Monday 26 September 2011, 12.30pm-2pm
Blue Bar
Albert Dock
Liverpool
L3 4AE 

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) invite you to a question and answer event being held as one of the fringe events for the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

Points for discussion will include:

• What role will business play in driving the recovery forward?
• Will the private sector be able to produce the growth needed to counterbalance public sector cuts?
• Is the government doing enough to give businesses the confidence to expand and create jobs?

This will be followed by a Q&A session, opening the discussion to the audience. We intend to keep the session as lively and interactive as possible and the Chair will direct audience questions to panellists accordingly. The BCC’s new Director General, John Longworth, will also make brief introductory remarks.

Speaker biographies:

Dr Adam Marshall
Director of Policy and External Affairs, British Chambers of Commerce

Adam Marshall was appointed Director of Policy and External Affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce in July 2009. Adam represents the interests of the Chamber of Commerce Network - with 53 accredited Chambers and over 100,000 member businesses across the UK - in Whitehall, Westminster and the media.

Prior to joining the BCC, Adam was Head of Policy at the Centre for Cities think-tank. During his five years at the Centre (2004-2009), Adam played a central role in the organisation’s start-up and spin-out from the Institute for Public Policy Research. He also led work on city leadership, transport, local finance, and economic development.

Previously, Adam also worked for the Cambridge-MIT Institute (2003-2004), and in local politics in his native Washington DC. Adam holds a BA from Yale University, and MPhil and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge.

Peter Marks
Chief Executive, The Co-operative Group

Born in Bradford, Peter Marks has spent his entire working life within the Co-operative Movement, having originally joined what became Yorkshire Co-operatives in 1967 as a management trainee in the food retail business.

In his career, Peter has managed a tremendous variety of businesses and functions, including food, travel, department stores, funerals and HR.

Following the acquisition of Somerfield and the merger with the Britannia Building Society in 2009, the Co-operative Group now has an annual turnover of around £14bn, operates 5,300 food, banking, pharmacy, travel, funeral and motor outlets and is the UK’s largest mutual business. The Group employs 110,000 people and is owned by its six million members.

Chuka Umunna MP
Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills

Chuka Umunna was elected as Member of Parliament for Streatham in May 2010, becoming the first MP for the constituency to have grown up in the area.  In May 2011, Chuka was appointed by Ed Miliband as Shadow Minister for Small Business and Enterprise in Labour’s Shadow Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) team, led by John Denham. In this role, he leads on small business issues, business support and access to finance, corporate governance, deregulation and economic growth.

Born in October 1978, Chuka studied Law at the University of Manchester and the University of Burgundy, followed by Nottingham Law School. An employment law solicitor by profession, prior to his election Chuka worked at a law firm primarily acting for employees but also employers, having trained as a solicitor at a City law firm.

Chuka is a board member of Generation Next, a not for profit social enterprise providing activities for young people in London. He is a member of Compass, the Fabian Society, GMB and Unite. He is also a patron of Latimer Creative Media, a social enterprise which trains young people in digital media and a supporter of Cassandra Learning Centre, a charity raising awareness and working to stop domestic violence.

Service Sector Investment – Businesses needed

 The investment cycle of firms is one of the key policy areas for the BCC’s Year for Growth campaign. As a result, we are looking for case studies to help with our research.

Initially, we would like to interview firms that match the following criteria, although this is only a rough guide:

• Service sector firms, e.g. wholesale/retail, financial intermediation, consultancies, IT related outputs.
• Have grown in the last five years (either through staff or turnover).
• Have either operated in foreign markets, or have attempted to.
• Have invested heavily in developing their existing workforce in recent years.

Interviews will last no more than two hours. If you think you are suitable, please contact Steve Hughes at s.hughes@britishchambers.org.uk

Kieran O’Keeffe, Head of European Representation, British Chambers of Commerce

Ever thought you could do a better job than your elected representatives in Europe? 

Well on October 14 2010 you will get your chance when entrepreneurs from across Europe descend on the European Parliament to put business at the very top of the political agenda.

The 2010 European Parliament of Enterprises (EPE) brings together more than 750 business men and women from across the continent to debate and vote on hot business issues.

Taking the place of the European Parliament’s elected representatives in the hemicycle, company bosses will get to vote on the big public policy challenges that will shape business success over the next few years: access to finance, the economy, regulation, skills, energy and climate change. This is a unique opportunity to take your views to the very heart of European decision-making.

On the day entrepreneurs will be joined by Europe’s ‘big beasts’:  Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament; Hermann Van Rompuy, President of the European Council; and, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. The results from the afternoon’s voting will be presented to the Belgian Presidency of the EU and Europe’s media – the last EPE was covered in Europe’s press across all 27 member states, which is testament to the high profile nature of the event.

The British delegation will also have the unique opportunity to talk openly with the BBC’s European correspondent, Gavin Hewitt, and debate Britain’s priorities with the UK’s most senior official to the EU, Kim Darroch.

Once you have registered, all the British participants will be entered into a prize draw - and one lucky entrepreneur will have their travel and accommodation costs covered by British Chambers of Commerce.

For further details about the day, and for information on accommodation and registration, please visit the BCC’s website.

This year’s  BCC Annual Conference, “Preparing  for  Change”, will be a radical departure from the usual format.  

Ours will be the last premier league business conference before the general  election  –  and that  means we have a unique opportunity to get our policies across to the top levels of all three main  political parties.

So this year our audience of policy makers and opinion formers will be by invitation only, and our speakers will include star movers and shakers like Lord Mandelson,  the Rt Hon Ken  Clarke MP, FTSE-100 chief executives, a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy  Committee  and  the always-colourful  Lord Alan Sugar (check our web site  http://www.bcc-preparingforchange.co.uk/ for the latest additions).  

The other big change this year will be the launch of BCC TV℠ - our new web video coverage of the  proceedings, live and direct from the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA)  in central London.

Thanks to BCC TV℠ Chamber members will have a new way to access the conference –without the high costs of travel and accommodation at a time when businesses are working hard to get the economy going again. This year’s proceedings will be available to all Chamber members throughout
the world, for just £30. 

Chamber executives  –  you can save your members money by selecting the  BCC TV℠  ‘Group License’ option: just £250 for a group showing. Why not invite your members to a Conference link-up and create your own policy event? Just hook the computer up to a projector and give members a virtual ‘front row seat’ at BAFTA’s Princess Anne theatre.

All you have to do is and sign up on the BCC website.

Then sit back and watch from your own computer as the BCC’s hand-picked  speakers and panellists debate the changes that 2010 will bring  –  and set the business agenda.

Swine flu could have serious consequences for small and medium size businesses so ensuring your business is properly prepared is essential.

Ministers have warned that in a worst case scenario, 100,000 people could contract swine flu every day by the end of August, with 1 in 8 employees forced to take time off work. Should these projections come to bear, the sheer number of people affected will undoubtedly have an impact on business productivity and the wider economy.

The British Chambers of Commerce is hosting a live WebTV show on Tuesday 28th July at 11am to discuss the current situation, how businesses should prepare for swine flu and how you should react if it hits your business.

Joining presenter Ian Collins in the studio are Bruce Mann, Head of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat at the Cabinet Office and David Frost, the Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce. They will also be joined representatives from two businesses – Robert Stead and Sue Hill – who will discuss how their businesses are coping with the crisis.

This is an excellent opportunity to give businesses a chance to share their own contingency plans and ideas they have implemented to deal with the spread of swine flu in the workplace.

To submit a question live to the panel visit www.britishchambers.org.uk on Tuesday 28th July at 11:00-11.30am.

The entry deadline for Chamber Awards 2009 is  Friday 26 June.

Your chance to win £50,000!

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to increase your business profile and growth, plus free access to publicity and media opportunities. Celebrate your achievements with Chamber Awards 2009 and receive the recognition you deserve.

Which category will you be entering in this year?

• Business of the Year
• Award for Innovation Through Technology
• Most Promising New Business
• Entrepreneur of the Year
• Achievement in International Business
• Award for Excellence in People Development
• The Green Award
• Excellence in Customer Service

Find out more about each catagory online here.

To enter, all you have to do is fill out the entry form online.