Chamber Life

As lockdown unwinds across the UK and Ireland, the Chamber has been keeping up its busy schedule of events, webinars, workshops, political engagements, and even looking forward to the return of inperson events in the autumn.

Since our last edition of CONNECTED, it’s been a tumultuous few months for local politics, with new party leaders, ministers, late-night deals, and increased talk of a snap election. However, it’s been an optimistic period for the North West as more companies invested in the region, new jobs have been created, the vaccine programme continued to roll out well across Northern Ireland, and businesses began to reopen their doors to customers once again.

Kicking off a busy period of events, we held our EURES cross border tax briefing on 22 April. This was a very useful virtual seminar which provided both cross

(L-R) Mairead, Anna, Dawn, and Paul from the Chamber visiting Strabane

border workers and employers with information on social security and tax issues as well as outlining the implications for companies with staff who work in both jurisdictions. The Chamber welcomed former Economy Minister Diane Dodds MLA to the North West on 28 April as she visited a number of businesses and key stakeholders in the city. Arranged to coincide

(L-R) Gary Middleton, MLA for Foyle; Selina Horshi, Managing Director, White Horse Hotel; Dawn McLaughlin, Chamber President; Paul Clancy, Chamber Chief Executive; Diane Dodds MLA, former Economy Minister; and Paul Curtis, Partner, Curtis Opticians

with the planned reopening of the economy on 30 April, Minister Dodds outlined her plans for economic recovery post-pandemic and heard first-hand the challenges facing local firms in the North West.

On the same day, we held our webinar, Closing the Skills Gap with Apprentices. Held in conjunction with Workplus, attendees heard how businesses can grow and expand by offering opportunities to apprentices and futureproofing their talent pipelines.

The following day, in partnership with SONI, we held our Shaping Our Electricity Future webinar, discussing the organisation’s new report which outlined four innovative options on how we can fundamentally change Northern Ireland’s grid as we strive towards clean energy. The event formed part of the 14-week public consultation process as SONI sought feedback on its new report.

Into May and we heard from some of the team at CavanaghKelly at our Covid financial supports update. With a specific focus on the government’s Bounce Back Loans scheme, Michael and Anita from CavanaghKelly took attendees through the next steps for businesses on their repayments

Kieran Kennedy, Strabane BID Chair, and Dawn McLaughlin, Chamber President

on ambition and the opportunities available to local businesses. Our expert panel included Dr Justin Quinn from Ulster University, Dr Timothy Patterson, the founder of Heysense Ltd, and Rosalind Young, Investment Manager at Invest Derry Strabane, and this was the first in a new series of accessible and discussion-based webinars focusing on innovation and digitalisation.

of BBLS, CBILS, and deferred VAT, as well as highlighting key financial management advice as businesses reopen.

On 11 May, the Chamber team did a walkabout of Strabane town centre as businesses reopened and Covid restrictions were eased. Guided by our partners in the Strabane BID, including Chair Kieran Kennedy and Manager Emma McGill, this was an excellent opportunity to meet local traders, hear their challenges and issues affecting them firsthand, and meet some existing Chamber members.

On 18 May, we partnered with Peninsula to provide an update to businesses who were planning to reopen their workplaces again. Focusing on HR and health and safety, key issues included how to bring back staff safely, how to manage those employees who were hesitant to return or refusing to do so, how to create a Covid-secure workplace, regular workplace testing, and how to handle vaccinations among your staff. This was a timely and very useful webinar which clearly outlined what employers must do as they welcome back staff to their regular workplaces.

On 3 June, we turned our attention to the role of innovation in the recovery of our economy. Innovation for Growth, held in collaboration with Ulster University and Derry City and Strabane District Council, looked at how businesses can innovate their operations and how to capitalise Later in June, we facilitated another apprenticeship event, this time with North West Regional College. Employ Clever took attendees and businesses through the college’s apprenticeship programmes and they learned about the benefits of ‘on the job’ training and earning while learning.

On 22 June, we held an information session for prospective Chamber members. Meet The Chamber introduced our team to local businesses who were considering joining the Chamber but wanted to know a little more first. Attendees heard from existing members including Frylite, Air Cool Engineering, With Love Recipes, and DA Forgie, and heard everything the Chamber does for members and businesses in the North West.

The end of June saw us kick off our latest webinar initiative, Growth North West. Developed in partnership with InterTrade Ireland, Invest NI, Derry City and Strabane District Council, and Enterprise North West, this is a new initiative aimed at businesses who are interested in discovering new export markets. With a monthly workshop and expert presenters on different aspects of the exporting journey like logistics, documentation, and maximising social media, this is the perfect initiative for businesses looking to expand into new markets and identify new customers.

July saw another EURES cross border event, this time a business briefing on employer incentives. In collaboration with our partners in the Letterkenny Chamber, this seminar took attendees through the incentive schemes and employment support available to employers in the cross-border region.

We closed out July with the second instalment in our Growth North West initiative. Attendees this time heard from Sue Wright, Director at Exporter Services. Sue took us through the logistics of exporting goods and services for new and existing exporters and all the documentation businesses need to have in order before they begin exporting. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet oneon-one with Sue in 15-minute slots where she provided more bespoke advice and guidance related to their own businesses.

Look Forward

Growth North West: Sales Prospecting for Growth on 24 August EURES Cross Border Networking with Letterkenny Chamber on 14 September EURES Tax Breakfast on 23 September Growth North West: Maximising Social Media on 28 September President’s Annual Dinner on 8 October

EURES Employers Incentives Lunch on 27 October

Londonderry Chamber – Here for North West business

B2B MARKETING

Connect with over 350 other North West business, make the most of sponsorship opportunities, and reach over 12,000 users across our social media LOBBYING & ADVOCACY

The voice of business in the North West

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & THE LEARNING CENTRE

Over the past 18 or so months, the business community across the North West has faced challenges like never before. The pandemic’s effects were swift and brutal, shutting businesses down and putting companies of all shapes and sizes into cold storage. While we are certainly at our most optimistic point in the pandemic thanks to our vaccine programme, we must all remain vigilant to the dangers posed by the virus, to our health, and to the economy.

The Chamber has worked hard during Covid for local businesses, fighting for clarity, certainty, and compensation, and calling for the reopening of the economy when appropriate. We have engaged constructively with our local ministers in the NI Executive, and we have taken our calls for support to Westminster. We have worked intimately with our colleagues across the business sector, working collaboratively with other

CONNECTED

CONNECTED, the North West’s only business magazine, is the Chamber’s tri-annual publication & reaches an estimated readership of 20,000

BUSINESS ADVICE AND GUIDANCE

Supporting your business grow, expand & succeed in a successful North West Providing your business the skills & training to succeed

EVENTS

With over 40 online & in-person events every year, you can learn, connect, network & influence

business organisations and chambers of commerce to amplify our voice, put sustained pressure on the government to protect our economy, and develop workable solutions to our shared challenges.

We are proud to represent the North West business community, a regional economy filled with talent, innovation, and passion for what they do. We appreciate and acknowledge the trust our members put in us to speak up for them and we strive to represent their views, concerns, and issues to the utmost of our ability.

Mia Coyle, 21 Training

“As a new business, it’s important we get ourselves out there and make connections with other businesses. The Chamber’s strong reputation gives us more credibility and gives us a foothold in the local business community.” Over the past few months, we have launched a new social media campaign, #SucceedNorthWest, aiming to highlight everything the Chamber does to help your business succeed in a successful North West. Based on six key member benefits – lobbying and advocacy; business advice and guidance; events; professional development and the Learning Centre; CONNECTED; and B2B marketing – the #SucceedNorthWest campaign shone a light on our role in making the North West a more attractive place to live, work, and do business.

Spanning the depth and breadth of our membership and representing every industry, the recent campaign featured testimonials from over ten of our members, both large and small businesses, and from across the North West, outlining what they believe are the most important features of being a Chamber member.

We’d love you to get involved online and across your own social media platforms by using the hashtag #SucceedNorthWest and letting us know what you value most from your Chamber membership! And if you’re not yet a member but you’re interested in hearing more about what we do for local businesses, get in touch now with our Business Development Executive Mairead Reid at mairead@ londonderrychamber.co.uk.

Gerard Doherty, FTZ Ltd

“CONNECTED is an excellent way of marketing your business, getting your message and your presence out there, and reaching new audiences.”

Jovy Gonzales, Hillbilly’s Fried Chicken

“With so many confusing rules and regulations during the pandemic, the Chamber has been a strong voice for support for business and clarity and certainty from the Executive over the past year.”

James Doherty, Doherty’s Meats

“Being a Chamber member gives us access to a hard-working team who are always there to help us with whatever issues local businesses may have.”

James Huey, Walled City Brewery

“The Learning Centre has been a godsend for us. For small businesses, training and compliance can be a real headache. The Chamber’s LMS simplifies everything and makes it easy for us and our staff to meet our obligations.”

Gavin Killeen, Nuprint

“Flagship events like the President’s Lunch and Dinner connect us with leading business and political figures from across the UK and Ireland – and they’re a great night out!”