PatronBrochure

Unrivalled access to the best in business.

About the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) is a membership-led, business support organisation that has acted as the voice of local businesses since 1813. Today, we continue to connect, support and grow local businesses.

We are one of the largest Chambers in the country with more than 2,500 member companies covering six geographic areas across the region (Birmingham, Burton, Chase, Lichfield and Tamworth, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield) and four themed divisions (Asian Business Chamber of Commerce, Future Faces,

Global Chamber of Commerce and the Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce).

Members range from young professionals to SMEs and large, high profile organisations, including a number of selected Chamber Patrons comprising companies such as Mondelez International, HSBC UK and The NEC Group.

GBCC include our International Business Hub; a one-stop shop for international trade support, whether businesses are new to exporting or wish to further develop their International Trade activities.

...the voice of local businesses since 1813

Patronage Membership

Our Patronage package is for businesses that are looking to connect with the most influential players in the city region. It is our top-tier membership package to Greater Birmingham’s highest profile business leaders and their networks.

of companies an exclusive combination of regular access to hard to reach business networks, completely bespoke strategic support that’s tailored to the business’ most pressing objectives, the opportunity to contribute to our policy campaigns activity and unrivalled access to our media outlets; allowing businesses to share their news with our network of over 26,000 combined email subscribers a week, 24,000 magazine readership and 107,000 social media followers.

Our Patrons are leaders in their field in a diverse range of sectors and industries and play a vital role in supporting and enabling our work towards making Greater Birmingham the best possible place to start, move and grow a business.

...connect with the most influential players in the city region

Please note: Our Patrons do change throughout the year, this document was correct at the time of publication (March 2023).

Our Patrons

Completely bespoke strategic support from our CEO, senior team and a Dedicated Patron Manager

Patronage Package Benefits

Patronage typically runs for 12 consecutive months from the 1st of the month in which the agreement begins. It exists to give businesses unrivalled access to the best in business and provides bespoke strategic support to better connect and grow.

Exclusive Benefits include:

• Access to the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s intelligence and insight services, including key policy activity.

• The opportunity to position your business by getting involved in lobbying and representation activities, including private and public meetings with local and national politicians.

• Access to insight on the local political environment via the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s CEO.

• Regular access to hard to reach businesses and civic networks within the Greater Birmingham region.

• Completely bespoke strategic support from our CEO and senior team that’s tailored to the business’ most pressing objectives.

• encompassing coverage over our suite of print and digital communications channels (covering both B2B and B2C engagement).

Patronage of the GBCC is the most exclusive, high profile and bespoke level of engagement with the GBCC. Patrons work with a Patron Manager, Head of Policy & Strategic Relationships and the GBCC CEO on activity tailored to their needs and priorities. Benefits include

Brand Awareness

• Promotion of Patron branding alongside other GBCC Patrons:

- Every edition of ChamberLink Magazine (readership c.24,000)

- Prominent placement on GBCC website (35.4k visitors per annum)

- Throughout the GBCC Annual Dinner and in the Annual Dinner Brochure (attended by c.1,300 delegates)

• Priority placement of GBCC Patron News Stories in ChamberLink Daily (distribution of 15,000 local business contacts)

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Engaging Prospective Clients

Introductions to senior leaders and organisations of your choosing from Membership

Other

A dedicated weekly Patrons email update summarising key news, events and opportunities from Patrons and the GBCC

Insight on the local business and civic environment from the GBCC CEO and Head of Policy & Strategic Relationships

Access to all other GBCC events and services at discounted or free of charge membership rates

Exclusivity: we limit Patronage to two organisations per sector (unless express permission is given by existing Patrons) and 40 organisations in total.

Two complimentary digital advertising slots in the GBCC policy newsletter (issued to all 2,500 GBCC members)

First priority in providing comment pieces for GBCC research publications or speakers for GBCC campaigns.

• Network Building

• Invitations to c.10 exclusive Patron events with senior level delegates

• A complimentary table of 10 at the GBCC Annual Dinner attended by c.1,300 delegates

• A complimentary exhibition stand at one Chamber Expo attended by c.800 delegates

The above sets out core benefits of Patronage, we work with each on a bespoke basis. Alongside ongoing engagement, at the mid and end points of the year the GBCC produce Patron Statements, summarising the activity delivered together and meet formally with you to discuss objectives. It is thanks to the support of our patrons that we are able to deliver a range of representation, support and engagement activity on behalf of the wider business community.

Price: £13,500+VAT per annum.

What our Patrons say

HS2 is the UK’s flagship transport levelling up project. It is the biggest rail investment ever made in the North of England and is Europe’s largest infrastructure project. It’s headquartered right here in Birmingham, so we’re delighted to be a Patron of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

As well as providing us with valuable economic insight, the Chamber has been a vocal supporter of the HS2 project since its inception, and we know we can always count on them to help promote the benefits that this investment in rail will bring to the West Midlands and the wider UK.

Construction is progressing at a fast pace, we are always looking at ways to share updates about our success with apprenticeships, employment, and community funding.

Over 2,500 businesses have delivered work on HS2 so far –the majority of which are SME’s. The Chamber helps to give us access to a broad network of local businesses and share information about how they might best get involved in the project.

Vicky Osgood Business Engagement Manager HS2

Pinsent Masons is proud to be a founding patron member of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC). Being

range of benefits from access to a large range of services, profile, intelligence and stakeholders. Some of the opportunities that have been provided by GBCC, including playing a prominent role in driving the local CSR City programme, have allowed the firm to develop collaborative relationships within the business community and to better serve the local community.

Greg Lowson Mark Brider

of Pinsent Masons Birmingham O ce

Birmingham Women's and Children's is the first NHS Foundation Trust of its type in the UK, formed to drive forward a commitment to provide the highest quality, world-class care women, children and families want and deserve. As a public sector organisation, being a patron member has been incredibly beneficial, especially for our charity, as it has opened doors and allowed us to develop and maintain collaborative partnerships as well as share and seek feedback on key overarching hospital developments, all of which allow us to better care for our local community. Chief Executive O cer, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity

Head

What our Patrons say

University College Birmingham have been patrons of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce since 2017.

The University has been delivering world class career-focused education and training for decades and is undergoing a period of rapid development and growth. The GBCC o ered an opportunity to further build our industry partnerships through exposure at exclusive events and in the patrons’ update, ChamberLink magazine and podcasts, introductions with key stakeholders and influential business leaders and sponsorship of events such as Future Faces.

The Chamber’s services help us strengthen our reputation as a leading educational institution in the city and boost awareness of our University, as well as strengthen our voice with policy makers and our ability to help shape the region’s future.

As a diverse university that prides itself on our connections with employers and industry, we have been able to build on this through the Chamber. We’ve reached more diverse sectors to support with placements, guest speakers and visits to our campuses, as well as hosting fellow patrons at breakfast briefings in our University restaurant. With our developments in health, engineering, digital and sustainable construction our ability to use the GBCC network has been vital in raising awareness of our investments, as well as building new connections in these areas.

We look forward to continuing our work with the Chamber, championing the role of education in delivering on skills needs for our region.

José Lopes

Pro Vice-Chancellor (External A airs) University College Birmingham

GBCC was introduced to Schumacher Packaging by a longstanding business contact who suggested that it would be a good way of supporting our growth plans within the Birmingham/West Midlands region. That has proven to be the case. We have benefited from engaging with a breadth of valuable contacts within business, academia and the public sector that otherwise would have been out of reach or unknown to us. This has had a positive impact on our business in terms of potential innovation projects, cross-industry knowledge transfer and sustainability ideas. The GBCC organises well thought-out and pertinent events which both address the economic challenges we all face and, simultaneously, allow us a voice from the perspective of both an SME and a larger inwardly investing German Group. I would wholeheartedly recommend membership for breaking away from the norm of business life and expanding horizons.

Packaging Mike Owens, Managing Director

...it has opened doors to other influential establishments

Schumacher