Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce has a busy schedule lined up for the autumn, with its main focus continuing to be on its campaign to break down barriers to economic growth.

Chamber recently welcomed a delegation of MHKs to explain the campaign which addresses issues such as attracting workers with essential skills, commercial accommodation, the island’s transport links, and the planning system.

Chris Allen, Chamber president, said: ‘Chamber fully supports the Department for Enterprise’s executive agencies, and we are pleased that we have representatives on all four agencies.

‘We believe that these agencies will be a vehicle to discuss issues, assign resources and progress actions – and in this context should help to accelerate progress in breaking down more barriers to economic growth.’

Here are the highlights of Chamber events and initiatives to look out for in the coming months:

Sector Forums (on-island events)

Following the success of the monthly forums – sponsored by Manx Telecom – which began at the start of this year, the forums will resume after a summer break.

The sector forum series is organised through a partnership between the Isle of Man and Wirral Chambers of Commerce and aims to allow businesses to share ideas and benefit from networking opportunities.

The forums focus on a different sector of the island’s economy each month, building links between business sectors here and in the north west of England.

A construction sector forum will be held on September 19 at the Salmon Lake Centre in Laxey; and a digital sector forum will be held at Chamber’s HQ at Barclays Eagle Lab, Queen Victoria House, Victoria Street, Douglas, on October 30. A forum focusing on the third sector is also being planned for the autumn – the date and venue will be announced in due course.

Sector Forums (off-island events)

Building on the collaboration between the Isle of Man and Wirral Chamber forums here on the island, both Chambers will now organise forums in Wirral, which Isle of Man Chamber members are welcome to attend. The intention is to build on relationships that have been established and develop further collaboration between Wirral and Isle of Man Chamber members

AGM

Chamber’s AGM will be at The Claremont Hotel on September 14.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK is the guest speaker, and his speech will be followed by an update from Chamber president, Chris Allen.

Member benefits

A new scheme has recently been introduced which allows Chamber members to offer discounts to other members on the cost of products and services. Chamber is looking to develop this scheme further in the coming months.

Concierge Service

Chamber will soon be offering a Concierge Service with support from the Department for Enterprise’s Business Development Team. Utilising the strength of Chamber’s business network, the service will help to enhance the positive impression that business people are given when they visit the Island with a view to relocate or launch or a start-up. The service will also provide practical assistance and advice about all aspects of relocation to the Island.

Chris Allen said: ‘As you can see from this summary there is lot going on.

‘All of this activity means that there has never been a better time for new members to join Chamber and play an active role in the island’s biggest business network.’

The spring and summer has seen a number of significant developments for Chamber.

Here are the highlights:

The successful series of monthly Sector Forums – sponsored by Manx Telecom – continued with events focussing on financial and professional services in April, and the visitor economy in May.

Chamber continued to be a prominent voice on the visitor economy and related issues with several members taking part in a round-table discussion about careers in hospitality on MTTV (go to https://www.manx.net/tv to watch the report titled ‘Working in the Manx service industry’ which was uploaded on July 9.

Chamber moved into its new home in June. The organisation’s headquarters are now at the ultra-modern Queen Victoria House, Victoria Street, Douglas – the premises are also home to Barclays Eagle Lab. Chamber members were give a tour of the new premises on June 22.

In July Chamber launched an online survey to gather opinions of members and non-members about proposed increases to the minimum wage.

The board members of the Department for Enterprise’s executive agencies were announced. Chamber has representatives on all four agency boards: Finance Isle of Man, Digital Isle of Man, Business Isle of Man, and Visit Isle of Man.