Welcome to your new Commonwealth Chamber newsletter

Welcome to the first newsletter from the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce.

The president, the newly-elected vice-presidents, the executive committee and all of the Chamber team are really excited to bring you monthly news and keep you all up to date with relevant Commonwealth information, events, facts and news articles.

The launch of this newsletter is very timely as we have the most prestigious of our Commonwealth events taking place next week.

Commonwealth Opportunities week launches on Monday 22 February and consists of five days of events packed with interesting and rich content to support businesses who want to engage further and trade with the Commonwealth.

We have 11 countries involved over the week showcasing the benefits of trading with their country and it is a great opportunity to embrace the energy that exists at present around trading with new markets.

One of the Commonwealth Chamber 's exciting initiatives is around the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the seminar we are hosting to launch the week, 'Winning at the Games ', provides really useful insight into the legacy of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

It is a chance to hear from businesses that benefited from the activity - the CEO of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, as well as from Ian Reid the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee himself.

We have our patron Aston University presenting a session on Tuesday on diversity, culture and enterprise, with some exciting speakers lined up.

This is followed by Wednesday 's event on the benefits of trading with South Africa and Singapore.

Thursday is the first Commonwealth Conference and we kick off the day by hearing from Commonwealth countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

We then have a great session from the Department of International Trade 's Head of Global Sports Economy Team on the support they offer to UK companies who want to explore export opportunities at major overseas sports events.

I would also encourage you to join the 'Wonder of networking session ' with the opportunity to network on an international scale and enjoy a very interactive approach to meeting new people online.

The conference then culminates in a session around the Northern Hemisphere Commonwealth countries with opportunity to ask questions of the panel.

It is a really exciting time to be involved with the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce, with projects such as the Commonwealth Games and new trading initiatives, the Commonwealth Chamber is playing a leading role in supporting businesses to maximise the available opportunities.

I hope you enjoy our first newsletter from the Commonwealth Chamber and I look forward to engaging with you at our many events proposed throughout the year.

Mandy Haque
International director