At a recent meeting of the West Norfolk Chamber Council, local Chamber members were invited to attend the meeting to debate promoting business in West Norfolk. Representatives from Germains Seed Technology, Hayhow & Co, Rural Broadband and Freebridge Community Housing were all part of the discussions on how to increase the business profile.
The group reviewed inward investment and customer care for existing organisations in West Norfolk. The region receives a diverse number of inward investment enquiries, which range from manufacturing to life sciences. Enquiries are received from around the world from the likes of: USA, Russia, Pakistan, and Australia. Many enquiries were based around the agri-tech sector and King’s Lynn forms part of a ‘golden triangle’ with Norwich and Cambridge for this sector.
All agreed that whilst West Norfolk has many exciting and innovative business already in situ, these businesses must raise their profiles and let the rest of the county know what they are doing to help highlight the opportunities and level of expertise already available within West Norfolk.
Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber Council said “It was encouraging to hear from local businesses about the exciting work they are doing and it is up to us, the business community of West Norfolk, to make more noise about how much we can offer and ensure the message that ‘West Norfolk is open for business’ is broadcast to everyone.”
At the risk of becoming repetitive, today’s Chamber Session was another full house. And if you missed it you missed out.James Thomas from Square Social was here to deliver a presentation to us on how to be better at Social Media.
He quoted Einstein who’d said that if you can’t explain something clearly you probably don’t understand it. The clarity of James’ Session showed that he plainly has a real grasp of his subject.
What he made clear from the outset was that the fundamentals of marketing still apply. What we have to do is use them as we embrace the new media opportunities afforded by the digital age.
So, firstly establish who it is you want to talk to, and where best to reach them. That’s identifying your target audience and selecting the most appropriate media to reach them – just as it ever was.
But, to really get the most out of the social media your strategy needs to be in tune with them. If it’s awareness you’re seeking then Facebook and Twitter are powerful conduits. When loyalty is your objective, recognise that the social media are best used as part of the bigger picture and your message shouldn’t be too sales oriented. Driving sales is where Liked In comes into play.
The tone of your message should be modified not just by your product or service, but by the media too. A B2B message can be serious and will work on Linked In. A consumer focussed message can be lighter in tone and will sit better on Facebook.
That in turn will help you decide on something else. What value are you going to give your audience? It could be a free e book or ‘learned’ paper in the business world. It might be hints and tips, to establish your credentials. Or, in the consumer field, a promotion is a possibility.
Vitally important, and often understated, is the fact that social media activity is measurable. Engaging in any form of marketing activity that doesn’t provide measurable results is, and always has been, folly. The tools available in this media area make for precise measurement.
James made some other essential points. Don’t use the social media for the sake of it, or from peer pressure. Have a goal and a strategy. And get your data and your presence right. Having selected two or three candidate suppliers from their social media marketing, and other activity, it could be your Linked In profile, for example, that becomes the tipping point in their deciding on you rather than your competitors.
Put simply a good strategy needs to a) build a presence, b) engage your audience and c) convert them into sales.
This was a great session from a man who certainly had presence, and definitely engaged us.
Which, personally leaves me with two thoughts. Firstly, we all have a huge opportunity to engage with a massive audience by placing articles, news and blogs on the Chamber website. It will spread your message to key players.
Secondly? In amongst all of this ‘content’ is still king. That means, as well as the technology and media skills, you still need the right words. That pleases me. I’m a writer.
We have a break next week, but be there for the Chamber Session on November 5. Jonathan Chapman of QMS is here for Be Better at Growing
Latest update on Better Broadband for Norfolk In December 2012, Norfolk County Council and BT signed a deal that means around 80% of Norfolk premises will be able to access superfast broadband of 24mbps with all of Norfolk premises accessing speeds of 2mpbs. First services became available July this year. Work will continue in phases over the next couple of years.
What’s happened since the last update? More than 5,000 premises in Norfolk can now access high-speed internet services.
Parts of Baconsthorpe, Bayfield, Broome, Costessey, Cringleford, Ditchingham, Emneth, Great Yarmouth, Gorleston, Hempstead, Holt, Kings Lynn, Letheringsett, Little Thornage, Norwich, Old Buckenham, Scarning and Upper Sherringham now have better broadband services.
Parts of Attleborough, Besthorpe and Morley St Peter have better broadband services earlier than planned. In the first few months of 2014 parts of Bradfield, Downham Market, North Walsham, Norwich, Spa Common and Stow Bridge will be able to access the better broadband services.
So everything’s going well then? We’re making good progress, but a land ownership and technical issue has stopped us connecting some areas during the summer. When we have fixed this and revised a new date, we will update the website with the details.
Looking further ahead, what’s happening next? There will be new announcements every 2 months regarding new areas that are set – the next is due in December 2013.
Full information on the above can be found on the attached PDF.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) says a test run of Twitter’s share sale was ‘a success’, as it tries to avoid the debacle surrounding Facebook’s flotation on the NASDAQ.
Traders simulated buying and selling shares on the exchange on Saturday, to try and clear up any technical hitches that it may face when shares go public. With this, Twitter will be the biggest tech company to go public since Facebook. Trading is thought to begin in early November.
Twitter said it was planning to sell 70 million shares prices between £10 and £12 to raise up to £865m.
According to its IPO documents, Twitter now has 218 million monthly users and 500 million tweets are sent in a day, however, all those users and tweets have not yet resulted in a profit. Twitter has made a loss of $69m in the first six months of 2013, on revenues of $254.
Twitter is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for Norfolk businesses. The Norfolk Chamber have close to four thousand followers and it is an important way for us and our members to communicate to the wider business community of local and national influence.
Norfolk Chamber members were out in force on 7 November to welcome the Chancellor to Norfolk and to ensure that he was in no doubt as to the potential growth of its business community given the right investment.
As part of the event Chamber members were asked to take part in a text survey to identify their key priorities which will provide the keystone to the Chamber’s priorities in 2014. The clear priority with 34% of the vote was improvements to transport & infrastructure. The Chancellor then heard from Ian Hacon President Norfolk Chamber of Commerce about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly side of Norfolk, who emphasised Norfolk’s potential for growth.
Six Chamber members ranging from rural start-ups to established firms, such as Bernard Matthews and RG Carter, then gave highlights as to what they were particularly excited about relating to their businesses and identified what would help them be even more successful.
It was made clear that Norfolk businesses are at last feeling more confident, but continued to need the support of the Government in key areas. They highlighted how much faster businesses could grow and create jobs with the right infrastructure in place particularly improved broadband and mobile coverage, the railways, NDR and A47.
Young people are Norfolk’s future and Norfolk Chamber members sought assurances that business education would be high on the Government’s agenda.
Ian Hacon, President Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and MD Blue Sky Leisure commented “We were delighted to host a visit from George Osborne, Rt. Hon. Member of Parliament for Tatton and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I would like to think he left Norfolk with a positive view as to what a great county it is to live and work in, and how a relatively small amount of investment in projects and infrastructure could unlock Norfolk’s potential to continue to play its part in the economic growth of the country.”
Caroline Williams, CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: “The Chancellor can be in no doubt about the innovation and dynamism of the Norfolk business community after today’s visit. We very much welcome his positive comments about Norfolk and its economy and will continue to encourage him to invest in this area in order to maximise the business community’s potential for growth and jobs.”
The Chancellor, George Osborne, in his speech stated that infrastructure investment was a priority for the government, from broadband and education, to road and rail, but that he was “here to listen, and here to learn”.
“We are doing what we can to create a competitive business environment. But we need your input, your thoughts and your ideas about where to take that next because by definition in a global race you cannot stand still.”
The Chancellor went on to outline that he was committed to the delivery of a faster rail service between Norwich and London (known as the Norwich in Ninety campaign). However, as this will take some time to implement, he also committed his support for the upgrading of the rolling stock, such as power points and refurbishment of carriages.
A number of members had the opportunity to ask the Chancellor questions and those not able to be heard due to time restrictions were assured that their questions would be answered after the event.
Brandon Lewis, MP Great Yarmouth who had organised the visit with Norfolk Chamber had to be in Westminster today but said “The Chancellor’s visit to Norfolk today is a real recognition of the economic potential of the area. I am delighted to have been able to help arrange this important visit and that Norfolk Chamber members had this opportunity to tell the Chancellor more about our area and the fantastic businesses that have made their home here. This is the perfect opportunity to signal to the Government that Norfolk is open for business and will be a key player in the UK’s continued economic growth. I shall continue to work closely with government departments to bring cabinet ministers to our area.”
Caroline Williams continued “The Chancellor has made it clear today that he values Norfolk and its business community and want to help us to reach our full potential. It is essential that we work closely together with our local MPs, our LEPs and public sector partners to take advantage of the exciting opportunities we have in Norfolk. The Chancellor has opened the door to communicate with him and his team and we will b ensure that the Norfolk business voice is heard loud and clear.”
Celebrating the outstanding achievements of our Norfolk Constabulary was the order of the evening at this year’s spectacular NOSCAS 2013 award ceremony held at the Holiday Inn.
The awards, now in its sixth year, is a time to offer people the opportunity to nominate individuals or teams who have gone above and beyond in their role in making the Norfolk community one of the safest in the UK.
This year the Norfolk Chamber proudly sponsored a very special award; The Chief Constable’s Special Recognition Award. This was the first time this award has ever been given and was awarded to an individual or team where their contribution to delivering the Constabulary’s performance has been significant yet under-recognised.
This year’s winner was PC Michael Andrew: described by his District Commander as always being the first in on shift; the last to leave; and always willing to assist his colleagues while taking a huge amount of pride in delivering a first class service to the public.
This officer has recently been involved in two activities which have been significant to both the Constabulary and the public, in which he has dedicated his own time to help make a difference to people’s lives.
Firstly, this officer was one of the driving forces behind a recent charity event which saw Norfolk Police take on the Fire Service at a boxing event in Norwich back in June. The officer took the time to help set up the event, train the team, and supported the boxers on the night ringside as they did battle with fire officers.
But perhaps more significantly this officer has been central to developing a new Cadet programme for the Constabulary. In his own time and with other colleagues this officer has provided the mentoring, training and support to a group of 14 young people who last week paraded in a passing out ceremony in Thetford.
Chris Perry Membership Manager from the Norfolk Chamber said:”The Chamber is always proud to support these awards as recognition of the work the Constabulary do in making Norfolk one of the nicest places to live in the UK. Norfolk is known for its safety and high quality of life, so this is vital when attracting more people, businesses and skills to the region which in turn are vital to the continued economic growth of the county”.
Prior Diesel Ltd was formed in 1981 and is a global leader in diesel driven power solutions, particularly within the Oil & Gas market. The company offers a diverse range of engineering specialities together with representing most of the major names in diesel engines.
The company supplies diesel engines and parts; manufactures and refurbishes diesel engines and products; manufactures, repairs and overhauls Well Service equipment; and also offers a world-wide marine engineering service.
Overseas customers are primarily from the Oil & Gas industry and the company’s parts and products are sold across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia.
“We started exporting to Africa in the 80s,” says Joint Managing Director Chris Conroy. “It was for a local client with a fleet in West Africa who needed engine parts. That was just the start, and since then we have expanded our exports significantly, both in terms of customers and geographical areas.”
“Our Well Service equipment is manufactured by only a small handful of companies in the world, so we have a very wide reach globally. This means that we don’t necessarily have to go looking for export business, as our products are known by the company’s reputation for quality, which is important when dealing with production from an oil or gas well. Although this market has few competitors, we still have all the usual business challenges and we have worked very hard for the good name that we have.”
Prior Diesel Ltd uses the Norfolk Chamber to support its export activities. “We rely on them for documentation, because that is critical and has to be right,” says Chris. “We also attend their very good export training courses, which have helped us a great deal in understanding how to export. Their translation and interpretation services have also been very useful for us where a language barrier has come into play. They are a brilliant team, very knowledgeable, professional and always keen to help.”
Although Prior Diesel Ltd boasts customers all over the world, this can pose challenges. “It might sound obvious but our biggest challenge is ensuring we get paid, a common problem with many businesses who export. To alleviate this problem we often ask for payment before goods are exported. If that isn’t possible we go to the Chamber and they help us with the relevant documentation.”
Equipment arrives and leaves Prior Diesel in a variety of ways. “Customers sometimes send us their products for repair, or they’ll be purchasing new product,” Chris adds. “It’s dependant on the customers’ business needs as to how it arrives or leaves. They will choose airfreight for speed, but that can be expensive. Sea is another option, it’s less expensive, but it takes longer.”
Chris has some clear advice for businesses considering exporting: “Make sure the documentation is correct, it will ensure that everything runs smoothly. And where possible get payment up front. A contract is a must – some export customers would still have you believe a gentleman’s handshake or “word is my bond’ should be enough, sadly it often isn’t, so to be certain that everything is in writing and if necessary checked by the Norfolk Chamber Export Team.”
Please be cautious of any contact with the “The Irish Islamic Chamber of Commerce” with regard to Certificates of Origin.
It has come to our attention that an organisation calling itself “The Irish Islamic Chamber of Commerce” is claiming that British exporters must use their “British Islamic Certificates of Origin” for the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
This organisation is NOT authorised to issue Certificates of Origin in the UK, and exporters should be aware of this.
If you come across this organisation promoting themselves within the UK, then please report this back to export@norfolkchamber.co.uk as soon as possible.
We will then report it back to the British Chambers of Commerce who will deal with the matter accordingly.
Annual Energy Statement Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change delivered the Annual Energy Statement to Parliament this month. With energy prices growing as a political issue he used the statement to announce a series of measures to improve the market. He said that the government will work with industry to reduce the length of time it takes to switch to a new energy supplier from the current five weeks to 24 hours. He also said the Ofgem, the energy regulator, will be strengthened and there will be criminal sanctions for the firms if they fix the market. Energy Taxes Alongside the measures in the Annual Energy Statement the government also announced this month a review of green energy taxes, as a means of reducing energy bills. Three of the “big six” energy firms have announced price rises of between 8% and 10% in recent weeks. The Liberal Democrats have accused David Cameron of making a “panicky U-turn” after he announced the review. The outcome of the review will be announced in the Autumn Statement on 4 December. Nuclear power station at Hinkley The government and EDF Group have reached commercial agreement on the key terms of a proposed investment contract for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset. The two sides agreed the “strike price” of £92.50 for every megawatt hour of energy Hinkley C generates. The two reactors planned for Hinkley, which will provide power for about 60 years. France’s EDF Energy will lead a consortium, which includes Chinese investors, to build the plant. Our response is available here. Government guarantee for infrastructure A large number of energy projects have reached their prequalification stage in order to be eligible for UK Guarantee schemes. The scheme has the capacity to underwrite up to 40 billion pounds of investments up to 2016. The government has already awarded a £75m guarantee to power plant Drax for their £700 million programme to partially convert the UK’s biggest coal power station to biomass. Energy Bill The Energy Bill returned to Parliament this month when it began its Report Stage in the House of Lords. The Minister in charge, Baroness Verma, mentioned the BCC in her speech. An amendment to include a decarbonisation target was defeated. The Bill will return to the Commons in a few weeks and is expected to become law before the end of the year. Solar roadmap launched The government has launched a new Solar PV Strategy Roadmap. According to the strategy the four main challenges facing the sector are: cost-reduction; carbon-effectiveness; sustainability; and scaleability. Further work will be completed ahead of publishing the Solar PV Strategy in spring 2014 which will assist the development of policy and the growth of the sector. The aim is for the solar industry to an aspiration of 20GW within a decade. Upcoming developments
OPITO – the skills for oil and gas organisation – in partnership with key industry organisations (including Aberdeen Chamber) publishes an oil and gas Labour Market Intelligence Survey;
Autumn Statement to set out the results of the government review into green taxes;
Energy Bill to complete its Parliamentary stages and become an Act of Parliament;
Offshore wind industrial strategy;
Oil & gas review interim conclusions will be published in the autumn;
A final version of the EMR delivery plan will be published in December.
Whilst a speaker at a Norfolk Chamber’s event on 7 November 2013 George Osborne’s announced the creation of a taskforce to deliver the Norwich in 90 rail vision. The campaign was started in 2009 by Norfolk Chamber members and its partners. .
The Norwich in 90 rail vision includes faster, more reliable and more comfortable trains on the Great Eastern main line between Norwich and Ipswich and London.
The Norwich in 90 vision is laid out in “Once in a generation – a rail prospectus for East Anglia” -was produced last year in 2012 by the New Anglia LEP supported by the business community, local authorities, rail user groups and MPs.
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: The Norfolk Chamber membership have collectively been lobbying our local MPs and central Government since 2009 so it is great that the Chancellor has recognised the strength of the argument and is now committed to delivering Norwich in 90. The boost that this investment would generate £3.4bn in economic benefits cannot be underestimated.”
Key improvements identified in the East Anglia rail prospectus to deliver Norwich in 90 include:
New trains to enable faster and more reliable journey times.
A passing loop north of Chelmsford to increase capacity and overtaking
opportunities.
Increased line speeds on sections of the route.End.
Norfolk Chamber members were out in force on 7 November to welcome the Chancellor to Norfolk and to ensure that he was in no doubt as to the potential growth of its business community given the right investment.
As part of the event Chamber members were asked to take part in a text survey to identify their key priorities which will provide the keystone to the Chamber’s priorities in 2014. The clear priority with 34% of the vote was improvements to transport & infrastructure. The Chancellor then heard from Ian Hacon President Norfolk Chamber of Commerce about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly side of Norfolk, who emphasised Norfolk’s potential for growth.
Six Chamber members ranging from rural start-ups to established firms, such as Bernard Matthews and RG Carter, then gave highlights as to what they were particularly excited about relating to their businesses and identified what would help them be even more successful.
It was made clear that Norfolk businesses are at last feeling more confident, but continued to need the support of the Government in key areas. They highlighted how much faster businesses could grow and create jobs with the right infrastructure in place particularly improved broadband and mobile coverage, the railways, NDR and A47.
Young people are Norfolk’s future and Norfolk Chamber members sought assurances that business education would be high on the Government’s agenda.
Ian Hacon, President Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and MD Blue Sky Leisure commented “We were delighted to host a visit from George Osborne, Rt. Hon. Member of Parliament for Tatton and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I would like to think he left Norfolk with a positive view as to what a great county it is to live and work in, and how a relatively small amount of investment in projects and infrastructure could unlock Norfolk’s potential to continue to play its part in the economic growth of the country.”
Caroline Williams, CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: “The Chancellor can be in no doubt about the innovation and dynamism of the Norfolk business community after today’s visit. We very much welcome his positive comments about Norfolk and its economy and will continue to encourage him to invest in this area in order to maximise the business community’s potential for growth and jobs.”
The Chancellor, George Osborne, in his speech stated that infrastructure investment was a priority for the government, from broadband and education, to road and rail, but that he was “here to listen, and here to learn”.
“We are doing what we can to create a competitive business environment. But we need your input, your thoughts and your ideas about where to take that next because by definition in a global race you cannot stand still.”
The Chancellor went on to outline that he was committed to the delivery of a faster rail service between Norwich and London (known as the Norwich in Ninety campaign). However, as this will take some time to implement, he also committed his support for the upgrading of the rolling stock, such as power points and refurbishment of carriages.
A number of members had the opportunity to ask the Chancellor questions and those not able to be heard due to time restrictions were assured that their questions would be answered after the event.
Brandon Lewis, MP Great Yarmouth who had organised the visit with Norfolk Chamber had to be in Westminster today but said “The Chancellor’s visit to Norfolk today is a real recognition of the economic potential of the area. I am delighted to have been able to help arrange this important visit and that Norfolk Chamber members had this opportunity to tell the Chancellor more about our area and the fantastic businesses that have made their home here. This is the perfect opportunity to signal to the Government that Norfolk is open for business and will be a key player in the UK’s continued economic growth. I shall continue to work closely with government departments to bring cabinet ministers to our area.”
Caroline Williams continued “The Chancellor has made it clear today that he values Norfolk and its business community and want to help us to reach our full potential. It is essential that we work closely together with our local MPs, our LEPs and public sector partners to take advantage of the exciting opportunities we have in Norfolk. The Chancellor has opened the door to communicate with him and his team and we will b ensure that the Norfolk business voice is heard loud and clear.”
The British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) is used by the Bank of England and the Chancellor to plan the future of the UK economy and over 7,000 businesses across the UK take part.
Once again, the results from the Q3 2013 showed further evidence that the Norfolk economy was starting to recover, with a strong service sector helping to boost local economic growth.
The Norfolk manufacturing sector, home sales and order strengthened, whilst their exports results showed a slight slow-down and the service sector continued to go from strength to strength in both home sales and orders, as well as exports.
Norfolk Chamber has long-championed the idea that Norfolk businesses have remained confident about their abilities to grow. The QES results show that even more firms now believe they can increase their turnover and sales, and hire more staff, which is a testament to their hard-work, creativity and ambition.
However investment is still a concern, and if Norfolk is to achieve a high productivity, high skill and high wage economy then these areas also need to improve.
Has your business seen the benefit of a recent growth spurt, are you investing in plant and machinery or recruiting more staff? Let us know by taking part in this important economic survey.
The survey takes less than 3 minutes to complete, so please take the time to input into this survey to ensure Norfolk has a voice. The survey needs to be completed online by Monday 2 December 2013
