual way that shows the applications and benefits of Porelle’s product. This was achieved using high quality imagery and benefit focused messages throughout the new website.

Porelle sell worldwide and European languages will also be added over the next year to add to the Russian and Chinese websites already designed by Bigfork.

Norfolk businesses are losing out on millions of pounds of tax credits.

Businesses in Norfolk are losing out on millions of pounds of tax credits say the latest Government figures.

HM Revenue and Customs statistics show that East Anglian companies accounted for 10% of 22,445 Research and Development tax credits claims in the tax year ending 2014-2015.

HMRC paid back £250 million to companies in the east of England out of a total of £2.45 billion tax relief paid out nationwide under its R&D tax credit scheme.

Many owners of small and medium limited companies are still unaware that they could claim back or save thousands of pounds in corporation tax from the Government.

The figures show that over the past five years the east of England is lagging behind other regions in terms of the increase in numbers

for businesses to come forward to apply for tax credits for any project where there has been an advance in technology or science – not solely scientific advances.

Lee Williams, Jumpstart of claims by small and medium businesses.

Since 2010, the amounts claimed by east of England small and medium businesses have only increased by 198% compared to the North East at 438% and London at 364%.

The country’s leading R&D tax credit specialist, Jumpstart, now has a Client Engagement Manager based in Norfolk to raise awareness of the scheme across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Jumpstart’s Client Engagement Manager Lee Williams is appealing

Relevant sectors which are eligible also include software and IT, manufacturing and engineering, energy, food and drink.

There are two schemes; The SME scheme and Research & Development Expenditure Credit scheme for larger companies and retrospective claims can be made up to 2 years.

The figures show that 75% of claims were made from the ‘Manufacturing’ ‘Professional, Scientific & Technical’ and ‘Information & Communication’ sectors.

Mr Williams, who has almost 30 years of financial sector experience helping SME’s reach/exceed their goals said: “These latest HMRC

Great networking opportunities at our breakfasts, informal evening events and business exhibitions. Visit www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/events to book.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

figures show that there is still more work to be done in promoting the tax relief scheme for small and medium sized companies” “Furthermore, local companies could be under claiming or over claiming because their technical project activities and expenditures are not being accurately interpreted against legislation. As well as the introduction of increased scrutiny

by HMRC, the process of claiming is very much a technical assessment, so it is important that companies instruct a specialist advisor.”

Since its inception, Jumpstart has helped its clients recover almost £80 million in R&D tax relief and has identified nearly £404 million in eligible R&D expenditure.

To find out more please contact Jumpstart’s Client Engagement Manager for East Anglia on lee. williams@jumpstartuk.co.uk or ring 07794 201990.

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

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Monthind team raises £2000 for Macmillan.

Delta Simons Ecology Team Leader qualifies.

up to 100 miles, and the longer routes incorporate 16 Broads, four rivers and countless beautiful Broads National Park villages. The hardest part is not stopping off to enjoy your surroundings for a few hours, but it opens your eyes to the amazing countryside on our doorstep, and I now have a long list of day trips planned.”

The Monthind Team Raised £2000 for Macmillan

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The opportunity to support a local fundraising event, whilst raising money for its chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, led the company to join more than 2,500 cyclists of all ages and abilities and enter a team in the Tour de Broads cycling race.

Between them, Simon Biggs, Tony Payne and Chris Brown raised an impressive £2000 for the charity.

Monthind’s Sales and Marketing Business Manager, Tony Payne, said: “The Tour de Broads is a fantastic event; you can choose to ride just three miles or

As East Anglia’s leading contract cleaning company, Monthind Clean LLP wanted to work with a charity that resonated with all of their 1000 + staff across the region. Statistics show that one in four people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point, so it is almost inevitable that everyone will be affected by the disease, either directly or indirectly, during their lifetime. Monthind teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support in 2015 and such was the success of the partnership it has continued to work with them this year.

Tony said: “In June last year some of our management team took part in the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge. We also held a Charity Golf day at Ipswich Golf Club, a cake sale, and a coffee morning. These and other fundraising ventures meant that last year we managed to raise almost £10,000 for Macmillan.”

Tony said: “It is important to us, as a company, to balance our corporate goals with our social responsibilities; we involve ourselves in local events, and raising money for a national charity that brings benefits to local people is a high priority for us.”

Johnston Logistics to provide new warehousing.

Chamber member, Johnston Logistics UK, has won a contract to supply excise bonded warehousing for local drinks manufacturer Sisserou.

Sisserou is a rum and coconut cream liqueur, the brain child of Julia La Ronde. The drink was named after the national bird (the Sisserou Parrot) of Dominica in the Caribbean, where Julia was born. This year the drink won a Bronze award in the International Spirits Challenge.

The recognition from the award has opened doors to a global market for Julia and her liqueur and has increased the brand’s reach across the USA and with wholesalers in the UK. “I realised I was going to need professional help if I was going to provide a great service to my growing customer base.” Julia commented. She went on to add that “I’m delighted to have found a local company with bonded warehousing facilities who are prepared to work with a small but growing company like Sisserou.”

Rob McIndoe, Johnston Logistics UK, Finance Director, said “We are always happy to welcome businesses of all sizes. With our flexible and totally scalable logistics facilities we can provide bespoke services to businesses

Great Crested Newt Delta Simons Ecology Team Leader, Dr Charlotte Sanderson, has qualified as a Registered Consultant for the Great Crested Newt (GCN) Low Impact Class Licence.

The GCN Low Impact Class Licence follows on from the Bat Low Impact Class Licence for which Charlotte also qualified; this means that Charlotte was recognised by Natural England as being technically capable to take on licensing work with less rigorous regulation.

Natural England have reduced the paperwork for the licence application process considerably for sites where this licence would be appropriate, limiting the licencing burden on themselves and subsequent delays to developments, such that sites can be registered under the licence in 15 days or less.

The GCN Low Impact Class Licence will cover temporary and low impact works affecting terrestrial habitats and small sections of wet ditches on linear schemes, and will facilitate the removal of areas of permanent terrestrial habitat, the extent of which will be dictated by the proximity to GCN breeding ponds.

Discounted healthcare plans for your employees. Visit www.norfolkchamber. co.uk for details.

Julia La Ronde and Rob McIndoe from multi-national corporations to small start-ups.

With our 130-acre site we have the capacity to grow and support our customers’ businesses. Our customers know we have the ability to be flexible as they grow, offering them continuity and security.”

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

MemberNews Charlie takes second place at the British Sporting Championship.

Charlie Soanes, from The Validation Centre Limited, qualified for the British Sporting Championship, the second biggest sporting event on the UK shooting calendar.

This was the second day of the five day event and there were about 1200 shooters, across all age groups.

After shooting a little under par, Charlie was surprised to learn that he had come in second on the day in the Colts group which meant he had done more than enough to qualify for the Super Final on the last day.

Norse Group works towards a dementia-friendly workplace.

Representatives from across the Norse Group recently attended training to become Dementia Champions for the business.

The commitment followed a call to action during Dementia Awareness Week in May when Managing Director, Mike Britch, whilst outlining the Group’s commitment to have a Dementia Friends Champion in every location across the business, also encouraged staff to sign up as Dementia Friends.

Dementia is an important issue for the Norse Group. Mike said: “We live in an ageing society – we are all living and working longer, so supporting older people is one of the key strands of The Norse Way, our Group Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. Most people know someone living with dementia – it may be a colleague, a family member or a friend – so it was important that we shared the experience of colleagues who are caring for people living with dementia every day. We feel strongly that we can all become more dementia-friendly and grow our understanding of how living with dementia may affect our colleagues, customers and communities.”

The training was delivered by Kate Grange, Dementia Lead for the Norse Group, which has a number of homes that specifically care for people living with dementia. She explained the role of a Dementia Friends

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Champion: “A Dementia Friends Champion is someone who encourages others to make a difference to people living with dementia in their community. I work with people with dementia every day and know what a difference it makes if those around them understand even just a little bit of what it might be like to live with the condition.”

Volunteers learnt about different types of dementia, took part in games and activities to heighten their awareness of what it’s like to live with the condition, and gained an understanding about how being more aware of dementia could impact their own jobs.

Members of the Group’s catering division were told how different colours influence how appealing food is to people living with dementia, and how individuals’ tastes change. Tom Crowther from the Group’s Mechanical and Engineering team learnt about how dementia affects building design, heating and cooling.

Keen to volunteer as a Dementia Champion, Donna Owen said: “The opportunity to improve my understanding and help diminish stigma around dementia is very important to me.”

Helen Fisher added: “I’m supporting large numbers of staff on a daily basis and this is something that could affect them.”

Charlie shot 60 out of 75 targets at the final, giving him second place and a silver podium finish.

He was also offered a clay target sponsorship deal.

The way Charlie is powering through his competitions this year gives him excellent experience for moving up to the Juniors groups in the next year, and it could lead towards getting him a place shooting for his country in the qualifiers in 2017.

Team expansion for Reflection PR. 9

Nicky Barrell and Kelly Pointer Reflection PR has announced the appointments of Nicky Barrell as Account Director and Kelly Pointer as Senior PR Executive.

Nicky completed her training with the National Council for the training of Journalists (NCTJ), and has reported for both daily and weekly Archant titles across East Anglia.

She has developed, produced and marketed entertainment and documentary series for ITV, Channel 4, Discovery and Sky including producing a weekly BBC current affairs programme live from Reuters in New York.

Nicky's PR and marketing experience was honed with

managing Open Day recruitment at the University of East Anglia. More recently Nicky has worked in PR, Communications and Marketing for Norfolk & Norwich Festival - one of the top five festivals in the country.

Kelly was first introduced to Reflection PR during a work experience placement with us in 2012 and later returned to lead our awards division after obtaining a first class degree in Media, Communications & Cultural Studies from Newcastle University.

Previously working in event management, Kelly has experience of writing compelling award entries for a number of businesses.

Members have access to free weekly training sessions on topics such as social media, websites, leadership, networking and more…

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

YoungChamber

Supported by

Upcoming events.

University Technical College Norfolk When: Tuesday 22 November 09:00-16:00 We are looking for businesses in the engineering and technology sector to take a free stand at this event for Year 10-13 students.

Aylsham High School Business Breakfast Where: Aylsham High School, Sir Williams Ln, Norwich NR11 6AN When: Friday 2nd December 07:30-09:15 What: Their annual business breakfast is a great chance to speak to businesses in the Aylsham area as well as help students with the networking. This event costs £5 pp with a lovely breakfast and tea and coffee served.

Gresham’s Futures Fair When: Wednesday 7 December 16:30-19:00 Where: Gresham’s Senior School, Holt, NR25 6EA

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Any employers, training or apprenticeship providers are welcome to exhibit for free.

Gresham’s are also inviting local schools, so more young people can hear what you have to offer.

Creative Careers Showcase Where: Sprowston High School, Cannerby Lane, Sprowston, Norwich, NR7 8NE When: Friday 27 January 15:00-19:00 What: This event will celebrate all things creative: art, fashion, drama, music. There will be exhibitions of students work, the chance to get your makeup done by beauty students, plus evening catering. The event will culminate with a fashion and music show.

If your business is interested in taking part in an event, please email elinor.goodhead@ norfolkchamber.co.uk

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Elinor Goodhead, Norfolk Chamber, Jack Cullum & Liam Cranston, Sprowston High School, with Jake Humphrey

Young Chamber students join the team for B2B. We were pleased to be able to offer work experience opportunities to some of our Young Chamber member students at our largest event of the year – the B2B exhibition on Thursday 13 October.

Twelve year 11 students from Sprowston Community High School supported the Chamber staff to make the event such a success, with a record number of attendees; over 100 exhibitors and over 700 visitors.

Students played an important role on the day, with tasks including; n Supporting workshop delivery, including signing

in and welcoming guests, checking AV equipment, keeping the sessions running to time.

n Welcoming visitors, directing them to different

areas of the exhibition.

n Registering visitors in a friendly manner, providing

name badges and goodie bags.

n Encouraging visitors to participate in feedback

surveys.

n Networking with exhibitors and promoting Young

Chamber.

Overall, we were really impressed with the enthusiasm of the students and we received only positive comments from staff and exhibitors about their work. They all had a positive ‘can do’ attitude and used their initiative. The group also worked well together to help each other and split tasks up fairly.

This is just one of the ways we support our Young Chamber member schools. In the future, we will look to offer opportunities for students to get involved in more events.

Does your business work with schools or employ young people?

You could be eligible for the national Investment in Young People Award.

Justin Harris, Chair of Employers Group, Chloe Smith MP, Chair of Norwich for Jobs, Caroline Williams, Temporary Chair

Chamber Chief Executive steps up for Norwich for Jobs.

Caroline Williams has furthered our commitment to young people by taking on the Temporary Chairperson role for Norwich For Jobs, whilst Chloe Smith MP is on maternity leave.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Apply now: norfolkchamber.co.uk/ iiyp

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Advertising

Understanding intangible assets: Where does the value lie within your business?

As we continue to move from a manufacturing to a service based economy, the balance between the tangible and intangible assets owned by the UK’s top companies has shifted dramatically towards the intangible. With service companies typically owning very few tangible assets, and product based companies now frequently generating more revenue through their service delivery and aftercare channels than actual product sales, intangible assets are becoming an increasingly important and valuable part of 21st century business.

forms as and when funding has been released. In its current form, the scheme is administered through Enterprise Europe Network’s ‘Innovate2Succeed’ Programme which is available to aspirational, growth-focussed SMEs across all sectors. The scheme includes coaching support from innovation specialists and is designed to help innovative SMEs protect and exploit their innovation and overcome the barriers to sustainable growth.

Whilst tangible assets (including stock inventory, facilities, equipment, vehicles, fixtures and fittings etc.) are typically easy to document and value, intangible assets including Intellectual Property (IP) Rights, reputational assets, customer data, business model optimisation, know-how, trade secrets, network integration, industry influence etc. are often extremely difficult to quantify.

However, it is often these intangible assets that contribute most significantly to the eventual sale price of a business, and that appeal most to the buyer for future exploitation. Knowing where these assets exist within your business, and managing their protection and exploitation is essential.

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) is helping businesses understand and exploit their intangible assets by funding a series of IP Audits which document both registered and unregistered IP Rights within a business, and advise on how to best protect and exploit any commercially valuable knowledge and information. The Audits are worth £3,000 and can be up to 85% funded by the UKIPO, leaving the business only having to pay £400.

The IP Audit scheme has been around for several years in various

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Some of the key questions that businesses should think about when considering how to identify, protect and exploit their intangible assets include: n Is my brand protected?

back in 2013 was on behalf of a motor engineering company who had developed, amongst other technology, a portable motor vehicle repair shop. The Audit highlighted how both the portable shop itself as well as the knowledge required to operate it could be protected and commercially exploited. The business implemented many of the recommendations of the Audit and successfully managed to franchise its portable repair shop.

It now has an enviable perpetual stream of revenue generated by its franchisees all over the country.

If you would like any further information about the funding available for IP Audits, or to arrange an initial consultation to discuss your business, then please get in touch with the ip21 team.

Richard Jones MBA DipPC CMgr MCMI. Business Relationship Manager for ip21 Ltd

11

n What attributes/emotions do my

A specialist Intellectual Property company that moves with the times

n Why do repeat customers come

At ip21 we pride ourselves on offering a full range of IP services, as well as IP advice and support tailored to the commercial benefit of our clients.

n Are my products/designs

protected?

n Is key information stored

securely?

customers associate with my business? back to me?

n Has the knowledge to perform

key processes been catalogued?

n Do my employment contracts

cover IP Rights?

n Do my employees understand

what information must be kept confidential?

n If a key employee leaves, what

information/knowledge may they possess that would be valuable to a competitor?

• Patents • Trademarks • Licensing • Design Rights • Litigation • IP Strategy • IP Valuation • IP Budgeting

n Can I commercialise the IPRs/

knowledge within the business through licensing/franchising?

The ip21 team regularly advise clients on these issues and have performed many of the UKIPO’s IP Audits under their funding programme.

By way of example, one of the IP Audits that ip21 completed

Intellectual Property Specialists Offices in Norwich, London, Chelmsford and Bury St Edmunds Tel: +44 (0) 1603 457008 Email: info@ip21.co.uk www.ip21.co.uk

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Action needed to ensure Norfolk is not left behind.

For many years Norfolk was the forgotten county. To get any investment we had to really fight our corner and in many cases we were unsuccessful.

12

In recent years this has started to change. The public, private and third sector are working increasingly closer together to secure the best possible outcomes for Norfolk’s residents and business community.

n £30m funding over 5 years to support the

Through this collaboration the Chamber has seen many positive changes over recent years including the dualling of the A11, the Northern Distributor Road, Norwich Cambridge Tech Corridor, investment in our universities and colleges, Kings Lynn Enterprise Zone and the Innovation Centres, to mention just a few.

n Control over an existing c£20m annual adult

However there is still a lot to be done and the UK economy is weakening with the prospect for another recession in 2020. We therefore need to ensure that we take every opportunity open to us.

n More control and influence over invest and

As seen in the recent BCC quarterly economic survey results, Norfolk businesses are not feeling confident. This is due to current weak trading conditions and uncertainty due in part to the Brexit vote.

This lack of confidence is translating into less financial investment, fewer job opportunities, a weaker local economy and fewer opportunities for Norfolk’s young people and residents.

building of new homes across Norfolk and Suffolk

n 200,000 homes built over the lifetime of the

deal

skill fund

n Control of an existing c£2m annual

Apprenticeship grant for employers

n Greater control and influence over transport

services across Norfolk

However, on the whole the business community believe that the Devolution deal on the table could help improve the Norfolk business environment.

Suffolk, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Councillors are all voting for the deal, but our Norfolk County Councillors are divided and may stop this happening when they vote at the end of November.

As a starting point, the Devolution deal will give us over a 30 year commitment to: n Control over a guaranteed £225m transport

budget for the next 4 years

maintenance in key roads

n A commitment to providing superfast

broadband and improved phone reception

The Norfolk business community is not naïve.

We understand that there are risks involved in the Devolution deal on the table. But they have weighed up the options of our Councillors signing this deal or walking away and we want to see this Devolution deal on the table signed.

The Government is very clear that this is the way they will distribute funds in the future. We do not want Norfolk to slide back into invisibility!

If you agree with us, we need you to let your local county councillor know. You can do this by advising us who your councillor is and providing us with your comments. We will collate all the comments from the business community and share them with each councillor. You can find out who your councillor is by going to the following place: www.whereilive.norfolk.gov.uk More details on devolution can be found on: www.eastangliadevo.co.uk

Nova Fairbank, Norfolk Chamber, Tim Pike, Bank of England, and Peter Foster, Hugh J Boswell

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Our bi-annual Bank of England lunch, exclusive to Chamber members, was held on Friday 16 September.

Tim Pike, Regional Agent, shared his insights into the economy post Brexit over lunch at the Norwich City Football Club.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ChamberPolicy

Gearing up for the future.

Finance & Funding.

There have been some key developments in the Chamber’s area councils.

Norwich Chamber Council has now elected two Vice Chairs and has also recruited four new council members.

Paul McCarthy, General Manager at Intu Chapelfield and James Mason, Commercial Director at Norfolk Training Services, have been appointed Vice Chairs.

Commenting on his appointment Paul McCarthy said: “It’s a real pleasure to have been appointed Vice Chair and I look forward to continuing to serve members of our Chamber, ensuring that our voices continue to be heard beyond our catchment and helping to influence others so that we get the conditions that allow us to grow our businesses to their full potential, and with it the economic and societal benefits that that then brings.”

James Mason echoed Paul comments: “I’m delighted to be appointed as one of the Vice-chairs. We are entering a very interesting and important period with changes following Brexit, developments in the digital economy in Norwich and changes surrounding Apprenticeship Standards and funding. As with all times of great change, it is also a time of great

Micro Grant Scheme Micro, small and medium sized businesses can apply for up to 20% of their project funding, to grow the business, create jobs, or introduce a new product/service. Visit newanglia.co.uk/microgrant-scheme

Employer Training

Paul McCarthy

25% cashback available for paid training, up to £1,000 per learner. Up to 30% cashback available for Level 3 apprenticeships and qualifications. Visit norfolkchamber.co.uk/etip

James Mason

opportunity and potential. The Norwich Chamber Council has much to offer in championing the Norwich business community as it seeks to take full advantage of this opportunity and I am very pleased to be in a position to contribute to the Council’s endeavours.”

New members

West Norfolk Employment Grants of up to £10,000 are available to help young people in the West Norfolk area to set up or grow their own business. Visit norfolkfoundation.com/ funds/the-west-norfolkemployment-fund/

Signpost2Grants

Sean Clark Clark St James

Huw Sayer Business Writers

James Clabburn Innershed

Richard Jones IP21

GreatYarmouthandWestNorfolkChamberCouncilappointments.

Great Yarmouth Chamber Council have recently appointed two new council members:

Chris Batten from ASL and Martin Vincent from St James’s Place Wealth Management.

In West Norfolk, we also welcomed Paul Moore from King’s Lynn Audi.

Grants of between £2,000 and £20,000 are available to SMEs in the GCGP area who are looking to invest in new equipment, new machinery, improvements to their premises, or other capital purchases. The grants can be used to fund up to 20% of the total project cost, to provide businesses with the extra help they need to grow. Visit signpost2grants.co.uk

StartUp Loans A government funded scheme providing advice, loans and mentoring to start up businesses. This is an opportunity to borrow up to £25,000 at a fixed interest rate and access a free business mentor to help you succeed.

Visit startuploans.co.uk

Visit norfolkchamber. co.uk/news/funding for the latest information.

Chris Batten

Martin Vincent

Paul Moore

For more information about how to join the area council in either Great Yarmouth or West Norfolk, contact Nova Fairbank.

Email: nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk / Tel: 01603 729 713

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Committed to Business

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

13

Advertising

Jamie Playford Licensed Insolvency Practitioner Leading Corporate Recovery

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Company insolvency – avoiding personal liability.

Many business owners will face a financially challenging situation at some point – but how do you ensure you protect yourself when the going gets tough?

A director’s responsibility when running a solvent business is to “promote the success of the company” - but what happens if the company becomes insolvent?

Firstly, it is important to understand what “insolvent” actually means. The Insolvency Act 1986 contains three basic tests which are used to determine insolvency: 1. Balance Sheet – if a company’s liabilities exceed its assets.

2. Cash Flow – if a company cannot pay its debts as they fall due.

3. Legal Action – if a company has an unsatisfied CCJ or Statutory Demand.

Many people are unaware that when insolvency occurs, a director’s duty changes to have regard for the general body of the company’s creditors rather than the shareholders of the company.

In the first instance, a director should objectively review the business position in order to determine whether the problems the company is facing can be overcome. It is essential that all decisions are discussed at the highest level of the organisation, often at a board meeting, and also that they are documented.

In cases where decisions are not documented and the company enters into an insolvency procedure such as a liquidation or administration,

directors could potentially find themselves facing a “Wrongful Trading” claim. This essentially means that the directors can be held personally liable for any debts which have been incurred after the directors ought to have known the company would not avoid liquidation.

There are two additional claims that a director must aim to avoid.

“Preference payments” are where a director allows the company to repay one or more of its creditors ahead of the others. The director may face having to personally repay this money. The most common are the repayment of a company debt that a director has personally guaranteed, or the repayment of sums owed to directors themselves.

A “Transaction at an Undervalue” is where a director allows the company to sell an asset for significantly less than its true value. As with Preference payments, a director may be asked to personally repay the loss the company has suffered.

Here are some tips on how directors can navigate their way through a financially challenging situation.

n Ensure you document all decisions that

support why you have chosen to continue trading. This might be due to a new contract win, extension of credit or a new payment plan that has been agreed.

n Keep your eye on the numbers! Ensure your

financial management information is up to date and accurate, this will help justify a directors’ actions should a claim be bought against them in the future.

n Do not incur additional credit if you know the

company is unlikely to be able to repay it.

n Do not accept deposits for orders if they are

unlikely to be fulfilled.

n Take professional advice as soon as possible.

Accountants will be willing to provide advice and most insolvency practitioners offer a consultation and the first few hours of advice for free.

If you would like to discuss your business position, please contact Leading Corporate Recovery – 0800 246 1845.

n Ensure you closely monitor the business

position and avoid burying your head in the sand! You are far more likely to resolve the issues by being proactive.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

BusinessSupport Vertas Group Limited is the fast-growing facilities management provider; operating the following services at over 400 sites across Norfolk and East Anglia.

Cromer

Kings Lynn

Providing:

Norwich

“From the first day, all staff and pupils were delighted, I never had any doubts, but the quality is even better than expected. We certainly made the right choice – staying for lunch is now a pleasure, not the dread of the day. One pupil even said his meal was too posh for school lunch!”

- Chris Ashman, Headteacher, Rackheath Primary, Norwich

CATERING

CLEANING

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE

SECURITY

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

COURIER & POSTAL

RECEPTION & CONCIERGE

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

GROUNDS DESIGN

DESIGN & PRINT

HANDYMAN

www.vertas.co.uk

01473 263600

@VertasFM

mail@vertas.co.uk

15

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Tough decisions need to be taken after that vote.

These are uncertain times following the EU Referendum vote in June with a whole series of complex decisions which need to be taken.

to the European Investment Bank (EIB) is maintained, pointing out that EIB loans are critical for major infrastructure and utilities programmes that support the productivity of business communities across the UK.

What has become clear since the 23rd June, however, is that the departure from the European Union will not happen immediately.

Theresa May recently announced this is likely to start in March 2017.

Regulation

That means that many business ventures under consideration before the vote will be able to continue in this new climate.

16

Also, many companies see new opportunities in the trade deals which the UK will be drawing up with European nations and countries elsewhere in the world. Export is very much seen as key to helping the economy to thrive.

However, the business community argues that their much-needed confidence can only be maintained if they understand what Brexit actually means.

The British Chambers of Commerce expect the Government and the Bank of England to deliver stability of markets, clarity on transition and firm action on matters that are within Westminster’s gift.

The key areas the Chamber are lobbying for are:

Terms of trade

Short-term stability of the regulatory framework is essential as is the need to avoid major changes. n All existing EU regulations,

UK businesses can continue to benefit from existing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) following Brexit n Work with governments in third

countries with EU FTAs to agree transitional arrangements and communicate these clearly to British businesses

n Consult widely with exporting

and importing businesses of all sizes to prioritise markets for attention so that any newlynegotiated free trade deals have the maximum impact on UK trade from day one

n Ensure a revitalised and

expanded trade mission and trade fairs programme, which must be an immediate priority.

Businesses of all sizes, regions and sectors say an expanded programme with more generous government support would boost exporters’ confidence, build links with key trade partners and underpin deals.

n Work with businesses, large and

small, to define a negotiating position with the objective of achieving the best possible terms of trade for UK businesses with the EU

n Adopt a whole economy

approach, with business communities

n Aim for a UK-specific agreement

with no rush to accept any ‘offthe-shelf’ model and ensure that

The workforce n The skills of existing EU workers

are crucial to the success of businesses, and must be retained. Absolute certainty is the fair thing to do – both for EU employees and their UK employers.

n Businesspeople are worried

about reports of intimidation in

the workplace of their non-UK colleagues and employees.

Chambers will continue to be vocal in speaking out against this kind of behaviour and stand ready to work with government, the media and others to counter it.

where businesses have already incurred the costs of adjustment and adaptation, should be maintained for a minimum period before any changes are suggested – even if the object of change is deregulation.

n HM Government should consider

the legal implications of a full incorporation of existing EU regulation into UK law up to a certain date.

n Firms are already asking

whether they can and should hire EU nationals, needed in their businesses for their specific skills. Government must give business clarity on whether new EU hires will be able to continue post-Brexit.

n It is better to accept existing

arrangements and have a period of stability before embarking on major changes which will result in significant costs to businesses.

n Businesses firmly oppose

bringing EU nationals within the scope of the Home Office pointsbased system – which is costly and bureaucratic, particularly for SMEs. The organisation says that if EU-27 citizens are subject to future restrictions, a simple and light-touch system is required.

Funding The Chambers say that all UK areas should have a guarantee that they will receive the amount of EU funding planned through to 2020. This is vital to local productivity, business supply chains and business confidence, and the Government has already indicated that they are minded to respect the call to protect expenditure.

The British Chambers of Commerce also say it is crucial that UK access

n There must be no premature

disengagement on Brusselslinked tax issues affecting British business, which will continue to have an impact for some time. HMRC must remain engaged in all EU-level tax policy discussions until the UK leaves the EU.

Ireland The British Chambers of Commerce say that there should be no hard border on the island of Ireland, arguing that businesses across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are united in their desire to maintain trade and people flows across the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border.

Is your business looking at new international opportunities? We can connect you with businesses at home and across the world. Contact our international trade team on 01603 729706 to discuss.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

InternationalTrade International Trade Training Courses.

Whether you’re just getting started at exporting, or looking for a refresher, these sessions will help you feel prepared to do business internationally.

Forthcoming dates and topics: November 2016 9th

E-zCert Workshop

17th

Agents and Distributors*

17th

Inward and Outward Processing Relief*

January 2017

Translation and Interpreter Service.

Research has shown that language differences are a significant barrier to International Trade but with the Norfolk Chamber Translation and Interpreter Service, they don’t need to be.

Our translation service can help you communicate effectively with your overseas clients in their native languages to help your business flourish. Whatever your translation needs, from introductory letters through to product manuals, we can meet your requirements and take a load off your mind.

automotive, aerospace, information technology, legal, software or medical technology.

Our translators are highly qualified linguists, translating into their mother tongue, and are specialised in different sectors or disciplines such as

It’s all part of a service designed to give you the confidence and credibility to make your business a success abroad. And that sounds good in anybody’s language.

For overseas communications, whether by way of face to face meetings or conference calls, we can also arrange for an interpreter to assist.

Hear from our customers why they recommend our service:

“The Norfolk Chamber provide an excellent service and are always happy to go the extra mile to ensure the accuracy of the translations we receive.”

Charlotte Ludkin, Permastore Ltd

9th

Understanding Exporting*

25th

Methods of Payment / Letters of Credit*

Courses marked with * form part of the British Chambers of Commerce Accredited Courses

Hear from our members what they think…

“I found the courses provide useful background knowledge relating to my every day job.

The information provided, and examples given to certain situations which arise, help to explain why certain procedures are carried out and it also helps show how to avoid any pitfalls! The trainer is very knowledgeable and clearly explains the subjects on the courses and is more than willing to describe in further detail if required.” Paula Howlett, Omex Agrifluids Ltd To book, visit norfolkchamber. co.uk/export

“Wow – so quick. What a great service.”

Fiona Walker, Steeles Law

For more information on this service, please contact the International Trade Team on 01603 729706 or export@norfolkchamber.co.uk

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Get 25% off training through the ETIP Scheme until end of February 2017 – visit norfolkchamber. co.uk/etip

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

17

Advertising

Alternative providers: the right solution for your business?

Let me start by saying that I don’t think there is anything wrong with going for the mainstream, big name products.

(I’m an Apple devotee afterall.)

Saying that, I’m also a big believer in seeking out alternative suppliers and most of the software on my Apple kit has been developed by one, two, or ten man bands.

The most important thing is that you have the right tool for the job. And that doesn’t always mean having a recognisable logo on the side of it.

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Finding the right piece of software (or other equipment) isn’t always easy. Sometimes you’ll be tempted to go with the big names because you think that, by paying that premium, you’ll be getting the best product on the market. But that’s not always true.

In my experience, going with an alternative provider can get you a system that is better for you and your business, offers you more for your money, and comes with a more personal service than you’d get with the big guys.

But how do you find these alternatives?

1. Educate yourself The very first thing you need to do when shopping around is ‘know what you need’ and then read up and learn about the various products. This helps you cut through the jargon that will come from the sales people you’ll eventually speak to and also firms up your idea of exactly which features you need (as well as those that you really don’t).

You might start off this education process on the market leader’s website, although I would encourage you to read up on blogs and industry publications to get a good idea of what kinds of options are out there.

Once you feel like you have a reasonable understanding of the market, the next logical thing is to head over to your favourite search engine.

2. Remember Google has more than one page When you first type in your search, you’ll find the big names in the industry, without any trouble. But as I said before, just because they’re the market leaders doesn’t mean that they are the right provider for you.

Now that you’ve got your list together, I’m going to suggest something rather radical: give them a call.

It’s a process that takes an investment of time, but in my experience, this extra time is never wasted.

4. Talk to Someone

If you have any questions about OpenCRM, please get in touch. I would love to hear from you. Find us at www.opencrm.co.uk or drop us a line at hello@opencrm.co.uk.

No really, I want you to pick up the phone and speak to their sales people.

Try looking at the second (or even third!) page of Google. Maybe type in the market leader along with the word “alternative.” I’ve personally found that little addition brings up a whole range of smaller, but still high quality companies.

Yes they want to sell you something, but by talking to them you’ll get a better idea of the full potential of the system and it will give you a feel for their company culture—possibly the fastest way to gauge how they handle customer service.

As you find these potential providers, you’ll naturally start to make some mental notes. But why keep it all in your head?

You may even be able to negotiate a better deal.

3. Make a List I’m not normally a big list builder and I’m not suggesting you necessarily have to go through a big Pro/Con process, but writing up a list of all the providers you think have the right solution for you.

Why not rank them and make some notes about what each brings to the table.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

After you’ve had the chance to talk to someone, maybe had a demo of the system, you’ll be able to go back to your list with a better idea of which product is right for you. All of this information might actually end up making your decision harder, but you’ll have far more confidence that whatever decision you make will be the right one.

Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems

It might be the market leader. It might not. But either way, you’ve now located the tool that is the perfect fit for your business.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

FinanceFocus

As the monetary policies of the US, the UK and the Eurozone diverge, what should investors make of this fork in the road?

Speculation has been mounting that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again this year. The probability of a November rate raise looks slim, but some analysts believe there is a strong chance that the next phase of monetary tightening will begin in December, after the presidential election and one year after the Fed’s first rate rise since 2006.

With a jobs market approaching “full employment”, interest rate increases should stem the effects of the inflation which should, theoretically, follow. However, economic data has been mixed recently. Expenditure figures point to a strong rebound in GDP for the third quarter, while productionbased business survey evidence is much less promising. “More recently, softer data and political risk mean that many don’t think the Fed will move until December,” says Perry Asforis of Infinity International.

Just like their American counterpart, the Bank of England (BoE) and European Central Bank (ECB) are also on standby, but any movements in their interest rates are likely to be cuts.

“Global policy divergence seems most profound between the Fed NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

and the ECB, with central bankers facing in opposite directions,” says Perry. The ECB may have held interest rates this week, but it is expected to cut them further into negative territory if Eurozone inflation and growth are still lagging in December.

Having cut interest rates to 0.25 per cent in August 2016, the Bank of England has broken with the pre-Brexit expectation that it would follow the Fed in tightening. “The UK has had a fair amount of stimulus from the Bank to help support confidence, and the macroeconomic data hasn’t been too bad,” says Perry. “It will probably want to wait until Article 50 is triggered before it decides what support is needed.”

As rates diverge, and the dollar strengthens whilst weakening Sterling and the European Single currency.

It’s not been a great month for sterling, with the currency taking a further pounding and sinking to fresh 31-year-lows in mysterious circumstances, “amid forecasts for more uncertainty to come” Perry says. “It is still early days to determine the end-result (of Brexit) but one thing seems certain: Sterling will remain under severe pressure”.

The one day “flash Crash” was caused by a variety of possible reasons – from a so-called “fat finger” or algorithmic (known as algos) trading error, to a low liquidity sell-off or even comments from French President Francois Hollande.

But we could not pinpoint the exact reason for the plunge.

with the European Union since its decision in June to quit the bloc”. Especially after U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May gave a clearer indication of when the country would begin the formal exit process from the European Union, saying “Article 50” would be triggered before the end of March 2017.

Sterling/Dollar and Sterling /Euro parity, is it on the horizon?

Infinity International’s clients benefit from access to the company’s prominent position in the global foreign exchange market, which allows it to secure the most competitive rates. For more information can be found at www.iifx.co.uk

Nonetheless, “we believed that more volatility is in store for the currency, given the U.K.’s uncertain future political and economic ties NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

19

Is your business ready for Auto Enrolment? #DontIgnoreIt 1 We will sit down and guide you through your payroll responsibilities and tasks 2 We are independent financial advisers, we can advise you on which pension scheme is most suitable 3 We have helped over 60 businesses exceed their workplace pension obligations 4

We will meet you and your workforce face to face 5 We have a dedicated Corporate Services Team who only advise businesses 6 We provide specific and tailored literature to improve employee engagement Our cost for completing an Automatic Enrolment project from start to finish is ÂŁ899 (+VAT). A small balance is requested at the start with the remaining balance paid on completion.

We help ambitious companies reward, support and retain employees.

A successful workplace pension or group risk policy can provide employees with financial security and reinforce your position as a caring employer.

We specialise in: l Workplace Pensions l Employee Benefits such as Group Life, Group Income Protection and Group Private Medical Cover l Business Protection for Shareholders and Key Persons l Communicating such benefits and educating your

workforce

01603 760 866 post@sgwealthmanagement.co.uk www.sgwealthmanagement.co.uk

FinanceFocus SG Corporate Services is an established company who have been advising businesses across Norfolk and Suffolk over 15 years.

As we approach the period where the majority of small/micro businesses will need to set up a compliant workplace pension scheme to meet their auto enrolment responsibilities. In addition, we are finding that many employers are widening the employee benefits they provide to staff to improve staff retention and employee satisfaction, for example Death in Service and Group Private Healthcare.

I would like to share a few lessons we have learned over the past two years from working with other employers on how to approach Auto Enrolment and what you can do to make it a worthwhile and simple addition to your business - as opposed to it being a nuisance.

Here is a list of Do’s and Don’ts to help you meet your obligations as an employer:

Do n Communicate and raise awareness of the upcoming workplace pension with your staff well in advance – posters are available from The Pension Regular’s website or messages in their payslips can be effective.

21

n Speak to your payroll provider/ bookkeeper if your payroll is outsourced and find out how they are facilitating the assessments and communications. You may find that they may are not able to provide anything, or they may charge you an additional fee each month n Even if there are no staff to enrol, employers still have legal duties, one of which is completing a declaration of compliance with The Pension Regulator.

Don’t n Leave it until the last minute to act. The fines issued by The Pension Regulator can be as high, typically £400 followed by a daily charge of anything between £50 and £10,000. n Think that you can implement your scheme at the last minute.

Either you should take all the necessary steps at least 6 months in advance of your ‘staging date’ or alternatively if you do postpone action you must be prepared to pay your adviser more for the privilege. You do have the ability to postpone your staging date by up to 3 months or bring it forward, providing you have notified the Pension Regulator, but this does not in any way relieve you of your duty to implement a scheme.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

You should consider whether you are going to provide the minimum contribution you are responsible for or offer a higher level of contribution. It is worth noting that you can pay different levels of contributions for different staff.

The minimum contributions are currently at 1% for employers, however this will be increasing to 2% in April 2018 and 3% in April 2019.

Here at SG Corporate Services we have created a service specifically for our small and micro business clients that is cost effective and provides a complete service that

will ensure you have a compliant workplace pension scheme in place by your staging date. The service includes advising and setting up the most suitable pension scheme to liaising with your payroll provider to ensure the assessment and communication is completed correctly.

Ryan Oates DipPFS BSc, Corporate Services Manager

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Advertising

A remarkable 110th year from Hugh J Boswell Insurance Brokers.

2016 marks the 110th anniversary of insurance broking firm, Hugh J Boswell and to mark the milestone all employees were challenged to raise at least £110 for a charity of their choice.

After just 10 months, the team are delighted to announce they have raised in excess of £11,000 – smashing the target for the firm of 70 employees.

Managing director, Peter Foster, commented: “We’ve seen money raised in all sorts of ways and for various charities. Anything from dress-down days, cake sales and an in-house book stall to arduous physical challenges including a walk of the North Norfolk coast, a 100km walk from London to Cambridge and a 300 mile cycle ride around the Suffolk and Norfolk boundary lines.

I’m delighted with the team’s efforts but slightly nervous that I’m taking on my own 10km run in just a few weeks!”

Alongside these celebrations 2016 sees one of the most significant changes to the insurance regulation for 110 years. The Marine Insurance Act 1906 has been replaced with effect from 12th August of this year. There are wide-ranging impacts on the way in which insurance is transacted which requires businesses to provide all known information about their “risk” to their underwriters. At Hugh J Boswell, the team are happy to talk you through the ramifications to help you understand how this affects you and your business.

Contact us, and keep up to date with more fundraising, through Twitter, Facebook, phone or by visiting www.hughjboswell.co.uk.

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Tapering of pension annual allowance for high earners Whilst pension contributions have long been seen as a tax efficient savings strategy, the recent changes to the annual allowance have led to a significant amount of planning being needed to ensure this is still the case.

To take you back to the beginning, the pension annual allowance was introduced in 2006-07 and was initially set at £215,000 rising to £255,000 in 2010-11. The allowance is a limit on how much your pension pot can grow tax free in any one year. If your pension increases by more than the allowance then you will be subject to an additional tax charge.

The pension annual allowance was reduced to £50,000 in 2011-12 with a further reduction to £40,000 in 2014-15. With some careful planning and the use of brought-forward unused allowances, this decrease could be mostly managed.

However, a further constraint has been added and from 6 April 2016, individuals who have ‘threshold income’ of more than £110,000 may have their annual allowance for that tax year restricted by £1 for every £2 that their ‘taxable income’ exceeds £150,000. As a result, your annual allowance could be anywhere between £10,000 and £40,000 and change from year to year.

As with all legislation, there are nuances within the calculation for ‘taxable income’ and ‘threshold income’ that may mean your position is not always as it seems on the surface.

Tessa Brown,

Senior Accountant This is especially pertinent where your business and/or your employer’s business are one of the 430,000 due to stage for auto-enrollment in the next 12 months and you are unsure whether making additional contributions could impact you adversely.

As I am not a pension adviser I cannot offer financial advice.

What I can do, however, is suggest that you review your own personal circumstances and contact us if you are concerned that you may have an additional charge. The tapering is already in place so it is likely to be too late if you look at it when you turn to your 2016-17 tax return preparation.

If you have any queries with regards to this, please contact me at tessa.brown@larking-gowen.co.uk or call 01603 624181.

This article is designed for the information of readers. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, information contained in this article may not be comprehensive and recipients should not act upon it without seeking professional advice. Larking Gowen is registered to carry out audit work in the UK and Ireland by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. ©Larking Gowen.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

FinanceFocus Lloyds Banking Group is committed to supporting local SMEs as part of our Helping Britain Proper pledge. Part of that commitment is to increase the amount of new funding support by £1 billion to manufacturing businesses across the UK.

Suzie Stubbing

PROFESSIONAL BOOKKEEPING THAT YOU CAN RELY ON

Food and drink is a huge part of the GDP for Norfolk and interestingly is the biggest sub sector within the manufacturing industry, equal to the automotive and aerospace sectors combined.

Lloyds Banking Group published its third Food and Drink report LBG in September which surveyed UK producers and manufacturers of food and drink products. The report reveals how firms in the sector are working to overcome the uncertainty generated by the EU Referendum and generate new growth opportunities.

The key findings include the sector plans to create more than 75,000 jobs over the next 5 years along with 95 per cent of businesses anticipating growth during the same period which gives some real confidence about projected growth of around 19% to 2021.

In East England we have a dedicated Manufacturing team who would be happy to talk to you about how we can support your business.

• Quality Bookkeeping Services • Tax Returns • Limited Company Accounts • Payroll Services • PAYE • Plus many other accounting services

Please contact me if you would like to know more at suzie.stubbing@lloydsbanking.com Further details can also be found at resources.lloydsbank.com/insight/food-and-drink-report/

01603 812 568

www.mabarton-bookkeepingandaccounts.co.uk 41 Central Crescent, Norwich, Norfolk, NR9 3EP

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Newman & Co Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors

VAT Registration Should your business be registered for VAT? Businesses are required to register for VAT if they meet either of the following two conditions: n At the end of any month, the value of the taxable supplies made in the past 12 months or less has exceeded £83,000; or n At any time there are reasonable grounds for believing that the value of taxable supplies to be made in the next 30 days alone will exceed £83,000.

The VAT deregistration threshold that determines whether a business can apply to deregister for VAT is currently £81,000.

Whereas, the registration and deregistration threshold for relevant acquisitions from other EU Member States are both £83,000.

Failure to register on time can lead to penalties of up to 100% of the VAT not declared. Where registration has been delayed for several years, the VAT outstanding and penalties due can be substantial. This can lead to bankruptcy where the taxpayer cannot comply with HMRC’s often ungenerous payment terms.

We recommend that business owners are vigilant and keep an ongoing monthly turnover record to check if they need to register for VAT and avoid future issues.

HMRC’s VAT Notice 700/1: should I be registered for VAT? has recently been updated and explains in more detail the circumstances that require VAT registration.

Wayne Goddard FCCA ACA CTA (Director of Newman & Co. Chartered Accountants)

4b, Church Street, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4DD T: 01379 640640 | E: diss@newmans-online.co.uk

W: www.newmans-online.co.uk

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Security the name of the ga In the age of ‘the Cloud’, how and where data is stored has become ever more important to more and more businesses. This is where companies like MigSolv, who run secure data centres, come into their own.

The Gatehouse - a world class data centre

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After recently joining the Chamber as a Gold Patron, we caught up with their Chief Executive, Alex Rabbets.

Many people may still be surprised to hear they operate a global data centre from Norwich, Norfolk.

MigSolv can trace its roots back to 2002 when Chief Executive Officer Alex Rabbetts established Migration Solutions as the only UK consultancy at the time to specialise exclusively in data centres.

Behind the company was the recognition that despite the fastgrowing role of corporate IT, there was still an acute lack of guidance on the specialised environments needed to house it.

Back in 2002, Alex did not envisage running a data centre himself.

Alex, who has more than thirty years’ experience in the industry, said: “When we set up, we were a consultancy, offering advice on data

MigSolv’s Norwich offices

storage to the likes of the NHS and Morrisons.”

Union in the early 1990s as its internal computing facility.

“The dot.com crash had happened and most of the data centre companies had gone into bankruptcy so people needed guidance about keeping their data secure.”

Alex said: “Its Norwich location was perfect. It was not on a flood plain nor an area at risk of terrorism and it was surrounded by plenty of space for us to install high security systems. The area suffers no power shortages and is easy to reach.”

“I did not plan to have my own data centre but I was writing a lot of articles for specialist magazines and was publicly critical of centre operators for providing a poor service and treating customers badly. Sometimes the centre was not even operated by the company you signed up with.”

He had the chance to put his ideas on good service into practice when in 2010 Aviva divested itself of The Gatehouse in Norwich.

The Gatehouse – two purpose-built buildings on a nine-acre site – was originally developed by Norwich

“However, as a 20-year old building coming to the end of its life, it needed major refurbishment to bring it up to the latest standards.”

“We stripped the buildings back to their bare walls and completely redesigned them, investing in the latest, environmentally-efficient equipment and tightest security. We spent £12 million on the work.”

The company opened The Gatehouse in 2011 since which it has developed to become a worldclass commercial facility providing ultra-secure, high-quality, flexible

Data Centre services. The company also changed its name to MigSolv at the same time.

Alex believes, that for all the rapid advances of the digital age, there remain misunderstandings about the way data is stored.

He said: “Companies rely on their data. They have digital websites, payroll systems, and management systems and if they lost it all the company would not survive – yet you still have some companies that have their server in the corner of the office.”

“That is not secure – 50 per cent of data theft comes from within the company, from your employees.

Having all that information held on a server in the corner of the room is nowhere near as secure as storing it on servers in buildings that are purpose-built, secure and resilient, that are away from flood plains and

“Companies rely on their data. They have digital websites, payroll systems, and management systems and if they lost it all the company would not survive – yet you still have some companies that have their server in the corner of the office.”

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

BigInterview

ame for data company. which have their own generators in case there is a power cut.”

“Even for some of those people who place their data on servers in such buildings there is uncertainty. They think they have to be able to see and touch their server when really they do not. They can leave it to us to keep their data secure.”

“It also makes financial sense, not least because of the energy costs involved in running a server. It will cost you more to run a server for three years than it is to buy one, so it makes sense to use a data centre instead.”

“There is some education still to be done, but demand for our services has grown since we opened The Gatehouse location.”

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Reacting to that demand, in January this year, the company added to its data centre with a range of highly secure Cloud services.

They have also become Chamber Gold Patrons, driven in part by an awareness that not enough people knew that they existed.

Alex said: “We became Gold Patrons because we talked to people who still did not know who we were or that there was a data centre in Norwich so we wanted to raise our profile.”

“Becoming a Gold Patron has allowed us get our name better known and we have been involved in some really interesting conversations.”

Alex Rabbetts Chief Executive Officer MigSolv NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Learn to love network Networking and attending events are among the most effective ways of making business contacts, even in a digital world dominated by social media.

Face-to-face to face contact remains a powerful way of striking up business partnerships but for many people, networking can be a daunting experience.

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Norfolk Chamber hold regular networking events to give you the opportunity to meet new people to sell to or grow your business with. The friendly team are always on hand to guide you, lead fun activities to help you get started, and advise on the best event to meet your target audience.

Here are just a few ways we help you make the most out of your networking time:

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Icebreaker activity - All of our breakfasts start with the ‘networking icebreaker’ to help get guests to introduce themselves and talk around an activity such as a quiz or brain teaser.

Staff on hand to help - Norfolk Chamber staff will welcome you at the event and all guests will have badges to allow you to see who is who. If it is your first time at one of our events or you’re nervous let us know and we can help introduce you to our members.

Safari Networking - At some of our breakfasts ‘safari networking’ is a popular activity where after breakfast you will move to a randomly selected table to meet another eight people before hearing from the speakers.

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Speed Networking – Want to meet a large number of people in a short amount of time? Speed networking is a quick fire way to make introductions, you will have five minutes per group of six people and then quickly move to the next and repeat again.

Team building – The After Hours series of events are crafted to include teambuilding exercises to get you talking while having fun at bowling, cocktails, enjoying tapas or watching a fashion show.

Delegate list – you will receive a delegate list at least two days in advance to allow you to identify who you would like to meet at the event and even contact in advance.

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

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Mobile App - At our events we use a mobile app called ‘Presdo Match’ which acts as a virtual delegate list with names, and companies of people attending the event. It is linked up with LinkedIn profiles to allow you to put a face to the name.

Training – The Chamber also holds training courses to help develop those networking and communication skills.

Pick the event – is it the right one for you?

Will your target audience be there and is the subject of interest?

Keep an eye on local news topics – key

10 areas of business support or growth and

read up on the speaker; that way you will always have an interesting topic at your fingertips.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

CoverFeature

king.

We asked some of our Chamber members for their thoughts on networking.

Roger D Tubby

Sales Director, ColourPrint “Networking is not just about making contacts and collecting business cards, it is about building relationships with new contacts and developing those relationships with existing customers. I have been participating in Norfolk Chamber networking events for more than twenty years and always found them to be the single most productive way to find genuine new business contacts. There are alternatives and they come and go in popularity, but the Chamber remains constant.”

Mark Sowersby

Head of PR and Communications at Shorthose Russell “While platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter have revolutionised the way businesses connect with their customers and clients in recent years, I don’t think I can ever imagine a time when technology will stop me wanting to get out there and meet new people when it comes to networking.

Events run by the Chamber provide a great opportunity for businesses like ours to meet up with existing clients, introduce ourselves to new ones and stay up to date with what’s happening in our region all at the same time.”

Paul Grenyer

Jules Shorrock

Director, Naked Element Ltd.

Citrus Security Shredding

“I really enjoy the friendly, no pressure atmosphere of the Norfolk Chamber and find the best way to meet people is to fully engage with the networking activities and to speak to those around me.”

“I think positively, remembering that the harder I try, the luckier I will be. I often host two selected guests to Chamber events to help their business opportunities and to strengthen our relationship.”

“Events run by the Chamber provide a great opportunity for businesses like ours to meet up with existing clients, introduce ourselves to new ones and stay up to date with what’s happening in our region all at the same time.”

Mark Sowerby, Head of PR and Communications at Shorthose Russell

Top tips from the Trainer.

Ian Hacon runs regular training courses with Norfolk Chamber and shares his top tips with you.

The great thing about networking at the Chamber is the variety of events, from subject specific events like digital, to the fab B2B, breakfasts and specific policy events. You can pick and choose the event where you think you can get most benefit, this may be from contacts in the room, learning something new or contributing to the local debate on issues

Ian Hacon, Founder, Yellow Brick Road

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

I have ten top tips I suggest:

6 Listen

1 Do your homework

7 Be yourself

2 Get your pitch right 3 Arrive with a smile

8 Have two stories ready about yourself – one personal, one that shows off your business

4 Keep your mobile out of sight

9 Read the signs

5 Ask open questions to build rapport quicker

10 Follow up, follow up, follow up

Interested in learning more? Ian is offering detailed training courses at a discounted rate for members. Dates for 2017 now available.

Book now: visit norfolkchamber.co.uk/thetrainingroom

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

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Committed to busine In our last edition of 2016, we take a look at some of the highlights of our 120th anniversary year.

We are pleased to share with you some of the messages of congratulations we have received, plus photos of our recent events.

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Norfolk Chamber celebrates their 120 year anniversary on the official date of incorporation, which is marked by our Norwich Business Breakfast and AGM held on Friday 7 October.

We held a celebration event in May with members.

The grand Presidents’ Board which lists 48 influential people across the Chamber’s 120 year history was restored.

We sponsored the City of Ale Festival, with commemorative glasses given to guests at the May celebration event.

“We are thrilled to have reached such a significant milestone with the support of our members.

During 2016, we have been exploring our history and it’s been fascinating to see how across the years, despite, and in some cases, because of changes in business life, Norfolk Chamber has been a constant campaigner of important business issues.”

Caroline Williams, Chief Executive

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Feature

ess since 1896.

Our 18th B2B exhibition was bigger than ever!

NORFOLK CHAMBER 120th ANNIVERS ARY

SUPPLEME NT

2016

A printed supplement with fun facts about the Chamber over the decades was sent to all members.

Messages of Congratulations.

Her Majesty, The Queen “The Queen was pleased to receive your kind message sent on behalf of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce on the occasion of your One-Hundred and Twentieth Anniversary, which is being marked at your Annual General Meeting.

As Patron of the British Chambers of Commerce, Her Majesty much appreciated your thoughtfulness in writing as you did and, in return, sends her warm good wishes to all concerned as you mark this notable anniversary.”

Theresa May, Prime Minister “It is my pleasure to send congratulations to the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce to celebrate its 120th anniversary.

The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is an excellent voice for the business community in Norfolk and the Chamber’s important work around bettering opportunities for young people is particularly commendable. The Chamber should celebrate these achievements as it looks forward to continuing its important work in the years to come.

I am sure that this milestone will further encourage the young people and local businesses in the area to mark the Chamber’s incredible legacy.

Artefacts and records were unearthed and displayed at events throughout the year.

Dr Adam Marshall Director General, British Chambers of Commerce “For a business to survive for more than a century is no mean feat, but to have grown and expanded over a period spanning three centuries of unprecedented national change is an achievement worthy of special congratulations.

In its 120 years, the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce has supported businesses across the county through world wars, economic booms and recessions, an ever-changing economy and the emergence of a global and digital marketplace.

Norfolk Chamber’s longevity demonstrates its continued relevance to its members, as well as its team’s hard work and business acumen.

Chambers of Commerce are now more important than ever as a key point of contact between local businesses in the UK and export markets overseas. As Chambers, we will at the forefront of providing our members with the information and contacts that they need to continue expanding into overseas markets.

So on this landmark occasion, let me on behalf of the British Chambers of Commerce, offer my congratulations to yourself and the whole Norfolk Chamber team, and express my appreciation and admiration for your team’s consistent and unfailing professionalism and dedication to the businesses they work hard to champion, and wish you all the very best of success for the years to come.”

Please accept my best wishes on this special occasion.”

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

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Advertising

Accountant offers system free to businesses.

Durham-based Accountants Mullen Stoker have become a Gold Partner of the SageOne accounting system and will be giving it away free to clients and non-clients.

SageOne is a range of cloud-based online accounting and payroll software, offering everything that businesses need to run the accounts and payroll side of their small business or start-up.

Gary Stoker, one of the founders of Mullen Stoker, said: “Having become a Gold Partner of SageOne, we can introduce clients and nonclients alike to the advantages of the system.

“Our free offer will run for a year and allow us to work with the companies on making their financial systems as efficient as possible.

SageOne allows them to do that.”

Stephen Buzzeo, Regional Online Development Manager for Sage (UK) Ltd, Accountants’ Segment, said: “One of the big advantages of SageOne is that it saves time because accountants can access the software directly, instead of the information having to be transferred forward and backwards by email.

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“The time that saves means that the system provides real added value for those companies that use it.”

Mullen Stoker Chartered Accountants, which is based on the Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham, works throughout the North East and beyond with a client base that covers all types of business sectors and all types and size of businesses from Groups of companies through to individuals.

The company was created by Neil Mullen FCCA ACA and Gary Stoker BSc MBCS along with several highly qualified and experienced staff who had all previously worked together, most

for more than a decade. In July 2012, Stephen Green FCCA ACA CTA became Tax Director, giving further strength to the board.

The company can be contacted on: Mullen Stoker House, Mandale Business Park, Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham DH1 1TH Tel: 0191 374 0300 Email info@mullenstoker.co.uk

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High quality education with first class facilities at Wymondham College .

Wymondham College is the largest State Boarding School in the country, educating around 650 boarders and a similar number of day students, set amongst 84 acres of rural Norfolk countryside.

The College secured ‘outstanding’ judgements from Ofsted in both the last education and boarding inspections and is one of the top 20 state secondary schools in the country. Beyond the academic school day over 70 regular weekly clubs and societies are available together with over 700 annual sporting fixtures, an active Cadets unit and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

High quality education with first class facilities is free for day students with boarding fees at just over £10,000 pa. College students have just achieved some of the highest A Level results in recent memory with 80% gaining A-C Grades.

At GCSE over 89% exceeded the Gold standard (A*-C including English and maths).

Wymondham College is the highest performing state school in the region and in the top 20 of

all state schools nationally. But Wymondham College is more than achieving outstanding academic success. The College has been awarded World Class School status, in recognition of the extraordinary opportunities offered to our students and the work they do beyond the classroom.

The wide range of activities beyond the classroom and the opportunity to build relationships and friendships through boarding is an attractive proposition. Even more attractive is that all of this is available at a fraction of the cost of boarding at independent schools.

If you would like a personal tour of the school please get in touch, we would be delighted to show you around.

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EA

T S APIENTIA

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WYMONDHAM COLLEGE one of the top 20 highest performing state schools ofsted “outstanding” in both education and boarding inspections great value boarding fees at just over £10,000 per year World class schools aWard 2015

checK our Website for our neXt open day dates or contact us for a guided tour

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Membership has many benefits Are you making the most of them?

Ensure you access all the benefits available to you as a Norfolk Chamber member, these include: Business Support

Find New Customers

Influence Change

Access Advice

Free HR Online Document Library

Networking Events

Representation

HR Advice Line

Access our 70+ events a year to network with other Norfolk businesses.

Ensure your voice is heard at a local, regional and national level.

Free 24/7 HR advice line, whenever your business needs it.

Raise Your Profile

Chamber Campaigns

Legal Advice Line

Join our campaigns for better broadband, mobile, infrastructure, and help us inspire Norfolk’s young people.

Free 24/7 Legal advice line.

Over 500 HR documents available to view and download whenever you need them.

Free Legal Expenses Insurance £1M worth of legal expenses insurance to cover the cost of representing your business should you become embroiled in certain legal disputes.

AA Breakdown Cover Up to 64% discount available to our members.

Primary Care Health Plan A very affordable absence and risk management tool, as well as an excellent employee benefit.

Promote yourself through our website and social media.

Upload your news/ blogs/events/offers to our website and we will share them over social media.

Norfolk Voice Free editorial in our bi-monthly magazine.

Online Directory Improve your SEO through your company listing as well as being found through our directory search.

Chamber Member Logo Use our logo on your website and literature.

Join the Norfolk Chamber today from £8.25/month To find out more and join online visit:

www.norfolkchamber.co.uk Or contact us on 01603 729704 or membership@norfolkchamber.co.uk

Quarterly Economic Survey Take part in the QES which is used by the Bank of England and the Chancellor to plan the future of the UK economy

International Support Export Documentation Being a member gives you a 50% discount on our export documentation service.

Translation Service With this, language differences don’t need to be a significant barrier to International Trade.

Chamber FX We offer a leading Foreign Exchange and International Payments Service with exclusive discounts and services to our members.

Tax Advice & Protection Free 24/7 Tax advice line and Tax investigation insurance.

Chamber Sessions Free weekly training across a range of topics such as; Marketing, Social Media, Leadership etc.

Export Training Whatever your exporting role, we have a course that will help you and your company succeed.

NewMembers ABC Food Law Limited 01603 274486 www.abcfoodlaw.co.uk Training Providers/Services

ACAS 01284 774500 www.acas.org.uk Business Support Services

Acorn Financial Consulting Ltd 07427 664288 www.holdsworth-advantage. co.uk Business Support Services

Attract and Convert 01603 397091 www.attractandconvert.co.uk Website Designers

Calibration Maintenance & Repair 01603 279557 www.thecalibrationservice.eu Engineering

Captivate Heritage Ltd 07803 811587 www.historymysterygame.com Corporate Hospitality

Content Connective 01603 408824 Advertising

Cryptic Escape Ltd 01603 762002 www.cryptic-escape.co.uk Team Building

Full Mix Marketing 01603 446227 Marketing

Gee-Force Hydraulics Limited 01493 603797 www.gee-force.co.uk Manufacturing (General)

Jamieson Property Search 01328 822547 www. jamiesonpropertysearch.co.uk Property Agents/Management

Jumpstart 07794 201990 www.jumpstartuk.co.uk Finance

33 Laszlo Creative Limited 01603 597730 http://laszlocreative.uk Graphic Design

Lifestyle Home Appliances 01603211740 www.lifestylehomeappliances. co.uk Electrical Installation

OLAB Hydraulics Ltd 01842 755022 Mechanical & Electrical Services

Pure Vehicle Leasing Ltd 0330 113 1000 www.purevehicleleasing.co.uk Motor Vehicle Dealers/Leasing

Regency Security Services (UK) Ltd 01603 666965 www.regencysecurity.co.uk Security Consultants

Software Applications Limited 07512 140 689 www.softapps.co.uk Technology

Pixel Spark Ltd 07500040974 www.pixel-spark.com Technology

Your new business could be here for as little as £8.25 a month.

Call 01603 729704 to speak to our membership team today.

Tulip Services 07949 989927 Garden Maintenance

Ultipac 01263 587272 Manufacturing (General)

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

MemberNews New agency offers Norfolk businesses all the marketing they need to grow.

McTear Williams & Wood Tour de Wymondham Sportive.

East Anglia’s largest business rescue and insolvency practice, McTear Williams & Wood, hosted its first cycling sportive called the ‘Tour de Wymondham’ in conjunction with local cycling company Pedal Revolution.

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Starting at Wymondham Rugby Club, forty keen cyclists, all professionals from across the region, took to the roads around the picturesque Norfolk countryside, cycling either a 20 mile or a 40 mile route. After all their hard work, the cyclists were

rewarded with plenty of refreshments and a chance to recover and compare notes on the routes.

As cycling is becoming increasingly popular as a great way to socialise and keep fit, McTear Williams & Wood are planning to make the sportive an annual event.

McTear Williams & Wood extend their thanks to everyone who took part, especially Pedal Revolution and Wymondham Rugby Club who hosted the event.

Norwich Airport opens new engine test facility.

Norwich Airport Managing Director Richard Pace said: “This investment will make a significant contribution to improving the local environment by using the latest noise reduction technology. We are committed to making Norwich Airport one of the best in its class and to being a good neighbour, and are delighted to be celebrating the official launch of this important project.”

Richard Pace, Managing Director Norwich Airport has officially opened its purposebuilt engine testing centre to reduce aircraft noise for neighbouring communities and support aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities at the airport.

The new facility represents a £1.4 million investment by airport owners Rigby Group plc and is another significant milestone in the airport’s ongoing strategy of upgrade and improvement.

The testing centre is a bespoke high tech facility only usually found at larger airports like Stansted or Heathrow. It features a 10m-high, three-sided aluminium acoustic barrier designed to minimise aircraft noise during engine runs.

Engine testing is vital to the work of the Norwich Airport-based aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses and their airline customers.

Alan Waters, leader of Norwich City Council, said: “Norwich has long been the economic and cultural heart of East Anglia so we welcome the opening of this significant facility.

“The engine testing centre is helping to deliver some really positive outcomes for the city by contributing to the employment offer of the airport, adding high value engineering jobs and improving the environment for the benefit of nearby residents. These three elements link back to two of the council’s corporate priorities for the city and its residents – having a safe and clean city which is also prosperous and vibrant.”

Designed by industry leaders APS of Germany, who have more than 30 years of noise protection experience, the engine testing project was managed by Norwichbased Canham Consulting and built by Cromer-based MacKinnon Construction. The new centre came into service in April this year.

Richard Pace added: “This is a world class engineering facility made possible by the airport management team working closing with our local authorities to bring it to fruition.”

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Sarah West With competition for customer’s attention becoming ever fiercer, a new Chamber member aims to help local businesses develop a competitive advantage through marketing.

“Marketing is key to growth for lots of Norfolk businesses” says Sarah West, Managing Director of Full Mix Marketing. “However, many are unsure where to begin or are disappointed by their current results.

Our ambition is to become the fastest growing marketing agency in Norfolk, simply by helping our clients become some of the fastest growing companies.”

A Chartered Marketer and former winner of Young Marketer of the Year, Sarah has most recently been Strategic Marketing Manager for leading UK holiday company, Hoseasons. She’s now established a strategic, digital and offline marketing agency to give local businesses all the marketing they need to grow.

To help businesses get a head start, Full Mix Marketing have created a number of free guides, including advice on how to use marketing to grow, avoid digital marketing mistakes and get better results from advertising. These can be downloaded free by Chamber members at fullmixmarketing.co.uk/guides.

£1 million worth of Legal Expenses Cover included in your membership, visit norfolkchamber.co.uk/ connections/memberbenefits Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

Advertising

Norfolk’s most exclusive venue.

A magnificent Palladian house at the centre of a 25,000 acre privately owned estate on the north Norfolk coast, Holkham is the ancestral seat of the Earls of Leicester. In addition to offering a stunning backdrop for weddings, the setting offers an exclusive and prestigious venue for corporate events, including directors’ meetings, conferences, ceremonies, presentations, product launches, dinners, company parties and team building days.

Holkham is within easy reach of Norwich and Cambridge, with good road and rail links to London.

Where can you hold your event? The options are extensive, ranging from the panoramic parkland, various state rooms in Holkham Hall, marquee options in the park or walled garden and even Holkham Beach can be included in your plans.

For exclusivity, the newly-opened, dedicated events venue, The Lady Elizabeth Wing, adjacent to Holkham Hall is a unique and stunning, contemporary space which works flexibly for small or large numbers. It is the perfect venue to impress and entertain your guests. The Lady Elizabeth Wing is suitable for a variety of functions and behind the scenes are all the professional facilities that organisers and caterers need to ensure an event runs smoothly and efficiently.

The use of the Lady Elizabeth Wing can also be combined with the state rooms in Holkham Hall offering a juxtaposition of an historic backdrop against a contemporary setting. The Marble Hall is a spectacular introduction to the magnificent

building, with its ceiling rising to a height of over 50 feet and a screen of columns running around evoking ancient Roman grandeur and is a stunning location for a large reception with drinks and canapés. Elsewhere, the opulent Saloon, with its great master paintings and crimson wall hangings and the dramatic Statue Gallery with its collection of classical statuary, are perfect for entertaining.

and offers everything you would expect from a traditional, English inn serving delicious, locally sourced food, much of it grown and raised on the Holkham Estate. Other opportunities for accommodation are available through a network of north Norfolk hotels or for those looking for something a bit different, ‘posh camping’ under the stars can be arranged.

Small formal lunches and dinners can be served in the South Dining Room or Drawing Room, using our own recommended caterers who have been carefully chosen for the quality of the food, competitive pricing and friendly and helpful service.

Our highly experienced events team have successfully organised events for many companies and organisations, including Red Bull, Christies, Break Charity, Scira Offshore Energy, the European Landowners’ Organisation and Barratt and Cooke.

The estate-owned Victoria Inn is perfectly located on the coast road in Holkham village

To discuss the opportunities available, please contact Alan Miller, email a.miller@holkham.co.uk.

Norfolk’s Most Exclusive Venue A unique and contemporary indoor events space for weddings, corporate events, conferences, presentations, product launches, ceremonies, dinners and team building days.

The Lady Elizabeth Wing, Holkham Estate, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1AB www.holkham.co.uk 16998U_Holkham_NorfolkVoice_Ad2.indd 1 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

25/10/2016 14:35 NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

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Diary Dates.

Networking Events Great Yarmouth Business Breakfast Where: Great Yarmouth Racecourse When: Thursday 17 November, 07:30 – 09:30 What: Join us to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week. Annually, this week inspires individuals to explore their potential as self-starters and innovators through a range of activities.

Whether you’re a small business owner or work for a larger scale organisation, this breakfast event aims to inspire an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’; enabling innovation and new opportunities within your business. Sponsored by Norse.

Members only event.

Norwich Christmas Business Breakfast

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Where: Sprowston Manor, Norwich When: Thursday 8 December, 07:30 -09:30 What: Dust off those Christmas jumpers; ‘tis the season to be merry, make new connections and indulge in a full English Breakfast with Norfolk Chamber and featured charity EACH. Enjoy a relaxed morning full of festive

networking activities designed to get you in high Christmas spirits.

Round off 2016 by making those important contacts ready to start the New Year over a delicious breakfast. Don’t forget to bring those Christmas presents to pop under the tree for EACH to donate to children in need this Christmas.

Member only event.

Super Bowl Challenge 2017 Where: Hollywood Bowl Norwich When: Thursday 26 January, 18:00 – 20:00 What: Join us in the New Year for an evening of team building and networking among the local business community. Super Bowl Challenge continues to be a success, year on year, taking up all the lanes at Hollywood Bowl Norwich for our annual ‘bowl off’!

Whether you want to strengthen the connections in your team, or make new ones, this event offers a fun, relaxed environment to get your business name out there and show off your skills on the lanes. The evening will consist of bowling, a delicious buffet and a medal ceremony at the end to crown the best. Book a lane now for a team of up to 8, or as an individual or small group to be placed into a mixed team!

Special Events Tomorrow’s Talent Where: Mercure, Norwich When: Friday 25 November, 07:30 – 10:00 What: Building on the success of ‘An Audience with Norfolk Schools’ we now turn our focus onto the business perspective. We will look at the importance of recruiting young talent, and how this can grow and evolve any business or department. We will explore how businesses can attract young employees and retain them by creating an environment and culture for young people to thrive within the business.

MPs Event 2017 Where: Holiday Inn Norwich North, Norwich

When: Friday 3 February, 15:00 – 18:00 What: Next year’s event will be bringing together Norfolk’s MPs again to discuss key issues affecting Norfolk. Last year more than 150 influential Norfolk businesses took part in the event - and your company should be one of them! This is your opportunity to raise Norfolk’s profile in one of the most important political forums we host.

HR Forums Modern Slavery Act and Employee Share Incentives Where: Holiday Inn Norwich, Ipswich Road When: Wednesday 9 November, 14:00 – 17:00 What: The Modern Slavery Act was passed in March 2015, but what is meant by the term “modern slavery”? The experts at Birketts will explore this, as well as the risks posed to businesses should modern slavery be found in the business or supply chains.

The rest of the session will then focus on how you could make your reward package more attractive using Employee Share Incentives.

Sponsored and delivered by Birketts. Open to all businesses.

HR Forum – January Where: Holiday Inn Norwich, Ipswich Road When: Wednesday 25 January, 14:00 – 17:00 What: Join the Norfolk Chamber for an afternoon of accessing specialist knowledge essential for any HR professional or business owner. Open to all businesses.

For more information, to see a full list of events, or to book visit: www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/events

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ForthcomingChamberEvents

The Return of the MPs Event.

Norfolk Chamber’s high profile policy event is back for 2017, bringing together Norfolk’s MPs to meet with local businesses and discuss key issues affecting Norfolk.

Last year’s event featured MPs speaking on key topics including infrastructure, skills and young people, exporting and more, and was an overwhelming success with over 150 Norfolk business leaders taking part.

Norfolk MPs have confirmed the date of Friday 3 February in their diaries for this unmissable event from 3pm-6pm at Holiday Inn North, Norwich. Featuring a packed programme of speakers, MPs, discussion and feedback sessions.

Book your place today at www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/ events

Tomorrow’s Talent.

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Do you want to recruit and retain top talent to help grow your company?

Tomorrow’s Talent looks at the importance of recruiting millennials and younger generations, and how this can help your business to thrive.

Following last year’s ‘An Audience with Norfolk Schools’ event where over 100 businesses joined us, we’ll now explore how businesses can attract young talented employees and retain them by creating an environment and culture for young people to thrive in.

Join us for an interactive morning and discover: n Why young people are good for your business n How to develop a workplace to attract and retain

young talent

n Hear from businesses already successfully

recruiting top talent

n Hear from young entrepreneurs who will challenge

your thinking

n Network with like-minded businesses

When it comes to skills, it is not enough to just think about the here and now. If you actively engage with young people now, you can start to build a strong pipeline of future talent, which can help put you ahead of your competitors and ultimately secure your future growth. Young People are a ‘blank canvas’, they are open to new ideas, ways of working and experiences.

Make their unique skills, new ideas and enthusiasm, your competitive edge!

Whether you are a manager, in HR & recruitment, working in education or looking to work with schools, this event is suitable for you.

Date: Friday 25 November Times: 07:30-10:00 Venue: Holiday Inn Norwich North For more information, visit: norfolkchamber. co.uk/events Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Jake Humphrey’s message to Norfolk businesses: “Believe in yourself and be as ambitious as possible.”

18th B2B Buzzing with Business.

The region’s premier business to business exhibition brought together over 100 businesses and a record 700 visitors for a day committed to business.

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The Best Stand Award was won by Mayday, drawing caricatures of visitors to their stand and printing them as souvenirs.

This year’s event was sponsored by osbornenash, Archant, Computer Service Centre, inVoke Marketing, Norse and HEAD | HUNTED Recruitment.

12 students from Sprowston High School Young Chamber took part in event work experience with us

With regular flights from Norwich airport, a delegation from Exeter visited to develop new relationships

You can already register your interest for priority booking for 2017 stands.

Don’t forget to add Thursday 12 October 2017 to your diary for a day of doing business.

Email events@norfolkchamber.co.uk

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ChamberEvents

Building on the success of the Norfolk Chamber’s popular Chamber Sessions training courses, The Training Room delivers a more in depth approach to a range of key business skills. Covering subjects that are directly relevant to today’s business needs, The Training Room offers insight, skills and techniques that you will be able to apply directly to your work.

These NEW half-day workshops take place in the Chamber’s well appointed board room - The Training Room.

Step in to The Training Room - and step up your performance Social media for business Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Friday 4 November, 09:00-12:30 What: Want to make social media work for your business? Our half-day training workshop with Jonathan White, Desire Marketing will give you the knowledge and

Create profitable Google AdWords campaigns Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Friday 11 November, 09:00-12:30 What: A high Google ranking is essential for many businesses and Google AdWords Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is the

Essentials for email marketing Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Wednesday 22 February, 09:30-13:00 What: You can improve your return from email marketing by understanding and acting upon client behaviour (user interaction). In this session Holly Stibbon of

Make your LinkedIn profile work for you Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Wednesday 1 March, 09:00-12:30 What: Social media is expanding all the time and getting the message through the noise can be hard. In this Session John

The art of networking Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Tuesday 21 March, 09:00-12:30 What: This session aims to give you top tips and techniques to get the best from networking events and help them overcome any fear and anxiety they may have about

tools you need to maximise your social media efforts. From the simple basics of Facebook and Twitter through to the more advanced stages of monitoring and insight, we’ll show you how social media works, why it’s so successful and what you can do to harness it, exploit it - and enjoy it. closest thing to being able to guarantee a page 1 ranking on Google. Join Matt Brown, One Vision Ltd and discover the potential opportunity from advertising on Google and learn how an effective campaign is created and developed.

101Smart Ltd will help you to learn about different targeted send techniques and how you could use these to get more from your campaigns.

Davy of Dojo Media Consulting will show you where LinkedIn can cut through and offer some real gains.

FREE weekly bitesize training over breakfast or lunch delivered by members, for members, at Norfolk Chamber’s Norwich office.

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Be Better at Finance (for non-financial managers) Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Tuesday, 15 November, 8:30am to 10:00am

Be Better at Social Media Advertising Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Tuesday, 29 November, 8:30am to 10:00am

them. Ian Hacon, Yellow Brick Road Solutions will take you through the whole journey from selecting the right events through to attending and following up. Ian will give them useful tips on the process and the interpersonal aspects of networking.

Book now at www.norfolkchamber.co.uk /thetrainingroom £125+VAT for members, £150+VAT for non-members.

PLUS! 25% cashback on training with ETIP funding and a special discounted price for Norfolk Chamber members.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

The Chamber Sessions.

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Be Better at Putting the Customer First Where: Norfolk Chamber, Norwich When: Tuesday, 6 December, 8:30am to 10:00am

Book now at www.norfolkchamber.co.uk, exclusive and free for members

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Advertising

PR&MarketingFocus

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creativesponge.co.uk 01603 622766 Branding • Design • Digital

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

A new direction along the insight track.

Chris Murphy Norwich-based market research consultancy Insight Track has appointed Chris Murphy as NonExecutive Director in readiness for the next phase of the research agency’s development.

With a successful 10-year trading history since Insight Track was established, the appointment confidently recognises the growing maturity of the business, and the ambition to continue being a leading player in the marketing services sector in the East of England for the next 10 years too.

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LSI Architects named in Building Magazine’s Top 150 Consultants.

Norwich and London based Architectural Practice LSI Architects has once again been named a Building’s Top 150 Consultants, Building Magazine’s annual league table of the biggest UK consultants which includes surveyors, architects, engineers and project managers.

The Practice rose to 101st from 113th in the top 150 firms and from 46th to 42nd in the top 50 Architects.

Partner Rupert Kitchen said: “Building Magazine is one of the construction industry’s most respected names and so to receive this recognition is something we are rightfully proud of. Despite

uncertainties around Brexit, the practice’s forward vision remains as strong as it has ever been. Our presence in London and the South East continues to grow, with a range of projects across a number of sectors and some exciting design opportunities.

We’ve recently been able to offer permanent positions to a number of people in both London and Norwich, and it is our intention that we will continue to recruit in the coming months based on our positive outlook.”

According to this year’s top 150, consultants grew their UK staff by 5% overall during the past year.

Adnams launches new Corporate Christmas Gifts Service.

This year, by popular demand, Adnams have launched a new Corporate Christmas Gifts service. Packed full of Adnams quality and loveliness, the gift boxes are a great way to thank business colleagues, suppliers or clients.

Adnams offer a totally hassle-free service. Simply choose the gift boxes you’d like and Adnams will deliver them to any mainland UK address. They can also add a little note to give your gifts that personal touch.

There are four gift boxes to choose from including Broadside Beer, Bubbly, Copper House Gin, or the Foodie box (an alcohol free option).

For more information, please contact the Adnams gifts team on T: 01603 613243 or email gifts@adnams.co.uk.

(NB: To ensure your gifts arrive in time, you will need to place your order no later than 1st December 2016)

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Chris has a well proven pedigree within the regional business community, having owned and managed a clutch of successful marketing services agencies. Chris was latterly CEO of Balloon Dog (formerly Fox Murphy), the region’s largest advertising agency, before divesting by an management buy out to pursue wider business consultancy ambitions.

Furthermore the appointment re-kindles the dynamic working partnership between Chris Murphy and Will Herschel-Shorland, first formed when Will was Client Services Director for Chris at Fox Murphy, before Will branched-out to set-up Insight Track.

Chris is relishing the opportunity to realise the potential within Insight Track, saying: “Knowing how important customer insight is to guide business decision-making, I have kept an interested eye on Insight Track since its launch. The business has a great team and I’m looking forward to playing my part in taking the business forward”.

Will Herschel-Shorland, Managing Director, is delighted to be reunited with Chris, saying: “Chris’s appointment underlines our ambitions to realise Insight Track’s full potential and our determination to provide best-in-class client service.

The experience he brings is selfevident and we are looking forward to harnessing his skills and energy to drive the business forward, with an exciting future in prospect.”

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

MemberNews Aston Shaw releases new Mobile App.

Aston Shaw has released a new and improved mobile application for both Apple and Android devices, which boasts a number of great new features.

The company first released an app in 2011 and many of the most-used features have been retained, such as the rather useful tax calculator, tax table, tax tips and a key tax dates calendar.

Get involved in Norfolk Vanguard.

In the last edition of Norfolk Voice the Chamber spoke about their meeting with us to discuss our new project. Norfolk Vanguard is an exciting project for everyone involved.

When Vattenfall signed an updated agreement this year with The Crown Estate to lease 592 sq. km of the North Sea seabed, the opportunity to develop Norfolk Vanguard, one of the largest offshore wind developments in the world, became real.

The numbers are impressive: 1,800 megawatts (MW), hundreds of wind turbines, 20+ years of low cost, low carbon energy (generating power for 1.3 million UK households), billions in investment, including in major regional infrastructure, and hundreds of local jobs – in construction and operation.

This investment will be continued with Norfolk Boreas, our second 1,800 MW project, which will follow the same planning process next year.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s early days.

To gain planning permission, we will first agree

The new version of the app however, has the following additions:

with specialist stakeholders what to assess - from environmental issues to infrastructure implications and economic opportunities. Then we start the research to design a wind farm and infrastructure and submit our plans to the Planning Inspectorate.

Throughout, we will be speaking with local people and organisations with an interest in the proposals, explaining what it means to build such a big energy project and hearing their views. All that we learn through this will be fed into the application process.

We hope that by the end of 2019 the UK Government will grant planning permission to build the scheme so that we can start building the wind farm in the 2020s.

It’s important to us that this development benefits Norfolk and East Anglia. As such we would like all businesses in the region interested in the opportunities this project will offer to register today by filling in our contact form: norfolkvanguard. vattenfall.co.uk/article/contact-us

inVoke announces agreement with Granite Granite. inVoke Marketing have announced a new relationship with international wholesaler Granite Granite.

The new venture will see a network of inVoke Digital Signage make its way across the UK to retail outlets and showrooms.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

n Blog

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n Quickbooks n Receipt Bank What do these new features mean for clients?

The introduction of the blog feature means that clients can keep upto-date with Aston Shaw’s award winning blogs! Blogs cover a range of topics, from industry news to business tips. Clients will also have the option to receive push notifications every time a new blog is uploaded.

The integration of quickbooks into the Aston Shaw app means clients can run their business anywhere by using the number one small business cloud accounting platform.

Raise your business profile through free digital promotion – Upload your news, events, blogs to our website and social media channels, visit www.norfolkchamber. co.uk for more information.

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Committed to Business

Granite Granite Digital Signage

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Advertising

First big budget decision for newly-elected PCC. Just six months into his term as Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Lorne Green faces a big decision, and he wants your input before he makes it.

During his election campaign, Lorne Green said he would be the PCC for every woman, man and child in Norfolk. He pledged to give you the opportunity to influence how your county is policed - and he is holding true to his word.

Lorne’s first priority upon election was to set the direction of policing for the next four years.

He spent two months travelling the length and breadth of Norfolk to find out what residents, businesses and organisations felt should be the crime and policing priorities for the county.

You told Lorne what you want from your policing service, and your feedback provided the foundation for his Police and Crime Plan for Norfolk.

Now he has to set the budget within which that plan will be delivered.

Responsible for setting Norfolk’s police budget, and with it how much tax payers contribute to funding their policing service, Lorne must present his proposal to members of the Police and Crime Panel in February.

Have your say at www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk, by email to TellLorne@norfolk.pnn.police.uk or by telephone on 01953 424455.

You can help influence his decision by taking part in the PCC’s public budget consultation running between 10 November and 9 December 2016.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

MemberNews US2U Consulting Client UEA School of History ranks first!

The Dean of Norwich 'launches' new Hotel entrance.

The Maids Head Hotel in Norwich has completed a £150,000 project to refurbish the public lounges and reception and create a new entrance on Tombland, including a revolving door.

The Dean of Norwich, The Very Reverend Jane Hedges, officially ‘launched’ the new entrance, on Tuesday, September 13.

Christine Malcolm, General Manager the Maids Head Hotel, said: “The hotel has been privately owned by the Chaplin family since December 2012. Our owners have embarked on a range of sympathetic refurbishment and renovation projects, to ensure that our historic building meets the expectations of 21st century visitors. Our new entrance and reception area provides a much more welcoming environment with lovely views out onto Tombland. We have also

been pleased to be able to work with a range of local contractors and suppliers on this project.

“I would like to thank the Dean of Norwich for joining us to celebrate the completion of the project.

The Maids Head has had a very long relationship with Norwich Cathedral. The first Norman Bishop, Herbert de Losinga, lived on this site. His palace eventually became the Murtel Fish Inn, which was the Maids Head’s predecessor. We are delighted to be working with the Cathedral on a special new Festive Advent Break this year, which features a ‘moving‘ feast between the hotel and the Priors Hall.”

The Dean of Norwich said: “We are delighted to have such a close relationship with the Maids Head. We share so much common history and there are many opportunities for us to work together to bring more visitors to Norwich.”

Norfolk-based Architectural Practices unite.

Janet Jury, co-founder of Reynolds Jury Architecture, is appointed partner of Purcell’s Norwich studio. With 33 years’ experience, Janet brings her contemporary residential, community and care-sector design skills, project management capabilities, urban design qualifications and conservation expertise to the team.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

The School of History also placed joint first nationally in the subject area and received 100 per cent in overall satisfaction.

The School of History’s performance tops off another year of impressive results for UEA,- whose overall joint third position out of English mainstream universities cements its title as the only university to achieve top-five ranking every year since the survey began in 2005.

Reflecting on the National Student Survey results, which measured student satisfaction across a number of areas including teaching, academic support and university resources and management, Head of UEA School of History, Professor Cathie Carmichael, said: “Thank you for the part US2U Consulting played in this moment of triumph.”

Free 24/7 HR advice line for members, to help save your money and protect your business. Use it today on 01455 852037

Purcell has announced its merger with Norfolk-based architectural practice Reynolds Jury Architecture.

Combining expertise and skills will increase Purcell’s service offer in the region.

Purcell is maintaining Reynolds Jury Architecture’s existing client base. Co-founder of Reynolds Jury Architecture, Michael Reynolds, is working with Purcell as a consultant. The practice’s four other team members joined Purcell’s Norwich studio on 5th September 2016.

US2U Consulting client UEA School of History has ranked first for overall satisfaction at the University of East Anglia in this year’s National Student Survey.

Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Reynolds Jury Architecture Joins Purcell

Committed to Business

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

45

ViewfromtheBoard

Championing SMEs in Norfolk.

In this issue we meet Esther Evans, Managing Director of STM Packaging Group, and Board Member of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce. She’s very busy, but finds time to tell us about her work, interests and why she sees the Chamber as so important to local businesses.

When we catch up with Esther her team are getting ready for B2B 2016. ‘We’re pretty much ready’, she says as we sit down to talk.

We begin with her background. She was brought up in Norwich, and did a Business Studies qualification at Norwich City College, but then moved away for some years.

She worked for Rowntree Mackintosh, before moving on to build a successful sales career in the packaging sector, with businesses including a label company and a paper mill. She would become the only female director at Smurfit Kappa, by which time she’d completed an MBA, studying part time. ‘It was a challenge’ she admits.

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With elderly parents in Norfolk she was considering a return, but the decision was made when, ten years ago, she got the job of Managing Director at STM. ‘Moving from a corporation to an SME was a culture shock’, she says. ‘Suddenly there were fewer people to do things’.

The necessary ‘hands on’ approach meant she was more than ready

to be part of the three person management buy out when it came in February 2015.

Outlining the group structure, which now includes companies in Northampton as well as Norwich, she says that the only way to survive and grow is to be constantly innovative. Embracing the growth of ‘e commerce’ the company has produced packaging for online retailers who need to dispatch products safely and well protected. They’ve also designed and produced colourful packaging to help products stand out.

Esther doesn’t get too much spare time, but she’s not without interests. She and her husband love running and cycling. They like mountain walks, and are keen observers of wildlife.

Her online profile also lists among her interests the unlikely combination of ‘motor sport and pre-Raphaelite art’! We touch on her love of art and especially the Arts and Craft movement, but we soon shift gear to talk about the motor sport. She’s a keen Formula 1 fan, and loves cars.

Esther Evans As a Board Member of Norfolk Chamber Esther helps work on the governance and strategic direction.

The issue that she’s really passionate about is encouraging SMEs, especially in manufacturing, to join the Chamber. ‘There are so many benefits for them in being members’ she says.

She goes on to say, ‘When I was asked to be a Board Member I saw it as an opportunity to give something back. I was grateful to the Chamber. Joining STM meant I had to address the issues

I mentioned earlier. I didn’t have all the HR resources I needed.

Nor the on site legal input that’s so important. But I could get them through the Chamber. There were staff benefits too, like training and healthcare.

And of course there was the networking. We have done business and found suppliers through the Chamber network.

Our talking time is nearly up.

Esther returns to the culture shock of moving from a plc to an SME.

“The team at STM are brilliant. They are so responsive to new ideas and strategies. They’ve made that huge shift the biggest challenge and the greatest joy of my life.”

East Anglian business reports ongoing growth.

Local business Alan Boswell Group has reported another year of growth following the publication of its annual accounts this August.

The independent insurance broker and financial planning group, which has offices in Norwich, Peterborough, Attleborough and Bury St Edmunds, saw its income increase by over seven percent to more than £15m in the year to 31 March, reporting profits in excess of £3 million.

The business has also remained

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

and implementing a strong growth strategy.

Finance Director Nick Drew says: “Our results demonstrate that our approach to business growth is sustainable. We intend to continue with this strategy, prudently investing in our assets and our people so that we remain the natural choice for insurance and financial advice in East Anglia.” debt free while making large investments in capital expenditure

The announcement follows a year of good news for the business, having been recognised as

MemberNews Independent Insurance Broker of the Year at the Insurance Times Awards, thanks, in part to its dedication to customer service.

“It’s a testament to our teams that we’re an award-winning business, which has been growing year-onyear,” Group Director Chris Gibbs explains. “Customer service is at the heart of what we do and the positive customer feedback we receive often singles out individual team members for the service they provide.”

NORFOLK VOICE • THE MAGAZINE OF NORFOLK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

The commercial training arm of

When it comes to safety in the workplace, it makes sense to take advice from the experts and that means turning to the team at Norfolk Safety CIC. A Community Interest Company established by Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service to operate as its commercial trading arm, Norfolk Safety CIC offers competitively priced quality training.

Norfolk Safety CIC offers both standard and bespoke training packages for everyone, from individual sole traders to multinational and government institutions. We continually develop our courses to meet the needs of legislative requirements and commercial business interests.

Training solutions include:       

Fire Risk Assessment Fire Marshal Workplace & Emergency First Aid Fire Safety & Evacuation Evac Chair Management/Team Building Assault Course ERT Pump, Hose & Foam

   

Breathing Apparatus Timber Framed Construction Bespoke Training Solutions Purchase a Defibrillator

As a CIC, the company reinvest its profits in community interest projects such as youth engagement/development and fire prevention activities for the vulnerable.

Chamber Members can claim a 10% discount on a single booking if placed by 30.11.16 quote “Chamber 2016” T&Cs apply.

0300 123 1429 www.NorfolkSafety.org

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