For the latest addition of our monthly news summary, Forbes Low (CEO, Kingston Chamber of Commerce), shares exciting updates on February’s activities and more details on our upcoming events.
The Kingston Borough Business Awards (KBBA) awards presentation was held on February Thursday 22nd at All Saints Church and this was a truly special evening, celebrating the diversity and great work of our finalists and winners.
We should celebrate, value and be proud of the diversity of successful individuals, freelancers and businesses we have in this borough. It takes guts, it takes stamina, and it takes resilience to make a business survive, let alone succeed. I would like to say a very big well done to our Winners. Very well deserved and keep raising that bar of excellence. To our finalists, you made the judging so difficult so you should be commended on how impressive your work is, and maybe next year will be your turn to be winners.
This event is truly a team effort, and over a long period of time. My gratitude and appreciation again goes to our Headline sponsor, Kingston University, Gold sponsors Kingston College and Kingston Council, and to all our Sponsors who have supported and made this evening happen. It is their backing of these local awards that can bring everyone together, which is special.
A big thank you to the catering team of Nikki’s Kitchen; musicians from Thames Concerts; Reverend Jo Moffatt and the All Saints Church team; Mark Attwater at MyBluPrint; Tim Collis at Laithwaites; Sam Berry at Bone Idyll; Jess Sargent at Fenton Yard Flowers, and; our media partners Time & Leisure.
The Go Business programme has now started and we are very pleased with the response from businesses to date. This is a new, fully funded, programme of business support and provides the opportunity for businesses and pre-start ups to learn, explore and grow their ambitions.
The programme is split into two different sections:
If you are thinking about starting a business, the Go Set Up programme will help you with planning, getting set up, marketing, funding and finance. It will provide advice and guidance from the team of experienced start-up advisors who will detail the key foundations to a successful and sustainable business.
The Go Growth programme combines specialist resources with the expertise and knowledge to help you drive growth and build capacity successfully. Go Growth offers a broad range of support, including expert webinars, essential diagnostic sessions using the Business Model Canvas tool and one-to-one business mentoring.
We are very excited with this programme and so if you are interested, register at the links above and we will share updates with you.
This programme is funded and supported by Kingston Council, UK Government, Mayor of London and Levelling Up.
March 7th: International Women’s Day Brunch
Bringing together female business leaders from across industries and sectors to share their stories, this brunch will provide an inclusive and empowering space to connect, gain invaluable insights, and learn from our inspirational attendees. Sign up here to attend.
March 15th: Business Lunch at at Hideaway in Surbiton
This event offers a relaxed atmosphere to network and build relationships with other local businesses over lunch accompanied by a choice of soft or alcoholic beverage. Sign up here to attend.
March 20th: Coffee + Connect
Following a very busy and successful January meetup, we’re inviting freelancers, startups, microbusinesses, and those working from home for another chance to gather for our Coffee & Connect event at the Wych Elm in Kingston. Sign up here to attend.
March 22nd: Chamber Social
Come and join us for a relaxed and fun evening hosted at The Grey Horse, Kingston, a multi-award winning pub brought to you by Smok’d and one of Kingston Chamber of Commerce’s newest members! Sign up here to attend.
For more information about the latest events, subscribe to our weekly events newsletter.
If you would like to know more about how we support our local business community, please visit www.kingstonchamber.co.uk, email us at [email protected], or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.