A message from the Essex Chambers of Commerce Events Team

join us in the stunning Palladium show lounge to enjoy a fabulous four-course lunch and hear everything about Ambassador Cruise Line bring you a fantastic programme of events.

Last year saw the appointment of our new Head of Events, Marketing & Communications - Kris Wilson. Kris joins the Events Team from our very own International Trade Department and has been a highly valued and respected member of staff for a number of years. With Kris at the helm, you can guarantee our events will go from strength to strength.

2022 welcomed the muchanticipated return to physical events. The year feels like a blur now but it was fantastic to be back amongst the Essex business community enjoying face-to-face networking at a variety of wonderful venues and businesses across the county.

We wanted to come back with a bang, so in April 2022 we hosted our first Festival of Business. The Festival was not only a first for us but also for the County – and it was a resounding success. Showcasing the incredible variety and resilience of the Essex business landscape, more than 80 companies and organisations exhibited and took part, truly bringing the business community together to celebrate the diversity of talent in Essex. We were joined by Levi Roots, Mark Foster, Cephas Williams, the Wilkin & Sons double-decker Tiptree Cream Tea Bus and we had displays from the Essex Police Dog Unit. To date, this was the biggest event the Chambers has ever undertaken and we are immensely proud of what was achieved.

September 5 2023 sees the return of the Festival to the magnificent Hylands House in Chelmsford for the second year running. We will be doing things slightly differently with lots of exciting announcements that will reveal how we will be celebrating this year’s theme – A Changing World. The day will explore ways in which you can adapt your business to survive in the current changing landscape. We will be looking at the core issues facing business and offer practical advice on ways to combat these, including sustainability, climate and resource constraints, employee wellbeing and recruitment and societal trends. Visit www. festivalofbusiness.co.uk to register your interest. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to be a part of something really special.

Our events programme is already off to a brilliant start as we ‘kicked off’ January 2023 with a fantastic evening at the beautiful Stock Brook Manor where we relished hearing from football legends Clive Allen and Ossie Ardiles. We were joined by our valued member Tottenham Hotspur, sponsors Galliard Homes and distinguished guests as the Tottenham superstars regaled everyone with tales from their glory days at the club. Hosted brilliantly by Sadie Nine from BBC Essex, guests enjoyed networking and a threecourse dinner before the main event. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for making the evening truly spectacular.

On January 24 we held our first Big Business Networking event of the year at the beautiful Braxted Park. We were joined by Maldon District Council and other partner organisations who shared details of the support they offer to businesses. Alex Rayner, CEO at Braxted Park, entertained guests with stories of the history of the estate. We were also joined by our own CEO, Denise Rossiter, and Head of International Trade, Jane Rose, who updated attendees on current Chambers projects and services.

We will be returning to the district with our final Big Business Networking event on March 2 at the Plume Academy in Maldon.

March also sees two events exclusive to members:

• Ambassador Cruise Networking Tour March 9 - an extra special networking event aboard the luxury liner, Ambience. After exploring the ship on this exclusive tour,

• Radio Essex Networking March 30 - as well as networking, there will be the opportunity to meet some of the presenters and enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the studios to see where the magic happens. Learn how it all works and unleash your inner DJ.

Tradition is extremely important to us here at Essex Chambers and we are thrilled to be bringing back the Whitebait Festival to the Cliffs Pavilion in September. This quirky historic event has been given a new lease of life and we are pleased we will be joined by the Rev Richard Coles to officiate.

As well as our physical events, we will be continuing with our popular virtual networking programme and webinars giving helpful expertise on a range of topics. We hope this gives you a taste of the exciting things to come this year and that we see you at one of our events very soon.