Member News

We were delighted to return to the event that has become the hub for the UK insurance sector, affectionately termed ‘BIBA Fever’, by our client and principle sponsor of BIBA 2018, Aviva.

BIBA 2018 sought to innovate, evolve and thrive, with this immersive event building upon the core conference and exhibition aspects toward a much wider offering. The Fringe extended knowledge, the innovation zone allowed access to emerging technologies and insider expertise within the insurance sector and Young Broker Day was dedicated to supporting the career development of insurance brokers of the future. With such an immersive and varied event, our build for Aviva needed to stand out as well as offer a flexible environment for meetings, networking and presentations.

Progressing from our build at BIBA 2017, the refined simplicity, economical practices and innovative approach resulted in a smooth installation process. The clean lines of the modern 5 x 4 metre tower were complimented by blue LED lighting and the iconic Aviva branding, displayed prominently on the double sided tower. A high-level fabric graphic system flown above the stand added further impact, drawing the eye from across the bustling venue. The custom-made lightboxes offered angular feature shapes with the tensioned fabric system making the installation of fresh new graphics economical and easy. Forming meeting areas within the expansive stand-space, these lightboxes also served as dividers, supporting the greater intimacy required in the meeting areas. The open-plan networking area utilised the expansive footprint of the stand and it was fantastic to see this space used so effectively by the Aviva team, becoming a conversational hub of the event, complete with barista service and an interactive ‘scrabble’-style graphic wall. The adaptability of this space was also a key feature on day two, with a mid-way furniture switch creating an intimate soft seating zone, perfect for the smaller events Aviva hosted. With the Aviva team sharing that BIBA 2018 was ‘the best one yet’, our aim was to support them as they continued to innovate, evolve and thrive…and we are proud to say we did!

Have you caught events fever? To see how we could help support you, get in touch today

https://www.image-display.co.uk/contact-us/

Have you ever wanted the thrill and excitement of standing in an eccentric costume in front of thousands of people? Have you ever wanted to dance, sing and show off your “circus skills” to that audience? Well, this year Buy Local Norfolk are giving you the chance to do just that… in the name of business of course!

This year the Lord Mayors Procession is expected to be bigger than ever. The floats are expected to be filled with acrobats, animals and other family favourites with Norwich taking over the Circus theme to show off our history as a Circus town.

Why Get Involved? : The Procession is a great way to get your business recognised especially if you operate as a B2C, hand out stickers and sweets and let the community see you as the business that takes goes the extra mile!

What Do We Need? : You would be needed for two evenings, Friday the 6th to help construct the float and Saturday the 7th to dance for the masses!

If you would like to get involved please email me on jake.marchant@tactile-solutions.co.uk or call me on 07411 946518.

For more information about the Lord Mayors Procession click here. 

EVOLVE launches on 1st July and will be available to people living in rural communities and those currently unable to work due to long term unemployment or barrier such as disability, parenting, criminal record, or a general lack of work or life skills.

Run by Independence Matters through our Norwich-based disability employer, Norfolk Industries, which manufactures pet bedding from recycled materials at our factory in Oak Street. We have a long history of employing people with disabilities and supporting people into the workplace and operate this as a successful business – our products are sold across the UK and abroad under the banner “Think Workability, Not Disability”.

Funding for EVOLVE has been secured through the Local Investment in Future Talent (LIFT) programme, a skills and employability grant scheme for rural Norfolk and North Suffolk available to voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE). LIFT is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and administered by Norfolk County Council. The Norfolk and North Suffolk Local Action Groups award the grants – local people funding local projects – and we are delighted to have been selected!

EVOLVE has been developed with the aim of supporting motivated individuals who are actively seeking work to become more employable. It offers a programme of work experience, development and training to help bring people closer to employment over a period of 8 to 12 weeks. It is being supported by Jobcentre Plus, who will be making customers aware of the scheme through their Work Coaches, and promoting the voluntary work experience element where it is a suitable match for them and their circumstances.

EVOLVE has been designed to support individuals by offering the following:

• a work placement in a factory setting, carrying out lightweight packaging work for at least 8 hours per week • option to complete a range of development opportunities and training courses based on existing skills and abilities • travel training and development of life skills and/or work skills through the Gateway Assured Programme passport system • build confidence and develop soft skills such as accepting instructions, team working and timekeeping • provide structure and give a feel for working in a commercial environment • a portfolio of achievements including training certificates to take away

We are working collaboratively with other organisations including Shaw Trust, MINT Norwich and Norfolk County Council (the programme includes access to their TITAN transport training) and will be actively supporting individuals in finding employment on completion of the programme.

We were visited earlier this year by Chloe Smith, MP for Norwich North, who met workers on the production line and was very supportive, describing us as ‘blazing trails of how employers can be confident in welcoming people with disabilities into their workforce’ and saying we ‘bring a refreshing approach to disability and health in the workplace’.  

Start-Rite Shoes has appointed Jonathan Hudson as Head of Marketing. Jonathan will have responsibility for the planning and implementation of the brand’s marketing strategies.

Jonathan brings a wealth of experience in the family market and a deep specialism in digital marketing within consumer goods environments.  Prior to working for Start-Rite, Jonathan was Head of Marketing at Hoseasons, where he was responsible for planning and implementing the digital and traditional marketing mix for the brand.  Jonathan also boasts marketing experience at established brands such as Homebase, Shop Direct (Littlewoods and Very) and Time Group.

Jonathan Hudson, Head of Marketing, Start-Rite Shoes, said: “It’s a great time to be joining such an iconic brand – a new identity, new creative campaigns and an amazing product portfolio. I’m excited to show consumers what the brand really has to offer and help grow our marketing presence across digital and retail.”

Commenting on his appointment, Ian Watson, CEO, Start-Rite Shoes, said: “It’s great to have Jonathan on board.  He brings with him extensive experience and will be instrumental in driving our brand forward and in executing our key consumer messages in line with our strategic direction.”

Jonathan joined Start-Rite Shoes on 11 June 2018 and will report into Chief Executive Ian Watson.

In exciting times for offshore wind in the east of England, communications company TMS Media is making sure its opportunities and capabilities are showcased to the industry’s leading players.

An updated brochure bringing together the latest statistics, case studies of business success and maps pinpointing existing and future offshore wind farms was launched at Global Offshore Wind, the largest conference and exhibition of its kind.

The RenewableUK event was held at Manchester’s Central Convention Complex, with more than 2,500 professionals from across the UK and Europe in attendance and exhibitors promoting all sectors of the offshore wind industry. 

The 12-page brochure, produced by TMS Media, was launched at the East of England Energy Zone (EEEZ) stand and features case studies on 3sun Group, James Fisher Marine Services, Stowen CleanEnergy, Sembmarine SLP and Pipeshield International.

As part of partnership efforts to drive investment and business in offshore wind across the region, Norfolk County Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Waveney District Council have produced a stand to highlight the diverse and experienced supply chain in the area.

Locally-based businesses on the stand include Peel Ports Great Yarmouth, Stowen, SSCS, Proserv, Rhenus Offshore Logistics, OrbisEnergy, and EEEGR (East of England Energy Group).

Cllr Graham Plant, Leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Deputy Leader for Norfolk County Council said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the region’s significant supply chain and capabilities. We are working with offshore wind farm developers to present upcoming market opportunities – businesses need to be here to benefit from this work”

TMS Media – now in its 30th year of operating on the east coast – was commissioned by EEEZ in 2017 to collate data and write a brochure to promote the offshore wind capabilities of the Norfolk and Suffolk area. 

The brochure has been refreshed and expanded from eight to 12 pages for this event.

Steve Scott, managing director of TMS Media, said: “We have worked with the offshore wind supply chain since its early days here and it has been fascinating watching our region become a global-leader in such a fast-paced industry. It is changing the landscape on our coast, economically and literally, with a long pipeline of investment ahead.

“To be able to showcase our capability and opportunities – and the growth and success of companies in our region – was a chance we had to seize.”

EEEZ is unrivalled in the UK for its unique mix of wind power, gas and nuclear energy production. It has a supply chain with more than 50 years’ experience in the energy sector and its status as England’s leader in Southern North Sea offshore energy operations has been recognised with Enterprise Zone status for prime land and as a Centre for Offshore Renewable Engineering (CORE).

Picture caption: The East of England Energy Zone (EEEZ) offshore wind brochure, produced by Great Yarmouth-based TMS Media, was launched at Global Offshore Wind in Manchester on the EEEZ stand. From left to right: Michael Cousens and Roberta Willner, both inward investment officers for Norfolk County Council, and Cheryl Stockwell, economic development officer for Waveney District Council.

Commenting ahead of the European Council meeting, where Prime Minister Theresa May is due to address other EU leaders tonight (Thursday), Dr Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“While businesses won’t get the clarity and certainty they had sought from this European Council meeting, a new sense of momentum and drive is needed from both sides so that a breakthrough can be reached in the coming weeks.

“Uncertainty is knocking business confidence and preventing many businesses from developing future plans. Far too many investments have quietly been delayed or side-lined, by both SMEs and major corporates alike.

“Businesses of all sizes expect the UK government to stop the public bickering and business-bashing, and demonstrate unity and purpose as it negotiates with the EU27. European leaders, in turn, should give their negotiators more leeway to make a pragmatic deal with the UK that’s in the interests of all parties.

“Businesses want an end to uncertainty and a deal that supports trade between the UK and the EU27 – and it’s time for the government to deliver.”

Cyber Security Today

Typically, larger businesses nowadays have their own Security specialists (separate from IT), but medium sized businesses don’t, and that’s where we typically help by creating and guiding security strategy, and working with IT and other teams to secure the business and reduce risk.

We’ve also been trying to find a way that to help smaller businesses on a limited budget improve their Cyber Security.

Cyber Security for Smaller Businesses

Think your business is too small to be a target?

42% of micro/small businesses identified at least one breach or attack in the last 12 months (Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018, DCMS)

CyberScale are excited be launching The CyberScale Academy and our Cyber Security Foundation programme – a 6-month programme designed to help small businesses improve their Cyber Security and reduce risks through a combination of structured regular workshops, step-by-step plans, along with support and guidance from our Cyber Security specialists.  Key benefits include:

• Cyber Security explained in plain English
• 12 hours of workshops over the course of the programme
• Individual action plan to make your business more secure
• Effectively balance Security & Productivity
• Understand and comply with standards & regulations e.g. GDPR
• Dedicated time to work on your Cyber Security
• Cost effective approach for smaller businesses
• Preparation for Cyber Essentials

Early Access for Norfolk Chamber Members

From 8am Thursday 28th June until 8am Monday, 2nd July ONLY, members of the Norfolk Business Network group can find full details and sign up at www.cyberscale.co.uk/academy-csf before places go on general release, using the following referral code:

0002-NFKCHB

Places on programme are limited to a maximum of 12 on each of the two alternative schedules we’ll be running from August 2018 – January 2019.  To take advantage of the pre-release places, you’ll need to sign up before Monday with the referral code above.

Example Marketing and Web Design has been working with local businesses for almost five years, but the time has come to expand. New employees meant a new office, and newly converted office space at The Old Eagle in the centre of Dereham fits the bill perfectly. Emma Raines, owner at Example, explains:

“We’ve been flat out for several years now, so it was time to take a big step. To this point, the business has just been me and my husband, Gavin, working from a home office. We’re now a team of four with a great office. We’re really excited to have such a fantastic space to welcome clients in to.”

The past few months have been very busy for the company, as they’ve also achieved coveted Google Partner status, marking them out as true experts in their field. They’re now looking forward to working with more Dereham businesses to help them with their marketing, printing and web design. Emma continues:

“We love working locally. It’s much easier to get a feel for a business if you can meet face to face. Really understanding our clients is a vital part of making sure they get the results they want when they ask for our help, so we’re looking forward to getting to know more of the businesses in Dereham, as well as more widely across Norfolk.”

Norfolk’s world-class data centre has partnered with disaster recovery specialists to launch an easily accessible data backup service for businesses of all sizes.

The stand-alone service provides a simple way for any organisation to create a fully encrypted backup of their data. Should their IT be subject to an attack or failure, their data can be quickly recovered and restored. With a 6,000% increase in ransomware attacks since 2015, the new service is expected to prove highly popular.

“This is an important development for MIGSOLV” says David Manning, MIGSOLV’s Managing Director. “As well as housing physical servers and IT, we can now provide a simple way for every organisation to take advantage of our facilities and protection.”

The new cloud-based service utilises hardware housed in MIGSOLV’s data centre and managed by Blocz IO. A 256-bit encrypted copy of an organisation’s data is taken from their existing IT and, in the event of a cyber or physical attack, it can be quickly recovered and thus restore the organisation to business-as-usual.

“This is a great way for smaller businesses to feel safe and secure.” adds David. “They have the reassurance of a full disaster recovery backup, with peace-of-mind they know exactly where and how their data is being protected.”

As well as businesses looking for an easy way to backup their data, the service is expected to appeal to organisations with an existing backup looking for an additional line of defence. Best-practice guidelines now recommend organisations hold three copies of all sensitive or critical data, stored in different locations. In particular, it will help companies address new GDPR legislation by providing evidence of UK data sovereignty and protection.

For more information, visit www.migsolv.com

19th June 2018 – Four Norfolk directors scooped highly commended prizes at The Institute of Director’s annual East of England Director of the Year Awards, held on Friday 15th June at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket. The awards celebrate the exemplary leaders who are doing great work across the East of England, rewarding individuals who display professionalism, diligence and creativity to inspire employees.

The Norfolk directors recognised were: •  Ian Watson, Chief Executive Officer of Start-Rite (Norwich), won Highly Commended Innovation Director of the Year •  Sarah West, Managing Director of Full Mix Marketing (Norwich), won New Director of the Year •  Chris Cliffe, Director of CJC Procurement Limited (Norwich) won Highly Commended New Director of the Year •  Andrew Brammer, Managing Director of PSS (Norfolk) won Global Director of the Year. Ian, Sarah, Chris and Andrew were presented with their awards by Stephen Martin (IoD Director General) and David Sales (Chairman, IoD East of England). Stephen Martin, this year’s guest of honour, is an authoritative voice of UK business in the media and engages with senior figures from across government, politics and Whitehall, to represent business interests.  He commented: “Today has been a fantastic event celebrating the best in British business here in the East of England and it was amazing to see so many inspirational stories of directors and the great impact they have not just in their own company but in the communities in which they are operating.  It was a very successful event with many worthy winners and I wish them all continued success in their businesses.”

David Sales, regional IoD Chairman for East of England and host of the awards commented: “Every year these awards get more competitive, meaning the judging process is ever more challenging and exciting!  The East of England is home to many of the UK’s most innovative, vibrant and successful organisations – led by some of our best directors.  This year’s winners are exceptional role models for our fabulous region.” Simone Robinson, Head of Regional Relationships, IoD East of England commented on the winners: “All of the winners are singularly tenacious, driven, innovative and successful, and all of them share the desire to promote good governance, deliver strong and collaborative leadership, a consideration for corporate social responsibility, and a recognition of the role the team plays in the businesses achievements.”

About IoD Awards – Stephen Martin, Director General, Institute of Directors Our awards seek to shine a light on directors who have enhanced and driven their businesses forward.  The contenders come from different organisations but all share similarities in leadership, expertise and personal dedication.  During this critical period of political change, we will need to see ingenuity and tenacity displayed by professional leaders.  The vibrancy and diversity of the businesses here gives me cause to be hopeful of the strength of British industries.  Over the coming years the IoD will continue to provide the necessary support and guidance to members, while seeking to put the business perspective to government as Brexit negotiations take place.  

Abate Pest Management has recently secured a service agreement with Montagu Evans LLP to manage proactive pest control at their St Crispins House site in Norwich.

Montagu Evans LLP is a partnership of chartered surveyors and property consultants involved in the UK’s largest commercial, residential and mixed-use property development projects.

Abate Pest Management will manage St Crispins House for the prevention of pests by carrying out 8 routine visits per year. The service will also cover any ad-hoc call outs to treat other pests such as wasps or ants if required.

Jon Blake, Managing Director of Abate Pest Management said: “we are delighted to implement a full-service pest programme at St Crispins House on behalf of Montagu Evans LLP. We work with many property companies located throughout the United Kingdom for routine pest management and special project work including bird control and woodworm treatment. We look forward to developing a long-lasting relationship with the firm.”

Abate Pest Management is based near Wymondham and services commercial and domestic clients throughout the Eastern region for rodents, insects, birds, woodworm and specialist cleans. Abate offers commercial businesses free site surveys with recommendations and costs.

To contact Abate please call 01953 603390 or visit www.abateltd.co.uk. 

One of Larking Gowen’s core values, ‘Passion for our people’, is the driving force behind the Larking Gowen Leadership Development Programme, which saw participants graduate on Wednesday 20 June.  The 18-month programme was designed by Partner and head of the Training Committee, Steven Rudd, working with an external coach, to move selected employees on to the next stages of their careers. He believes this people-centred approach has a direct impact on the business, in improving client service as well as recruitment and retention, where there is strong competition for the best candidates.  “Our business thrives with well-trained, motivated and driven teams,” says Steven Rudd. “‘Passion for our people’ makes sure we achieve this in a balanced way. We focus on all aspects of wellbeing, and that includes identifying and growing the potential of our employees. I’d like to congratulate our thirteen participants for rising to the challenge of implementing new ways of thinking, and for their dedication. We look forward to seeing their careers develop with us.”

Ashley Smith, who started the course whilst a Manager and was appointed to Partner at the firm earlier this year, says the scheme has helped develop his confidence. “I see myself as a leader for the first time,” he says. “The knowledge I’ve gained supports my new role as partner and the strategic thinking I need, helping to shape the future of the firm. It’s easy to concentrate on technical training because that’s what we deliver on a day-to-day basis, but the chance to focus on personal and career development is a distinct advantage, which sets Larking Gowen apart.”

 “Over the past 18 months we’ve gained the insight we need to become the leaders of the future. Through self-study, working with the external coach and an internal mentor, we were challenged to analyse our social interactions, to identify our strengths and areas to work on,” he explains.

“Most of us at Larking Gowen trained as accountants,” adds Steven Rudd. “This programme addresses the additional skills needed to run the business. It’s helped participants see opportunities, and to think differently to gain a competitive edge and make the firm a better place.”

Jon Woolston, Managing Partner, is delighted by the results he has seen. “The world, business and people expectations are changing faster now than ever. We need a management team that are not afraid to look forward and are able to help their clients and teams with the necessary skills to make sure our service continues to be relevant. The added confidence and knowledge this programme has delivered, sets the participants apart.”