Eureka New Look - 2014_Layout 1 04/06/2014 12:50 Page 1 SUMMER 2014 BUSINESS MAGAZINE Working together across the borough… are proud to sponsor KINGSTON BUSINESS EXPO2014 Kingston Business EXPO 11 June 2014… Pages 8-9 Eureka New Look - Dev2b.e$S_Layout 1 04/06/2014 12:39 Page 2 Kingston University is investing £55m in a transformational new building at Penrhyn Road – Expert advice: research, consultancy, funding – Business support: networking, knowledge exchange, facilities – Award-winning graduate employability support* – Best UK university for graduate start-ups** – Entrepreneurship education Kingston University is proud to play its part in supporting business and enterprise in Kingston. For more information contact: James Landon, Head of Business Development T 020 8417 3045 E [email protected] *Association of Graduate Recruiters Development Awards 2014 **Higher Education – Business and Community Interaction Survey 2 Eureka New Look - Dev2b.e$S_Layout 1 04/06/2014 12:39 Page 3 WELCOME CONTENTS Welcome to the ‘EXPO issue’ of Eureka 3 Welcome Summer is well under way and with it I am delighted to 4 Kingston Business Excellence Awards introduce the latest edition of Eureka, Kingston borough’s unique business magazine. This ‘bumper’ publication has even 5 Kingston Works more information about what is happening with business right 6 Chamber AGM across the borough and, coinciding with this year’s Kingston New Members Business Expo, it also includes a brief guide about what is 7 Chamber Events available on the day. Our grateful thanks to all our sponsors 8-9 Kingston Business and partners for the event, in particular HSBC our lead sponsor Expo 2014 and Kingston University for, once again, providing such an excellent venue and facilities. 10-11 Member News 12-13 Business Success Many of you will know that working in partnership to 14 Business News achieve common goals is a favourite theme of mine and I am Jerry Irving 15 Business Support particularly pleased that the Integrated Business Support Group has now been formalised to build on its early successes. One Chief Executive, Kingston of these successes was, in particular, the Business Excellence Chamber of Commerce Awards and so the group was excited to announce its launch [email protected] again this year. The competition is open to all Kingston borough businesses and is a great opportunity for entrants to be recognised for their innovation and excellence. Don’t forget to submit your entry by 27 June. At the recent Annual General Meeting our new President, Bruce Burrowes, announced the Chamber will support Friends of Dysart School as its nominated charity for the coming year. The school is a provision for pupils, from Kingston and beyond, who have a range of severe and complex learning disabilities. Dysart is highly commended for the work it does and I know our members will do all they can to assist our fund-raising activities throughout the year. Membership: Finally, I would just mention the Chamber is planning to go ‘on tour’ during the Summer. Look Jerry Irving out for when we will be visiting your town and come along and find out more about what we Finance, Events and Administration: Wanda McFarlane are doing to help make Kingston borough the best place to do business in South London. Membership and Events: Amanda Mellett Editorial, Advertising, Design and Production: The Creative People DATES FOR YOUR DIARY www.thecreativepeople.co.uk Event Photographs: JULY AUGUST Paul Milsom Kingston Chamber Curry Club Kingston Food Festival www.paulmilsom.co.uk and 2 2 9 Karen Powell Joy Indian www.thecreativepeople.co.uk International Youth 10 RideLondon Classic 5 27 Arts Festival The Royal Borough of Kingston Kingston Chamber Chamber of Commerce, 14 Suite Eight, First Floor Offices, Kingston Chamber Networking Breakfast Kingstons House, 10 15 Coombe Road, Networking Breakfast The French Tarte Kingston upon Thames, The Kingston Gate, Norbiton KT2 7AB 20 Meet Merton Members, T 020 8541 4441 Kingston Regatta and joint event with Merton Chamber E [email protected] 12 13 Riverside Festival Warren House W kingstonchamber.co.uk Eureka is compiled with the utmost care, Kingston Rotary Dragon Boat however, the publisher accepts no 20 responsibility for any errors or omissions. Challenge SEPTEMBER Canbury Gardens Kingston Carnival Front Cover 3 Left to right: ‘Out of Order’ Hampton Court to Kingston telephone sculpture by David Mach; 20 Kingston Chamber New stalls in Kingston’s Ancient Swim 10 Market Place © Karen Powell; Networking Breakfast Kingston Pound launch at Surbiton Kingston Chamber on board Turk Launches Farmer’s Market © Karen Powell; 25 Chamber Networking Breakfast at Networking Lunch Kingston Chamber BoConcept © Paul Milsom; Tolworth The White Hart Hotel 26 Greenway; New Malden High Street Networking Lunch © Colin Smith; Carolyn Henderson venue TBC and Jerry Irving at Warren House © John Hill. To book a Chamber event visit www.kingstonchamber.co.uk/events To keep up-to-date with all Kingston Chamber events ‘Like’ our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. 3 Eureka New Look - Dev2b.e$S_Layout 1 04/06/2014 12:40 Page 4 KINGSTON BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS Calling Kingston Businesses Kingston’s dynamic businesses are being urged to enter the Kingston Business Excellence Awards. The 2014 awards, organised by Kingston Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Kingstonfirst and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, were officially launched at Warren House in April. Entries are being invited in 12 categories with all companies going forward to the sale overall Business of the starts Year title. This year’s awards culminate in Carolyn Henderson and Jerry Irving Saturday 14 June at Warren House a gala dinner at the Holiday Inn Kingston South on 23 October 2014 and provide a fantastic opportunity 8.30am for companies to network and raise their profile. Jerry Irving, chief executive of Kingston Chamber of up to 50% off Commerce, said: “The awards last year were a great success and something that the Kingston business community should be really proud of. One of the things that pleased me most was the wide cross-section of businesses that were commended and rewarded for their contributions towards making Kingston such a great place to live and work.” Closing date for entries is 27 June 2014 and entry is free. For more details visit www.kingstonawards.co.uk IN ASSOCIATION WITH 4 Eureka New Look - Dev2b.e$S_Layout 1 04/06/2014 12:40 Page 5 KINGSTON WORKS KINGSTONFIRST ASKS BUSINESSES TO VOTE FOR ITS THIRD TERM Kingstonfirst has achieved much in Footfall has also risen by 2.45 million the past decade. It has invested annually, with 20.8 million daytime £14.8m in initiatives to improve the visitors recorded in 2013. In its third town and worked closely with the term (2015-2019) Kingstonfirst will be Metropolitan Police, local investing £8.27 million to deliver positive businesses and local government changes in Kingston with activity divided resulting in a 43% reduction in into three areas: Marketing, Managing Ros Morgan, Chief Executive, crime in the last ten years. and Shaping, with the overall aim of Kingstonfirst maintaining Kingston as a leading UK destination. This is a time for action. All Kingston Town Centre businesses can take action Ros Morgan, Chief Executive, and invest in their futures by voting YES Kingstonfirst, said: “Kingston Town at ballot for Kingstonfirst – they can’t Centre is the third best performing retail afford to leave it to chance!” centre in London. However, it’s a depreciating asset, which needs The ballot of business ratepayers in investment to retain its current position. Kingston’s (BID) area runs until Businesses, investors, developers and all Thursday 26 June with the outcome stakeholders of Kingston Town Centre announced on Friday 27 June. cannot afford to not invest in Kingston. www.kingstonfirst.co.uk/votenow Kingston organisations working together Kingston Chamber of Commerce, Kingston Council, Kingstonfirst, Kingston University, Kingston College and Kingston Voluntary Action have formed a partnership to better support borough businesses, share resources and avoid duplication. The artnership is known as the Integrated Business Support group (IBuS). They meet monthly to deliver their agenda of priority activities and work in support of the borough Business Community Strategy/Action Plan. Early successes of the group include reviving the annual Business Expo event, the Business Excellence Awards programme and support for extending business opportunities around major borough events like the Prudential RideLondon cycle races. The group have pooled all services offered into a single searchable database which will shortly be available on the business pages of the Council’s website. Other priorities of the group are: attracting funding, incubation of new businesses, local skills development, building a landlord dialogue, bringing empty shops back into use, reducing business crime, enterprise and entrepreneur development and data acquisition. For more infomation, please contact Andrew Sherville Lead, Business Community RBK Strategic Business T 020 8547 5025 E [email protected] Kingston Pound Trial The Surbiton Food Festival, held in May, saw the first public trial of a local currency, The Kingston Pound (K£). Why bother to launch a Kingston Pound? After all, won’t anyone interested in ‘buying local’ do that already – well not necessarily. The logic is to formalise a ‘buy local’ campaign which will help By 2016 we aim to have £100,000 circulating as Kingston local businesses. It’s a leap of faith, because you have to Pounds within the Borough of Kingston. We envisage that the commit to swapping Sterling for Kingston Pounds, without majority of this will be electronic and that will involve the use of necessarily knowing exactly where you’re going to spend them. mobile phones in order to make payments to traders.