Events
Networking Event - Jewellry Workshop
2 July 2010
Networking event at Jewellry Workshop. Alla re welcome. 6-9pm.
Network with colleagues.
Whats the Buzz - Networking Event
20 May 2010
A chance to meet, enjoy a drink or a coffee, and a snack.
Find out What’s New?
Well Meridian FM is new!
And the Community Centre is new!
Two powers to help promote and build your business, plus the opportunity to meet other local businesses, make new contacts and forge old ones too.
Members and guests are welcome – the event is free of charge.
Hosted by Hallmark Travel for the EGBA – East Grinstead Business Association.
For more details please email charmaine@hallmarktravel.com
Evening Meeting - EG Sports Club
16 March 2010
Networking and meeting with presentation. 6pm.
EG Sports Club. Speaker tba.
Meet & Eat - Nizam 2010
1 March 2010
Networking & evening meal.
6pm. £10 members/£15 non-members.
All are welcome.
Charity Event at Town Museum
16 February 2010
Evening charity event in aid of the East Grinstead Town Museum. Wine, nibbles and a presentation.
All are welcome to support this valuable local resource. 6pm.
Meet & Eat - Old Mill 2010
1 February 2010
Networking & Evening Meal. 6pm.
£10 members/£15 non-members.
Networking/Meeting - Felbridge Hotel
19 January 2010
Networking and presentation by John Jory, MSDC on running a District Council.
Meet & Eat - La Farola
4 January 2010
Networking and evening meal. 6pm.
£10 members; £15 non-members.
Xmas Lunch - Felbridge Hotel
15 December 2009
Xmas Lunch - Felbridge Hotel
End of the year celebration and opportunity to meet with colleagues and have christmas luncheon.
12-2pm. £28.00 .
AGM 2009
17 November 2009
This AGM took place on Tuesday 17th November at the Alexander House Hotel and was well attended with over forty members present. The first part of the meeting dealt with the formalities of an AGM, namely a review of the Association’s finances which are sound despite some exceptional expenses associated with the upgrading of our website, and the launching of the Loyalty Card initiative. We also discussed the appointment of new Executive Members in accordance with the constitution. The new membership of the Executive Committee and the three sectional Sub-Committees for 2010, as announced at the AGM, are available on this website under “current events”. The Chief Executive then presented a summary of the activities of the association over the last twelve months, which were presented under ten headings and took an hour to present. He then called for membership feedback on any or all of these activities, and for some guidance on where the membership want the association’s energies directed in 2010. This lead to a lively discussion and to some very clear directives for next year. The membership were clearly supportive on the progress achieved in 2009, and endorsed the initiatives with WSCC and MSDC which they saw as longer term, and an investment in creating productive relationships for the future. They clearly sought some shorter term goals for 2010, and some more tangible and measurable successes on the ground. The membership wanted EGBA to take a more positive role in seeking to maximise the benefits that could accrue from the arrival of the Bluebell Railway next year. This they felt was much too important a potential benefit for retailers in particular, but for businesses in general, for the business community not to be taking a leading role. Clearly there are many dimensions to this, and several were aired including: · some means of convenient and quick transport from the station to the London Road and the High Street. · a structured promotional campaign to advertise the attractions of the town to potential visitors. · input to the decisions on station design to ensure it is in keeping with its historical context. · a positive impact on visitors as they exit the station - forecourt layout with clear and informative directions. There was also a view expressed that the EGBA could do more to generate a culture of “keeping it local” whereby all local businesses as well as residents automatically attempt to source their needs locally before taking their enquiries further afield. A suggestion was made that a local directory that included all local service providers and contractors as well as retailers and suppliers would assist in this. On the current structure of networking events the members indicated that it was not easy to attend lunchtime events and that early evening events suited most members very much better. There was a view that a fewer number of more structured evening events would be more effective, attracting a larger attendance and with an introductory speaker. Also that the current “Eat and Greet” evenings might benefit from lengthening the initial networking period over drinks to an hour, before those that want to eat sit down. On the Loyalty Card initiative members felt that the degree of success it had achieved needed to be maintained and constantly renewed, otherwise it could lose its effectiveness rather quickly. The committee members explained that the amount of effort and education that it had required in the first place had taken them all by surprise, and keeping retailers’ offers updated and the presentation material in all the outlets visible required volunteers who can give their time. These were in short supply. There was a request as to whether the Association’s membership data base could be made available to members, and it was pointed out that the Association had a policy of confidentiality as regards members’ details, particularly where it might involve commercial interests. There is a possibility that once the website has a section exclusive to members, than the Committee will consider whether the membership database could be made available to be viewed by members only.
Meet & Eat - New Evergreen, Chinese
2 November 2009
Networking & Evening Meal.
£10 members/£15 non-members.
All are welcome.
Meet & Eat - Old Mill
5 October 2009
Networking & Evening meal. 6pm.
£10 members/£15 non-members.
All are welcome.
Evening Meeting/Networking
15 September 2009
Ashdown Park Hotel 6-9pm. Free Entry.
6.00pm registration/network
6.30-7.30 - Dee Blick, of Marketing Gym will give a presentation on:
Seven Powerful Marketing Secrets for Small Business Success
West Sussex-based Dee Blick is an award winning Chartered Marketer and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing with 25 years hands-on marketing experience working with SMEs.
Dee has recently featured on the BBC and radio as a marketing entrepreneur. She writes for many local and national magazines and newspapers on her favourite subject - marketing on a shoestring for small businesses and is an active blogger and twitterer. Dee has recently written her first book. ‘Powerful Marketing On A Shoestring Budget For Small Businesses’ which is now selling worldwide to excellent reader reviews. Two weeks ago it reached the position of 23 in Amazon's 100 bestselling business books in the hotly contested business finance category. (Richard Branson's book is number one!)
Bring a pad and a pen because in this informal 30 minute Masterclass (plus 15 minutes set aside for questions afterwards) Dee will share 7 powerful and proven marketing tips that you can apply to your business at little or no cost. She will also explain what led her to write a book in addition to running her full-time business and the impact it has had both locally and nationally. (In the last few weeks Dee has been interviewed by the Financial Times and the Financial Mail on Sunday and has now been approached by a national publishing group)
At the event you can also buy a signed first edition copy of Dee’s book (£13.99) and chat to her informally afterwards. In the meantime, find out more about Dee’s business on her website www.themarketinggym.org or simply by googling her.
July Executive Committee Meeting
9 July 2009
Issues taken forward at the meeting on 7th July included:
Car Parking: the fall-off in car park usage since the 40% uplift in parking charges in April combined with the severe impact of the recession is seriously hurting retail business in the town, and the Retail Section asked for matters to be taken up with MSDC ahead of next year. It was agreed to approach Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath business associations to understand if these concerns were shared by them, and if so to agree a common approach towards finding a way of working with the Council to improve things.
Loyalty Card: final planning for the launch of the Loyalty Card scheme was discussed and a programme was agreed for the launch to take place on Monday 27th July. This is an initiative co-sponsored with the Association by the Town Council and the Observer newspaper and is a real part of our Mayor, Councillor Lee Marmara’s theme for his year in office.
Events Programme: planning for the programme from October to March was further advanced and the new Events Folder is scheduled to be distributed in early September. A black tie charity event is hoped to be a new inclusion in the programme.
Traffic Congestion: the Association is seeking dialogue with the County Council in an attempt to work towards finding an alternative solution now that the “relief road” option, funded by a strategic housing development is no longer a viable option
EGBA Inaugural Exhibition
24 June 2009
With over 30 exhibitors, 7 seminars and an official opening by the Mayor, this event would appear to have been quite a success. At least the exhibitors seemed to think so, and all reported that they had done good business, made useful contacts, were very pleased with how it went for them, and hoped we would repeat the event again next year.
\there was a real mix of businesses represented including financial services and IT, representatives from the business parks, hotels and venues, and some retail. With the seminars spanning the day with a variety of topics from general interest items like “revitalisation of the town centre” to serious business issues such as “mediation” or “business survival strategies” – there was something happening all day.
The footfall kept the halls active, and the Executive Committee has quickly decided that we have learned enough to do the same thing again next year, but perhaps a little better and a little bigger.