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.
16 www. tbeswindonandwilts. co. uk