FEATURE: EXHIBITIONS & CONFERENCES


How the Chamber adapted to the crisis


Stuart Elford, Chief Executive of Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, reflects on the changes we’ve made


its members and lobbying hard for the changes that will make the biggest difference to your businesses. In other ways, we’re completely changed! Events are a big part of Chamber life, and


I


we’re really proud of the quality of our events and the profile of our speakers. Over the past year or so we’ve significantly grown attendances and are constantly overwhelmed by positive feedback. They’ve become the backbone of our day to day and we’ve been privileged to host them in some truly wonderful venues. Until a couple of months ago, when suddenly


we couldn’t hold any. It’s not an overstatement to say reimagining


how we deliver our events programme – in a space of mere days – has been one of the biggest challenges to Chambers of Commerce up and down the country in recent memory. But necessity is the mother of invention. We


were quick to launch a new series entitled #ChamberLive using the Zoom video conferencing platform, thanks to the support of Enterprise Solutions at the University of Plymouth. What began as a place for our guest experts


to update you on the latest support and advice, has steadily grown as a weekly coming together of dozens of business owners and professionals in the county.


n some ways, the Chamber hasn’t changed at all. We’re still banging on the door of Westminster, standing up for the interests of


#ChamberLive’s scope has grown and the


breadth of topics is growing all the time. By the time this edition is printed, we will have hosted a session with Sir Gary Streeter MP, discussed the mental health of our teams and examined the in- depth practicalities of returning your staff to the office. Thanks to our network of panellists who have delivered the expertise, we have created a platform for information, discussion and forming new relationships. We’ve also introduced new virtual events, including popular networking sessions with virtual break out rooms for like- minded individuals. These events have also served as a crucial place for us to update you on our lobbying


activity, which has resulted in some seriously big wins – particularly around the introduction and extension of the furlough scheme – and gather feedback on the support you need. We’ll be organising these sessions for a long


time to come and repeating the most popular ones where we’ve been fully booked so if you’ve missed an event, you can pick it up again. We’re also keeping an archive of these events


on our YouTube channel and our website on our Virtual Events page. Please do contact us if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or if you would like to contribute your expertise. Together we really are stronger – even if it’s


virtually! TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR EVENTS


‘Great session this morning, thanks to you and your team’ Jacqui Shaw, Coralline Health


‘It was great to get some positive vibes from people and hear how other companies are doing in these challenging times’ Sarah Scarce, Motortronics


‘Really impressed with the way you’re supporting local business during the lockdown. Kept me sane and in the loop!’ Ross Dent, Sunrise Windows


Summer 2020 Chamber Profile 19


‘These events


have also served as a crucial place for us to update you’


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