Innovation is key
by George Fleming, president of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce
D
erry is blessed with some of Northern Ireland’ s most entrepreneurial and innovative companies. The annual business awards from the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce and the City Centre Initiative have recognised some of the best examples of these, including in recent years AE Global, Learning Pool and Airporter.
My priority in my year as President of the Londonderry Chamber is to promote the spirit of enterprise even more. But enterprise doesn’ t just happen.
New businesses evolve through a process that will typically include an idea, confidence, skills, finance, premises, market access – and also often rather a lot of mentoring from people who have been there and done it.
The ingredients of a successful company are a lot more than the glib economic text book references to‘ land, labour, capital and enterprise’.
Our Chamber of Commerce understands what new businesses need – but also what we need to do to help build our local economy.
Consequently, when the Chamber recently moved into new city centre premises we included within our offices an‘ Innovation Hub’, providing incubation space for young companies.
We have done this in conjunction with our landlords, the Inner City Trust itself a not for profit business that helps regenerate not only the physical aspects of Derry, but also its social and economic heart.
Helen Quigley, the chief executive of the Inner City Trust, says that support for the Innovation Hub is just part of its commitment to strengthening the local economy.
“ Down through the years, the Inner City Trust has consistently helped small businesses in the city by putting infrastructure in place to support growth,” she explains.
“ In conjunction with Derry City and Strabane District Council, we also offer a wraparound service for resident designers in the fashion and textile centre and incubation space to young creatives.
“ Similarly, the Innovation Hub is the latest venture partnership with Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. By providing space and creating a user friendly environment, we will encourage individuals to test ideas, develop them and hopefully bring them to fruition.
“ We aim to nurture creativity and to build confidence by putting the necessary measures in place to stimulate development. For so many entrepreneurs, there is a very fine line between success and failure. We seek to narrow that gap, to ensure people with good ideas are not deterred from‘ having a go’ or trying again.
“ Working in partnership with the Chamber extends the Trust’ s reach across business sectors and to people of all ages.
“ Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy and the Innovation Hub will offer a supportive and confidential space for creativity to flourish and ideas to become reality.”
The first occupant of the Innovation Hub is a young startup provider of mobile apps, Scattr.“ Scattr works like pass the parcel on the mobile phone,” explains one of its app developers, Luke Harkin.
“ Businesses promote themselves by giving away chances to win something from them – which can be, for example, meals, activity sessions or gift vouchers.
“ But first the users have to watch the business’ s ten seconds ad. Win or lose, the user can then pass on the chance to win to their friends they think will be interested.”
The business’ s marketing executive Eimear Gillen adds:“ Scattr encompasses viral, targeted marketing through a highly engaging advertising platform.
“ What makes Scattr unique is that it’ s free for users to join and engage with their favourite brands.
“ For businesses, it’ s a fresh idea, a different approach and a new avenue that enables them to promote themselves to new and existing customers.”
In Scattr’ s first half year of trading, it signedup more than 50 registered businesses, played more than 360 hours of ten seconds ads to punters, who between them won 264 prizes.
Registered businesses include many of Derry’ s largest consumerfacing companies. With much of that local sector signedup, helped by Chamber contacts, Scattr is now expanding its reach across the whole of Ireland and the UK.
All five staff at Scattr are under 25 and engaged in their first business venture.
“ It’ s important for us to take risks ourselves, we’ re learning and you need to try things out to know what works,” explains Scattr CEO Megan Canavan.
“ It’ s been a huge advantage having the Chamber there when we need an extra bit of advice”.
But the Innovation Hub is just one example of the Chamber’ s focus on entrepreneurship.
We also have a monthly Entrepreneurship in Action programme, through which Chamber members visit our most successful local businesses.
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Our Chamber of Commerce remains focused on our core purpose, which is to provide services to our members. But through our activities to promote entrepreneurship we are helping to create a new generation of enterprises and businesses.
The leaders of these companies are happy to pass on what they have learnt, sharing knowledge, expertise and tips to younger firms.
These are local businesses that started small but have grown large – Learning Pool, Airporter, AE Global and my own firm Fleming Agri have all hosted visits. Businesses that have attended the events have described them as inspirational, with every visit fully booked.
The North West Regional College and Ulster University’ s Magee campus are also actively engaged with the Entrepreneurship in Action programme in conjunction with the Chamber by providing training and education to support and develop local businesses. Our Chamber of Commerce remains focused on our core purpose, which is to provide services to our members. But through our activities to promote entrepreneurship we are helping to create a new generation of enterprises and businesses.
That will boost economic activity in the city and region, strengthening all local firms and other stakeholders. If it also produces a new generation of Chamber members, then that is an added, welcome, bonus.
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