Agenda item

(1)       The Chairman welcomed Tudor Price to the meeting and invited him to introduce himself and outline the role of the Chamber of Commerce, before answering questions from Members of the Committee.

(2)       Mr Price said the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce was one of 52 accredited British Chambers in the UK and represents the County of Kent.  He said the Chamber of Commerce was involved in domestic and international activity and provided support and advice to businesses.  He referred to the Quarterly International Trade Outlook which had been included in the agenda for the meeting and set out the opportunities and risks facing British companies and provided a useful tool for monitoring export and economic activity.

(3)       He said that the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce was involved with Kent International Business (KIB) and was a partner with KCC in the 2 Seas Trade Project.  He said that KCC’s activity in Europe was useful and benefitted Kent partly because of being able to access EU funds and also because of the learning from the experience which could be shared with small and medium sized business (SME). The Chamber of Commerce played a key role in ensuring that the offer to local business was relevant and attractive but that it took time to persuade business to engage in Europe. However 2 Seas Trade was feted in Europe and the success had been because of our involvement with partners. It had focused delivery on what businesses want and produced outputs.

Question – Are younger/new enterprises more likely to think about external trade than longer established businesses?

(4)       Mr Price said that there was not enough evidence to support this view and small businesses tended to focus on raising sufficient capital to get established in the first instance.  The Chamber of Commerce then encourages them to expand their thinking to include trading with Europe.

Question - Given the single market it is as easy to trade with Dusseldorf as it is with Dundee: what specific projects to encourage international trade need additional input from Chambers of Commerce?

(5)       The Chamber of Commerce is involved in direct recruitment, training and introductions and brings a commercial focus to the offer.  Interreg projects require partnership working, involve significant amounts of paperwork and spreadsheets, and generate a plethora of logos and badges which can all appear dull to businesses and is not what they want.  There are real opportunities for commercial reality to bring the offer into focus and 2 Seas Trade has been successful so far. The Chamber of Commerce shapes what is being offered to make it attractive to local business. 

Does the Chamber of Commerce run trade fairs in Kent?

(6)       No.  There is insufficient sector demand in Kent and from the inward investment perspective the focus is on creating wealth through successful businesses.

Do you get involved in invisible (service) exports?

(7)       Yes.  This is normally through partnership arrangements. British Chamber of Commerce is working with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to develop an international accreditation standard (trusted partners) for chambers of commerce and we work in partnership with organisations such as Locate in Kent on the offer and Chambers of Commerce abroad to provide soft landings for businesses starting to trade abroad. 

What are we not doing and should be doing?

(8)       Businesses need products not programmes.  For example the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a programme that gives money for specific, tangible items such as purchasing equipment.  Interest free loans and match funding work better than grants.  There is a need to be very specific about the product rather than focussing on the outcomes of a programme.  The Chamber of Commerce can turn programmes into products and use its network to get the information to the right people and organisations. There is also a need to get commitment and input from businesses as they may show initial interest (such as in a trade visit) but then not turn up once arrangements have been made.

(9)       The creation of additional brands can cause confusion. Kent International Business (KIB) provides co-ordination and support but its brand with a multitude of logos causes confusion.  KCC branding was good enough in the past.  There are some bodies that provide services and support free and other organisations that charge for services such as translation, logistics, travel and insurance services.  Providing an overarching brand is not a role KCC should be looking to achieve. 

Is there a cost implication for developing and maintaining a brand?

(10)     Yes, there is the cost of building and maintaining a website.  KIB is not looking for customers whereas chambers of commerce, the Institute of Directors are. I am not sure of the logic behind the brand and it is slightly misleading, causing confusion in the marketplace.  Raising awareness and trying to market a service is a poor use of funds and KCC should be concentrating on providing products and offers that plugged the gap in provision.  The private sector organisations would then have a vested interest in sign posting businesses to this offer whilst saving Council money

Do you charge companies a fee for introductions to European markets?

(11)     If we can secure private sector funding to deliver the service we will do so.  We also help European firms with soft landings in Kent by introducing them to solicitors and accountants etc.  They are looking for trade and a market not to invest initially. If they are looking to invest, Locate in Kent get involved.

KIB benefits are advice and support but not only one body provides this – they are support services - who funds KIB?

(12)     KCC and borough councils.

Are local chambers of commerce supported by district and borough councils?

(13)     No

Would the same funding and relationships with Europe continue to happen without the KIB brand?

(14)     Yes.  KCC have a good reputation with Interreg – here it is led by Kent. We are quite happy to act and to approach Interreg on our own projects.  The KIB brand is superfluous and the Internal Affairs department should concentrate on products and not the creation of a new entity.