Divisional lead update: An introduction to the Chamber
Richard Brooks is the head of Burton & District and Cannock Chase Chambers of Commerce.
This update will allow me the opportunity to give everyone an insight into what 's been going on in my world, plus provide some insights into membership, what you can expect, how you should use it, some basic top tips and other opportunities coming up.
Thank you to our members
First, I would like to say how it has been my absolute pleasure to take on the role as head of the Burton & District & Cannock Chase Chamber, and to be given the opportunity to work hard on behalf of our regions.
We have made an excellent start to the year so far, putting in place and developing the correct Chamber support team, liaising with existing contacts and making new connections with other key businesses, organisations, and individuals locally.
Thank you to everyone in membership and our executive committees so far, with a special mention to Gill Durkin, David Mitchell and Shaun Gray who have served as my 'divisional presidents ' to date, amongst all the others therein who have pointed me in the right direction, filled some gaps in my knowledge and provided me with some amazing support since I took the post back in October.
My world so far
I joined the our Chamber on October 17, 2022, and have made it to 6 months already, where did that time go? Seriously this last 12 months has really shot by and now without a beard!
I had previously been working for the Black Country Chamber of Commerce after a long and surprisingly diverse work and business career to date including sports, music, logistics, hospitality and leisure, telecoms, contemporary art, plumbing and electrical, FMCG, tobacco, gaming and lottery, food and drink, marketing and a very short commission as an officer in the RAF!
Chamber business is a culmination of everything I 've learnt about work and business so far, and is in fact the longest I have stayed in one sector/industry, but arguably the one industry that covers it all!
Since I began work for the GBCC back in October, I have had many, many meetings with businesses, attended many events inside and outside of the chamber, and have met some incredible people with whom I aim to learn more from going forward.
Of course, these conversations have begun to form the direction in which I hope to push each chamber division forward, shaped by our business and our members. We require more members and that will go a long way to strengthening our business region, providing more volume in our business voices, and more 'real networking ' opportunities along the way.
I will also be covering some chamber topics over time, the first being 'the function of a Chamber ', which will naturally include all of the benefits listed further below, I will delve into some of those in later updates too.
The function of a Chamber
A Chamber 's primary function is to bring business together, provide data to inform regional policy and lobbying, and of course help to grow our business members by raising their profiles amongst our local divisions and beyond.
Chambers of Commerce are independent business support organisations working hard to reflect the needs of our different region and localised divisions. All Chambers work similarly but are separate businesses and we are commercial but on a non-profit basis, so we work hard to reinvest back into our services but don 't forget, we too have to survive the ups and downs.
Greater Birmingham Chamber is unique in its set up as we also look after some individual Chambers too. Our divisions include Birmingham, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield & Tamworth, Burton & District and Cannock Chase Chamber which also encompasses some of South and East Staffordshire. We also have The Asian Business Chamber, the Transatlantic and the Commonwealth (soon to be Global) and Future Faces (young professional) Chambers of Commerce too, so you can see we have a lot to offer and some amazing connections within our organisation.
Not only this but each division has its own executive committee, so all are unique so to reflect and steer their areas. To aid this they are supported centrally to ensure a consistent platform and clear communication throughout its management.
You can join one or more of these dependent upon what you require as a business, but don 't forget all of the membership benefits listed below are standard no matter what package you take, and there are many all with associated levels of volume, bespoke benefits and strands of engagement.
- Networking Events - for you
- Themed Events - for you
- PR - published for you
- Blogs - featuring your content
- Members Business Directory
- Regional/Divisional/Main Awards - you can apply for free
- Membership Marketplace - featuring your offers
- Member Spotlight Videos - your video published
- Staff Discount Site - for you and your staff
- Social Media Engagement - what, where and how to?
- Business Support - Legal, General Advice, Referrals
- International Trade - support, docs, help and advice
- Your Relationship Manager - your guide on chamber activity and engagement
- Membership Referrals - Refer a potential member and rewards
- Prize Draws
- Corporate Training
- International Trade Training
- Policy & Lobbying - how we work�
Top tips this time round
Some of these may sound obvious, but sometimes you can forget what 's on offer.
- Look at our event calendar at the start of each month and book yourself or a colleague onto each event that looks interesting.
- Call your relationship manager for a catch up, engagement is key to keeping up to date.
- If you 've got a dilemma, a legal question? Why not call our members legal helpline for some help or even a second opinion?
Coming Up
Don 't forget to look at the events section on our website for things coming up below.
See you all soon!
Richard Brooks