Business Solent Newsletter - Summer 2012

News Business Solent

issue 5 • summer 2012

Above: Annual Conference Speakers

Importance of Collaborative Working across the Region Highlighted at Annual Conference it sold out well in advance of a single delegate setting foot on board Oriana – the luxurious venue for the inaugural Business solent annual Conference.

IN previous years the Business Southampton annual gathering has proved immensely popular – and the first such event for Business Solent showed there really is an appetite for collaborative working across the region.

Entitled “Business Without Boundaries”, the conference focused on the region’s business and political environment.

Keynote speaker was Andrew Neil, publisher, broadcaster and presenter of the BBC2 Daily Politics Show.

He gave an analysis of the current economic situation regarding the Euro and also some interesting pointers for how growth could be

stimulated (see page 8-9 for a full report).

Philip Price, Head of Brand Marketing for P&O Cruises, emphasised his company’s strong links with Southampton.

“Our future is firmly in Southampton – it is a premiership brand just like ours,” he said. there were presentations from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) from across the Business Solent region, informing delegates of their priorities and plans for the year ahead (see a snapshot on page 10).

While Dame Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton and a partner of Seme4 told business leaders how proud she was to be involved with Business Solent and >

We are now a significant business organisation for the region working with leaders from all sectors on a strategic, bespoke basis for the benefit of their organisations and the greater good of the region.

Sally Lynskey CEO of Business Solent

INSIDE:

See Andrew Neil’s views on the Economy, the Eurozone and economic growth on pages 8-9

Welcome

Welcome to the Summer edition of the Business Solent newsletter giving you an update on the work of Business Solent, the Solent Champions and news from the region.

In this edition we bring you up to date following the first Business Solent Annual Conference. the work of the Action Groups is highlighted including the newly formed partnership with the Solent India Business Network, together with an interview with Geoff Paterson, newly appointed to represent Business Solent in the west region. this edition will also cover news from Solent Champions, including a spotlight on Bronze Champion C4L.

Sally Lynskey CEO Business Solent

Contents 2-3 4-6 7 8-9 10 11 12-13 14 15

Business Solent News Solent Champion News Champion Spotlight Andrew Neil Local Enterprise Partnerships Feature Sustainability Case Study Action Group Update In My View Upcoming Events

Business Solent

Business Solent is a business engagement organisation which unites business leaders to drive economic prosperity.

Organisations, known as Solent Champions, influence the agenda and support the work of Business Solent as together we aim to make the region the best place to work, invest, study, live and enjoy. action groups: Digital Southampton, Future Southampton, Olympics Legacy Southampton, Solent Logistics, Solent Maritime, Solent International Business Alliance, Marketing Southampton, Solent India Business Network, Sustainable Solent, Inward Investment.

Business Solent Limited Ocean Village Innovation Centre Ocean Village, Southampton Hampshire SO14 3JZ t: 0844 225 3130 F: 0844 225 3132 E: info@businesssolent.com Follow us on twitter: Bizsolent

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Business Solent News

the aim was to create a digital Champions network enabled by an online networking tool.

“We want to create a totally unique platform for business in the region,” she said.

An agreement between Business Solent and the Solent India Business Network (SIBN) was formalised at the event to give Champions and SIBN members further insight on how to trade with the Indian market (see page 12 for more details). the conference highlighted the work and achievements of Business Solent during its first year and introduced the latest opportunities.

Despite some of the toughest financial constraints on business and uncertainty over the economic outlook, Business Solent has continued to grow, while retaining the loyal support of existing Champions. throughout the year, Business Solent gained 46 new Champions contributing more than £100,000 and has retained more than 92 per cent of Champions over its five year history.

Sally Lynskey, CEO of Business Solent said: “We are now a significant business organisation for the region working with leaders from all sectors on a strategic, bespoke basis for the benefit of their organisations and the greater good of the region.”

A developing role for Business Solent will be to serve and support the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) within the region it covers, with a Champion programme that guarantees business engagement through existing Action Groups and initiatives.

Positive feedback from business leaders from across the region started to arrive in the inbox at Business Solent only hours after the 350 delegates had left the P&O cruise ship.

Commenting on the day, CEO of Business Solent, Sally Lynskey, said: “It was quite a logistical

challenge getting 2,000 passengers off the ship and another 2,000 on, whilst our 350 delegates arrived for the conference.

“It is wonderful to be able to offer our Champions such a special conference venue and we are really grateful to P&O for looking after us so well.” the glamorous surroundings certainly added to the air of excitement as delegates, representing some of the top business organisations in the region, came on board for the event which is a premier date in the Business Solent calendar.

What you had to say about it...

“Fantastic location I have been to many AGMs in the past but none in my view can match such an amazing venue” • Ahmed Sasso MBE, Hampshire Constabulary.

“Business Solent have a knack of always being on the money with the headline speakers.

They always deliver time and time again: pertinent, topical, thought provoking and always entertaining. At this year’s annual conference Andrew Neil was a revelation. Hard hitting with no punches pulled and a who’s who of the powerful and famous. There’s name dropping and then there’s the real deal. Andrew Neil was a different class.”

• Lee Peck, LeePeckGroup.

“Excellent range of speakers – Andrew Neil was very informative…When are we doing it again??”

• David Vane, Workzmarter.

Champions Enjoy SeaCity Museum Visit Business solent Champions were given a guided tour of southampton’s new seaCity museum during a recent event. popular, she said and led to titanic tHE attraction, which welcomed merchandise being restocked 43 12,000 visitors from across the times in the first few weeks. globe in its first week, tells the story “the income from entry fees in of the city’s rich maritime heritage the first week alone was £80,000 – – and includes a feature titanic we couldn’t have hoped for better,” exhibition. she said.

Lee Peck, Chairman from Stephen Boyce from Culture Solent Champion Leepeckgroup, Southampton said the museum welcomed guests to the museum would play an important part in and explained how his company the cultural life of the city and with had successfully bid for the job work on the new Arts Complex due of branding and marketing the to start in October this year, the exciting new venture. area is set to become even more “this is one of the finest new vibrant. museums in the country. It reveals “When you look at other big cities Southampton’s 2,000 years of Above: the new SeaCity like Bristol and Glasgow, they have maritime history and respectfully Museum in Southampton all engaged in regeneration and it tells the titanic and Gateway parts is culture that has led the way. of that story,” he said.

“Now it’s Southampton’s turn and with the “the museum is about making Southampton Cultural Quarter we want to raise expectations a major visitor attraction in its own right – and I and make the city a more attractive place to come applaud Southampton City Council for driving this and visit, live and study,” he said. project through in difficult financial times.”

Sally Lynskey, CEO of Business Solent indicated Lisa Shepherd, Arts and Heritage Manager the importance of the new museum to the explained the museum was housed in the Grade city and the region: “the SeaCity Museum is a 2 listed former magistrates court complex at the fantastic new asset to the city and will certainly Civic Centre and the design included a modern attract visitors not only regionally and nationally, extension to house temporary exhibitions. but internationally as well!” the titanic exhibition has already proved extremely

news

Visitor Economy Shows Growing Influence in the Solent Region 2012 looks set to be a bumper year for the visitor economy as the Solent region gears up for the Jubilee celebrations and Olympics as well as a whole host of homegrown entertainment.

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t the Business Solent Breakfast briefing held at St Mary’s Stadium, Champions were given an insight into the key role the visitor economy plays in the prosperity of the region and the growing desire from major attractions to look beyond local boundaries for new partnerships.

From the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth to the BIC and Pavilion in Bournemouth, with major new attractions in Southampton including the new Sea City Museum – there really is plenty to attract visitors.

Jackie Shaw, Acting Managing Director at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, said she looked forward to working more closely with others across the region.

“It’s about partnership and collaboration. The message is clear we are open to business and open to hearing how we can showcase our offer to you. We value the strong alliance we have with Southampton and look forward to developing the visitor economy together,” she said.

Steve Piper, head of venues for BH Live who run the BIC and Pavilion in Bournemouth was equally positive.

“We are a regional venue and we are looking to grow our business from other postcodes such as SO and PO – we are not in competition with venues like the Mayflower, we like to think we complement what they do,” he said.

In Southampton, Mike Harris, Senior Manager for Leisure and Culture in the city, revealed an extensive programme of 2012 events including the visit of

Above left to right: Gareth Rodgers from Southampton Football Club, James Cretney from Marwell Wildlife, Steve Piper from BH Live, Sally Lynskey from Business Solent, Mike Harris from Southampton City Council, Nigel Beacham from Clipper Ventures, Charlie Langhorne from Wild in Art and Jan Halliday from Southampton Airport

Cunard’s Three Queens on June 5 celebrating the Diamond Jubilee, P&O Cruises’ seven ships in July to mark their 175 year anniversary, as well as the Olympics torch relay on July 14.

And Nigel Beacham, Commercial Director for Clipper Ventures, underlined the importance of the Clipper Race which commands a global audience of 750 million people. The event left from Southampton last summer and will return on July 22.

Jan Halliday, Director of Marketing and Communications at Southampton Airport, said they are gearing up for the Olympics and were looking

to make the most of inbound opportunities across the board.

Looking to next summer, James Cretney, Chief Executive of Marwell Wildlife and Charlie Langhorne, Director of Wild in Art launched Go!Rhinos.

Businesses are being asked to sponsor the fibreglass creatures and work in collaboration with local artists and schools to decorate them and create a collection of colourful beasts across the city in 2013.

“We did a similar thing in Northampton and we had 25,000 people come to the shopping centre – they make people smile,” said Charlie.

And finally with Southampton Football Club going back to the Premier League, Financial Director Gareth Rogers revealed what it would mean for the club.

“We will have more fans for home and away matches and we expect to see attendances above 30,000 for matches next year. It will bring massive benefits to the region,” he said.

Sally Lynskey, CEO of Business Solent, said the visitor economy was a crucial factor for the Solent region.

“We are in difficult times but actually there is so much to be proud of going on in our region – and I am particularly looking forward to the rhino charge across Southampton next summer,” she said.

To find out more about Go!Rhinos and how your organisation can get involved please email leigh@businesssolent.com or call 0844 225 3130.

Big Names in Business Speak at Organisational Development Conference Some of the biggest names in business were among the speakers at the Organisational Development Conference organised by Business Solent in conjunction with The Hive.

Liane Sheppard from Capita Symonds, Rob Ardley from Ford and Hazel Hendley from Ordnance Survey were among the line-up of speakers tackling the subject of the conference, “Survive and Thrive”.

Liane Sheppard, Business Director, Regions South spoke about the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and how Capita Symonds is working with the community on a number of projects.

They have been involved with youngsters, students and SMEs on projects that not only build links with the community but help to develop Capita Symonds staff too.

“We are a large organisation and it took a while for CSR to become part of our culture but it is now. We have worked on a mentoring scheme with a student at Southampton City College that has been really successful – and that came about as a result of an introduction made by Sally at Business Solent,” she said.

Rob Ardley, HR Manager from Ford Assembly Plant told the group of 60 delegates meeting at the Ageas

Bowl about the transition the Ford motor company had made to survive in the current economic downturn.

He spoke about the global market and also closer to home with the re-organisation at the Transit production line in Southampton.

“We lost over half our people and that was tough but it had to be done to survive.

“And by doing so it allowed us to change the culture and mindset,” he said.

While Hazel Hendley, Senior Organisational Development Consultant from Ordnance Survey spoke about their Vista high potential development Programme which has helped build breadth and depth of capability for senior roles in the organisation.

Other speakers at the event sponsored by De Vere New Place, included Sarah Fenwick from The Hive who gave an insight into ensuring best fit for best performance in organisations, whilst Susan Parish, Business & Community Manager from Park

Above left to right: Sarah Fenwick from The Hive, Hazel Hendley from Ordnance Survey, Susan Parish from Park Community School, Sue Gravells from The Hive, Leigh-Sara Timberlake from Business Solent and Rob Ardley from Ford.

Community School in Havant told the story of how the School had improved its results dramatically over the last 15 years.

“This is a great example of businesses sharing best practice to enable other organisations to benefit from their experiences,” said Sally Lynskey, CEO of Business Solent.

Business Solent News

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sOlenT CHampiOn news

Champion News-in-Brief College Marks 60 Years of Educating Southampton A year of celebrations is on the cards at City College Southampton as it toasts its diamond jubilee. the college, which educates more than 7,000 young people and adults every year, will hold activities throughout 2012 to mark the occasion. they will include an anniversary dinner, a plaque unveiling and ‘60th’ themed projects for students. Lindsey Noble, Principal and CEO, said: “City College has stood firm in the centre of Southampton for 60 years and played an important part in the lives and careers of so many people. We are certainly going to celebrate our diamond jubilee year and reflect on the successes that have taken place.”

Cunard’s Three Queens Salute Her Majesty the Queen in what is believed to be the biggest celebration outside london over the extended bank holiday weekend in early June, all three ships of the Cunard fleet sailed up southampton water in formation for the first time on 5 June, for a day of special tributes, celebrations and displays to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

PiMS Workspace Launches Free Office Occupancy Audit Service PiMS Workspace, the national provider of business space management solutions based in Fareham, recently announced that it is launching a free occupancy audit service to address Britain’s high level of workspace wastage. the service aims to analyse the level of occupancy within an organisation’s workplace, presenting findings that will enable them to address space wastage, decrease overheads, reduce their carbon footprint and streamline their office environment to accommodate the appropriate number of staff.

Import Services Wins SandpiperCl Business with ASDA George Asda has appointed SandpiperCI based in the Channel Islands, to open George franchise stores in Jersey and Guernsey. George currently accounts for half of Asda’s general merchandise sales and is already a growing global brand through Walmart stores. Import Services is providing inbound Customs clearance, storage, order processing, pick/ pack and distribution to the stores, from bonded container port facilities in Southampton. Mike thomas, Client Services Director said, “We are thrilled to win the SandpiperCI contract which provides Import Services with an opportunity to work closely both with a highly respected franchise team and with principal retailer, George. We can now bring our innovative retail logistics services to the apparel sector,” said Mike.

Carswell Gould Secures Communications Contract Following Success of Inaugural Powerboat & RIB Show Integrated marketing communications agency, Carswell Gould, has been appointed to carry out PR and social media for the Powerboat & RIB Show 2013, following its successful launch of the inaugural show this May. the agency was appointed by organisers to carry out all PR and social media for the first ever show at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. Following a consistent six months of media coverage, aimed at ensuring a high number of visitors and exhibitors, the event was held from 11-13 May to wide acclaim.

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Business Solent News

Above: View from Mayflower Park as Cunards Queen Mary 2 passes Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, on Southampton Water

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ER Majesty the Queen has long been associated with Cunard, being the only person to have attended the naming of all three Cunard Elizabeths, beginning in 1938 with the original Queen Elizabeth, then 1967 when she launched Queen Elizabeth 2 and 2010 when she named Queen Elizabeth, in Southampton. this was the first time that the three ships of the Cunard fleet – the three largest Cunarders ever built – have been seen arriving and departing together in formation at their home port of Southampton.

Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 approached the port soon after first light on tuesday 5 June, sailing in single file up Southampton Water, with a flotilla of small boats welcoming them in.

Queen Mary 2 turned in the upper swinging ground as Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria tied up close to City terminal. Queen Mary 2 then slowly passed each ship in turn, creating a three ship formation and revealing a ‘Congratulations Ma’am’ message by

her funnel. With crew lining the foredecks of all three vessels, the ships’ whistles sounded in salute of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. the celebrations culminated in an evening spectacular when all three ships were again brought within close proximity of each other, followed by a fusillade of fireworks and special effects which lit up the evening sky beyond them.

Queen Mary 2 then led Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth in single file down Southampton Water as all three ships set out on their celebratory Diamond Jubilee voyages.

Peter Shanks, President of Cunard, comments: “Cunard is delighted to have been able to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in a way that gave everyone, especially our passengers, a truly remarkable day that they will feel proud to talk about for years to come, taking part in history and marking the sixty glorious years of Her Majesty’s reign in a fitting, memorable and spectacular way.”

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 ahead of their departure on 5 June.

solent champion news

Trethowans Preparing for a Brighter Future The economy may still be in the doldrums but one regional law firm has been busy preparing for a brighter future.

As the downturn has taken its toll on many legal firms, Salisbury and Southampton law firm Trethowans has been quietly positioning itself for substantial growth with investment in both its people and IT. In May the firm unveiled a new shop window to showcase its confidence and greater strength in depth.

A new website and refreshed branding reflect the journey the firm has made. Over the last three years the firm has attracted a number of big hitting partners from rivals to build a level of expertise that’s the best it’s ever had. Trethowans had added new expertise in banking and insolvency as well as further quality in depth.

“The calibre of the people we’ve had approaching us has gone up dramatically. We’ve taken key partners from other firms to build teams to drive growth for the firm,” said Managing Partner Simon Rhodes.

“The quality of lawyers and service levels in the firm compared to even three years ago is substantially up, which is not a reflection of what we had before, but we’ve added some really good ones. We’ve put a lot of building blocks in place and have invested significantly in our IT and systems.”

Simon Rhodes said the new look would better reflect Trethowans’ position in the market.

“We’ve completely redesigned the website using the latest technology and given it a sharper look as well as refreshing the brand and logo to make sure it’s as modern as the Firm is, as we continue to make progress,” Simon Rhodes said.

“It’s evolution, matching the progress of the firm and giving it a modern twist, rather than a complete restyling. But it’s significant in confirming the last

three years of taking on new lawyers and building on the great client relationships we’ve got.”

He added: “The firm is definitely progressing in a very challenging market, despite the state of the economy, new regulation and increased competition.

Whilst we seem to be doing well, instead of resting on our laurels, we are investing heavily and challenging ourselves to do everything better.”

Trethowans, which is 150 years old, employs 140 staff across its offices in Salisbury and Southampton, and has been facing up to changes in the industry such as the opening up of the legal market.

The introduction last year of so-called non-lawyer owned ABSs (alternative business structures) has brought in a new era of so called “Tesco law” that could start to threaten services such as conveyancing and wills.

“Whilst there hasn’t yet been a flood of new entrants, all law firms have got be better at providing high quality service and become more efficient in order to be able to make progress”, Simon Rhodes said, although he added that he saw the bigger threat being towards smaller firms.

Trethowans acts for a range of clients from high net worth individuals through to local businesses and national companies such as Jewson, Bacardi, and Garmin.

He said he is confident that the investment strategy is making the firm “future proof” and it would now ride the economic recovery better than rivals.

Fast Track to Success for SMEs A NEW programme for Associate Champions called Solent Fast Track has been launched by Business Solent in association with Browns Consultancy Services.

The new look programme offers small to medium size businesses a vehicle for growth driven by collaboration and solutions.

Solent Fast Track focuses on an innovative approach to motivate and help raise the aspirations of SME business leaders.

The launch of Solent Fast Track focuses on the SME market as a driver for economic recovery and will include top advice from the likes of Ernst and Young who are supporting Solent Fast Track programme.

Martin Brown, CEO, Browns Consultancy Services, said: “Solent Fast Track has been established to fill a gap in the market to provide SME businesses the opportunity to work ‘on’ their businesses and provide practical solutions for growth in an innovative and collaborative environment.”

The concept has grown through in depth market testing and already we have Solent Fast Track programmes covering Portsmouth, Southampton the New Forest and Bournemouth.

Business Solent will continue its tradition of business engagement and driving economic prosperity for business leaders with a focus on SME. Sally Lynskey, CEO of Business Solent, said: “We are delighted to be able to engage with SME businesses and leverage the benefit of our Champions network to form strong and localised supply chains, leading to thriving business clusters.”

Solent Fast Track is unique in its approach to motivating and help raise the aspirations of the SME business leader.

To find out more...

about becoming an Associate Champion and joining the Solent Fast Track Programme, please call Martin Brown on 077 7187 4618 or email martin@businesssolent.com

Champion News-in-Brief Ferry Transportation is Big Business for Logistics and Freight Firm, PSP Worldwide logistics and freight forwarding company, PSP, recently announced an increase in business within the commercial boat transportation side of its business. The firm has reported a 20 per cent increase in non-leisure boat shipments and attributes the rising figure to a heightened demand for ferry and hovercraft transportation.

The news follows PSP’s announcement in January that it had increased the turnover generated by its leisure boat transportation service by 20 per cent in 2011.

Macintyre Scott Brand Transformation!

Macintyre Scott was excited to welcome nearly eighty key clients and customers from the Travel Retail Trade, to attend a champagne and afternoon tea to launch its prestigious new warehousing and logistic facility at Testwood Park Southampton. The event and premises was officially opened by Sally Lynskey CEO of Business Solent, Sally was delighted to attend the event and congratulated Nicola Ridges Jones, Managing Director for her foresight in relocating the business to a location that will provide the platform for future growth.

In conjunction with the relocation and the launch, Macintyre Scott announced that following a strategic review and the recruitment of the new executive team, the company is now in the position to embrace brand marketing. Nicola said “the new brand positioning which includes livery, uniforms, logo and new web site will encompass the values and ethos of the company and will be the foundation of the business for the future”.

Peter Blatch, Business Development Manager unveiled the brand transformation “MSX” Macintyre Scott Xtra. Peter said “this is a very exciting time in the development of the company that will enable us to build on the already successful history of the organisation” MSX is a leading solution provider to the travel retail trade, promising to be eXceptional, innovative and responsive to all our clients’ needs.

Could you be the PEER 1 Hosting UK Business Speaker of the Year 2012?

Southampton-based PEER 1 Hosting has offered £5,000 in prizes to encourage the country’s leading business gurus to show off their talents. Authors, academics, life coaches and entrepreneurs, with a gift for public speaking, are being urged to come up with ‘an inspirational business message for our times’. Up to 24 finalists will be invited to The Hub Theatre in Southampton on Thursday 27 September for auditions. The last eight selected during the day will give their seven-minute presentations in a ‘Grand Final’, organised by Business Solent and hosted by Geoff Burch, presenter of BBC’s All Over The Shop. For more details go to www.ukbusinessspeakers.co.uk.

Business Solent News

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solent champion news

Champion News-in-Brief Strong Start to 2012 for Paris Smith’s Corporate Deals Team Paris Smith LLP’s Corporate team has closed a number of high profile deals during the first quarter of 2012 giving them a strong start to the year.

Sean Davies, Head of the Corporate Department commented, “Our strong corporate deals/ commercial partners and senior lawyers have seen their patience and hard work rewarded by a number of successful deal closures. It has been particularly satisfying for the firm to have worked with business owners and managers on these regional deals from our strong Southampton base”.

PRESTIGE & Capita Mentoring Scheme Capita Symonds Southampton launched their Community Pledge at the end of 2011 and, as part of their community and education programme, they wanted to work with local communities to transfer skills. Through an introduction by Business Solent; Capita and PRESTIGE Mentoring met to discuss how they could work together in the Southampton community. Facilitated by PRESTIGE, Capita began working with City College to pilot a six week mentoring scheme with a group of ten students on the City College Horizon programme who are studying the BTEC Level 1 Diploma in Business & IT. Liane Sheppard, Business Director at Capita Symonds said: “I have learnt a lot from working with the students and have seen their confidence increase over the 6 week period; the pilot was beneficial to both the students and us mentors and am looking forward to future programmes.”

Impact of the University of Southampton on London 2012 Highlighted in New Report The University of Southampton’s research is included in a new report showing the impact of universities’ research and sport development on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and UK sport generally. The report was released as part of Universities Week which aims to increase public awareness of the wide and varied role of the UK’s universities. The report, ‘Supporting a UK success story: The impact of university research and sport development’, highlights just some of the many ways in which research has helped Team GB limber up and prepare for London 2012.

Work Starts at Highcross’ Lakeside North Harbour Retail Hub Work is now underway on the new retail and lifestyle hub at Highcross’ landmark Lakeside North Harbour Business Park, in Portsmouth, after the contract was given to local construction company Warings. Two units, totalling 3,000 sq ft, have already been pre-let to The Southern Co-operative, which also has its headquarters at 1000 Lakeside, and will be used for a convenience store and florist. A further three of the planned seven units are currently under offer, to a dry cleaning business, hairdresser and cafe.

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Business Solent News

Shortlist Revealed for the Solent Champion of the Year Four organisations have made it to the shortlist for the Solent Champion of the Year category in the coveted South Coast Business Awards 2012.

Champion Manager Leigh-Sara Timberlake revealed the judging panel had faced some tough decisions because the calibre of entries was so high this year.

“It was really tough deciding who should go through to the shortlist but we are pleased with our decision.

“The final choice will clearly be difficult to make as they are all so deserving of recognition,” she said.

The shortlist includes: • Capita • City College Southampton • PSP • Southampton Hoteliers Association The Business Solent Champion of the Year Award recognises a business with a special commitment to the region.

Champions are the backbone of Business Solent and this award is designed to highlight an organisation that has shown the greatest commitment to the Business Solent ethos.

The worthy winner last year was Southampton based LHC – who specialise in architecture and urban design. Their support for the Future Southampton Group – through the chairmanship of Richard Summers – was second to none.

Judging this year will focus on a Champion’s

dedication to enhancing and promoting the Solent Region as a great place to work, invest, study, live and enjoy as well as their support for Business Solent in its role as a connector and enabler.

Simon Rhodes, Managing Partner for Headline Sponsor Trethowans, said as well as the new investment in the firm had been dramatically increasing its involvement in the community with sponsorship of individuals such as Southampton born Olympic diving hopeful Max Brick as well as award competitions such as the prestigious South Coast Business Awards. He said he is confident that the investment strategy is making the firm “future proof” and it would now ride the economic recovery better than rivals.

More Organisations Become Champions of the Solent Region Solent Champions represent a diverse cross-section of business and provide a powerful forum for debate, generating ideas and project initiatives for the benefit of the Solent region.

Could you be a Champion of the Solent region?

Find out how you can help to make the Solent region a world-class location in which to work, invest, study, live and enjoy, Contact Leigh-Sara Timberlake by emailing leigh@businesssolent.com or call 0844 225 3130.

We welcome the New Champions:

The Hampshire Connection

champion spotlight

Innovative Technology Business Has Really Taken Off It didn’t take Matt Hawkins long to realise his future lay in IT infrastructure rather than designing website pages for clients.

Back in 2001 he completely changed his business model to launch C4L, a Bournemouth based data centre, hosting and connectivity solutions provider, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Above: Matt Hawkins, Managing Director of C4L

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ver the decade the company has grown considerably, from being a one-man band he now employs 57 people, and has one of the UK’s largest privately owned networks that connects over 40 data centre locations across the UK and Netherlands.

C4L have been recognised by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 EMEA several years running, and this year they have been awarded regional winner of the HSBC Business Thinking initiative, to find the UK’s most innovative and forward-thinking companies.

Matt Hawkins comments “Web design was the starting point for me and it was my first chance to really own a business.

“I’d been interested in having my own business since I was a kid and I had a online businesses at university.

“I made the switch to web hosting because I realised it was scalable – and we recognised this is what customers are looking for” he said.

C4L is now one of the leading data centre and connectivity solution providers in the UK, with capacity for 1000 racks of colocation, a resilient multiple Terabit network with up to 100Gbps connectivity. C4L’s customers are organisations that rely on connectivity and data centre infrastructure to run their business critical applications and house their data. Essentially, C4L stores and protects data in its data centres and provides high speed internet and network connectivity.

Their goal is to provide exemplary reliability across all of their services, ranging from colocation and connectivity, to the newer cloud-based services such as virtual private servers, virtual data centres and elastic cloud computing. C4L has taken a very different approach to how it operates as a business and also how it has designed and scaled its network versus other providers. By being able to offer both connectivity and infrastructure to its customers, it can provide an all encompassing solution, disrupting the

Above: C4L are based at County Gates in Poole

C4L recently expanded their Bournemouth data centre, which is one of the largest facilities in the South West

market by being able to offer significantly lower costs.

The company has also recently expanded their Bournemouth data centre, which is one of the largest facilities in the South West, which Matt explained has recently been extended in order to keep up with increasing demand for the site.

“Since we’ve opened the site it has always had a high level of demand, and we filled phase one of the facility within six months of opening. The facility benefits from exceptionally low latency and excellent resilience as it’s connected to our private network, making it an ideal outside of London option”.

C4L have also designed in house their own cloud platform, Infiniserv, which enabled them to encompass all the best elements they had seen to date, and integrate the latest cutting edge features to the cloud services they offer. As well as Infiniserv, C4L offers its customers an alternative virtual data centre cloud solution that utilises, VMware vCloud Director.

Further to this, by utilising their existing highcapacity network they’ve also designed their own wireless solution, providing high speed connectivity to the region, and those areas that traditionally suffer from limited connectivity or are in ‘not spots’.

When Matt talks about their business wireless offering, his enthusiasm for the cutting edge technology is palpable.

“We focus on niche locations like Bournemouth, Southampton and central London to offer a superfast service.

“The larger players just can’t do this because they are covering the whole country and have millions of customers,” he said.

And C4L is helping to make the Isle of Wight more connected by working with Natural Enterprise, a not-for-profit organisation, to provide and guarantee high-speed internet to rural areas on the Isle of Wight as part of the Yarmouth Broadband project. Natural Enterprise can offer households and businesses in the Yarmouth area high-speed connections of up to three times more than previous speeds, allowing both home users and businesses a level of communication that was previously limited to urban areas.

C4L has become a Champion and Matt explained their reasoning behind getting involved in Business Solent.

“We are keen to work with local businesses and show them how they can save money and get the best possible service. The Solent region has enormous potential but its digital infrastructure needs to be world leading. Business Solent is a great way for us to interface with businesses across the region,” he said.

Facts & Figures Industry: IT Established: 2000 No. of Employees: 57

Business Solent News

7

Interview Keynote speaker Andrew Neil at the Business Solent Annual Conference

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Business Solent News

inTerview

When Andrew Neil Speaks...You Listen Keynote speaker andrew neil held the attention of the 350-strong audience of business leaders with a hard-hitting analysis of the economy and the rising value of talent.

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RAZOR sharp discourse on the current Euro woes, top tips for making the region fulfill its potential and a liberal sprinkling of name-dropping – these were just some of the highlights when keynote speaker Andrew Neil addressed the Business Solent Annual Conference. the publisher, broadcaster and presenter of the BBC2 Daily Politics Show held the 350-strong audience of business leaders from across the Solent region entranced as he shared his thoughts on what Britain can do to promote economic growth and the importance of talent as a commodity.

In a wide ranging speech that offered an informed picture of the current financial situation, he managed to lighten the mood on board Oriana with some impressive name-dropping (including President Reagan and Steve Jobs) and well judged anecdotes that underlined his position as a commentator of note.

The British economy has essentially flat lined since 2007 - and the problem we face is where will the growth come from in Britain when all the drivers of demand are weak?

“We are living in perilous times and everyone seems to think there will be a Euro break up. It is such a huge story and it will affect all the business we do.”

To promote growth in the economy, he said Britain should: • trade with parts of the world that are growing markets • Reconsider cutting the rate of Corporation tax • Cut the top rate of tax

Above: Andrew Neil with Business Solent Director Mike Smith on board P&O Cruises’ Oriana

Switching his focus to what the Solent region can do to ensure it is a magnet for inward investment, he said now was the age of “brain workers” not manual labour.

It was crucial to ensure education standards in the region were the best to create a talented workforce.

“You are not competing with Scunthorpe, you need to compare yourselves with Silicone Valley and Singapore.

“Business people can go any place in the world so you need to provide the kind of environment where people will want to come and live,” he said.

It was important for the region to be culturally vibrant and well connected in terms of transport and the digital age.

“I see a certain complacency in this country with too much back-slapping. My advice to you would be to get an independent audit done so you can clearly see what needs to be improved,” he said. talent will be the currency of the future and it was important for business to establish themselves as a GPtW – a Great Place to Work.

And he warned if businesses don’t brand properly to be distinct, they run the risk of becoming extinct.

“You need to spend time on talent. Increasingly we are leveraging the brains of our people and trading in talented people. “talent is the brand,” he said.

Compére for the Annual Conference Gareth Lewis gave this introduction to Andrew Neil – and here’s what he had to say in reply...

Gareth: “He’s one of the most feared political interviewers in the land but today you get to put the questions to him.

“Andrew Neil’s CV reads like a roll call of heavyweight UK journalism, with stints at the helm of the Sunday times and the Spectator as well as chairman of SKY tV for its launch. “today amongst a host of global media and business interests, he is most familiar as the sharp witted and sharper tongued host of this Week and the Daily Politics, where he revels in roasting all political classes.

“Please welcome Journalist, author, presenter, publisher, chairman, editor, broadcaster and close personal friend of Rupert Murdoch.”

Andrew Neil: “thanks for that introduction Gareth – my father would have liked it and my mother would have believed it.”

Above: Audience enjoy economy insight by Andrew Neil

Main Picture: Business Entreprenuer and ‘Dragon’, theo Paphitis Business Solent News

9

lOCal enTerprise parTnersHips

Business Leaders Gain Insight Into Local Enterprise Partnerships representatives from four local enterprise partnerships (leps) had the chance to address business leaders from across the region at the recent Business solent annual Conference.

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OUNCILLOR Seán Woodward from the Solent LEP gave an update on progress so far and outlined the importance of the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus. the aim is to create an international centre for the marine, aviation and aerospace sectors to create 3,500 jobs on site by 2026.

Benefits for business will include: • Access to superfast broadband • Simplified planning • Business rate relief • Extra funding the LEP can attract to the site Iain Shepherd, Chairman of the Coast to Capital Marine Group explained it included a five area partnership encompassing Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership inc Lewes District Council; Croydon Development and Cultural Partnership,

Coastal West Sussex Partnership, Rural West Sussex Partnership and Gatwick Diamond including four Surrey districts. their vision is to create 100,000 jobs in 25 years.

Following an extensive evaluation process, the Coast to Capital Board has allocated £14 million to five projects which have a total value in excess of £173m and will potentially provide 2,000 jobs.

Gordon Page, Chairman of Dorset LEP said their vision was to make Dorset the natural place to do business by making the county competitive, talented, connected and responsive.

While Geoff French from Enterprise M3 said their key priorities were to: • Accelerate development using Government funding and then re-invest in infrastructure improvements • Develop a skilled workforce for business

• Help business access finance and support • Foster a culture of entrepreneurship • Lobby for regulatory changes to create a business friendly environment Sally Lynskey, CEO of Business Solent, said she looked forward to working with the LEPs.

A developing role will be to serve and support the region’s LEPs with a Champion programme that guarantees business engagement through existing Action Groups and initiatives.

Enterprise M3

Some facts and figures from the Enterprise M3 area: • 86,000 businesses • One fifth of the South East employees live in the area • The area currently contributes £73.4bn total turnover to the UK economy Website: www.enterprisem3.org.uk

Coast to Capital

Encouraging international growth and entrepreneurship is at the heart of the LEPs strategy.

Website: www.coast2capital.org.uk

Dorset LEP

Has adopted the Row, Steer, Cheer analogy: • Row – directly deliver or contract to make things happen • Steer – provide leadership to help move an issue on • Cheer – support and celebrate others efforts Website: www.dorsetlep.co.uk

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Solent LEP

the five priorities are: • Enterprise • Infrastructure • Inward investment • Skills for Growth • Strategic sectors Website: www.solentlep.org.uk

Sustainability Case Study

Linden Homes Launches Sustainability Drive with Linden Homes Foundation Leading housebuilder and Solent Champion, Linden Homes, have recently launched a new sustainability drive designed to support the local community, the people living there and the local environment.

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Above: Matt Paine, Managing Director of Linden Homes Southern

he Linden Homes Foundation has been created by the company to ensure the wider benefits of its developments can be felt through the communities in which it works.

To mark the launch, the team in Totton, have been working with the Friends of Waltham Wildlife to help support the local swift population. The swifts were a popular sight in the Bishops Waltham area for many years; however their numbers have declined to as few as 10 breeding pairs due to a lack of suitable nesting sites.

Friends of Waltham Wildlife asked Linden Homes Southern to help with the purchase of a specialist woodcrete nesting box to help encourage the swifts to breed. Linden Homes Southern instead donated £365 to cover the cost of five of the durable nesting boxes.

Through the Foundation, the company pledges to invest time and money in an array of local activities whose benefits could be felt even before plans are drawn up, and beyond when the last property is sold.

By offering assistance in three key areas: people and customers; environment and sustainability;

and communities, Linden Homes is taking a national lead in pushing for sensitive and sustainable development that goes beyond traditional attitudes.

The Foundation will encourage its own employees, as well as, contractors and local people to get involved and underpin Linden Homes’ commitment to bring wider benefits to the places where it secures new housing.

For example, apprenticeships will be offered to local youngsters to leave a legacy of skills once the builders have left, old habitats reinvigorated to attract back wildlife, and organisations given a helping hand to grow and thrive.

Matt Paine, Managing Director of Linden Homes Southern said:

Among the greatest challenges we face as a business is to ensure our developments have wide reaching benefits which can be felt long after the homes we build have been sold.

That’s why we’ve launched a formal commitment under the Linden Homes Foundation banner, which demonstrates our commitment to our own employees, local people, our customers and the environment.

The Linden Homes Foundation projects will be publicised via the website www.lindenhomes. co.uk/thefoundation to demonstrate its progress around the country and show how central the philosophy is to Linden Homes.

Sustainable Solent Business Solent recently launched the Sustainable Solent Action Group chaired by James Cretney, Chief Executive at Marwell Wildlife. The group aims to promote a holistic sustainable business model for the region which will support business growth while improving quality of life and enhancing the natural environment within the Solent region. The forum will also deliver events, services, and sign-posting that enables Solent Champions to quickly and easily improve their understanding of, and engagement in, these issues for the benefit of their business.

To find out more about the Sustainable Solent Action Group or to tell us about your organisation’s sustainability initiatives call 0844 225 3130 or email info@businesssolent.com Above: Linden Homes Foundation have been working to help support local swift populations

Business Solent News 11

action group update

Above left to right: Adam Wheeler co-chair of SIBN, Sally Lynskey, CEO and Philip Warr, Chairman of Business Solent and Sampuran Singh, Director from SIBN

Business Solent and Solent India Business Network Join Forces Business Solent and the Solent India Business Network (SIBN) are joining forces to promote opportunities for trade.

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ith India establishing itself as a major emerging economy, it is crucial export opportunities are explored through a new accord drawn up between Business Solent and SIBN. Provost of University of Southampton and Chairman of SIBN, Professor Adam Wheeler, explained members of both organisations will have access to each others events and there will be opportunities for sharing ideas on developing stronger trade links.

“We are announcing a partnership between the two organisations that will allow us to share networks, knowledge and know-how.

“At our event in July we will be looking at Entering the Indian Market and we will welcome a delegation from Pune to Southampton later in the year,” he said.

Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, said: “I have been very impressed with the professionalism and success of SIBN, in their commitment to promote trade relations between this part of Hampshire and India.

“Their trade delegation to Pune is an excellent example of the drive to forge bilateral relations and partnerships and I am in no doubt they will go from strength to strength.

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Above: Amarjit Singh co-chair of SIBN signing Landmark Trade Promotion Agreement in India

“When the issue of British relations with India was debated in Parliament at the start of the year it was a privilege to be able to point to such a successful organisation, based in the Solent region but undoubtedly with the capacity to extend its reach.”

Champions and Associates of Business Solent are now automatically recognised as Solent India

Champions. This means that all Champions have access to SIBN’s activities including events, trade missions and news.

For more information about the Solent India Business Network email SIBN@businesssolent.com or visit www.sibn.co.uk.

action group update

Future Southampton Group Provide Input into Master Plan Investors and developers descended on Southampton in March for a major sell out conference showcasing multibillion pound opportunities in the city.

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ore than 400 delegates drawn from across the UK and including major names in retail, commercial and property development attended the event at St Mary’s Stadium organised by Business Solent in conjunction with Southampton City Council and Capita.

More than 24,000 new jobs and £3billion of new investment in the city are planned over the next 25 years as part of the new plans for Southampton city centre.

Keynote speaker was international business entrepreneur, and Chairman of Boux Avenue Lingerie and Ryman Stationary, Theo Paphitis and he gave his full backing to the Master Plan.

“The Master Plan is all about generating investment, jobs and growth for the city of Southampton and that’s exactly what it will do.

“If a city doesn’t have a plan like this, there’s no question in my mind that it will suffer like the proverbial high street. It’s important you have investment in a city centre and you drive the people where you want them to be – if you don’t they will move away,” he said.

Since the successful launch, the Future Southampton Group (FSG) continues to engage in and support Southampton City Council with the implementation of the Southampton City Centre Master Plan and have recently put together a

Above: Entreprenuer and ‘Dragon’ Theo Paphitis gave his backing at the launch of Southampton’s City Centre Master Plan in March

comprehensive response to the Master Plan as part of the public consultation process.

The consultation document, produced by Peter Hine a member of FSG, gave the views and inputs on all aspects of the Master Plan and Core Strategy Partial Review on behalf of Business Solent and FSG. If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the consultation response document please email info@businesssolent.com

Business Solent Helps with Dressing the City for the busy Summer Months Working with Southampton City Council and match funded by Southampton Connect, Business Solent through the Olympics Legacy Board and Marketing Southampton, are able to help dress the city of Southampton during the busy Summer and Autumn months in the city.

The Southampton Campaign aims to showcase what the city offers under various themes such as history, art, education and waterfront and 22 images in total will be used on the 132 lamp column banners that will line the main streets of the city. These banners were offered for sponsorship at highly discounted rates due to the match funding received and will be visable when the city welcomes major events from July, including Sky Ride Southampton, P&O Cruises’ Grand Event, the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, the end of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the PSP Southampton Boat Show.

A range of Champions and local organisations have sponsored the campaign which visually depicts the city’s assets and the supporting logo’s to thousands upon thousands of footfall and motorists from visitors, residents and businesses.

Southampton Web Portal Project Underway Following a successful bid for £80,000 of funding earlier in the year to spend on improving the city’s digital image, the Marketing Southampton Alliance has got the wheels in motion to produce a new single web portal for the city. A Project Manager and Intern Support have been committed by Southampton Solent University to provide the necessary support and the tendering process is underway with the preferred developer(s) to be appointed shortly.

The new web portal will promote Southampton as a great place to live, learn, visit and do business as well as promoting ‘Future Southampton’ by explaining how Southampton will undergo a significant and ambitious transformation over the next 20 years. The new portal is being launched later in 2012.

Southampton Connect Partnership Volunteer Alliance In recognition of this momentous year for the Queen’s Jubilee, the Southampton Connect Partnership Volunteer Alliance (made up of representatives from Southampton Voluntary Services, Southampton City Council, Business in the Community, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Solent Skills Development Zone, Community Impact and Business Solent) is launching the search for a Diamond Volunteer.

We want to recognise and celebrate any person who has been a volunteer for 60 years.

The majority of their volunteering must have taken place in Southampton and all of it must be within the UK. The Mayor launched the search on the 7th June and nominations can be made over the following 60 days.

“The Diamond Volunteer award is a way for us to recognise those few and very special people who have given their time to volunteering and providing services for their Communities.” Jo Ash, Chief Executive, Southampton Voluntary Services.

Business Solent encourages employers in Southampton to nominate staff that they feel should be recognised for this award. To find out more about the Diamond Volunteer Award or to nominate someone visit www.southamptonvs.org.uk or telephone 023 80 228291.

To find out more about volunteering in Southampton and how you can get involved contact Southampton Voluntary Services or for regional volunteering opportunities visit www.do-it.org.uk.

Business Solent News 13

in mY view

Connecting Business Leaders in the West Region

By Geoff Paterson Area Director – West Region, Business Solent

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eoff Paterson is helping to raise the profile of Business Solent in Dorset by promoting the benefits to businesses in the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch area.

With a wealth of experience behind him, he is keen to break down the perceived ‘barriers’ and encourage trade across and beyond the South Central region.

“When AFC Bournemouth received their plaque as a new Champion joining Business Solent, it was a significant moment.

Naturally I was proud to see them join the list of businesses and organisations that have joined together under the Business Solent banner to promote the South Central region as a great place to live, work and study. the club is at the heart of the community – it exists because the town rallied round to save it and it is an important player in the local business scene.

AFC Bournemouth joins a growing list of Dorset based businesses such as Adido, C4L, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Green House Hotel, Lester Aldridge and terence O’Rourke as well as larger firms like De Vere, Hays, Morgan Sindall Investments, RSM tenon, Savills and several banks that have signed up to the Champion programme.

As Area Director for the West region incorporating Dorset and South Wiltshire, it is my aim to swell the number of businesses becoming Champions and I strongly believe there are tangible benefits to be had from promoting the region as a whole.

I have strong business ties with this region, having studied for a BSc degree in Portsmouth, my first job was in Bournemouth with a leading telecoms plc whose largest regional customer was Hamworthy Engineering in its heyday.

Bournemouth Pier and beach during the Bournemouth Air Show in 2011. Image courtesy of Mawgan Pengelly

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Above: Geoff Paterson, Area Director - West Region, Business Solent.

And more recently I was CEO of a manufacturing company based in Chichester so I have a good understanding of the business opportunities and challenges across the region.

My wife and I have brought up a family locally and my three daughters went to school in Bournemouth.

Going round talking to business people in the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch area it seems there are established networks for small, local organisations but very little for the larger companies and those seeking growth outside our local and regional boundaries.

And that’s where Business Solent can help by bringing business leaders together and

encouraging them to look eastwards and outside the region for more opportunities to do business and prosper.

I am in discussions with a number of organisations that I hope will join us as Champions and Associate Champions and we are really keen to work with the Dorset LEP as it rolls out its plans to create a more competitive, talented, connected and responsive Dorset.

We would like to work with existing business organisations and a good example of this is our collaboration with the Institute of Directors in both Hampshire and Dorset. By working together we can achieve more with our shared networks and as a result have stronger outcomes.

We will be supporting existing initiatives in vertical markets such as the marine sector and seeking to establish Action Groups along the lines of those already working successfully in other parts of the region, for example in the digital sector where Dorset companies have considerable expertise and could benefit from further help in expanding outside the region.

And we are also keen to explore the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda locally and how we can help businesses to benefit from giving something back to their community.

Going round listening to businesses I am struck by the fact there is no shortage of opportunities where Business Solent could get involved and add value.

And I look forward to welcoming more organisations like AFC Bournemouth in the coming months.”

For further information about Business Solent in the Dorset region, please contact Geoff Paterson on 077 5358 4978 or email Geoff@businesssolent.com

Upcoming Business Solent Events For more information on any of the events below, please contact the events team: email events@businesssolent.com call 023 8068 2520 or visit www.businesssolent.com

Please note that events have limited availability and are subject to possible change.

Directors Forum

solent innovation 2012

Wednesday 4th July, 6:30pm – 10pm, Mercure Southampton Centre Dolphin Hotel Exclusive black-tie dinner for Champions and guests.

Friday 20th July, 8:30 – 3:00pm Eastpoint Centre, Southampton Innovation Conference in association with Business & University Partnerships and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.

south Coast Business awards 2012

meet Business solent

Friday 6th July, 6:45pm – late, De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel Black-tie awards ceremony for the South Coast Business Awards in association with the Southern Daily Echo and Destination Southampton.

Wednesday 5th September, 5pm – 7pm, St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton An opportunity to meet the team and find out about the work of Business Solent.

working lunch

Wednesday 12th September, 5pm – 7pm, Yuzu Lounge Bar, Southampton Informal networking evening for Associates, Champions and guests.

Tuesday 10th July, 12noon – 2:30pm, Kuti’s Royal Thai Pier Working Lunch addressing a key business issue in the Solent region, with the theme “Rethinking Energy for Business”.

informal networking evening

informal networking evening

Champion Breakfast Briefing at the psp southampton Boat show

Wednesday 11th July, 5pm – 7pm, Yuzu Lounge Bar, Southampton Informal networking evening for Associates, Champions and guests.

Wednesday 19th September, 7:45am – 10am, Mariners Restaurant, PSP Southampton Boat Show Champion briefing focusing on the maritime sector in the Solent region.

Champion Breakfast Briefing

informal networking evening

Wednesday 18th July, 7:45am – 9:30am, The Hub, City College Southampton Champion breakfast briefing focusing on the education sector in the Solent region.

Wednesday 26th September, 5pm – 7pm, The Cromwell Arms, Romsey Informal networking evening for Associates, Champions and guests.

Business Solent events are organised

by Destination Southampton, the city’s official conference bureau.

Contact: Shirley, Hannah or Charlotte about any of our upcoming events on

023 8068 2520 working lunch Thursday 27th September, 12noon – 2:30pm, Kuti’s Royal Thai Pier Working Lunch addressing a key business issue in the Solent region.

south Coast Business works exhibition Tuesday 2nd October, 11am – 4pm, De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton A business to business exhibition organised by the Southern Daily Echo in association with Business Solent.

Business Solent News 15

champions of the Solent Region