Chamber News

BBA Digital Media is a Digital-Out-Of-Home (DOOH) advertising platform, the first of its kind in Norwich: delivering cutting edge media to thousands of people and operating an extensive portfolio of advertising opportunities. We are an innovative and technologically advanced company, providing large and interactive digital signage screens in high footfall locations for customers to advertise on. We invite our partners to engage and inspire consumers through live data feeds, location-based content, mobile interactivity and much more on our digital screens across Norfolk.

Our digital screens open up new and exciting opportunities in digital out-of-home advertising across Norfolk, helping businesses engage with people through stunning, contextual advertising that can be delivered immediately at a touch of a button. Our portfolio of digital screens offers unrivalled flexibility for targeted multiple messages, links to social media, immediate editorial or showcasing dynamic content.

Our advertising provides both national and independent businesses with a fantastic opportunity to promote their businesses in a market leading and technologically advanced way, in order to engage new and existing customers in Norfolk. At BBA Digital Media, we hand pick our locations to capitalise on social circumstances where audiences are both readily abundant and easily captivated.

The Benefits Of Going Digital

Since the first digital displays in the early noughties, DOOH has experienced huge growth. Last year, UK revenues in the sector were almost £1 billion: this is close to the peak revenues experienced in the outdoor advertising sector prior to the recession. As a result, this year investment in digital display is high, with over £75 million expected to be ploughed into new technology and infrastructure.DOOH media has been building momentum in recent years through increased consumer exposure and operator revenues, resulting in digital signage ascending to the world’s 2nd fastest-growing advertising medium as it quickly becomes a vital component of the transitioning media ecosystem.Consumers rate DOOH advertising as the next most trustworthy medium compared with broadcast television (24% against 28%). Traditional print media comes next on 22% with online being ranked as the least trustworthy with just 3% of consumers.

Dynamic content control and cost-effectiveness – Using digital signage enables users to make frequent, rapid changes to the messaging conveyed to an audience.

No paper waste – Because digital signage doesn’t require the use of paper for printing, there is no need to dispose of old messaging when it becomes out-dated.

Audience engagement – Contemporary society has become accustomed to forms of media other than printed material, such as the Internet or television. Because it is a much more dynamic, multimedia-based communications channel, digital signage is very effective in harnessing an audience’s comfort level with multimedia, which helps to create a more engaging experience.

Targeted content – Because digital signage enables messages to be rotated, content can be targeted based on audience demographic.

Convenient accessibility – Digital signage messaging can be controlled locally or remotely, depending on the site layout. As a result, much less footwork is required to manage messaging campaigns, in turn saving time and expense.

This showreel from Grand Visual shows the powers of Digital Out-Of-Home advertising –https://lnkd.in/ejVczZb

Interesting facts and figures

• Global Digital Signage market expected to grow to $23.76 Billion in 2020, with the UK leading in Europe
• Last year, UK revenues in the DOOH sector were almost £1 billion
• 27.3% Rise in DOOH ad spend last year and now comprises around a quarter of the Out-Of-Home (OOH) total
• 15,000 advertising bus shelters are to be transformed from static to digital by 2016 in London
• DOOH is an advertising medium which cannot be turned off, closed, missed or minimised. It’s live, data driven & dynamic along with being contextual, relevant and usful to its viewers.
• 72% of consumers recall advertising on digital screens.
• 86% of consumers say digital screens are noticeable.
• 80% of consumers find digital advertising screens to be informative.

Comparisonswith Traditional Media

• Movement attracts: displays with motion advertising grabs the attention easier and gets more of a response
• DOOH provides superior ad recall and retention than traditional media.
• DOOH affords greater flexibility for creative schedules in facilitating a fast route to the target audience.
• DOOH is often better targeted, communicating with consumers at a time when they are “ready to act.”
• Indeed, the content is adaptable to local variations in demographics, buying patterns and interest.
• Impact: dynamic content vs. static content in traditional advertising
• Flexibility: an unlimited number of visuals
• Adaptability: adapt and change your creations in real time, according to the time of the day or a particular event
• Economy: no technical fees or printing fees

Social Media Link & Value

• 6.9m views for Pepsi Max’s ‘Unbelievable’ DOOH campaign video with 120,000 mentions, likes and shares across social media –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go9rf9GmYpM
• 86m people shared an interactive billboard for Womens Aid on social media –https://vimeo.com/121368430

At the beginning of this year the Norfolk Chamber was one of the stakeholders that took part in the Government consultation on the next rail franchise for the East of England.

The Chamber called for a strong rail franchise that would help support economic growth in our region, including: delivering a faster more reliable service; good quality journeys, with more carriages and seats; high standards of cleanliness and improved rolling stock.

Today, the Government published its plans to transform travel for millions of East Anglia rail passengers in their Invitation to tender for the East Anglia franchise.

Plans for 90-minute journeys between Norwich and London, state of the art trains and 180 extra services a week in next East Anglia rail franchise.

• ‘Norwich in 90’ proposals to be taken forward as government publishes its ambitious requirements for the next East Anglia rail franchise
• Host of other improvements planned including state of the art trains, 180 extra services a week and free Wi-Fi
• Bidders will also be required to hit challenging customer service targets

Passengers will be able to travel between Norwich and London in just 90 minutes as part of a massive boost to East Anglia’s railway that will also bring modern, state of the art trains, 180 extra services a week between the region’s cities and towns, and better journeys.

Bidders for the next franchise will be required to introduce at least two 90-minute services in each direction running between Norwich and London every weekday. Slashing journey times was a key recommendation of the government-backed Great Eastern Mainline Taskforce and will help to boost long-term economic growth in the region and beyond.

The next operator of the franchise will also be required to:

• Introduce 180 additional weekly services, running on Mondays to Sundays to stations including Cambridge, Norwich, Stansted Airport, Southend and London Liverpool Street
• Dramatically improve the quality of trains running on East Anglia’s network, providing a modern service with state of the art trains – extra points will be awarded to bidders who include plans to trial new technologies in rolling stock
• Bring in free Wi-Fi for all passengers across the network
• Meet challenging targets to reduce crowding on the busiest services
• Put forward proposals for at least one additional 60-minute service per day in each direction between Ipswich and London

In addition, for the first time in a franchise, the Government will directly set challenging customer service targets for the operator and will monitor progress through independent ‘mystery shopper’ exercises and passenger surveys, with the operator expected to show clear year-on-year improvements. A financial penalty will be imposed if targets are not met. Until now, it had been up to the East Anglia operator to set its own targets for customer service and to report back to Government.

Jonathan Cage, Vice President of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director of Create Consulting Engineers said:

“Improvements to rail infrastructure in Norfolk have lagged behind the rest of the UK for many years. To ensure Norfolk businesses remain competitive and create jobs, we need a faster more reliable rail service with a good standard of rolling stock. We are pleased to note that the Government’s plans incorporate many of the improvements that we called for.”

Those businesses who regularly use the East Anglia rail network need to feel confident that their train will arrive on time and that they can spend the travel time working in comfort. An improved rail service will help enable the Norfolk business community to deliver economic growth and jobs into our region.”

Rail Minister Claire Perry said:

“For too long, passengers in East Anglia have not had the high-quality rail services that they deserve. Our ambitious requirements will change that by making journeys significantly better than they are now. These plans will also ensure that East Anglia finally has a rail network that supports its growing economy.”

“We have set out what we want to see bidders deliver as a minimum, but we are looking for bids that exceed our expectations wherever possible. It is now for the industry to step up to the challenge and tell us how they will make this happen.”

“Bidders will also be required to provide plans to end the practice of flushing waste onto the tracks by fitting controlled emission toilets to all trains. They will also be expected to invest heavily in improving stations, as well as creating a £9.5 million ‘Customer and Communities Improvement Fund’ to benefit passengers and the local community.”

More than 135 million journeys are made on East Anglia’s rail network every year, with around 4,300 trains every week serving London commuters, the regional hubs of Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich, leisure travellers to Stansted Airport and coastal and rural resorts around the region.

Three train operators have been shortlisted to compete to take over the franchise:

• a joint venture between Abellio and Stagecoach
• First Group
• National Express

The government expects to announce the successful bidder in summer next year, with the new nine-year franchise due to start from October 2016.

• In Norfolk unemployment continued to fall in the last 3 months from 6,518 to 6,235

• In the three months from May to July 2015, UK unemployment rose by 10,000 compared with the previous three months, but employment rose by 42,000 in the same period

• UK youth unemployment fell to 15.6% between May and July compared with 16.1% in the previous three months

• Total UK pay in the three months from May to July was 2.9% higher than for the same period a year earlier

Commenting on the labour market statistics for August 2015 published today by the ONS, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:

“Today’s UK job figures paint a mixed picture. It is disappointing that UK unemployment rose again, and there was also a slight increase in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in August. The fall in the youth unemployment rate is also welcome news, although it remains considerably higher than the national average.”

“Norfolk continued to buck the national trend with the overall number of claimants for Job Seekers Allowance continuing to fall from 6,518 to 6,235 over the last 3 months.”

“Many Norfolk employers are advising that they are more confident about the growth of their businesses, however a large number of them state that they are experiencing difficulties in recruiting skilled workers.”

David Kern, Chief Economist at the British Chambers of Commerce said:

“Overall, the figures confirm our assessment that the UK recovery is progressing at a satisfactory pace, but the rise in unemployment also indicates that our recovery is still fragile and significant risks will persist in view of the uncertain international situation.”

“Though the further increase in average earnings may be of concern to the MPC, the rate of increase remains below 3% and in the short term does not pose a threat to the Bank of England’s inflation target. We restate our view that the MPC should not consider increases in interest rates until well into 2016.”

A new report by the University of Derby outlined that half of businesses have to improve the writing skills of their employees due to low standards.

The research found a ‘perception gap’ between young people’s belief in their skills and the view of the employers. Nine out of ten young people said they felt confident about their letter writing ability, but half of employers said they were spending time and money developing their workers’ skills.

Report author, Vanessa Dodd said: “Our research shows that letter writing continues to be an important skill for many types of work.”

Commenting on the findings of the research, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:“Soft skills and accessing a future workforce are key issues for the Norfolk business community. Norfolk Chamber is passionate about developing the talent of Norfolk’s young people. Soft skills include being able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; showing commitment and flexibility; and being able to be a team player.”

“Many businesses rely on the education system to help equip young people with the soft skills and attitude they need to successfully make the transition to work and we will continue to work with our education and business members to ensure that we work in partnership towards closing this gap and developing our future workforce.”

Hear a quick policy update from Adam Marshall, Executive Director of Policy & External Affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). He outlines the surprise European Court ruling on mobile workers and the extension to the definition of working time, which will impact upon many UK businesses. Adam also looks at the UK economic forecast and the London Mayoral elections.

The Norfolk Chamber’s role is to articulate the voice of business to both Government and the Opposition Parties.

Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said: “As the drivers of the local economy, the views of our business members must be taken into consideration through ‘participation not just consultation’. If we are to increase the number of local jobs,so needed by our residents, andin particular young people, retaining and building on business confidence is essential in additional to practical solutions to infrastructure, skills and broadband.”

Angela Eagle had been tipped as a potential Shadow Chancellor, but has been given the business brief instead as Shadow Business Secretary. She was also announced as Shadow First Secretary of State and will deputise for Mr Corbyn at Prime Minister’s Questions. The MP for Wallasey stood in the deputy leadership contest and was also a cabinet minister under Gordon Brown.

Congratulating Jeremy Corbyn MP on winning the leadership of the Labour Party, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“Businesses across the UK want a strong, effective opposition, no matter the political colour of the government of the day.

“We will be looking for the opposition to take a pragmatic and practical approach to business, recognising that wealth creation is the necessary prerequisite for the delivery of any political objectives. The role of business and economic growth in British society must be front and centre as the new Labour leadership develops its policy priorities.

“Britain’s businesses are the engines of job creation and economic growth. It is important that all governments and opposition parties recognise this fact if they want to achieve lasting results and change.

“We look forward to beginning a dialogue with the new Leader of the Opposition and his team in the weeks ahead. Firms will be encouraged by recent statements favouring much-needed investment in the UK’s inadequate infrastructure and skills.”

The British Chamber of Commerce with the support of the accredited Chamber network has written to the Rt Hon Lord Maude of Horsham the Minister for Trade and Investment regarding the increasing number of countries setting their own rules for the issuing of Certificates of Origin.

Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: “If this proliferation is allowed to continue then the burden on exporters to comply will be onerous. This burden will fall particularly hard on small and medium sized companies without the resources to meet these requirements.”

The Chambers are calling for a stand-still in unilateral regulations and to reinforce efforts to successfully conclude the negotiations on the WTP Agreement on Rules of Origin (ARO) that have been in an impasse for over a decade

For more information please find the 2015 ICC Policy Statement and the letter sent to the Rt Hon Lord Maude of Horsham the Minister for Trade and Investment.

West Norfolk Chamber Council has called for Enterprise Zone status to be awarded to a King’s Lynn scheme that could deliver thousands engineering and manufacturing jobs.

Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber said:

“Being awarded Enterprise Zone status would bring many benefits to the local business community: King’s Lynn would become a leading centre for manufacturing and engineering; 2,200 engineering and manufacturing jobs could be created; and overall it will help boost economic growth in West Norfolk.”

A proposal for the Nar Ouse Business Park on the outskirts of King’s Lynn is thought to be among a number of proposals from the East of England that could be considered by central Government. At present the body handling the proposals was unable to confirm whether the NORA proposal will be taken to the next stage for ‘Enterprise Zone’ status. But Alistair Beales, who chaired the King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council’s cabinet meeting last night, said: “The proposal does bring forward the possibility of development on this site even closer.”

A report was presented to Councillors which explained about the bid. Councillors also noted that the proposal would see improvements in the surrounding infrastructure, with a road linking the area of Nar Ouse Way with Hardwick Road.

New Anglia LEP are in overall charge of the application from the eastern region were unable to confirm if the NORA proposal would be submitted to Government next Friday. It also would not reveal other sites being considered in our region as it was ‘a nationwide competitive process’.

Chris Starkie, Managing Director of New Anglia LEP said:“Over recent weeks we have been asking councils across Norfolk and Suffolk to put forward sites for potential inclusion in a new Enterprise Zone bid. We have been assessing those sites against our Strategic Economic Plan, their potential for innovation and the government’s own criteria. As this is a nationwide competitive process we will not be revealing any further details until the bid is submitted.”

The proposal for the NORA site in King’s Lynn is part of the second wave of the scheme, which New Anglia LEP announced in July.

Ipswich, Lowestoft & Waveney, and Suffolk Chambers have all been asked to consult and draw together information from businesses with regards to proposals for new crossings over Ipswich Wet Dock and the lack of a crossing at Lake Lothing.

Ipswich Wet Dock Business Survey

Ipswich and Suffolk Chambers are working together to gather information for crossing over Ipswich Wet Dock. An important part of this process is to gather information from businesses concerning:

• The impact the lack of crossings has on your business
• The difference new crossings might make to your business
• Information which can help to shape an economic case for the crossing including: quantifying congestion costs; evaluating levels of investment likely to result from improved access; and estimating future employment growth
• Views on whether businesses have a preferred location for the crossing

The responses to this consultation will be drawn together by a team at the Suffolk Business School at University Campus Suffolk and will be fed into a report commissioned by New Anglia LEP and Suffolk County Council and being written by WSP / Parsons Brinckerhoff. The WSP / Parsons Brinckerhoff report will provide a business case in the form that Government requires regarding the proposed new crossings.

The survey will be open until 30 September 2015. If you are a business that regularly operates in this area, then your views are extremely important and we are therefore grateful for your time spent completing the business survey.

Lake Lothing Crossing Consultation

Lowestoft& Waveney and Suffolk Chambers of Commerce have been asked to consult with and draw together information from businesses that are affected by the current lack of a new crossing of Lake Lothing. An important part of this process is to gather information from local businesses concerning:

• The impact that the limited road crossings of Lake Lothing has on your business
• The difference a new crossing might make to your business
• Information which can help to shape an economic case for the crossing including: quantifying congestion costs; evaluating levels of investment likely to result from improved access; and estimating future employment growth
• Views on whether local businesses have a preferred location for the crossing

The responses to this consultation will be drawn together by a team at the Suffolk Business School at University Campus Suffolk and will be fed into a report commissioned by New Anglia LEP and Suffolk County Council and being written by Mouchel. The Mouchel report will provide a business case in the form that Government requires regarding the proposed new crossing.

The survey will be open until 30 September 2015. If you are a business that regularly operates in this area, then your views are extremely important and we are therefore grateful for your time spent completing the business survey.

Thenew annual economic report for Oil & Gas UKdisclosed that the total number of people employed in the sector had fallen from 440,000 to 375,000 since the beginning of 2014, largely due to the crash in world oil prices.

The UK’s oil and gas industry expects to continue shedding jobs and heavily cutting its costs despite reducing its workforce by more than 65,000 in the last 20 months.

Norfolk Chamber joins Oil &GasUK in repeating its demands for further tax cuts and increased Treasury incentives to help boost investment, increase margins and cut decommissioning costs, arguing that the latest tax cuts were insufficient. The Government must listen to an industry which provides revenue for the treasury and many local jobs

The economic report forecast Brent crude prices remaining in the current range of $45-$65 a barrel “well beyond the end of 2015”.

Even with new fields such as Golden Eagle pushing up production, overall capital investment could drop by as much as £12bn over the next three years, falling from £14.8bn last year by between £2bn-£4bn a year to 2018.

Andy Penman – President of GY Chamber Council and Group MD of Conductor Installation Services an ACTEON company said ” We must help to sustain the back-bone of Britain by reducing the Tax burden on the energy sector, thus helping those long established Oil & Gas Service organisation to weather the current storm, to come out the other-side stronger and healthier and ready to address the challenger’s when the up-turn arrives into our theatre of business again”.

Deirdrie Michie, the industry body’s chief executive “This great industry of ours is facing very challenging times. Last year, more was spent than was earned from production, a situation which has been exacerbated by the continued fall in commodity prices.

“Difficult decisions have had to be made across the industry. We estimate that employment supported by the sector has contracted by 15% since the start of 2014 to 375,000 jobs. It is likely that capacity may have to be reduced still further in order for the business to weather the downturn.”

The New Anglia Oil and Gas Taskforce, of which Norfolk Chamber is a member, has commissioned a piece of research to understand the challenges and more importantly the opportunities open to local companies in this industry. There is a coordinated approach to providing coordinated help and support to local companies

Andy Penman, Group Managing Director of Conductor Installation Services and President of Great Yarmouth Chamber Council was featured on the ITV News at Ten last night, where he highlighted the current challenges being faced by the oil and gas sector in East Anglia. To see the ITV News coverage click here.

Norwich Chamber Council and the Norwich Business Improvement District have agreed to work together on specific issues affecting businesses in Norwich. A particular area that is being looked at is accessibility to Norwich.

Norwich Business Improvement District Transport Strategy

Established in November 2012 the Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) is an inventive and progressive organisation run for local businesses by local businesses. Covering a defined area of the city the BID team works to improve the trading environment and identifies additional projects and services that develop the city centre. Norwich BID enhances and promotes the local environment for its businesses, employees, customers and the community.

The overarching vision of Norwich BID is to; Make a clear positive impact on the vitality of the city centre and the success of the businesses within it. Stefan Gurney, Executive Director of Norwich BID said “One of the key areas of interest for the BID is accessibility and transport to Norwich – an issue that affects us all.”

The BID Transport Strategy focusses on setting out guiding principles for accessibility:

• Ensuring ease of access for businesses, their employees and their customers
• Linking improvements directly to the economic vitality of businesses
• Minimise the increases in traffic levels

The requirements for achieving this include:

• Traffic volume changes justified by evidence of increased ease of access
• Schemes are tested against a “weighting” system for all methods of access
• Demonstrate how the solution performs ‘locally’
• Changes to scheme phasing are assessed against the wider impact on the city centre viability and sustainability
• Works are planned and phased to minimise impact on road users
• Use the ring road system to move traffic in and out of the city in “loops” or radials rather than across the city centre

Schemes need to deliver

• A safer and more accessible environment for cyclists and pedestrians
• Promote quicker and more reliable public transport services
• Reduce the impact of road works and disruption
• Enable access for the less mobile users
• No increase in journey time
• No reduction in road capacity
• Annual reviews against original principles and changes in market environment

The BID is keen to hear the views of city centre businesses, to work with partners towards shared goals and to seize opportunities, get in touch 01603 727930 or email info@norwichbid.co.uk

If your business is outside of the Norwich BID area, then the Norwich Chamber Council is keen to hear from you on the same issues. You can contact Nova Fairbank on 01603 729 713 or email: nova.fairbank@norfolkchamber.co.uk.