BUSINESS REVIEW OF THE YEAR
SWINDON CHAMBER REVIEWS THE YEAR THAT WAS 2021
Tim Major is the Account Manager for the Swindon Chamber of Commerce , part of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group . The Chamber works to deliver tailored support to businesses across the region .
Here , Tim looks back at 2021 , makes his predictions for the year ahead and also considers the future of networking events as we all look towards brighter times .
“ Local businesses have had to overcome many challenges since the start of the pandemic . This , coupled with navigating the complexities around trading internationally in a post-Brexit era , has been incredibly challenging .
“ As a Chamber we have supported our membership throughout these tricky times , and our dedicated Covid-19 Business Guidance Hub continues to be utilised by members and non-members alike looking for guidance .
“ Our ongoing support has also been reflected in the findings identified in our quarterly economic survey , which has demonstrated the scale of impact on UK business and has been essential in understanding the short and long-term effect on businesses of different sectors and sizes .
“ The Q3 results highlighted that despite the obvious challenges and growing pressures , the business community is using ingenuity , creativity and steadfastness to bounce back , and there remains good reason to be optimistic .
“ We are also starting to see this with our face-to-face events . After 18 months of Zoom and Teams networking events , webinars , working groups and business sessions , we have started to run some inperson events which are in demand .
“ Last year ( 2020 ) the Chamber ran over 130 virtual events , and as of November 2021 that number had already hit the 100 mark . Attendance numbers have been impressive throughout and continue to rise .
“ Our 2022 events calendar has already started taking shape and the plan is to run both in-person and virtual events that meet the demands and needs of our membership .”
To find out more about Swindon Chamber and the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group visit : www . thamesvalleychamber . co . uk
To connect with Tim Major email : timmajor @ tvchamber . co . uk or call 07768 660 697 .
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