Packed business calendar a sign of resilience

It may be cold outside but the heat is turning up on the awards and conference front with the Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Tamworth and Cannock Chamber awards having already taken place at Drayton Manor Hotel, writes Deb Leary.

This was the perfect kick-off for the awards and conference season with Lichfield Garrick Theatre taking home the Large Business of the Year prize.

The black-tie event was attended by nearly 300 people and provided a real sign that despite all the challenges, business does what it does best; shows its resilience and carries on.

Looking to the rest of February and into March, the Chamber and its members look forward to the Global Trade Conference due to take place on Wednesday (February 15, noon-6pm) at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. This is the perfect place to be if you are interested in international trade, looking for new opportunities for your business, or looking to build international business relationships/partnerships.

It is an opportunity to hear global economists, looking at the current state for trade in the UK, providing global economic analysis, along with panel discussions focused on key markets. It 's also a perfect opportunity to network with businesses from across the region as well as international businesses.

The Global Trade Conference provides a real opportunity to gain valuable trade information and insights and hear success stories from companies who are trading globally.

This is followed by the jewel in the Greater Birmingham Chamber 's diary, its annual dinner and business awards at the ICC on March 16. Last year was our first in-person awards since coming out of lockdown. Nearly 1300 people came together to celebrate business and the region. This year will be no different. It promises to be a night of high energy and an affirmation of how fantastic our businesses are. It 's not too late to book a table.

For me, the Chamber awards will be of mixed emotions. Now in my second term, this will be my last time as president to contribute to the event. As ever I will totally relish being there and presenting my President 's Award, but it may take a while for them to get me off the stage.

Being Chamber president is a huge honour and I 'm enjoying every minute of it; meeting the businesses and supporting where I can, is a great honour. I 'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the businesses and members I have met over the past year for being so generous with their time and allowing me to be a small part of their journey. Thanks also go to the Chamber teams, both in Birmingham and across the region, all of whom have supported me in my role.

I would encourage everyone to attend these events. They both provide opportunity, connection, information and in the case of the awards, a good deal of joy.

The other piece of excellent news from the Chamber is the launch of a new Start-Up and Small Business Academy. This is ideal for:

• Companies looking for bite-size but in-depth business sessions
• A refresher on business basics and new insights from experts
• Companies started within the last year and now need a deeper structure for their business
• Those looking for the benefit of support and accountability of like-minded business owners

The academy will offer five half-day in-depth sessions throughout 2023 with some of the region 's leading experts that would typically cost £1000s and save hours of time so you can truly fast track your business this year.

Sessions will include:

• Business planning and growth
• Marketing
• Productivity and processes
• Closing sales with ease
• People management and mindset
• Financial forecasting and cashflow

The Academy opens for applications on February 16. Email [email protected] to pre-register for an application form and say YES TO GROWTH in 2023.

Deb Leary is president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and chief executive of Forensic Pathways. The article first appeared in yesterday 's Birmingham Post