Island Business Jan/Feb 2014

Islandusiness

January - February

2014

Chamber Awards souvenir issue All the winners from our night of the year

Company Profile The Innovation Centre

New ideas for 2014: Consultant Dale Howarth

Plus: Chamber news, events and member benefits

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PRESIDENT’S FOREWORD

Chamber NewsMember benefits, new members, events25

Happy New Year and a prosperous 2014 to you all!

2013 is now behind us and for many of us it was a rollercoaster year. If we can take anything from this uncertainty then it’s probably a greater awareness of our market and also a reminder not to be complacent about how we operate. I am looking forward to a year where we all have steady growth in our chosen fields.

For many firms 2013 was a good year. This issue celebrates our Chamber Business Awards evening and you’ll be able to see for yourself the diversity and strength of business on our island. It is always a difficult job for the judges to draw up the shortlist. This year our nominations were stronger than ever with more categories than before. Our final winners were all very worthy. The evening itself was once again a huge success with Sally Taylor from BBC South presenting and lively entertainment from Doctor and the Medics who were excellent! Cowes Yacht Haven is a great venue and a brilliant night was had by all.

Nationally the Island’s business community has had a successful few weeks. You’ll see in our news pages that several island firms have celebrated awards or nominations within their own areas. Congratulations go to the innovative new Mobile Vet who launched in 2013. Southern Vectis and both Bestival and the Isle Of Wight Festival were all shortlisted for major national awards. Isle of Wight Radio’s award reflects their large audience here. Southern Vectis added new routes in 2013 and my visitors certainly find that they can go almost anywhere by bus. Both our music festivals are highly successful and without doubt

Island Business Magazine Published by the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Industry

While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of Island Business magazine the publishers do not accept any liability or provide any guarantee that the information is accurate, complete or up to date. The publisher and its employees and contractors have used their best efforts in preparing these pages and this publication but make no warranty of any kind, expressed

or implied, with regard to the information supplied. The views of contributors do not necessarily represent those of the IW Chamber of Commerce. The IW Chamber of Commerce and its employees and contractors shall not be liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the providing of the information offered here.

Certified as FSC mixed sources - ideal when an environmentally friendly paper is required.

Island Business magazine is printed by Crossprint, an ISO 9001 registered printer based on the Isle of Wight.

In this Issue...

10

13

The InterviewDale Howarth

04 NewsBusiness news

build up the profile of the Island, not just for today but for future years. We should be very proud that our business community has such a good national profile.

In this issue of Island Business we start 2014 with some ideas for how businesses can work differently and build on their successes. We caught up with some of our members at our recent Business Breakfast event; we also hear from business consultant Dale Howarth. We all constantly have to review how we conduct our business and adapt to the economic environment.

Our Company Profile looks at The Innovation Centre in Newport which is home to many new and aspiring start-up businesses. These fledgling enterprises are the future of employment for many Island people.

I hope 2014 is a prosperous one for all. We look forward to reporting even more Isle Of Wight successes in our future editions!

David GroocockPRESIDENT, ISLE OF WIGHT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, TOURISM AND INDUSTRY

Company ProfileThe Innovation Centre16

FeatureThe Chamber Business Awards19

14

January - February 2014 03

The View From HerePersonal View: Visit Isle Of Wight, Simon Dabell Experts View: Glanvilles

Editor Tom Stroud [email protected]

Managing Editor Zoe Stroud [email protected]

Design Aaron Rudd Creative www.aaronrudd.co.uk

Advertising Sales Mary Collis [email protected] [email protected]

Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce Mill Court, Furrlongs, Newport Isle of Wight, PO30 2AA

Tel. 01983 520 777 [email protected]

Business BreakfastChamber Breakfast at Ryde Castle

04 The Business Magazine for the Isle of Wight

NEWS

The best in businessThe Isle Of Wight Chamber Of Commerce Tourism and Industry Awards For Excellence once again showcased the best in Island business.

Cowes Yacht Haven Events Centre was the venue for an evening that featured more winners than ever before.

It was a memorable night for Marine Data Systems who picked up a hat-trick of awards. They collected the Small Business Of The Year and Manufacturing And New Technology awards and were also named Business Of The Year.

The President’s Cup was given to Rob da Bank and Bestival. The Visitor Attraction award went to Robin Hill and the International Business category was won by Vikoma International.

Isle Of Wight College was named Member Of The Year. The Retail and Service Industry Award went to Hovertravel.

Sally Taylor from BBC Television’s South

Today presented the awards along with Chamber President David Groocock. Sally told us afterwards:

“Congratulations! I enjoyed hosting the awards for you and the lively, dynamic people of the Isle Of Wight.” The celebrations continued with music from Doctor And The Medics.

Chamber Chief Executive Kevin Smith said the awards were “our strongest yet, a testament to the strength and depth of our local economy.”

For full coverage of the winners and nominations see The Feature on page 19; plus read more about how the awards are put together on page 28.

NEWS


Boeing jobs boost for GKNGKN’s Cowes site has been selected by Boeing to manufacture the Advanced Technology Winglet for the 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing’s newest family of single-aisle aircraft, the 737 MAX has more than 1,600 orders from airlines around the world. GKN will deliver the first developmental winglet ship sets to Boeing in 2015. First flight is scheduled in 2016 with deliveries to customers beginning in 2017.

UK Business Minister Michael Fallon said

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS STORYIsland firm AJ Wells is at the forefront of government policy at an international level.

The wood-burning stove company was first featured as part of the government’s “Business Is Great” national campaign. The team were pictured around one of their Charnwood stoves with the slogan “It’s not just British toes we’re keeping warm”, recognising the firm’s exporting successes. They were seen on Youtube and on adverts and billboards across the country.

In December, the company’s Hugh Wells was one of 150 business leaders accompanying David Cameron and senior business ministers on a trip to China to promote British industry.

Hugh said:

“We are passionate about designing and manufacturing British products that use the very best of British technology. We are successful in many markets around the world because customers appreciate the quality and functionality of our products.”

IW Council is reviewing street trading rules and a new policy will be set early in 2014.

Street trading changesThe current guidelines have been in place since 2008 and allow trading in a public place as long as permission is granted from the council’s licensing department.

Results of an online questionnaire will be published this month and will be considered as part of the process. The Council say these views “will help the authority produce an updated policy which represents the needs and views of the Island residents and business community.”

“This significant deal creates and secures hundreds of high skilled, long term engineering jobs on the Isle of Wight and across GKN’s domestic supply chain. It also further strengthens the ties between Boeing and the UK, showing that this country can continue to be the supplier of choice to the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers.”

TICKETS TO RYDEHovertravel has joined the rail network.

Ryde Hoverport and Southsea Hoverport are now recognised by National Rail and are available as destinations for combined rail and hover tickets.

Loretta Lale, Head of Marketing and Commercial at Hovertravel said: “All of our staff have been trained to be able to provide advice on complex multi-destination journeys, as well as simple point to point trips.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable inspects the new Boeing winglets


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NEWS

Southern Vectis shortlistSouthern Vectis are celebrating being shortlisted for two national awards.

Their Newport depot was nominated as Top National Depot at the UK Bus Awards. Long serving engineer Vernon

ISLE OF WIGHT LOTTERY WINNER Martin Newnham enjoyed his Christmas even more this year with the help of a £4,000 win on the Isle Of Wight Lottery.

Stress and StrainstallCowes based Strainstall Marine has secured a five-figure order to supply stress monitoring systems for Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries.

The hull technology will be installed aboard a new 405m floating drydock owned by Qatar Petroleum.

Systems Engineer Frank Rose said:

“This is the first system of this type that Strainstall has supplied and is the largest floating structure that the StressAlert system is fitted aboard. We are delighted to have won this order especially as we were competing against strong local Korean manufacturers.”

Gibbs was also shortlisted for the Unsung Hero award.

General Manager Matt Kitchin said: “Vernon has worked hard to earn respect from colleagues and those in the industry and who goes the extra mile to solve problems and develop staff. Vernon has particularly pioneered apprenticeships He is the type of person that young people, new to the industry look to for inspiration and leadership.”

“I was gobsmacked to win,” said Martin. “It’s a lot of money and I couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the day at work.”Martin works at Gurit and he’s been playing the Isle Of Wight Lottery since 2012. Like thousands of Islanders he joined through his company payroll. His two numbers paid off and Martin was able to put his winnings towards Christmas and paying off a summer holiday in the USA.

The next big award will be £10,000 on the 29th of January. Zoe Stroud from the Chamber says: “We can’t wait to give away a life changing amount of money. It’s still only a pound to play the Isle Of Wight Lottery each week and it’s all supporting real jobs here on the Island.”

Martin and his family receive the cheque from Lottery Zoe and Lottery Andrea

Live music successThe Island’s festivals are up there with the best in Britain, with both Bestival and the IW Festival teams nominated at the annual UK Festival Awards in December.

In its tenth year Bestival was up for best major festival, best line up, brand activation and extra festival activity categories. IW Festival’s John Giddings and his company Solo were nominated for Agency Of The Year. Bestival’s Rob da Bank and the IW Festival team were both nominated for Promoter Of The Year.


GREAT RECEPTION FOR MOBILE VETThe Mobile Vet, based in Kingston near Chale, has been named Best Start-up Business at the national 2013 Ready for Business Awards. Daniel and Kirsty Forster collected their award at the House Of Commons. Their business was launched in May 2013.

Daniel Forster said: “Kirsty & I were surprised to hear 2 months ago that we had been nominated for the South East Regional Award for best start up B2C business. To win and proceed to win the UK national is incredible! We are really pleased to have done the Isle of Wight proud. We look forward to developing the Mobile Vet further so more and more Island residents and their pets can benefit from the services we provide.”

Yokogawa Marex growth Cowes based Yokogawa Marex is celebrating a strong 2013. Sales of their industrial software products are up by 30% and the company is looking to expand its development team.

Their systems are used for information management and reporting in oil and gas production, refining, petrochemical and power plants around the world.

Wayne Matthews, Technical Director said: “We’ve had a very good year. The order book is at 85% of target with 4 months still to go. Our product lines are increasing and we’re seeing substantial growth in the amount of systems that we deliver internationally. We now need to increase our software team by around 30%. We’re looking to create up to 8 positions.”

Yokogawa Marex has around 2,000 systems in place including clients in Australia, China, Africa and Russia. Locally they work with GKN on the Island.

Wayne said: “We have a global remit but we like to support the local area and recruit locally. We have very good staff retention too. We have a wide range of roles from graduate engineers to specialist technology research and support.”


NEWS

SBS Success Last month’s Small Business Saturday has been hailed a success with hundreds of Island firms taking part in the Chamber supported “buy local at Christmas”

IW Chamber Chief Executive Kevin Smith said: “It’s about supporting local business wherever we can. We need more of this. It’s a reminder that online shopping is convenient but we have niche local providers that offer something special – a unique product, face to face service and an individual shopping experience. We’re supporting indigenous Island businesses that employ Island people and our support to them will help the local economy grow and thrive.”

Award picked up by radioIsle Of Wight Radio has again been named Station Of TheYear (South) at the 2013 Nations and Regions Awards.

The judges said: “This is a station with a demonstrable ability to reflect the unique interests of the island in an entertaining and informative way. Isle of Wight Radio serves the Island well with some good interaction with its listeners and it has a great broadcast ethos that sounds very professional.”

STAY CONNECTED WITH ISLAND BUSINESS AND THE IW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

• Do you have a news story to share with the Island’s business community?

• Want to comment on something you’ve read?

• Contact our editor Tom Stroud on [email protected]

• Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

• Find more news and read Island Business on-line at www.iwchamber.co.uk


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The InterviewTOM STROUD MEETS DALE HOWARTH

Tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do and who do you work for?

I work with new start, micro businesses and SMEs through to large corporates like American Express and Alfa Romeo. My clients are on the Island, the mainland, in Western Europe and North America. On the Island I work with companies such as PC Consultants, Lifeline, Betapak, Becalmed, Wight Safety Consultancy and Moore Stephens. I work with businesses to drive their success, looking at the barriers they face. I put together clear strategies that work largely within the resources that are already available.

What makes a business approach you?

I get businesses that are doing ok but know they’re underperforming. They may have run out of ideas. Some realise that they have challenges. For some, time may be limited and the business may fail if rapid action is not taken. Others just want to drive the business harder and accelerate success.

The issue for everybody, from SME to CEO, is seeing the wood for the trees. We’re all incredibly close to our business and can

be “blinkered” by their own organisation, the internal politics, the day to day activities and the challenges they face. I can come in and understand where the opportunities lie. For most businesses, what they need to be more successful is already there. They don’t need new markets. They often don’t realise the potential of their existing client base, network of contacts and their existing products and services.

At 51, I have a lot of knowledge across diff erent industries and can apply techniques, skills and strategies from fast moving industries (like technology) and apply these to areas like professional services - accountants, lawyers, solicitors, architects who’ve typically not been aggressive in terms of their business development.

How often do you talk to businesses and think to yourself “That’s an Isle Of Wight attitude”?

I don’t really. This “Isle Of Wight-ism” is often cited but it has changed. There are good and bad things about living and working on an island. You can take years to build a reputation and lose it very quickly on the Island. Providing good service

How could your business improve? Where do companies go wrong – and who can you turn to when things aren’t going right?

Tom Stroud talks to Dale Howarth, business speaker, founder and managing partner at Jigsaw Sales & Marketing , based in Newport


is paramount. On the mainland, if you lose customers you can expand your territory and look elsewhere; on the Island you can’t afford that kind of churn. It’s important to retain the customers you have but also to ensure that word of mouth - which is very strong on the island - works in your favour and benefits your business.

Where do you think businesses go wrong?

By not having a clear strategy and plan, not knowing where they are, where they want to get to and how to get there. Secondly, a business also needs a clear and concise message; truly understanding what motivates people to buy from them and what makes them different from the competition. The third thing is they waste money by not developing the marketing mix so that a) they don’t deliver the message consistently b) they fail to incorporate low and no cost marketing methods and c) deliver ‘me-to’ marketing plans that at best underperform.

So in most cases the product itself is actually fine….

It’s rare that I will work with a company where the product is simply failing. In most cases the product or service is good but the way it is being conveyed to the marketplace doesn’t reflect that. Often businesses are doing the right things but not necessarily in the right way. They aren’t integrating their marketing and actions to increase value.

Is there a reluctance for people to bring in someone like yourself?

There can be and it’s understandable but the reality is that cost is not a barrier. Smaller companies often assume that people like me are the remit of larger or complex organisations, which is just not true. I use my knowledge, skill and talent to deliver specific solutions to a specific challenge for a specific amount of time. This makes my work very focussed and efficient. It also makes me a force-multiplier – you put a little in and get a lot out! This is good for any business but particularly beneficial for smaller businesses.

I want to double the number of Island clients that I work with. Recently we reduced one client’s marketing spend from £30,000 a year to just over £12,000 and doubled the marketing response. Another island company was haemorrhaging money and we moved it from losing £275,000 a month to cash-flow breakeven within 12 months. In both cases the fees were very modest by any measure. Neither client wanted to spend money on consultants, more marketing, websites, printed materials. We had to work within very limited resources and budgets.

Does the “current economic climate” mean that some businesses are going to fail?

It doesn’t have to be that way. In reality, the economy has little to do with it. I’m not saying things aren’t difficult - we’ve been through a recession but things are what you make them. Even if the market has reduced in size there is still a market there. It just means we need to get more of our “unfair share” of that market and we need to take business from someone else. In most cases, particularly where the island is concerned, the economy does not need to be a key factor.

When you present your solutions and observations do your clients recognise them?

A lot of it is obvious. It’s telling people what they already know but they never fully understood or accepted. In life we set goals

for everything - getting married, having a family, buying a house, having a holiday. They have very clear time lines. In business we don’t and often it’s because of fear. If we write it down then it becomes measurable and if we fail to deliver then it’s a measurement of failure. However you’re actually more likely to fail if you have no objective to work to.

You work with companies from across the globe – in your view does the Island have a very strong business community?

There is a great community. We have companies that are world leaders. We often think of Vestas or Liz Earle, but there are also companies like Lifeline who are national award winners; Betapak and PC Consultants with business models that are unique and something that mainland companies could learn a lot from. We have some truly world class businesses here as the recent Chamber Awards reflected.

What about people who might read this and think “Well Dale, if you’ve got all the answers, why aren’t you the CEO of a massive company?”

For me it’s not about making money. I’m in business to provide a service; the result is to make money. I have a good living, a lovely home, nice things and a great

family but I’m not motivated by money. I work with businesses to see them prosper, to be part of their success and I build some great friends and knowledge through that – this is what drives me. The money bit takes care of itself. I’m not a materialistic person. I do work on the board as an advisor and non-executive director for a number of companies and I do get offered permanent roles but I decline because I would stagnate if I was dedicated to just one business. I’ll stop learning the day I die.

“ Everything you do to communicate to your audience is part of your marketing mix – web, print, press, radio, social media, events - but are they the most effective or suitable channels? Most companies fail because they don’t look at the wider marketing mix. For example, the Chamber Of Commerce develops great opportunities with networking events, offering the chance to meet like-minded people in other businesses to share ideas and develop opportunities. People often use social media in the wrong way. People say “LinkedIn doesn’t work” but all too often they aren’t using it in the right way. Events are also a very powerful way of generating business opportunity, to elevate the status and perception of a business - yet most see events purely as driving revenue and direct sales. They don’t see the true value in terms of building business intelligence, networking, the cross-sell, profile building and positioning.”



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No-one, not even your spouse, can deal with your affairs due to data protection laws. So no-one can pay your bills, access your accounts, run your business, deal with your investments, sell your house, etc.

Someone will have to apply for a court order (Deputy Order) to be allowed to take care of your financial affairs. A Court order is very costly to obtain and run – usually thousands of pounds, it is very restrictive and takes 6-12 month to put in place, and the person nominated to act for you may not be someone you would have chosen (e.g. a Local Authority official).

If there is no Health and Welfare LPA it is too late – nothing can be done retrospectively and you will be at the mercy of Social Services and the NHS.

Everyone should have an LPA. Although loss of mental capacity happens more frequently when you are older, the impact of loss of capacity is much worse if you are younger as it will likely be more sudden, last longer, and your affairs will be far more complicated.

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What happens if you don’t have LPAs?

As Chairman of Visit Isle of Wight, it was a great pleasure to announce recently that, in little over a year, we have secured £1.8m worth of additional media coverage around the globe to maintain the Island as a leading holiday destination. We’ve achieved this, not in isolation, but through working together - with ferry & transport operators, accommodation providers, attractions, pubs and restaurants. This comes on top of the collective work we’ve done visiting tourism exhibitions in the UK and abroad, investing in a high profile marketing campaign and even taking our voice to the Houses of Parliament for an ‘Isle of Wight in Westminster’ day.

The very thing that gives the Island a unique selling point as a tourism destination, is also a major challenge for both residents and businesses – the fact that we are an Island! In a utopian world, public subsidy would allow visitors and residents to travel across the Solent without hindrance at minimal cost. However, whatever is said about our ferry

Personal View:Simon Dabell, CHAIRMAN VISIT ISLE OF WIGHT

operators, we must not forget that they are private businesses and rely on generating sufficient business to continue operating. They play a vital role, not just in providing lifeline services and continually investing in their facilities, but also by supporting tourism marketing and their sponsorship of Island community causes.

Visit England, the UK’s national tourism agency, maintain a rolling survey of satisfaction at more than 40 top UK holiday destinations, including the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is ranked as one of the top, most satisfying and best value for money destinations in the country, with a score higher than Brighton, Bournemouth, Devon, London, the Peak District, Kent and Bath. If the cost or availability of ferry travel was a major negative factor impacting on the Island’s image and appeal it would appear in this scientifically conducted survey. It does not.

However, for many residents and businesses, there are still matters to address. Far better then, to work collectively together to tackle the economic difficulties these companies face, to lobby Government to look again at public subsidies and to make the case around increasing fuel prices. An open and positive dialogue with all of the companies would surely lead to a better outcome around pricing and timetabling.



Chamber Business BreakfastOur monthly Chamber Business Breakfast networking event was held at The Ryde Castle in November. Island business people joined us for a full English and some networking. This month we asked the question - “What will you be doing diff erently in 2014?”

DAVID EDWARDS, GENERAL MANAGER, RYDE CASTLE

We want our customers to “eat, drink and celebrate”. It’s all about customer engagement for us now that we’ve reopened. We do lots of staff training on building confi dence and knowledge. We want customers to leave here having had a great time. That’s my biggest focus. We appreciate every bit of support that we’ve had so far from locals and from the mainland too. We’re really looking forward to the summer and our fi rst tourist season. With our great function room we want to be the premier wedding venue on the Island. We want to be a venue for Island businesses to do networking.

GARY ELDRIDGE, HOVER PARCELS

We want to expand. Our service has really taken off in the last 18 months. For small businesses, that stretch of water is a real problem and we specialise in crossing it. It’s about speed. Companies can ring up in the morning, place an order with a supplier on the mainland and have it delivered by the afternoon. It works the other way too for Island companies trading with the mainland. We’ve now teamed up with a courier company who see a tremendous opportunity with their same-day delivery. Everybody wants things “now” and that’s where HoverParcels comes in. 80% of our business is commercial parcels. There’s no need to use a ferry with a man and a van - we can pick the parcel up from your home address and get it delivered on the mainland the same day.

SEAN COLSON, PC CONSULTANTS

We’re expanding our capability overall. We’ve got an 8% market share that we’d like to increase to 12%. The marketplace isn’t that vibrant but when you talk to people they say “we’re ok”. We’re pushing forward. It’s very important to keep our present customers while enticing new ones. One of our biggest problems was getting people aware that we exist – we were hiding in Ryde Business Park. We mainly look after business networking. As computers get more sophisticated with things like the cloud, we aim to make people aware of what it really means.

GLEN BONNER, AREA MANAGER OF BOOKERS IN SANDOWN AND COWES

We’re keeping it simple for 2014. As long as you can prove that you own a business you can shop with Bookers Cash And Carry. People are living day-to-day now. We’re seeing customers on a daily basis to keep their costs down. Times are hard and people are looking for value-for-money products. We aim to keep it fresh and local wherever possible. We’ve just amalgamated with Macro, a similar company to us with a massive range of non-food products. You can order white goods, garden furniture and lots more on-line right now. Hopefully this year we’ll have a trade show so people can see what we have to off er. We’re always looking for new customers.

JUDY GRIFFIN, CARISBROOKE CASTLE MUSEUM

We’re a museum of Island social history and also King Charles the First. Our big thing for 2014 is our First World War commemoration exhibition which will run for the next four years. We now have a full complement of staff and more volunteers. We’re an independent charitable trust and our main and only guaranteed income is our payment from English Heritage at the Castle. If we want to do anything we have to raise money. We are dependent on donations. We’re seriously restricted on space and we’re going through a collections review at the moment. Only 1.8% of our 30,000 objects are ever on display.

Find out more about our upcoming Chamber Networking events on page 30


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People

• Property: Buying & Selling, Property: Buying & Selling,Equity Transfer & Release,Renting & Mortgages

• Inheritance Law: Wills, Inheritance Law: Wills,Powers of Attorney, Trusts and Tax Planning

• Family Law: Divorce, Family Law: Divorce,Property & Children

• Litigation & Mediation Litigation & Mediation• Employment Advice Employment Advice

NEWPORT OFFICE 36 St James’ Street, Newport, PO30 1LF Tel: 01983 524741FRESHWATER OFFICE Avenue House, Avenue Road, Freshwater, PO40 9UZ Tel: 01983 752492

www.eldridges.co.uk @Eldridges1 /EldridgesSolicitors

Business Services

• Commercial & Employment Law Commercial & Employment Law• Commercial Leases• Business Start-ups• Buying/Selling a Business• Business Litigation• Property Development• Debt Recovery

Wherever you are on the Island, we’re always close at hand.

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COMPANY PROFILE


The Innovation Centre in NewportBUSINESSES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES CALL THE INNOVATION CENTRE THEIR HOME. TOM STROUD FINDS OUT MORE

COMPANY PROFILE

Corina Sewell may well have the answers. She’s been Centre Manager at The Innovation Centre since August. The company itself has been operating form St Cross Business Park in Newport for around 15 years.

The facilities at the centre include plenty of free car-parking for staff and clients, a high specifi cation security system, shower facilities and lift access to all fi rst fl oor accommodation. To make this work fi nancially and to appeal to fi rms of diff erent sizes and budgets, the Innovation Centre has to be fl exible.

“Our virtual tenancies begin at £35 a month. The commercial business market is still quite depressed. It’s growing but businesses don’t want to take that fi nancial step until they know it’s going to work. With a virtual

Technology makes our lives easier and businesses are now increasingly portable. Many small businesses and start-ups operate from home – but are there other options? If you’re a medium sized business, how can you look to reduce overheads and simplify costs?

tenancy we can off er the credibility and prestige of our address until they’re ready to take a room here.”

The companies that are resident at the Innovation Centre can tell us something about business today. Many of the fi rms are new and some specialise in technology or the internet. More traditional and established fi rms have also signed up. We3Create, Adaptive Engineering Solutions, Somerset Care, Patterson Reeves And Partners, Osbornes and Daniel Burns with St James Place can all be found here.

Corina says: “We have a whole range of clients. It’s great for networking. We have a solicitor here and web designers. Our businesses meet clients here and we off er meeting room facilities to external clients so

lots of Island business people come through our doors. Before they relocated, Island Roads used two offi ces here with around 60 staff . The NHS were here for quite a while, they’ve now moved to the Apex which is also owned by our parent company MJH Developments. A company like Social Heroes who are growing all the time and they can expand within the building.”

For Corina, accessibility and keeping her clients happy is key. “All our rooms are alarmed with swipecards. Nobody does 9 to 5 here and some of our businesses run 24/7. Our doors are always open to our clients. I deal with the day to day running, from lease negotiations to set up the meeting rooms, run the reception and ordering in lunch. I want to make it a sociable place where clients can have coff ee and relax.”

These can be uncertain times and starting-up a company defi nitely takes a bit of courage. At the Innovation Centre keeping a client happy and supported is a big part of running a successful business.

“We can be fl exible,” says Corina. “Lots of small businesses need small spaces so we’ve

“ We’re aimed at small businesses or start-ups who are moving up from the dining room table. “We have offices of all sizes. We also offer “virtual” tenancies, without an office but with facilities like our address, telephone number, mail functions and our meeting rooms. For security reasons many businesses won’t want to use their home as their registered address.”

COMPANY PROFILE

Corina Sewell, The Innovation Centre

need to be competitive and affordable.”

“Things are changing and improving. It’s still very difficult. My background is at an agency level so I can appreciate the reasons behind

that. We’re getting more people through the door but they can be nervous and we understand that. Our leases are flexible. We even offer the chance to rent a desk in a shared space for 175 a month. It’s great for one-man bands and it’s also a fall back position for anyone who’s struggling.”

In 2014 Corina wants to grow the business.

“I want to take the Innovation Centre up to full occupancy. The meeting rooms aren’t utilised enough and we can offer rooms from £10 an hour. I want more meetings here and more virtual tenancies. Maybe people don’t realise that we can do small rooms as well as the conference rooms and seminars. We still get people saying ‘I didn’t know you were here’. Networking is so important to business and I want to encourage more of that.”

converted large offices to smaller one with extra walls. On the high street you’ll have to sign up to leases with potential rent increases. With us you know exactly what you’re getting. Our rental is consistent and there’s security in that. We offer an all-inclusive rent that covers business rates, heating, water, electricity and access to kitchen and showers. The only additional costs are franking, photocopying and broadband.”

The business world has changed dramatically with the potential of the internet and technology. The state of the economy means that many firms have downsized to survive. Throughout all of this it’s still true that a company will always need an address and rooms with tables and chairs. Corina is realistic about the marketplace.

“10 years ago we were in a boom and this place would have been full. It’s still very difficult and the office market really took a hit during the recession. When I took over the management we were at 40% occupancy and we’re now at 70% which is really good. We’ve not put our rates up and our price per square foot hasn’t changed in 5 years. We



for Excellence 2013Business Awards

Isle of Wight

CommerceChamber of

TRIPLE WINNER

MARINE DATA

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Now in their 36th year, Isle of Wight company MARINE DATA SYSTEMS has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in the manufacture and supply of the best and most adaptable marine navigation and control systems for commercial, military, work and leisure craft.

Our equipment is proudly fitted in the military naval vessels of NATO, the Gulf States and the Far East. We work together with defence agencies and prime contractors for seamless product integration in new builds and re-fits.

In the leisure industry, you will find MARINE DATA products on the liners of the world's leading leisure operators - including P&O™ and

Disney®. In the fishing industry, MARINE DATA is there to help the world's fishing skippers to harvest the sea safely under the most arduous

of conditions.

Our Business Awards of 2013 reflect the steady growth of our navigation equipment sales overseas, especially to southeast Asia. We opened offices

in Hong Kong and Singapore in 2011 and we plan to open offices in Shanghai and South Korea. Our sales growth means that we are seeking to expand our

premises to accommodate extra capacity for design, environmental testing and manufacturing.

We’re proud that we can actually be at the forefront of technology and prove that the Isle of Wight is a great place for innovation. From ferries to fishing vessels and from tugs

to tankers, MARINE DATA helps to show the way.

MARINE DATA SYSTEMSAN ISLAND SUCCESS STORY

H E A D I N G R E P E A T E R S | I N T E R F A C E S | M I L I T A R Y

...navigation with innovation

TM

MARINE DATA SYSTEMS LTD. - Vittlefields Technology Centre,Forest Road - NEWPORT - Isle of Wight - PO30 4LY - UK

Web: www.marine-data.co.uk | Email: [email protected] +44 (0)1983 822180 | Fax +44(0)1983 822181

Business Awards for Excellence 2013:“And the winners are ...”

FEATURE

IW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Marine Data Systems Ltd

MANUFACTURING & NEW TECHNOLOGY AWARD SPONSORED BY GURIT AUTOMOTIVE LTD


“A successful, dynamic and expanding business, continuing to contribute signifi cantly to innovative manufacturing technologies.”

Also nominated: LCM Systems and Rotawave Ltd

IW LOTTERY SMALL BUSINESS AWARD SPONSORED BY WP RECRUITMENT


“Continuing to build on their success by creating an environmentally sustainable and fi nancially successful business here on the Isle of Wight.”

Also nominated: LCM Systems and PC Consultants

ECO BUSINESS AWARD SPONSORED BY LLOYDS CARDNET

Briddlesford Lodge Farm

“A very impressive example of sustainability and productivity that preserves our environment and ecosystems.”

Also nominated: Earl Mountbatten Hospice and Solar Renewable Installations Ltd

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR AWARD SPONSORED BY WIGHT FIBRE

Joshua Matthews, Solar Renewable Installations Ltd

“Awarded to Joshua Matthews for the steady growth in his business, his clear focus on the market and his good attitude toward apprenticeships and employment within the business.”

Also nominated: Martin and Rob Drake-Knight from Rapanui Clothing; Luke and Lewis from The Coast Bar & Dining Room

NEW BUSINESS AWARD SPONSORED BY GLANVILLES

Dazzle and Fizz Parties

“Awarded for demonstrating its ability to build up an enterprising and innovative business, resulting in increased turnover and increased employment opportunities.”

Also nominated: Musicstore – IOW and Solent Brokers

LEISURE & HOSPITALITY AWARD SPONSORED BY J R ZONE

The Coast Bar & Dining Room / Frances Charles Leisure

“Awarded for their innovation, vision and ambition to grow the business and off ering something very diff erent on the High Street. A very successful model.”

Also nominated: Isle Of Wight Pearl and Southern Vectis

SOCIAL INVESTMENT AWARD SPONSORED BY ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PRESS

Age UK IW

“A solid mix of commercial and charitable status delivering ‘real world’ help to a growing percentage of the island’s population.”

“Our Good Neighbour Scheme is ecstatic to win the Social Innovation Award. Thank you! It’s taken pride of place on the mantelpiece.”

Also nominated: John’s Club and Storeroom 2010

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AWARD SPONSORED BY MOORE STEPHENS

Vikoma International Limited

“A very deserving winner, for its strong commitment to the Island whilst continuing to grow its portfolio of products and services and expanding its global presence.”

Also nominated: LCM Systems and STRUCTeam

Tim Ingram, Managing Director, Marine Data Systems

“It’s clearly testament to everybody that works within the company. They’ve worked very, very hard. The team that I drive is at the forefront of technology and we’ve got great expansion plans for 2014. We opened offi ces in Hong Kong and Singapore in 2011 and we plan to open offi ces in Shanghai and South Korea, possibly Indonesia. This year has been an incredible expansion for us and we’ve learnt a lot. It’s brought us great respect from the people and industry of the Island. There is some great technological innovation going on here and I’m extremely proud that we’ve done so well above other companies. The Isle Of Wight is a great place for innovation. We’re on our third bottle of champagne already…”

FEATURE


FEATURE

TEAM DEVELOPMENT AWARD SPONSORED BY HOVERTRAVEL

Betapak

“Demonstrating a high level of commitment to training and development at all levels within the business.”

Also nominated: Ateca Consulting and Dancy Dynamics

ACCOMMODATION AWARD SPONSORED BY ISLE OF WIGHT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Chale Bay Farm

“Something special that truly enhances the Island visitor experience, whose owners are innovative and enthusiastic.”

Also nominated: Atherfield Green Farm Holiday Cottages and The Fawley

PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS SERVICES AWARD SPONSORED BY LUCAS FETTES

PC Consultants

“Awarded for their clear focus on their customer’s needs - resulting in good retention and good growth.”

Also nominated: Edwards Lyons & Co and In2action

Steve and Charlotte Clark, Chale Bay Farm owners:

“Fantastic! Such a surprise. We’re so pleased I can’t begin to tell you. We were nominated last year so we tried again. We were so pleased to be shortlisted. To win an award on the Island, where we’ve chosen to make our home, in front of the entire business community it’s a massive lift. We’ve won awards as part of team at big companies before but this is all about our team and our hard work. We’ve tried to model Chale Bay Farm on the best hotels that we’ve stayed in. We try and make it that nothing’s too difficult for our guests.”

Peter Tomlinson, Managing Director of Betapak and J R Zone

“A fantastic night. I thoroughly enjoy these evenings. It’s a recognition of hard work and graft that goes on throughout the year. That’s why we sponsor awards. To win one it’s fantastic. Everybody knows it’s a team award. The management team are here plus representatives who have been picked by the staff to share the glory and also the disappointment of the “highly commended”! We’re driven by excellence and commitment to the customer. We obsess about our customers. There’s always next year for J R Zone but we’ll take the nomination for now. For Betapak we’ve combined all sorts of businesses together so that our customers can get on with running their own business. We think it’s a new idea. Nobody in England is doing it, we’re trialling it here and we have big plans. The award goes in a cabinet in my office – we’re not modest and as a company we celebrate it.”

Jonathan Thornton, Managing Director, PC Consultants

“An amazing night. It shows the effort the team have put in and it’s great to be recognised. We’re very passionate about what we do. It’s our twentieth year in business and it’s the first time we’ve entered the awards. We got three nominations which we weren’t expecting. Even the awards process helped us to step back and focus on our business. We feel really proud to be here. On the Island there’s a great business community. We’re very focused on the customer. IT is now very important to businesses. A lot of customers don’t view us as suppliers but as a partner. A lot of our team and our customers have been with us for 20 years. It’s about longevity.”


FEATURE

VISITOR ATTRACTION AWARD SPONSORED BY BETAPAK

Robin Hill Adventure Park & Gardens

“Awarded for their strong ambition to grow and improve their product whilst extending the season and successfully enhancing the tourism and visitor experience to the Island.”

Also nominated: Amazon World Zoo Park and Blackgang Chine

Darren Cool, Robin Hill Park And Event Manager:

“It’s a real surprise! We’re all very pleased. We won this award back in 2008 and I thought that others were quite strong in this category. We’ve been working really hard this year with more openings, events and investment and that’s been recognised which is really nice. It’s never easy as a tourist attraction with lots of good competition out there so we’re always upping our game. With the Electric Woods at night, also opening early way back in February we are leading the way a bit. It’s pro-active, extending the season as much as possible. That’s been our big push this year. Most of my key team are here tonight and it’s our staff end-of-season party tomorrow night so we’re celebrating early!”

RETAIL AND SERVICE INDUSTRY AWARD SPONSORED BY STEVE PORTER TRANSPORT

Hovertravel Ltd

“It is the quality of the ideas and innovation which has made Hovertravel such a success. They provide a first class service to all customers in a friendly, professional and welcoming manner.”

Also nominated: J R Zone and PC Consultants

IW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - THE PRESIDENT’S CUP

Rob Da Bank, promoter of Bestival

Neil Chapman, Managing Director of Hovertravel Ltd

“A fantastic night. I’m really pleased. It’s great for the team. They’ve worked really hard this year to make sure that we offer a service that is second to none. We don’t always get it right but we do try and exceed the expectations of our customers. We’re a people industry on a tourist island, with commuters too, so it’s really important we understand the needs of the customers. I didn’t think we’d win! We won an award last year so we’re over the moon to win two years running. Endorsements like this are motivation and show us we’re on the right track. Our award will go in the waiting room at our Ryde terminal. Too often these awards go in the CEO’s office and that’s not what we’re about. We want to share this with the team and our customers.”

“It’s fantastic and my first award on the Island. I’m really honoured. I don’t really see myself as a businessman to be honest – Bestival is a business but primarily it’s a fun thing to do. We always want to give something back to the Island. It’s great to have that recognition. Festivals are incredibly difficult to make money on, let alone break even. We’re not raking it in. It’s a very topsy turvy business and it isn’t easy to get it right. Right from the start we’ve worked with local suppliers, food traders, scaffolding companies and stewarding teams. We share the love – we aren’t favouritist and we don’t have preferred partners. Everything is up for tender. I see it as being like a new village that springs up on the Island in September. This award will take pride of place in the da Bank household. It’s grand and shiny and I’ll be polishing it regularly.”

IW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Isle of Wight College

“The Isle of Wight College is a long standing Chamber member and we have continued to collaborate in supporting the skills development of young people to assist them into employment. We’re now working together on a simplified framework to attract more Island employers to recruit ‘apprentices’ into their businesses with the aim of reducing the high unemployment rates amongst young people aged 18 to 25 on the Isle of Wight.”


includes employment law, contract disputes, negligence claims and tribunal hearings, family and criminal law.

Chris Prew says: “People don’t want to come to a lawyer and I understand that. Usually, there’s a specific, very focused task in mind when they arrive. They want to have it done quickly, professionally and at a reasonable cost. People want serious value for money. Our reputation helps. Ninety percent of our business is repeat or comes through recommendation. We have set prices and rates for things like conveyancing. Cut-price work is where people make mistakes – we won’t do that .”

The legal world is changing all the time and Roach Pittis have an eye on the future.

Roach Pittis are strongly connected to the Island business community. The firm has relationships with many commercial businesses through a number of different partners. The team have helped to establish

22

They have a long history but Managing Partner Chris Prew says they’re a forward thinking firm. “We’re a long established Island business. We’ve been around for a long time but we’re definitely living in the present. We’re the main law firm on the Island today, particularly in terms of personnel. The three main partners, Tony Holmes and Tony Bradshaw and myself have over 100 years of experience between us. It’s that depth of knowledge and experience that makes us the Island’s premier law firm. Most people would regard us as bright, astute and very hard working.”

Today the company has seven partners and employs 30 staff, including 11 fee-earners. Commercial work makes up around a third of the Firm’s business. Domestic conveyancing, probate, wills, trusts and tax planning is another core area of business. The largest sector in terms of personnel is litigation and dispute resolution, which

Roach Pittis Island law firm Roach Pittis specialises in commercial work, civil litigation and probate wills, trust and conveyancing. Their offices on Lugley Street in Newport were once the home of Richard Roach Pittis, who first operated his practice in the early 1880s. He was one of the prime instigators in the formation of the Isle of Wight Law Society in 1903 and was elected the first President. When he died in 1913 the practice was sold and “Roach Pittis & Co” opened for business.

businesses, purchase assets, handle leases and also mergers and acquisitions. Partners are able to handle contract disputes, company and commercial law and debt recovery.

Chris said: “There is a serious recession and businesses are suffering. The biggest overhead for most companies is staff and we’ve had lots of people seeking advice on how to reduce numbers fairly and appropriately. We’ve overseen lots of compromise agreements, more so in this recession rather than any other. It’s really easy to get redundancy wrong. It’s a very difficult time. Nobody wants to be made redundant in a recession. It’s important to get the right advice and follow the right procedure to do it as fairly as possible. At an employment tribunal your documents will be pored over with a fine-tooth comb and you could even up paying compensation if you’ve got it wrong. I am currently undertaking an audit of existing employment procedures and training senior staff at one of the Island’s principle hotels, an established client of the Firm. They take their legal responsibility seriously and don’t want to be found lacking when dealing with their personnel.”

Another aspect of twenty first century life is that we’re all living longer. Many of us won’t have considered a will, power of attorney or estate planning because there is no immediate need. Chris says there’s no time like the present.

“You do need to make provisions and be able to hand things over to someone who is competent, careful and sensitive. Tony Bradshaw has well over 30 years of experience. Solicitors historically haven’t had a good bedside manner. Most people perceive solicitors as unapproachable and distant. We work really hard to break this down. We want people to approach us early rather than as the result of a catastrophe.”

Things have changed a lot since Chris started in 1980.

“It’s very different now. We’re faster and more client and technology orientated. Clients are more astute. We’re a service organisation and we need to deliver a service and explain things in a way that clients understand. So you’ve now got the personality supported by the technology. It’s very exciting. We’re moving towards being a paperless office. Technology enables us to speed up the legal process.”

The economic slowdown in recent years has affected many things but not the necessity to go to court. Chris Prew said: “The reality is people litigate in good and bad times. It’s expensive and should be a last resort. The law encourages prudent use of the court service not speculative litigation. We don’t encourage frivolous or risky litigation. People need to think carefully because it is costly.The best advice I can give a new, or any, business, is to get advice early and to develop a relationship with your legal firm to avoid problems in the future.”

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Our clients want peace of mind to get on and develop their businesses. They are not lawyers and want legal matters dealt with in the same degree of certainty they have to provide their customers. They want to know how the law operates in relation to their issue. They want an indication of cost and timescale and an assessment of risk and benefit. They want us to take out the mumbo jumbo and replace it with certainty.” Chris Prew

ROACH PITTIS

April 2013 17

Chris Prew – Partner

Chris heads the litigation department. He qualified in Cardiff and joined Roach Pittis in 1983, becoming a Partner in 1986. Chris has a background in civil litigation covering personal injury claims, commercial disputes, boundary disputes and employment law. In his first ten years at Roach Pittis he also performed the role of one of the Firm’s criminal advocates. Chris has a reputation as a hardworking and tenacious litigator. He has undertaken a wide variety of cases in many different courts including the High Court, the Court of Appeal and a landmark surveyor’s negligence case in the House of Lords. Chris says the key to successful litigation is “preparation, preparation and more preparation, then driving unsettled cases to trial as quickly as possible.”

CONTACT ROACH PITTIS: 66 Lugley Street, Newport PO30 5EU Telephone: 01983 524431 Fax: 01983 525971 www.roachpittis.co.uk Email: [email protected]

Tony Holmes – Senior Partner

With a degree in Business Law, Tony Holmes articled at Roach Pittis in 1973, and qualified in 1975, becoming a Partner at the firm in 1976. Following Tony Gale’s retirement in 1994, Tony Holmes took on the role of Senior Partner. Tony heads the Commercial Department specialising in Company and Commercial Law, Development, Commercial Property and Agricultural/Estates (recommended in Legal 500). Tony is a highly sought after solicitor on the Island because of his knowledge and experience. He offers his clients a professional approach to the service with commitment to detail.

Tony Bradshaw – Partner

Tony Bradshaw joined Roach Pittis as an Assistant Solicitor in 1980, after completing his training at Dickinson Dees in Newcastle-upon Tyne. A year later he became a Partner of the firm. Tony heads the Conveyancing and Probate Departments. He specialises in Wills, Tax, Trust, Probate and Property matters. Tony has a vast wealth of knowledge and experience with a large and established client following.

23


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April 2013 21

CHAMBER NEWS

This is my first column for Island Business and I'll be using it to bring you up to date with how we see things at the Chamber, what we've been up to and an insight into things that we're working on.

This issue highlights our recent annual awards and for me they were our strongest yet. They closed a brilliant day for me, which began in Westminster representing the Isle Of Wight Chamber at the Enterprising Britain Awards. We were supporting the Department for Business Innovation and Skills. The Island has a fantastic story to tell and I was able

MEMBER BENEFIT

20% off travel to and from the Isle of Wight by hovercraft!

Cup award and, for me, Bestival is a great example of how the Island will move forward. Our festival heritage is an asset to us and re-establishing it put us on the map. Bestival is about creating an image and an understanding of the island as a fabulous place. It’s given us an international recognition over many years. It’s helps to bring young professionals and exposes us in a very positive way. It helps to grow another generation of potential business people for the Island.

What I’ve learnt is that you can never stop telling people. Even if it’s the same story of “how great the Isle Of Wight is” you have to keep on saying it, even a hundred times. We know we’re on people’s radars now, whether that’s through ministerial visits or people relocating here. My job is about messaging. I talk to people from all over the world. They ask “Where are you from?”, I explain and immediately they all have a story about the Island. It might be childhood holidays or Jimi Hendrix. If they ask a different question, “Where were you born?”, then my answer is Gloucester. And that’s the end of the conversation!

The Isle Of Wight has a lot to be proud of and it’s all about celebrating achievement. 2014 can be a better year than 2013 and part of the success has to be in talking positively about what we can do.

to share this with Vince Cable, Secretary Of State For Business.

There’s definitely a lot of negativity about business in print media across the country. It’s very difficult sometimes to spread the positive things that are happening and we need to start to celebrate far more. In the UK we do have strong business development, exciting start-ups and innovative job creation. We often compare ourselves to the forward-looking, free thinking American economy. Actually I think there’s a lot more great stuff in this country (and on the Island) that we should be actively promoting and shouting about.

These are undeniably tough times and what we’re now seeing is growth in businesses that have survived the last five years. This growth is at a macro level but we’re not seeing it translating to everyday people yet. It’s still tough out there and we’ll see that for another few years yet.

Moving to our Chamber Of Commerce Awards it’s clear that whether it's at Westminster or here on the Island, business goes on despite the current climate. In fact, the economic situation can sometimes even present opportunities or inspire new ways of doing things. This year our Awards night showcased more businesses than ever, a testament to the strength and depth of our local economy.

Rob da Bank picked up the President’s

Talking Business By IWCCTI Chief Executive Kevin Smith

Hovertravel, the only scheduled hovercraft operator in Europe, is the quickest way to travel to the Isle of Wight. Hovertravel’s service is a speedy 10 minute flight across the Solent. As a Chamber of Commerce member you can receive 20% off standard adult & children fares for yourself and a friend. Travel with Hovertravel for as little as £13.20 per person (priced on a standard adult day return).

• All Chamber of Commerce members can receive 20% discount on Hovertravel standard adult & children fares.

• Discounted fare can be purchased on the day of travel at Hovertravel terminals

• Discount subject to availability

• Discount is available on production of Chamber of Commerce Membership ID

• Discount is available for member +1 (COC member must be travelling)



qualityinnovation reliability

World Leaders for Oil Spill Response Equipment

BOOMS • SKIMMERS • TANKS & STORAGE • VESSELS • INDUSTRIAL • POWERPACKS & PUMPS • DISPERSANTS

Vikoma is ISO approved for the manufacturing and supply of Oil Spill Response Equipment

Tel: +44 (0)1983 200560 [email protected] www.vikoma.com

PORTS • COASTAL • OFFSHORE • RIVERS • LAKES • ICE • INDUSTRIAL • EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS

Proud Winners of the Chamber of Commerce International Business

Award 2013.

First Aid ServicesIan Wright

Training Provider

01983 475050

[email protected]

www.islandtraining.co.uk

Island Independent InventoriesJudith Gentry

Business Services

07973 527851

[email protected]

www.island-independent-inventories.co.uk

247 PowerEd Sturgess

Renewable Energy Systems

02380 010280

[email protected]

www247-power.co.uk

Wight Stars CICMatthew Reed

Community Services

01983 472465

[email protected]

www.wightstars.co.uk

Real Employment Law AdviceAlison Colley

Business Services

01983 897003

[email protected]

www.realemploymentlawadvice.co.uk

RotawaveDenis Healy

Environmental Technology Developer

01983 201885

michelle.hodgkinson @rotawave.com

www.rotawave.com

New Members

Hands On Wildlife Friendly GardeningTony Hands

Gardening Services

01983 885008

[email protected]

www.handsongardenservices.net

The Afton GalleryMr & Mrs Caudwell

Art Gallery

01983 868373

[email protected]

BCM (IOW) LLPJames Attrill

Property Consultants

01983 828800

[email protected]

www.bcm.co.uk

Minus 7Alastair Hunter

Manufacturing

01983 282844

[email protected]

www.minus7.co.uk

Nunwell HouseSteven & Rosie Bonsey

Attraction

01983 407240

[email protected]

www.nunwellhouse.co.uk

NEW MEMBER

Island TreasureIsland Treasure is an Island based company, mixing history and modern technology. They’re launching two very different treasure hunts, one played out on the internet and another taking place across the Isle Of Wight.

It’s the brainchild of CEO Tony Philipson, based on a web treasure hunt that he set up in 2000. “At its peak it was picking up a million monthly page impressions,” says Tony and he’s now teamed up with author Brian Howard to launch their new business in early 2014.

The online hunt is aimed at players at home, on computers, tablets or even phones. Subscribers will be looking for icons hidden on websites. There’s an online map and an accompanying 200 page book. The story is a search for lost treasure set within the history of the island – Vikings, Romans, the Knights Templar, druids and time travellers all feature. Players will solve clues and get the chance to win prizes. Businesses will be able to pay to have icons hidden on their own websites and along with hyperlinks layered within the story, the team see it as an innovative advertising medium.

Tony says: “An icon will be placed on your site on a page of your choice. It can link to an offer and will encourage people to dig deeper into your website. Businesses will be able to use this as a promotional tool for themselves.”

Island Treasure also want their treasure chests to be hosted by businesses on the Island so that players can visit their locations. Brian Howard said: “We’re targeting anybody that requires visitors and footfall, whether it’s attractions or smaller businesses. We’d like to see 500 local businesses being involved. People can use it as a promotional tool for their company.”

Tony explains: “Businesses on the island will hosts these treasure chests creating an influx of physical traffic. Businesses will basically rent a chest for a year’s subscription of around £475 with discounts on early registrations. One of our aims is to draw tourism to the island with something new. Millions of people across the world do geocaching and we want the Island to be a gaming destination. It will bring businesses new trade.”

The team say that theirs is a unique business and it draws heavily on their Island location. Although they want to see the business take off globally it will always be rooted in their own spin on the history and mythology of the Isle Of Wight.

Tony said: “Anyone can play, either online or physically. It’s a good, fun day out and you can involve other friends. Individuals, families, walkers, cyclists, trekkers – it’s open to everyone.”

Find more at www.islandtreasure.co.uk or call Tony Philipson on 07917 833 023


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01983 520777


WE GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AWARDS

ZOE STROUD, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

“The Chamber Awards is our biggest night of the year without doubt. We're very proud of the event. It's quite an emotional night, with celebrations and also a lot of expectation for the nominees. We want the evening to be entertaining, pacy and run smoothly. It takes months of planning to make it all come together. We have a diffi cult job deciding on the evening theme, fl owers and menu choices and this starts as early as spring.”

“The process starts with all of the entries. This year we moved to an all on-line entry system. From there Becky Harper works closely with our judging panel to pull together the shortlist. On the night Becky keeps a close eye on the trophies and makes sure everything goes to plan!”

“It's so important for us as a Chamber to work with local businesses and this year Betapak supplied our napkins, coff ee and chocolates. Bay Tree Florist wowed us with amazing fl oral table decorations. We3Create designed our programme and all our literature was printed by Island Printers. Our media partner The Isle of Wight County Press gave us excellent coverage. We couldn't do it without the help

and support from our sponsors.”

“The ceremony itself was once again presented by South Today's Sally Taylor who kept the show running smoothly and professionally, with voice-overs from our very own Tom Stroud. Sound and lighting is crucial with an event like this and St Helens based Spyder UK did the job brilliantly. Doctor & The Medics closed the show in style! Thanks to Red Funnel for providing travel for the band.”

“I’ve now worked on 6 Chamber Awards nights and this year was our best ever, with more awards, more winners and a great evening had by all. If you've never entered before there's always 2014!”

IAN GREGORY, EVENTS MANAGER, COWES YACHT HAVEN

“Another very successful night! It’s the pinnacle of the business year for the Isle Of Wight community and we certainly wouldn’t want to see it go anywhere else. It’s a very important event for us and we pull out the stops to get it right. The business community has the potential to place other events with us. You can’t rest on your laurels and you have to put the work in.”

BEN JAYSTON, DIRECTOR/SEO & MARKETING, WE3CREATE

“we3create were delighted to be a sponsor of the awards. We came up with a simple, elegant design in black and gold to refl ect the auspicious nature of the Chamber’s business awards, which translated well to the diff erent print media required for the event. We have also worked with the Chamber on the redevelopment of the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce website to off er members increased functionality and ease of use.”

ANDY SQUIBB MANAGING DIRECTOR, SPYDER UK

“We've been looking after the sound, lighting, video and rigging for this event for 5 years now. We use a truss-based ground support system that lets us deploy several tonnes of equipment in the roof. We really wanted to improve the venue sound and we used a top-of-the-range d&B V-series line array PA system. We’re in a pretty unique position on the Island in being able to off er these industry standard, professional systems.”

“Live events such as the Chamber Awards are pretty much second nature to us now. It’s a one-off show and there are no second chances to get it right. In 2013 our events included the Derry-Londonderry City of Culture celebrations. Two medium-scale PA systems for 8,000 each went to London’s New Year’s celebrations. At corporate level we work with EE, and we’ve got a large scale truss shipment headed to the Mobile World Conference in Spain early this year.”

“We work to the same high standards at all our events both large and small, on and off the Island, whether it’s a show at Wembley Stadium or in an Island pub with a function band.”

The winner’s team


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MAKE A diFFERENCEJoiN TodAy!

22nd January 2014The Big Tourism Ticket Quay Arts Centre, Newport, Isle of Wight

10am - 1pm

Visit Isle of Wight and VisitEngland are holding a presentation event, intended to stimulate engagement and debate with the wider tourism industry on the Island. The Big Tourism Ticket will be used to update the industry about signifi cant changes to www.visitisleofwight.co.uk, share UK and Island research and announce new campaign themes for 2014.

Tickets are available on a fi rst-come, fi rst served basis and any industry members wishing to attend this event should call Quay Arts on 01983 822490 to book.

30th January 2014Networking EventIsland Roads, Daish Way, Newport

4pm – 6pm

Come and meet the team at Island Roads. Have a tour of the site, a Q and A with management. Refreshments provided.

FREE

7th February 2014Business Breakfast MeetingThe William Coppin, Newport

7.30am – 9am

An excellent networking opportunity to meet and present your business to other members while enjoying a full English breakfast.

£5.00 per person

7th March 2014Business Breakfast MeetingSolar & Renewable Installations LtdDodnor Park, Newport

7.30 – 9am

Tea and coff ee

Bacon and Sausage rolls

An excellent opportunity to meet and network with other businesses. Hear about Solar and Renewable Installations’ plans and have a tour of the site.

FREE

Events


Check our online calendar at www.iwchamber.co.uk for details of all business events.

4th April 2014Business Breakfast MeetingThe Garlic Farm Cafe

7.30am – 9am

An excellent networking opportunity to meet and present your business to other members while enjoying a full English breakfast.

£6.00 per person

STAY CONNECTED WITH ISLAND BUSINESS AND THE IW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE• Do you have a news story to share with the Island’s business

community?

• Want to comment on something you’ve read?

• Contact our editor Tom Stroud on [email protected]

• Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

• Find more news and read Island Business on-line at www.iwchamber.co.uk

Island Business In our next issue • We look at Island food and hear from

chefs, producers and retailers

• Our Company Profi le looks at the Garlic Festival

• Southern Vectis talk to us in The Interview

• Plus all the business news, events and member benefi ts

Lifeline Alarm Systems LtdThe Island Security CentreRiverway, NewportIsle of Wight, PO30 5UX

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01983 521621

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Lifeline Alarm Systems LtdThe Island Security CentreRiverway, NewportIsle of Wight, PO30 5UX

W. E. T. F.

www.lifeline-security.co.uk

[email protected]

01983 521621

01983 523250

Security Applications as Individual as you are.

Call 521621 now for free surveyand system design.

• Smart Phone Viewing Apps

• HD Quality Recording

• Home & Business Systems

• IP Network

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A simple equation for youand your company

ITG have supplied, installed, maintained & supported a comprehensive range of telecommunications equipment,

fibre optics and structured cabling on the Isle of Wight for over 30 years.

ITG (Island Telecoms Group) are not affiliated with any other company.

ITG, Carisbrooke Business Park, Whitcombe Road, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1YS

T 01983 533033 F 01983 533034 E [email protected] W www.itgrp.co.uk

Documents

Island Business Jan/Feb 2014