Chamber Blog

In our pervious blog we talked about tips on how to be more environmentally conscious in the working environment. Our members; Netmatters, Anglia Business Cleaning/Iron Maidens, UEA and Aviva, give an insight into how they are considering the long-term environmental impact.

These insights are a chance to help you and your business consider small changes for the future, to help save money and the planet.

Netmatters “To give you a bit of background, we are a full-service agency based in Wymondham, Norfolk. What began during the recession period in 2008, the business has now gone from strength to strength. We have around 70+ staff on our books and we offer services in web development/design, IT support, digital marketing and telecoms. A lot of our clients are local, but we also service some national clients too.”

“As a business, we are also extremely committed to doing our bit to contribute to helping the environment. Because of this, we are a fully paperless office. We keep everything in a digital database as opposed to printing out endless copies of documents. We also ensure our waste is separated properly to maximise our recycling efforts. That doesn’t just apply to rubbish though as we also send out old IT hardware for re-use wherever possible. Along with this, our PC monitors that we use internally are selected due to the model’s low power consumption.”

“Our current goal is working to further reduce our power consumption, and to increase the amount of electricity we generate from our solar panels. We currently produce the equivalent of 12% of our power from solar panels and aim to increase this in 2019.”

Anglia Business Cleaning/Iron Maidens “Last year we invested in a fully electric van for use in and around the city. This is used for collections & deliveries of ironing/laundry, and also for getting staff/materials to & from various cleaning contracts locally. We saw this as an investment for the future and helps to keep the running cost down too.

“Other than requiring a charging point installed at our office, it has taken a bit of time getting staff used to driving the vehicle, as although it handles exactly as any other van – it takes a while to get used to it being completely silent! The bonus for this is that where we have early morning or late night starts/finishes it does not disturb the neighbours.”

Enterprise centre, University of East Anglia “Our building, opened in 2015, is specifically designed with solar panels and light sensors to make sure we are using our energy as efficiently as possible. The water in our toilets is recycled rain water with two flush settings and we encourage people to use the correct setting to save water.”

“We also have a variety of recycled and reused furniture throughout our building, one example of this is our Reception Desk in our Foyer that was originally in the Sainsburys Art Centre.”

“Within all sections of the building we have a range of disposal bins all to try and help reduce waste and promote recycling. These include recycling boxes for batteries, general rubbish, mixed recyclables, paper cups and fluid bins which include a section for pouring in any residual liquid, and two compost bins, one located in each of our tenant areas.”

“We also encourage all of our staff and tenants to do a range of simple changes to help reduce waste and save energy. These include:

-The use of reusable water bottles

-The use of the stairs if possible, rather than the lift

-For all non-essential IT and electrical equipment to be switched off over festive or closure periods.

-To reuse wastepaper as casual notebooks or reuse envelops for all of our internal mail

-To recycle rather than bin old books in our book swap library

-To donate any excess or used stationary to our stationary amnesties, these are then laid out in the foyer and available for anyone to take and make use out of.”

Aviva Green Detective Lee Preston, who works as the Carbon and Utilities Manager at Aviva gives us an insight into how Aviva is making changes to cut down on energy.

“When you go on holiday, you wouldn’t leave your heating up high and all the lights burning. So why would we do it in the office? Everyone uses energy. My job is to find ways for Aviva to use less.”

“I started out in industry. It’s easy to picture factories burning through electricity as they build stuff, but I was initially surprised to find that offices can be just as bad. Commercial buildings use a phenomenal amount of power but that means plenty of scope to make a difference.”

“First, I find the facts. I’m a sucker for data. I pore over energy bills and meter readings from all over to work out what we’re using where. Then I go into buildings to find what we can change.”

“I love being out and about. I’m forever sneaking around the plant rooms. The engineers worry when they see me as they know I’m going to ask them to do something differently. But I couldn’t do my job without them. They know the buildings best and together we tease out the changes we can make.”

“It sounds simple but you start with the easy things- switching off what we don’t need, just like you would at home. Turning the lights off at night instantly saved £5,000 a month in one building alone. By showing how much we can cut our emissions at the same time as pointing to concrete savings for the business, we built a compelling case for bigger changes too.”

“The projects I’ve worked on would have been beyond my wildest dreams five years ago. The great thing is we can argue for ambitious projects. Where other companies might demand return on investment within a year, some of our ideas have far longer time horizons too- our new solar car port in Norwich will pay for itself in seven years. It’s obviously the right thing to do, but not all businesses are set up to think for the longer term like that.”

“Change takes a bit of effort, but the numerous benefits are clear. For example, we’re swapping all the old fluorescent lighting in our UK offices for LEDs. That change alone has already saved over three thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year. We adapted lots of existing kit to prevent unnecessary waste. The dimmable LEDs mean the working environment is actually more pleasant for my colleagues and Aviva is cutting costs too. There’s literally no downside.”

“I’m really proud of the difference we’ve made. I’ve already hit our target to cut Aviva Group emissions by 50% two years early, so we’ve set another to reduce them by 70% by 2030.”

“I’m excited about taking the lessons we have proved to work in the UK to the rest of our markets. I can’t wait to do more around the Group. Saving money and helping to save the planet at the same time. What’s not to like?”

Our member Rebecca Osborne illustrated this blog and added her creatively with the great illustrations. Big thanks Rebecca.

If you or your business are doing great things to support the environment at work and with your business let us know.

dominique@norfolkchamber.co.uk

Chambers Member, John Gostling, Managing Director at Breakwater IT, has some firm views on the all important issue of cyber threats.

The fact is that we all now store vast amounts of data on laptops, computers, tablets and phones. “Which” says John, “is why we have to be aware. It’s lack of awareness of the nature of cyber threats that’s at the root of many security breaches”.

Technology needs to work together effectively as a whole rather than patching up issues as they occur  is the way John Gostling sees it.  He quotes Matthew Syed, the author of Black Box Thinking, who said  “Marginal gains is not about making small changes and hoping they fly. Rather, it is about breaking down a big problem into small parts in order to rigorously establish what works and what doesn’t.”

John Gostling’s point is that awareness of the problem, and the need to address it, is the first building block in the defensive wall we all need to build. So, begin with training. It will help your staff become aware of the threats. It will engage them.

Next, build a wider awareness of the risks that phishing emails and other socially engineered attacks represent.

Successful businesses grow, and as they do so their IT systems grow and develop with them.  As a company upscales its cyber security should be enhanced at the same time. Being one step ahead is vital if a business is to continually improve its defence.

Given Norwich City’s promotion to the Premier League it’s tempting to develop that reference to defence into a sporting metaphor. Certainly one of John’s inspirations is Grant Holt.

“His ascent’, says John, “from a number of non-league clubs to being awarded the ‘Player of the Year’ for three consecutive years at Norwich City, helping them achieve back-to-back promotions, is the sporting embodiment of inspiring”. 

Consistency, a relentless attitude, serious training and a well thought out strategy (not to mention an excellent defence) are as vital to your cyber  security as they are to a football player, or club. So too is the teamwork. Everybody has a role to play.

With so much material potentially vulnerable to unauthorised access it’s vital that a business has a preplanned approach to the security of its systems. A cure is often too late, and falls short of the ‘marginal gains’ test set by Matthew Syed. Prevention is the only sensible option.

And the best prevention? It’s that wall of defence. A wall built from awareness, staff engagement, training, adaptability as the business upscales and constant vigilance.

They are the building blocks – use them. Before it’s too late.

We’d love to hear your views on the issues facing business today. If you want your thoughts expressed in this column let us know.

e-mail nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk

I was lucky enough to be one of the 26+ thousand fans at Carrow Road on Saturday evening to witness Norwich City secure promotion to the Premier League with a 2-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers.

Next season will mark my tenth year as a season ticket holder, my first being the year we were promoted back from League One at the first time of asking. I have now seen us promoted on four occasions, but this one has been by far the most special. Some of the football I’ve seen this team play has been truly exceptional.

However, not only did Saturday night leave me feeling over the moon (and a sore head Sunday morning), businesses should be excited too! Securing promotion once again to the Premier League means that Norwich City Football Club not only benefits from a more secure financial position, but Norwich and Norfolk as a whole also profit from a higher national and international profile from the extra TV coverage, which all helps to promote our excellent local businesses and provides a boost to our exporters.

The Norfolk business community is always very reactive to what is happening locally, this is especially true when Norwich City wins. When the team gets a good result, then the overall ‘feel good factor’ can be seen in boosted staff morale and increased productivity, which in turn contributes to further economic growth.

Norwich City Football Club’s promotion to the Premier League firmly puts Norfolk back on the global stage and raises our visibility, which can only benefit the Norfolk business community.

Being more environmentally conscientious has now become something we all can’t escape and is at the forefront of many people’s agendas.  Making greener choices is certainly something which we can all support. So, the question is ‘how can we reduce our impact on the environment at work?’ Remember each small step and decision helps to lead the way and change our habits for the better. Let’s work to nurture our region.

We have collected some key tips to help with being greener at work.

1. Going paperless Many of us at the Chambers still use paper printouts on a regular basis, although we all like to think we use less paper it is a habit hard to shake off. So, it is essential to ask- could I email that piece of information, and try to print less each day.

2. Travelling to work How do you travel to work? If you go by car, do you really need to get in the car every day? Always ask yourself this question, is there another way to get to work, could you cycle, or walk or share a lift once a week with a colleague? These small changes are so important and help to reduce your carbon footprint.  Our CEO, Chris and a couple of us cycle regularly to work. Personally, I love commuting on the bike to work, for the main fact, it is an opportunity to clear my head, keep fit, and it’s quicker than going to the gym! It saves money on petrol, and parking too. The downside is you do need to plan e.g. an extra set of clothing for the working day.

One scheme that has really helped some of us at the Chambers is the cycle to work scheme https://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/employers . This is a great scheme, and makes it more affordable to get a new bike too! Don’t forget to celebrate with cycle to work day on 8th August  https://www.cycletoworkday.org/

3. Invest in a bike rack It’s time to invest in somewhere where your staff can store their bikes and be able to change their clothing too. This will encourage the staff who would like to cycle and do cycle.

4. Sharing lifts to business meeting and events Could you share a lift to a meeting, event or networking? Due to the large geographical area of Norfolk, often meetings can be spread around the county. We often find when we get to an event, there can be several of us who have travelled from the same town or city. So why not share a lift? There are great schemes run by our member Liftshare who are on hand to support with this.

5. Add greenery Does your office and desk have any plants? Plants are a great way to support wellbeing, and of course, can absorb those nasty flumes that are in our offices, and outside too. Just don’t forget to water them.

6. Just Say no to plastic at lunch! How often do you eat out of throw away food containers, and with throwaway utensils or wrappers? I know we all do this in our office. So how can we all help to reduce this waste? How about buying compostable plates for those shared lunches, loose fruit (without the wrappers), buying from the deli counter, and having reusable utensils at work. All of these things will help to save on plastic.

7. Swap the clingfilm for a tupperware container- If you make your lunch for work, cutting down the clingfilm is a must! Ask yourself does my sandwich need to be wrapped in clingfilm? The Answer is no! It’s time to invest in a sandwich box, as this can be re-used numerous times. Remember every piece of plastic you throw away can take up to 400 years to rot!! In fact, it does not rot. It’s time to reduce your plastic. 

8. Your cuppa It’s time to invest in a cold water tap or fountain without plastic cups for your office. At coffee time for those takeout’s how about getting your own coffee or teacup? Or maybe tag on five minutes to drink in and use the ceramic cup. If you are using your own take-out cup, lots of coffee shops now offer a discount on using re-usable cups so you might be making a saving too!

 9. Don’t throw out! Always less waste Can you share or recycle those items you are throwing out at work? Remember there are charities who can collect and reuse your old office furniture. If it’s in good condition, they would be happy for the donation, for example the Benjamin Foundation. Always ask yourself and your team how can we re-use or recycle.

10. Buying recycled When ordering the stationary why not opt for the recycled option. We recently ordered over 1000 new recycled pens!

11. Invest in a fruit basket We have swapped our treat box for a fruit box which is this is delivered weekly to our office. Not only does this support a local business, but its healthier for all of use of and reduces our us plastic consummation too.

12.Turn off and tune out Turning off your computer and screen at the end of the day is a really simple way to cut down on electricity use, save money and help the environment. Also turning off the lights when you leave, is another cost saving exercise and eco too. Whether you are the last person in a meeting room or at the office, remember to turn the lights off.

Have you ever wondered what the key tips are to running a smooth and successful event? Sam Brown, our Conference and Events Manager, shares her knowledge and key tips to support your event. As you know running an event is never easy, although at times one can look calm on the outside, on the inside you are going through your mental checklist, spinning a hundred plates, and looking forward to a successful ending! Here are some useful pointers to support your event.

Step 1. Write a clear plan! Write yourself a clear plan of things to do, from the initial organisation, through to post-event follow up. This will help to keep you on track and know that you have done everything needed for a successful event. Planning is essential and there are tools out there to help with this! We use a website called Teamwork which allows you to create a complete event plan, give deadlines and delegate tasks to different members of your team, as well as handy reminders straight to your inbox.

Step 2. Give your event a clear theme/purpose/title Giving your event a clear purpose will help you to target and attract the right audience as well as aiding you to know what you want to achieve from the event. For example, are you growing your network, selling a product or service, or celebrating an achievement?

Step 3. Communication Once you’ve got your event purpose and plan, you need to communicate your event clearly. This includes the timings, agenda, who you are expecting to be there, who this event is for and so much more. Make sure all of your event marketing is consistent and that you are sending the same message across all channels. Don’t forget to also keep any staff, speakers, sponsors, or anyone else involved in the loop too. Remember communication is king!

Step 4. Choosing a suitable venue Getting the right venue is key to your event. Book to see plenty of different places and make a checklist of all the things your venue needs, as well as a list of ‘nice to have’ list. Does it have parking? Catering facilities? Can it scale up or down if needed depending on event numbers? All of these factors will give you room to develop the event effectively.

Step 5. Prepare for the unexpected Make sure you are prepared for the unexpected. Before you leave for your event are you as up-to-date with everyone involved and everything going on as possible? With events anything can change so suddenly, for example, speakers pulling out the day before or timings overrunning. Make sure you remain calm during these situations and think clearly.

Step 6. Too much is never enough Make sure to always bring backups. If you place all of your event presentations on one USB and keep it in a particular place, you can be sure it’ll probably go missing by the time you need it. Take several copies of any paperwork needed in case staff ask for copies, or you misplace yours. Don’t think that just because everything is on your laptop, you won’t need paper copies because something as simple as Wi-Fi not working could change everything. Prepare, prepare, prepare.

Step 7. Your team Make sure to have the right support around you. Your events staff all need to be briefed and kept up-to-date on event details so they can handle any situations that arise. Find a communication channel you can all access so you can contact your team quickly during the event.

Step 8. Follow up after Follow up evaluation – always be thinking about your next event; how can you improve? Get feedback from those who attended the event, it only has to be a quick survey using a tool like Survey Monkey. This will help to develop your next event in the future and also pick up on any negative points, such as if attendees like the food or the event format, is there something else they’d like to see added in the future? Allow them the option to remain anonymous or leave contact details so you can get in touch with them to discuss any issues further. Remember all feedback is useful, the good and the bad!

The tips from Sam are a supportive guide to help you steer your event, so if you would like any further pointers do catch us at a Chambers event and we can always expand on this. 

A delegation of Norfolk Chambers members attended the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) annual conference on 28 March 2019.  Business Writer Huw Sayer was one of them and sent in this report.

The BCC Conference is meant to be a chance to reflect on successes in the past year and look ahead to new opportunities. Sadly, this year was different. Yes, there are of course opportunities for innovative businesses – I will touch on some in a moment. But, on the biggest question facing UK business there had been precious little progress towards fashioning a coherent and viable answer.

“Westminster cannot keep chasing rainbows”

With days to go before we leave the EU, it appears the politicians who claim or aspire to lead the UK had nothing new to say on Brexit. The same tired old ideological positions, the same apparent lack of concern for the interests of business and even a lack of understanding of how the EU works. If you wanted ‘cake’, there was plenty on offer from across the political spectrum.

No wonder Dr Adam Marshall, the BCC’s Director General, was angry. His conference speech pulled no punches and judging by the applause and comments of delegates accurately caught the mood of business. “Three years going round in circles,” pretty much sums up the whole sorry process.

As Adam said, the BCC has worked tirelessly to get “clear, precise answers to hard questions” but to no avail. It has asked for details “politicians have glossed over” but “too many critical questions remain unanswered”. The issue is not leave or remain – it’s that Chamber members need to know the terms on which we will leave the EU and what our future trading relationship will be like.

This uncertainty is already having real consequences, with many businesses now acting on the assumption we will leave with no deal. Adam spoke of investors pulling out of projects, saying they “want to invest in a more stable country”; companies mothballing factories and looking for new facilities in Europe; agri-food producers in Northern Ireland shifting south of the border to avoid potential new tariff barriers. As he said: “This is no way to run a business, let alone a country.”

How to win and retain talented employees

On a more positive note, we enjoyed listening to some excellent panel discussions and stand-alone talks from business leaders.

The most interesting talk was by Dr Pawel Adrjan, UK Economist for the global recruitment agency Indeed. It was also the most clearly presented – and, in a refreshing change from most speakers, he gave it without notes. He had three useful suggestions for businesses looking to attract and retain talented employees: search in untapped pools, use free online tools and relevant key words, and adapt your offer to suit the needs of potential recruits.

His main point was that, despite signs of ‘full-employment’, there are still plenty of people in the UK looking for work. Too many businesses still focus on an over-fished pool of potential recruits and so miss out on talent from more diverse backgrounds. They are also probably paying more for their recruits, as people who move jobs tend to get higher pay rises than those who stay put.

He noted that although the national unemployment rate is around 4%, the rates among some demographic groups are substantially higher, in particular: single parents 10.6%, people with disabilities 8.4%, people aged 18-29 7.3%, and ethnic minorities 6.3%. Where these demographics overlap, the rates are often even higher. Yet with the right incentives, such as flexible working and in-work training, these people can quickly make a valuable contribution to their employers.

The need to target diverse demographics tied in with his second point about using free online tools and being more precise in your online job ads. People are increasingly net-savvy and their job searches are becoming more sophisticated. They are using search terms like job share, flexible hours, remote working, and Monday to Friday (this last reflects a growing desire among many people for more regular work hours) – if your ad doesn’t have relevant key words, they won’t see it.

That brings us on to his final point: businesses need to adapt their jobs to meet the changing needs and desires of potential employees. It’s not all about the pay – if it ever was. Yes, salary is important but many people are also looking for work they can fit around their home life – this is particularly true of single parents and women returners. They are also looking for other intangible rewards, such as the opportunity for personal fulfilment, not just a linear career progression.

Innovation panel

This discussion, chaired by Sarah Howard MBE and Vice Chair of BCC, benefitted from a strong panel: Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group PLC, Kriti Sharma, Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Sage, Polly Gilbert, social entrepreneur and Co-Founder of TAP London, and Christine Foster, Managing Director for Innovation at the Alan Turing Institute. They were looking at the changing nature of work and how new technology would influence jobs.

 In some respects, they touched on points already made by Dr Adrjan. They stressed the need to harness the potential of young people and the knowledge of older workers to create the diverse workforce needed to drive innovation. Christine Foster said it was important to give permission to work flexibly – to both our employees and ourselves. She also urged businesses to embrace technology that did away with mundane or unhealthy jobs – and use technology to improve human lives.

Polly Gilbert talked about building teams in tech companies – particularly start-ups and scale-ups. She said it was vital to agree clear roles and responsibilities at the start of any innovative project to avoid conflict later in the process. She and Kriti Sharma agreed that it was important always to start with user-led insights; otherwise, you risk ending up with an expensive bit of clever tech that no one really wants or needs.

William Gardiner reflected on the need for established companies to nurture a culture of everyday innovation. Don’t assume that innovation has to come from the top down – in fact, putting someone in charge of innovation can lead everyone else to assume it is not their responsibility. Yet lots of small changes can lead to big advances – particularly if you listen to and test ideas from people close to customers or on the factory floor.

Supporting women entrepreneurs

Finally, I would like to mention the excellent talk by Alison Rose, Deputy CEO at NatWest and CEO of the company’s Commercial & Private Banking division. She was reflecting on her report for the Government into financing for female entrepreneurs. In short, investors are failing to support and benefit from the ideas and energy of many talented business women. The unrealised potential for the UK economy is around £250bn – equivalent to 4-years of economic growth.

This is a vitally important topic – that deserves more than this summary. I urge you to read Alison’s report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-alison-rose-review-of-female-entrepreneurship. Norfolk Chambers of Commerce will certainly return to this topic.

Catch up on social media

I hope you found this report interesting. If you want to see what other people thought about the BCC conference 2019, just search Twitter for the hashtag #BCCConf. Remember to follow @NorfolkChamber for all your local business news.

Like it or not networking is something we all do on a daily basis, especially within the business environment. Love it or loath it, we never stop engaging with people. So, within our blog we hope to give you some tips on how to develop and enhance your networking skills. Let’s take a moment to look at networking in a different light, let’s break down it’s ‘scary image.’ If you cast, you mind back to your school days, yes school! Reflect for moment on how you built your friendships, big or small, and social groups. These experiences were your first form of networking, and no doubt it took time to build these networks. And consider all the things you learnt back then- yes, the good and the bad, these experiences have helped to shape an understanding of how we ‘human beings,’ interact and communicate. You and your friends started with a common ground or interest, and from this point onwards you were then building connections.  In many ways the school network, would have been a lot more challenging than the business world of today, as you were finding your way and place in the world- that was a lot of pressure! Your Networking Back to the current day. Now, you are empowered with so many different skills, unlike school you have perfected your subject knowledge – your business, and career, thus giving you an ideal platform to talk about.  With all this in mind, here are some very useful tips to develop, support and enhance your networking skills. Our member and networking guru kicks us off first:  Ian Hacon, Founder & Chief Energy Officer, Energise Me: Tip 1. Get energise “No one wants to do business with someone who looks like they don’t want to be there. So put your phone away and put thoughts of your day so far and what’s to come in the back of your mind. Use an affirmation to do this. I say to myself “Light up the room” many times on my way to the event, especially as I am entering the room. So, I arrive with a smile on my face, ready to talk.” Tip 2. Don’t be too pushy “No one likes being “sold to” in the first few minutes of meeting you. Take time to start to build a relationship with the other person. Be interested in them as a person. You might just find out something really interesting or useful.” Tip 3. do your prep “Make sure before you attend the meeting if you know who’s going to be there that you have done some research on them. Don’t be too creepy though, stalking them on Facebook and starting off with “How was your holiday in Palma?” maybe a little too far, but “I see your company just won a big order” shows you are interested in them.” Ian runs several courses on the Art of Networking, if you or your staff would like to develop these skills, click here for more information. Lorna Burroughes, from Thrive “My top tip is to grow and nuture your trusted community of connectors, conselors and collaborators, to gain the greatest return on investment. The Norfolk Chambers of Commerce Networking tips Our Chambers staff regularly attend and host events where they network with the business community. This often requires a range of different skills and can be in a diverse range of environments too. We have all brought together some of our tips to support you. If you see our Customer Experience Team at a Chambers event and would like us to support you with making connections, just say and we are always happy to pair-up to guide you round the room and help to build connections. Philippa Bindley, Head of Customer Experience  “The best networking always happens at the start of the event. Always arrive on time. This allows you to talk to the host and also ask to be introduced to people. When the event ends people normally rush off to work, their next meeting or home.” Nova Fairbank, Public Affairs Manager “Don’t be afraid to smile and introduce yourself to total strangers at networking event. Remember everyone at networking events is as nervous as you. Always ask them about themselves and their business – everyone is keen to talk about what they are doing. Always check the delegate list who are the people who would be most beneficial to talk too?” Haze Carver, Customer Experience Team Member “A huge smile works wonders, it relaxes other people and you too.” Dominique Bivar Segurado, Marketing Coordinator  “Always carry your business cards and be prepared to hand them out, sometimes this might be in place you least expect. One of my favourites was a children’s party.  Remember at each networking event you are there to represent you and your business. So always try to be professional, friendly, and most of all enjoy meeting old and new faces. I love finding out about all different businesses in region, and it never ceases to amaze me the diversity there is! It’s also a chance to be out of the office, talk about what you do, and most of all find out about what’s going on in the business community and meet a variety of people. Over the years I have found this great to draw back on the network of people I have met.” Jack Edwards, IT & Data Manager  “Have some questions lined up ready to ask if the conversation begins to go stale.” Charlotte Upcraft, PA to Senior Management Team “Be prepared where possible. If there is a delegate list, look to see who you would like to meet e.g. non-members or find out a piece of news on a member or non-member so it’s easier to start a conversation! Don’t forget to follow up any promises or leads too!! If someone is standing alone – go over to them and ask if you may join them. They may be feeling lost and uncomfortable. It doesn’t always have to start with business chat either!”   Over time your networking will happen in many forms, from big to small events and one to one meetings, there is always a chance to enhance and develop you and your business. So, most of all enjoy it, be genuine and stay in touch with your network too.

Join in and celebrate Norfolk’s success.

By Chris Sargisson, Chief Executive, Norfolk Chambers of Commerce

Soon now Norfolk Chamber will start a comprehensive program of transition and evolution, significantly changing to build on our firm foundations to become a stronger, louder, more helpful, more diverse more connected and modern business support group. Phew! We are on a mission to ‘Connecting, supporting and giving voice to every business in Norfolk’- we are reaching beyond our previous boundaries, striving forward, to ensure that we connect and give voice to all businesses, in Norfolk and beyond.

The change of name is important. We are a Chambers that engage the whole of Norfolk: from West Norfolk to North Norfolk; from Breckland to Broadland; from Great Yarmouth to South Norfolk; and the whole of Greater Norwich. We want to include everyone.

We’ll be introducing new ways of interacting with, and informing, you. Our digital platforms will be enhanced, and our new Customer Experience Team will be here to support you and your business.

You will see our new brand rolling out over our various media channels, with our big launch happening at The Royal Norfolk Show, this June.

And here, in this column, you will see a change that absolutely characterises the new Chambers. Because it will not be my voice. It will be yours.

Every member of Norfolk Chambers can contribute to this column. We want to use it to celebrate Norfolk’s success. Our wow factor.

You can be an individual, a big company, or a small business. You can be anywhere in Norfolk. You’ll be operating in one of these key sectors – Agricultural, Food and Drink; Charity & Social Enterprise; Construction & Development; Digital Creative & IT; Education & Training; Energy; Health & Wellbeing; Manufacturing & Engineering; Ports and Logistics; Professional Services; Public Sector; Visitor Economy, tourism & Retail.

Now, more than ever before, Chambers is about you – the members. Because it’s you who defines Norfolk, who fuels its growth and deliver its goods and services. It’s you who creates and innovates to make the county the success it is. Now, in a reinvigorated and even more communicative relationship let’s work together to share positive news about Norfolk.

So, if you’re a Chambers member, working in any of those areas, and you want to help celebrate the success of Norfolk this is your chance. Be part of this column.

We’ll collate your stories and input, and we’ll use this column to share them. From here on it will be your voices. Do it.

Register your interest now by emailing – nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk

My name is Vicky and I am involved in a wellbeing project at the Chambers of Commerce.  It has been two weeks into the project and already I can feel my confidence grow, I am aware I am developing new skills and strengthening abilities I already had.  I wanted to write about my experience, partly to share it and partly because in the writing of it I can reflect and more fully realise the process of growth.   Briefly, the project is around the Chambers’ investment in staff wellbeing.  There is a scheme in which the staff each have ten pounds a month to spend on wellbeing activities. My job is to promote the idea of wellbeing within the organisation and inspire the take-up of activities that support this aim that is either free or makes use of the budget.  I am doing this by giving short presentations on a range of topics, that include “growth mindset”, and the neurochemical reward of moving or doing things together in order to show the science of why it is worth investing time into wellbeing.     At this point I feel I ought to introduce myself, to say how I got this wonderful opportunity and what lead me to my passion for wellbeing.  I am a student of psychology, currently studying for my Master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience, and as part of that, I was asked to find an unpaid work placement, something that would challenge and stretch me.  I sent out emails, and Philippa invited me in for a chat, to see what I could offer.  When Philippa started talking about the wellbeing project, I felt myself light up! I have a passion for the idea of human potential, I have studied the behavioural and biological evidence as to why simply looking after yourself is a good long-term investment (this will be part of my wellbeing presentations and can be an entire entry in itself!).  I found myself enthusiastically setting out how I could support the aims of the Chamber and went away to start preparing! I can remember when it suddenly dawned on me that this was rather a new challenge, it did rather fit the criteria of stretching me and putting me somewhat out of my comfort zone! I sat down and wrote, I’m lucky enough to have some amazing friends who are experienced in the field of wellbeing, including a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist.  I read, I wrote and my kind friends checked through my ideas, so I knew I was going in the right direction.  Then came the day of presenting my first set of slides!  Recently someone explained to me the theory behind walking (I have nine-year-old disabled twins who are currently going through this process).  They said that each time you move your leg forward you are unbalancing yourself, putting yourself in the precarious position of nearly falling over.  However, generally the other leg moves forward quickly and brings back balance, but to move forward takes the risk, you have to unbalance yourself.  That is how starting this project felt, but I didn’t fall over, and I have been met with such kindness and support that taking each subsequent step has become more and more natural until actually, I feel safe.   What is it like to work with the team at the Chambers?  It is apparent that they are a close-knit team, who enjoy each other’s company and support each other in times of stress.  However, even though I am only in on a Monday morning, to give my presentation during the team meeting, I do not feel like an outsider, I feel welcome and I feel included.  I have been able to observe the investment they have already made to wellbeing, and been able to highlight their strengths and provide some evidence as to why they are doing well already, for example, the research behind why having dogs in the office (as they do on a Friday) can be such a positive.  In group discussions, they have spoken about their passion and skills in wellbeing, so I am really happy that a crafting group has emerged as a wellbeing plan!  I think I want to end this by talking about the step they took in giving a mature student, who had never taken on a challenge like this before time and opportunity.  I want to reflect on how for both sides this maybe was a risk, in the same way, that as that first leg moves the body risks being vulnerable to gravity!  However, in their kindness and inclusivity, they have embraced new ideas, they have given a rather nervous student a real chance and fed me too (I rather love the wellbeing fruit bowl!).  I know for me, this has been a journey of moving forward with skills, knowledge and confidence, one that will set me in a good direction for after graduation!

We at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce are pleased to be working with our Gold Young Chamber schools and regularly hold meetings with them.

One such meeting happened at the beginning of February, it was very productive and we came away with lots to action including building a dedicated page on our website and creating an etiquette pack for businesses to increase success.

Since the meeting we’ve had a number of schools contact us and have put the word out to the business community with great uptake, one such example is The Hewett Academy who contacted us asking for businesses to support with their Speed Networking event. We put the word out on LinkedIn and Twitter and had six businesses kindly volunteer their time!

We’re really looking forward to launching the dedicated Norwich Opportunity Area section of our website and have asked all the Gold Young Chamber schools to send us their asks of the business community for inclusion on the page. Notre Dame High School are the first to send theirs over so they get the brownie points! It’s really important we get these so we can continue to put willing businesses in touch with schools.

If you have any questions about Gold Young Chamber membership or are a business that would like to support please send me an email – Jordan.Domin@norfolkchamber.co.uk  

Having lived, worked and raised my family in Norfolk for well over 25 years now, it’s kind of easy for me to articulate the many great things our region has on offer.  Simply put, it is just a fantastic, supportive place to be.  I’m guessing though if you’re reading this, then you probably already know. Sure, there’s a shopping list of things we need to make the region better: roads, connectivity, and 5G for example, but compared to many other locations the positives truly outweigh the negatives.  Not everyone, in Norfolk, is aware of this fact, (well some are), but not many …. yet!  Brand Norwich and Norfolk In the years before I took this role of Chamber CEO, hearing people refer to the place I lived and worked inaccurately would make me smile. I would think to myself. “Pfffft, whatever.  Go ahead and believe the outdated stereotype, I know the truth.”      Now I see things very differently.  Our region (Norwich, Norfolk, the East, my road etc.) has some of the most creative, innovative and world-leading businesses to boast about. Changing the inaccurate perception of ‘place’, rather than being a niggle is now one of my biggest goals. If the understanding of our region remains in the past, then students in our schools, or to put it a better way: ‘your future workforce’ will not consider that their future is on their doorstep.  You are on are on their doorstep! Perception comes before investment! Consider this, our creative, innovative, and future world-leading businesses need the best connectivity.  The agricultural community needs the best connectivity to make the most of new technology designed to save time, money, fuel and more.  If the perception of place by decision makers outside the region, who are responsible for making these decisions, is outdated then it makes the job of getting what we need (not want, NEED) much harder.     We need to update the perception of our region as ‘perception is our reality.’  If the perception remains outdated it will hold us back from the many things we need. JFK   Former American President, John F Kennedy’s inaugural speech of 1961 was a ground-breaking speech of the time. Kennedy gave a clear message of hope, and a new approach of peace with the focus on, the relationship with the international stage.  He asked for his fellow Americans to join him on the journey and make an oath, to no longer look inwards, but outwards and beyond, and for all his citizens to be responsible for their country’s journey and its future.  “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” Norfolk businesses, need to go on a similar metaphoric journey.  We can change our voice and therefore the true perception of our region and to do so we must work as a collective and not as an individual. Our narrative of the region – let’s be clear The way we tell our story, about what we do and who we are is key to everything. How we speak, the stories we tell and the words we write. We are all ambassadors responsible for our futures and the new generations of worker’s futures too. Remember if we don’t tell anyone about what we do, how will they know? How will they understand the correct use of ‘place,’ how and why they should ‘invest’. There are three things to collectively do Thing 1: We need to be seen.    Online consumption has changed the game for every business. You must now master the art of storytelling and create digital content. Show the world what you do, share the environment you work in, live in and play in. Now!  The Chamber will help and if you create it, we will broadcast it.  ‘Norfolk’s Voice’ is a soon to be launched as a digital channel, it’s all part of our transformation program to allow a greater voice for business.  It will need your content, your stories, your voice.  The narrative of the ‘now.’ Why? Because in Norfolk the now is the ‘WOW’! Thing 2: “you can’t sell on a negative!” No one I’m sure will have a tin of Yeoman’s pie filling in their cupboard, if you have, throw it away as I think they stopped production in the 1980s, so it will probably make you poorly, anyway back in the 1980’s Yeoman’s ran an unusual marketing with the slogan ‘guaranteed, no lumps of fat or gristle.’  Doesn’t sound very appealing does it… lumps of fat or gristle!  Leaves you feeling a little queasy, but I can see what they were trying to do. However, the approach runs the danger of associating you with the thing you’re trying so hard, not to be associated with. 100% pure beef would have worked better!   We ‘Norfolk folk’ have a bit of a habit of referencing the misperception of the region first, before highlighting the positives, “People say Norfolk is the end of the line. But it really isn’t!”  Why is being the end of a line a negative? Surely, the end of your journey is where everything starts, a beginning, not an end? Don’t highlight negatives, particularly ones that no longer exist. “Norwich used to have the black death in the 1600s, but it’s been eradicated now, well several centuries ago!” How far back do you want to go?   Close the book on the negatives, place the book on a high shelf and let it collect dust. Thing 3: Like JFK make an oath!  Do something every day or every week for Norfolk.  Something that you do, see, find or hear that accentuates a positive. There are loads to choose from. See it, share it, and put a Norfolk wrapper around it that talks about the place my favourite is #brilliantnorwich, #brilliantnorfolk. Think of the power of the collective, If we all did this, imagine the effect.    If we don’t do these three things the negatives will prevail. They are easy to find, they get lots of coverage sadly. So, make the oath, and restore the balance.   It’s all about the Now.

By Jordan Domin, Customer Experience Team

On Thursday 10th January I had the absolute pleasure of spending the evening at City College Norwich’s Debut restaurant for a Cyber-Security themed dinner. It was an intimate affair with the option of a mojito mocktail or prosecco on arrival, I opted for the prosecco of course. With around 20 people in the room it was easy to speak to a number of different people most of whom had never been to the restaurant before and were looking forward to it as much as I was.

Reception part of the evening over we were called to our seats for dinner to begin, I have to admit I was rather excited by the prospect of a mystery dinner and it did not disappoint. The food was absolutely outstanding, especially given that the entire thing was executed by the college’s Hospitality Apprenticeship students. It was a four-course affair with a pea and mint soup amuse bouche; crispy goats cheese, beetroot texture, and French salad starter; duck breast with parsnip, red cabbage, and potatoes; and a salted caramel and chocolate tart for pudding. Every single course was outstanding and presented to a very high standard, the students serving us were very professional and I’m sure will go on to have fantastic careers in the hospitality industry. I had the pleasure of being seated next to one of the degree apprenticeship officers from the college who explained that many of the students go on to work on cruise ships, in high level kitchens, and private yachts and I can certainly see why! Before the speakers took their place on the stairs (in lieu of a stage) we were presented with truffles and tea, which went down an absolute treat. I even joked to some of the people on my table that I have had worse food and service in a restaurant!

The evening was focused on cyber-security and made possible with the help of Cyberfen so after we had finished our outstanding dinner came the presentation portion of the evening. First up with Peter Cubbin who’s main message was for us to forget the technology, something you don’t expect to hear at a cyber-security evening, or at least I certainly didn’t. He highlighted that often when organisations experience disruption to their processes it’s usually because they are collateral damage of a larger attack, his example was the Wannacry virus which put large swathes of the NHS on lockdown in 2017. He argued that this could have been avoided if organisations had updated their systems to take on a security patch released by Microsoft in the months running up to the attack.

Next up was Deborah Cubbin who explained to the room that businesses need to be considering the wider repercussions of an attack on the business as a whole. She said that too often the onus is put on the IT and Security team to fend off an attack whereas business leaders should in fact be involving themselves in security. When a business experiences an attack it can have a detrimental impact on their reputation and therefore should be considered a business issue as opposed to a technical issue.

Finally Paul Maskell took to the stage with the message that organisations need to be taking people’s data more seriously. He used the hypothetical situation of me asking to borrow his car, he would be happy to lend it to me but he had previous experience of doing so to Kieren who had not treated it very well and in turn leant it to his friend who had taken it for a jolly down to London. His point was that when I asked to borrow his car, where he previously would have agreed, due to his negative experience with Kieren he would be less inclined to do so. He said the same is true for customer’s data, they trust us as businesses to look after it and do the right thing when they give it to us, companies that betray this trust make customers more wary of sharing it in future. We should be protecting data as if it is the most important thing to us.

The evening closed with a short introduction to the new Information Technology and Computing, Level 3 City College are running from September 2019. The course has been designed alongside employers and teaches students both the technical and soft skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

I was absolutely delighted to be invited to such a great evening and will definitely be attending the next one, assuming I get an invite of course!