County Wexford Chamber Annual Report 2021

Annual Report 2020 - 2021

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Contents

Members and Corporate Partners Presidents Message Deputy CEO Message Chamber Board Chamber Team Chamber Stats

Events & Courses Lobbying In the Media Business Promotion Inside Wexford Business Shop Local Vouchers International Trade Services Membership Wexford Chamber Skillnet Our Mission Financial Statement

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Thank you to all our Members and Corporate Sponsors The County Wexford Chamber is incredibly grateful to members who continue to support us and to the many companies that sponsor the various events and initiatives organised by the Chamber during the year.

President’s Message

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

It gives me great pleasure to give my report following my period as President from 2nd of July 2020 to 23rd of September 2021.

Firstly I want to thank most sincerely all the board members past & present and all the staff for their commitment and efforts to progress this important project.

The County Wexford Chamber concept was developed and progressed by varies members of District Chambers with the help of Wexford County Council, those members through their many years of experience with District Chambers had the foresight firstly to identify the requirement for a larger more powerful organisation to represent businesses and secondly they had the commitment to make this a reality. While setting up County Wexford Chamber it was very much to the fore that no district or members supports or representation would be diminished in any way and I am happy this is being achieved alongside the benefits of being represented and supported by a much bigger and more powerful organisation.

The board of County Wexford Chamber are selected and nominated from each district; they are selected on the merits of their long and diverse business experience to enable the board develop a progressive strategy and programme to best serve our members. An important part of this process is to continually engage and communicate with members and non-members to ascertain important issues and subject matter to include in our offering to our members.

As we emerge from COVID we will have more interaction with our members which I am looking forward to. I want to thank our members for their very valuable support and a special thank you to the district committee’s and representatives for their support. I want to wish all concerned, in particular my successor the very best for the future.

Willie Fitzharris President of County Wexford Chamber

Chamber President Willie Fitzharris

Deputy CEO’s Message

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Over the past year we have been living in unprecedent times whilst spending majority of our time on Zoom calls. Covid certainly has thought us to be grateful for the small things in life.

I firstly want to thank the Business Community, the commitment and resilience shown through this pandemic has been remarkable and thank you to the Businesses who have stuck with us during these tough times.

Networking and connecting people are at the core of what we do, from Business After Hours to our Annual Golf Classic, Presidents Lunch, Informative Lunch Briefings, Christmas Lunch and much more, we are certainly leading the way in terms of hosting events post covid. Of course, the safety of our attendees is our priority, and we have full policies in place in that regard.

County Wexford Chamber is determined to add value for Members be it through Promotion, Informative Briefings, Certificates of Origin, Lobbying, while also focusing on training and development. County Wexford Chamber Skillnet continue to grow their offering and support for industry through their various programmes and through their customised, subsidised training across a broad range of disciplines.

The Shop Local Vouchers have been a big priority for us over the past number of months. I ask ahead of the Holiday season if you are considering bonuses or rewards to your staff, make a conscious effort to purchase a County Wexford Shop Local Voucher, ensuring that money will stay in the local economy and protect local jobs in these extremely difficult times. I cannot stress enough how the Business Community needs your support and this is just one way you can make a difference.

I would like to thank my own team for their hard work over the past year, they continued to provide our services over lockdown and the commitment to the Chamber and the wider business community was exceptional. I would also like to acknowledge our outgoing President Willie Fitzharris who has worked tirelessly and been great support to me over the past year and I wish you the very best of luck for the future.

We will steadfastly continue to lobby on behalf of the Businesses across County Wexford and ensure that County Wexford will continue to be a vibrant location to live, work and play.

Kind Regards, Emma Dunphy Deputy CEO

Deputy CEO Emma Dunphy

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Chamber Board

Vice President Brendan Crowley

Mary Browne

Lorcan Kinsella

Trudy Ryan

John Nolan

Bernard Doyle

Chamber President Willie Fitzharris

Karl Fitzpatrick

Robert Millar

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Chamber Team

Susan Neville Skillnet Network Manager

Denise Farrell Events Co-ordinator

Anne Dwyer Accounts

Deputy CEO Emma Dunphy

Aoife Connick Skillnet Network Administrator

Jacinta Fortune Manager Gorey Visitor Centre

Eimear Crosby Office Administrator

Chamber Stats

Networking & Training events

Chamber Members

Social Media Followers

Website visitors

Subscribers to our e-newsletter

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Magazine readership rate

Vouchers sold in 2020

Participants in the County Wexford Chamber Shop Local Vouchers scheme

Export Documents issued

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Events & Courses

Annual Golf Classic Business After

Events & Courses

Each year the Chamber hosts over 150 events that provide a platform for Members to extend their business networks, meet fellow Members, place their business in the spotlight with event collaboration or sponsorship.

Featured Events ➢ Annual Golf Classic ➢ B2B Networking Meetings ➢ Business After Hours ➢ Budget Breakfast ➢ Covid-19 Debt Warehousing with Revenue ➢ Employment Law Briefing: Returning to Work ➢ Southeast Chambers connect

Hours

B2B Networking Meeting

Annual Golf Classic

Lobbying

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Locally, Nationally & Internationally

We are a lobbying organisation that lobby locally, nationally, and internationally to address any issues that businesses across County Wexford are facing.

Examples of Issues Lobbied:

Minister English & Duncan Graham Briefing

➢ Town Centre First Strategy

➢ Business Community Survey ➢ NBI for Broadband Services ➢ Briefing with Minister Damien English ➢ Extension of the Small Benefits Exemption scheme

➢ Recommendations for Budget 2022

Briefing with EirGrid

In the Media

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

We continue to be a regular commentator in the local and national media, print and radio on a range of businessrelated issues. We make every effort to ensure that member’s views are heard locally and nationally throughout the year. We would like to thank both local and national media for their ongoing support.

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Business Promotion

Social Media Followers

Website visitors

Subscribers to our e-newsletter

Sponsorship – We provide members with a unique platform to promote their businesses through sponsorship or hosting events such as our Business Awards, After Hours, Annual Golf Classic and much more. We build our events’ programme around the businesses who come on board, which places them in the driving seat of helping to set the agenda of our event schedule. As a sponsor, you benefit from the increased profile for your business, speaking opportunities, local and national media coverage and credibility of partnering with County Wexford Chamber.

Business Promotion

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Social Media – Let us help you spread your message. We have over 17,000 social media followers, so make sure to tag County Wexford Chamber and we will share your tweets/posts.

Business Listing on Chamber Website – As a member of County Wexford Chamber, your business is profiled in the Members Directory on our website with a link to your website and social media platforms. Our Members news section highlights your news and achievements.

Newsletter – All new members are introduced to our member network through the Chamber enewsletter which is distributed every Friday to both the key contacts in our member network as well as the local business community. Keep up to date with the latest business and economic news and events, both locally and nationally, through our e-newsletter. Members have opportunity to advertise twice a month in our newsletter for free.

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Inside Wexford Business

Magazine readership rate

This year we were proud to launch our first edition of ‘Inside Wexford Business’ in June which was published in a physical copy and online. A copy of Inside Wexford Business was distributed to all County Wexford Chamber Members, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision makers across county Wexford. This was another benefit that we offered to our members to promote their business across County Wexford and beyond.

A special thanks to our Sponsors and content creators Baker Tilly, Blacknight Solutions, Chambers Ireland, Dulann, E.W. Levingstone & Co, EcoMerit, Rosslare Europort, Hipwell Solicitors, Kent Stainless, Local Enterprise Office , O’Leary Financial, Management Limited, PwC, The IT Department, Think Business Solutions, Vodafone, Waterford and Wexford Educational Training Board (WWETB), Wexford Bus, Wexford Chamber Skillnet , Wexford Credit Union , Wexford Home Preserves, Wexford Local Development & Zurich

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Shop Local Vouchers

Vouchers sold in 2020

Participants in the County Wexford Chamber Shop Local Vouchers scheme

In October 2020, we launched the new County Wexford Shop Local vouchers. This initiative was created to encourage local spending and protect the local economy. Every euro spent locally has a multiplier effect that benefits the local economy, which in turn means supporting local jobs and the livelihoods of many in our towns.

International Trade Services

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Export Documents issued

Certificates of Origin We are officially authorised by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Chambers Ireland to issue and certify Certificates of Origin to a wide range of businesses across County Wexford.

A Certificate of Origin is a document attesting those goods in a particular export shipment are wholly obtained or produced or manufactured or processed in a particular country.

County Wexford Chamber offers an online facility at www.ecert.com.

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Membership

Chamber Members We aim to deliver an unrivalled range of services and benefits to all of our members, all aimed at boosting your bottom line. The Chamber Team is committed to working for and with its members to focus on the end result.

Events

Business Promotion

Training & Support

Networking Opportunities

Lobbying

Sponsorship Advertising Opportunities Opportunities

Wexford Chamber Skillnet

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Wexford Chamber Skillnet has been supporting and promoting workforce development throughout Co. Wexford since 2015. As part of the Skillnet Ireland network, we strive to support local businesses and organisations through innovative and enterprise driven people development. We work across many sectors including healthcare, retail, hospitality, financial, food processing and manufacturing and help develop training solutions to prepare businesses and workers for the future of work. We are committed to supporting the training and development needs of businesses and organisations throughout Co. Wexford. We work with local and national training providers, third level institutions and professional training bodies.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought many challenges in 2020, many of which will continue for years to come. Training programmes came to a halt in March and swift action was needed to continue in a format that was safe and effective. Training activities went online and Wexford Chamber Skillnet succeeded in delivering 76 events or programmes to 141 organisations. We can adapt our provision and programmes quickly to environmental and business needs. We provided Covid-19 Compliance training, Cyber Security and Infection Prevention and Control for our members. We looked to areas badly hit by the Pandemic and provided Employee Wellness programmes for the Nursing Home and Childcare sectors. We collaborated with the Irish Hospice Foundation and with local health specialists to deliver bespoke training programmes to Nursing Homes throughout Co. Wexford.

2021 is proving to be a very busy and challenging year for Co. Wexford but many businesses and organisations are engaging with development of talent and skills. We expect 175 companies to invest in training programmes and avail of Skillnet funding up to 30% of training costs either through open or inhouse programmes. Based of member feedback and regional research, we provide open programmes to help develop skills and we also support a more targeted approach with tailored programmes to meet organisational needs. As conditions start to get back to normal, we continue to coordinate training that is delivered both online and face to face. We will continue to look at new issues coming our way such as climate change and sustainability and provide support to help business meet those challenges.

We encourage members to contact us to discuss training needs and challenges. It is crucial for the success of SMEs and organisations to focus on talent through learning and development. The future, although challenging, offers opportunity to transform and grow and for those within the workforce, the opportunity to build new skills.

Our Mission Our mission is to support the growth and development of our member companies through relevant representation, networking, and service provision. We will continue to be the voice of businesses in County Wexford, creating an environment that is conducive to the creation of wealth and employment.

Our job is to give businesses a voice, promote growth and economic development within County Wexford by representing, informing, supporting, educating, and training members.

Our aim is to make County Wexford a better place to do business by championing County Wexford in everything we do, by always being aware of our talents and skills to take advantage of opportunities. By providing businesses with contracts, referrals, training, and lobbying representation. We believe that County Wexford businesses should have a voice to influence and drive the local agenda.

County Wexford chamber Annual Report 2021

Financial Statement

County Wexford Chamber of Industry & Commerce (A Company Limited by Guarantee and not having Share Capital) Income statement (continued) Financial year ended 31 December 2020 2020 Note Income

Expenditure

€ 317,033

Excess of Income over Expenditure

(294,531) _______ 22,502

Surplus before taxation

_______ 22,502

Tax on surplus Surplus for the financial year

_______ 22,502 _______