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PLANED
The Old School,
Station Road,
Narberth,
Pembrokeshire
SA67 7DU |
Tel:
+44 (0)1834 862113
Fax:
+44 (0)1834 861547 |
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| 17th April - Pembrokeshire Enterprise Network for business/enterprise support
agencies working in the county 11am at PLANED offices. |
18th April -
Networking event for all businesses in the Milford Haven area. |
24th April - Networking event for local businesses featuring a presentation by
Princes Gate water, plashyfryd Hotel Narberth 7.30pm. |
26th April -
MH+ management meeting. |
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Chambers of trade and business groups across Pembrokeshire are signing up to a new organisation which aims to improve their effectiveness. |
| The Pembrokeshire Business Network, which has now formally launched, will act as a county-wide business network to support local enterprise and represent local business interests to local and national government.
Its chairman Paul Woolman, who runs a farm and self-catering holiday business at Broad Haven, says the intention of the Network is not to take over the role of individual chambers of trade.
“The network is there to support and encourage and to be of help when help is needed,’’ said Mr Woolman, a member of the St Brides Bay Havens Business Group.
“We won’t be getting involved in local issues but, when the issue is a pan-Pembrokeshire one, this is where we can step in.’’
The Network is formed of representatives of the local chambers and business groups including secretary, Gordon Barry, of the Narberth Chamber of Trade, and treasurer, Viv Phillips, of the Milford Haven Business Circle
So far the chambers of trade in Narberth, St Brides Bay Havens, Fishguard and Goodwick, Newport and Saundersfoot and the Preseli Business Network have joined.
Issues which the Network will be looking at in the coming months include business recycling, dualling of the A40, train services, web development and Pembrokeshire tourism.
The Network is planning to attract high profile speakers in the field of politics and business to its meetings, such as Ann Beynon, of British Telecom, who recently addressed the Network on broadband access and other communication issues.
The Network will work closely with agencies including the Pembrokeshire Business Initiative and the Pembrokeshire Local Action Network for Enterprise and Development (PLANED), to which it owes its existence. “PLANED has played a really significant part in setting the Network up, it has sponsored and organised every meeting to date and helped with the cost of leaflets,’’ said Mr Woolman.
“Through its transnational project several members have been on study tours to Slovakia and Sweden to examine best practice in small businesses. ’’ |
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Pembrokeshire Business Network, launched recently at an event which featured the opportunities presented by the Bluestone development is now on line at
www.pembrokeshire-business.net
Guests at the launch event were presented with details of the achievements of the PLANED LEADER+ programme, ‘Creating a Culture of Entrepreneurship’, funded by the European Union and Welsh Assembly Government. ‘The aim of the project is to help support sustainable rural communities which is clearly underpinned by successful local business,’commented Sherri Percy, PLANED’s Enterprise Support Officer.’ With regard Bluestone it is clear from their presentation, made by Pamela Joseph, Commercial Director, that opportunities do exist for local businesses and this network will help those businesses to rise to the challenge.’
The formation of the network is the most recent development of the LEADER+ project which started some time ago with ‘Plugging the Leaks’ workshops held around the county. Local people who participated in these events identified opportunities which could help support the local economy and support for local businesses groups is key to supporting local purchasing and collaborative initiatives.
Through the Pembrokeshire Business Network, which is a county-wide network, local businesses are encouraged to promote each other, share ideas, access joint funding, communicate and engage in projects and benefit from combined marketing and events. ‘Businesses in the county should take advantage of this excellent opportunity to ‘add value’ to what they do by supporting their local business group. I am still enjoying the benefits of networking at our local group’s showcase event held almost a year ago, which generated additional business and contacts’ commented a member of the Havens Business Group.
 The steering group for PBN made up of representatives of the local business groups from left to right:
Ian Hunter, Helen Scourfield, Andrew Evans, Gary Howell, Maggie Hemming, Samm Solov, Paul Woolman, Viv Phillips, Gordon Barry and Sherri Percy – PLANED.
Visit the website for details of how to get involved, along with how to take advantage of a free advertising opportunity by listing your business on the electronic Business Directory.
For further information call Sherri Percy at PLANED on 01834 862113 or click here to use our contact enquiry form. |
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Recently held and organised by PLANED was a ‘Sense of Place’ tour focusing on the Archaeological history of Fishguard. The tour was a huge success embracing what is distinctive and unique about the area.
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Tour guide Mary Baker told how the first Stone Age Farmers made Fishguard their home. The group then viewed prehistoric tombs, Bronze Age strongholds and Early Christian settlements making the Fishguard area one of the most important heritage landscapes in Britain.
The project has been funded by PLANED’s Leader+ programme ‘Creating a Community Culture of Entrepreneurship’ which aims to:
- Assist communities to unlock talents, knowledge and skills.
- Facilitate the development of enterprise opportunities based on local resources – human, natural, cultural, social and economic.
- Encourage the development of new products and services, which build upon the strengths of a local area.
For those who were unable to attend the day time tour Sarah will be organising an evening meeting with Mary, who will be available to answer any questions.
Pictured with representatives from businesses in Fishguard are
Sarah Diment, PLANED’s Tourism Development; Mike Lloyd, Chairman of Fishguard and Goodwick District Chamber of Trade and Mary Baker from Archaeotours who facilitated the tour.
Further information please contact:
Sarah Diment on 01834 862107 or
click here to use our contact enquiry form.
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Do you know what businesses are on your doorstep?
Following a series of workshops called ‘Plugging the Leaks’ held over the past months by PLANED (Pembrokeshire Local Action Network for Enterprise and Development) it has become clear that information about local businesses can be very sketchy and often relies on ‘word of mouth’. This information is vital in order for people to spend their money locally and make best advantage of the money that comes into the area.
So often in today’s consumer society, we are ‘wooed’ by expensive advertising to travel many miles to spend lots of money to buy something that has been made abroad, and when we are not satisfied with the service that we receive, we have great difficulty in finding anyone accountable.
Well, all that is about to change through PLANED’s Local Directories Project. Each area is going to have a directory that lists businesses within their area. The directories are FREE and will be widely distributed.
Why is PLANED carrying out this piece of work?
PLANED’s aim is to help local people in Pembrokeshire to improve their quality of life - culturally, socially, environmentally and economically.
PLANED is working with local communities and businesses to identify the needs and opportunities within the local economy. This project is being taken forward by PLANED under its European funded Leader+ initiative, ‘Creating a Community Culture of Entrepreneurship’
Who will be in the directory and how has the information been gathered?
At the request of local people, PLANED has been compiling a list of as many businesses as possible in each of 15 areas. Great care has been taken to research all existing business information, a booklet will not be produced where a similar one already exists.
PLANED has gathered the information from a variety of sources, in particular from partner agencies working in Pembrokeshire. Local people in Community Forums and groups of businesses have been asked to check our information. There may be a few errors and PLANED will correct these in the next editions. No personal information has been included in line with ‘Data Protection’ legislation
The directories have been designed to give information about the businesses in your local area. Telephone numbers and categories of businesses have been included wherever possible. Any feedback or suggestions regarding the directories would be welcomed.
How do I add my business to the directory?
It is envisaged that the directories become the property of local business groups so that they truly retain their local identity. Your information in the meanwhile can be amended by telephone, mail or email ready for inclusion in future publications. You can also view the information by visiting www.pembrokeshiredirectory.com. My Pembrokeshire Ltd. has been awarded the tender to manage this data and to offer businesses benefits to internet listings in the future, but that information will have to wait for next months installment. As someone once said, ‘In business, its not who you know, but who knows you’ that is the key to success! |
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 When compiling this information for the local directories, it became clear that there was a lack of information about businesses in Pembrokeshire. This developed into a second project of finding a home for the information that has been provided by communities which could be easily updated and added to. With the expansion of the E-commerce sector and the obvious advantages to businesses using the internet, it was decided to host this information electronically.
My Pembrokeshire LTD won the contract to host this information.
The details kept will only be business information without personal details that could identify an individual in line with Data Protection Legislation. Data Protection Legislation is there to protect the individual’s rights.
According to the Office of National Statistics 2004, 81% of Businesses in the UK are now online with 90% of consumers working in Businesses which have access to the internet, however only 55% of micro businesses (those with less than 10 employees) are online. We hope that this project will stimulate the debate about the advantages to Small Businesses of using Internet technology and that this listing will be a valuable resource for Pembrokeshire.
The directory may be viewed at www.pembrokeshiredirectory.com
Nick Ainger M.P.
Under Secretary of
State for Wales.
Launches the new
Web site with
Tamsin Dunwoody A.M.
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Through the 'Plugging the Leaks' and subsequent workshops a number of
initiatives have been identified to support local business groups. PLANED's
production and distribution of the area business directories encourage local
purchasing and other support mechanisms can include, for example, the
facilitation of training for local business group members or support with
joint marketing projects identified and developed by the group. |
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Creating a Culture of Community Entrepreneurship –
Leader+ Transnational project |
PLANED is participating in an innovative transnational cooperation as part of the European Union Leader+ rural communities initiative. The project aims to demonstrate how:
- engaging local businesses in the development of their area can create an enterprise culture
- local enterprises can be encouraged and supported to work together more effectively to improve their local economies.
The Context
Research shows that successful areas of Europe are often characterised by thriving clusters of businesses with networks to support them. Groups of businesses which share the same customers, infrastructure or skills base can form linkages that dramatically enhance competitive advantage.
- Local business networks have a critical role in creating an enterprise culture, sharing expertise, solving problems, stimulating innovation and encouraging new business growth.
- However in rural areas these business networks are often few and far between, with the formal business structures often frequently struggling for survival with low membership
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Delegates from Sweden (4) Slovenia (6) and Ballyhoura (5) journeyed to Wales on Wednesday 27th February 2008. The Swedish and Slovenian delegates were met at Heathrow Airport and got to know each other well on the 4 hour journey to Pembrokeshire. The delegation from Ballyhoura arrived via the Fishguard Ferry in the early hours of the morning, but an easy crossing meant that they were ready to make a start on our programme by 9am. |
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A presentation on the process that PLANED has followed in developing an area based business group set the tone for the 3 day study visit, taking the delegates through the process from community to constituted business group, with projects to work on and membership to develop. The St Brides Bay Havens Business Group hosted morning coffee with a short presentation by Paul Woolman, Chair of the group, on their history, their present projects and their aspirations for the future. Members of that business group had been on study tours to Slovenia and Sweden, and were there to greet our visitors. The journey to the Pembrokeshire Business Showcase took us through the St Brides Bay Havens area, demonstrating the rurality of the area and the focus on Tourism as a main employer.
At the Pembrokeshire Business Showcase, delegates were taken round the event and after lunch, given the opportunity to meet and talk to many of our enterprise agencies. Opportunities for putting on similar events in Ballyhoura and Slovenia were explored, whilst ideas from the experiences of the Swedish team were constructive and helpful. All delegates enjoyed the event and were interested in our model of enterprise support, which seemed to differ greatly from theirs.
The Study Tour dinner was another opportunity to learn from each other. The evening began with presentations on the work of the various partners, giving a good incite into their motivation for the visit. Delegates naturally seemed to divide into interest groups from Business Networking, Tourism, Training for Businesses and Support for businesses, clusters which seemed to develop throughout the tour, particularly for the Plugging the Leaks workshop next day. |
DAY
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Day 2 began with an opportunity for all delegates to learn about PLANED and the work that has been carried out with communities over the last 20 years. The delegates were very interested in PLANED’s model for community engagement and were very interested in the whole ‘Plugging the Leaks’ ideology. In national groups for the first half of the workshop, themes were developed on a multinational basis through ‘Irrigating the Desert’ activities. They were pleased to explore their similarities and differences in the services that they offered. After a local buffet lunch in Plas Hyfryd, a presentation on Sense of Place, Deep Tourism and the regeneration of Narberth gave a very interesting introduction to the town followed by a guided tour of some of the shops. 3 shop owners greeted the visitors with the stories of their successes. Andrew Rees butchers, Jellyegg and Haulfryn Jewellers. The day ended with a welsh supper and an invitation to join the St David’s Day concert in the Nant-y-Ffin Hotel., at which cross cultural relations were enjoyed to the full with singing and exchanges of cultural differences until 2am around the hotel piano. |
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A visit to the Saundersfoot‘s St David’s Day Market and Cawl Championship of the World and Elsewhere was an opportunity to experience the importance of Festivals and events to the economic community. The Slovenian team proudly wore tea shirts from Slovenia. Coffee in the St Brides Spa Hotel. Hosted by Andrew Evans led to a discussion on the Wellness centres and Spas in Sweden, Slovenia and Ireland. With a panoramic view of Saundersfoot and an explanation of the future plans for the village, the party moved to the village centre, where they were given the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the event./ In small groups, hosted and guided by a member of the Chamber for Tourism, the delegates samples Cawl in many of the locations. All felt very welcomed and an exchange of flags and stories took place in what turned out to be the winning entrant in the Cawl competition. Having said goodbye to the Irish delegates and hallo to a Scottish party, we set off on a Sense of Place Tour of the Preseli Hills, led by Brian John. There then followed an afternoon of stories and history, visits to churches, tollgates and burial chambers. The extreme cold was alleviated by a splendid Welsh Cream tea in the Morawelon café’ on the Parrog in Newport. Continuing through Fishguard and Goodwick, the day was completed with a visit and tour of the St David’s Cathedral Cloisters project, an example of how in changing economic times, even ancient monuments need to raise funds commercially in order to preserve the cultural heritage. A Welsh supper in the Cathedral refectory ended the day with songs and laughter. The cultural exchanges continued back at the hotel again with accompaniment from the piano and the hotel owner at the Nant-Y-Ffin. |
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Departure to Heathrow was made with promises of more projects and closer working relationships in the future. A successful visit with opportunities for more joint activities in the future. |
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PLANED Leader+ Entrepreneurship Study Visit to Sweden
This visit was arranged as part of the trans-national Leader+ entrepreneurship project, which aims to demonstrate how
- Engaging local businesses in the development of their area can create an enterprise culture.
- Local enterprises can be encouraged and supported to work together more effectively to improve their local economies.
- The LEADER integrated approach to local development could strengthen enterprise development.
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The Study visit was made up of representatives from the Pembrokeshire Business Network, nominated by their respective local business groups in Narberth, Saundersfoot, Milford Haven, Broad Haven, St Davids, Pembroke Dock, Fishguard
The study visit was hosted by Swedish Jobs and Society with the aim of:
- Understanding their community focused enterprise development model.
- Identfiying areas of practice that could be applied within Pembrokeshire and across Wales.
- Developing joint programmes to support enterprise development.
The programme involved:
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Introduction to Jobs and Society NyföretagarCentrum,
Jan-Olov Ericksson, Chairman Jobs and Society &
Harry Goldman, CEO Jobs and Society who stayed with the group through the whole visit |
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Visits to enterprise agencies and innovation centres in
Lund, Kristianstad and Hässleholm |
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Site visits to Entrepreneurs of the Year |
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Site meetings with Company sponsors |
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Stockholm’s Enterprise Fair - Swedens largest fair for
new entrepreneurs |
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Nutek – the Swedish Agency for Economic and
Regional Growth, |
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Företagarna (The Federation of Private Enterprises). |
The summary report focuses on the key lessons from the Swedish Jobs and Society model, with a view to considering the potential for its application as a pilot within Pembrokeshire as an outcome of the visit. The Jobs and Society Foundation has offered its support in facilitating any pilot development in Wales.
There are 3 key elements to the model – the support provided by the central Foundation, the operations of the local enterprise agency and the role of the enterprise fairs
1. Swedish Jobs and Society Foundation
The Foundation Swedish Jobs and Society operates on a local level through 80 NyföretagarCentrum (Enterprise Agencies), supporting entrepreneurship through professional start-up advice.
Swedish Jobs and Society is a 21 year old foundation and through its NyföretagarCentrum provides support to some 8-10,000 companies per year to start successful and viable enterprises. Swedish Jobs and Society is the leading Swedish player in this field. Jobs and Society’s first NyföretagarCentrum was launched in 1985 and since then more than 150,000 new companies have been established with the support of the network
The core principles behind Jobs and Society/NyföretagarCentrum are:
- The activity is focused on start-up of new enterprises.
- The advice to the entrepreneur should be at no cost, confidential and objective.
- The advice should be of high quality and support serious entrepreneurship.
- NyföretagarCentrum should work through a local network of advisors within its specified business region.
- The financing of the activity should primarily come from local business.
- NyföretagarCentrum should be neutral in relation to its sponsors.
- The local board of NyföretagarCentrum should be mainly composed of representatives from private business.
The Swedish Jobs and Society Foundation acts as an umbrella for the activity. It initiates and is active at the start-up of a new NyföretagarCentrum and is responsible for support in the form of a help-desk, it-system, marketing, advice-tools, printed matter, exhibitions etc. It also organises training of advisors, and exchange of experience. The Foundation carries out quality assurance of the activity through certification of NyföretagarCentrum and advisors. The Foundation also provides network wide insurance cover for the advisers
The activity is mainly financed by private business but also receives some funding from by local authorities and central government . Some 30 large Swedish and international corporations, e.g. Volvo, ABB, Johnson & Johnson, of which several are members of the central board, support the foundation at a central level. At a local level a further 2,000 companies provide financial support and guidance to their respective enterprise agencies.
2. NyföretagarCentrum – The Local Enterprise Agencies
NyföretagarCentrum are operationally led by advisors who have personal experience from the business world. Most of them are, or have been, their own entrepreneurs. In addition the advisor is able to draw on a broad network of local experts from different branches of business who provide advice, guidance and network support to local entrepreneurs
Last year 14,000 individuals came to the local enterprise agencies for advice Only 1% of companies having started via a NyföretagarCentrum go bankrupt after three years – with 82% still being active.
The start up costs per business average around £400-500, not taking not account the time donated by local business in providing advice and network support
The visit included opportunity to meet with local enterprise agencies in Lund Kristianstad and Hässleholm. Key points emerging from these visits:
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The importance of the local Board and Chairman who have responsibility for the enterprise agency. The Board is largely made up of the major private sector funders. The Golden rule is that private funding must contribute around 2/3 of the total budget for the agencies. The larger local companies and banks play a key role as sponsors but a range of smaller and medium companies invest up to £2000 per annum. A typical local agency might have between 40 - 60 local business sponsors |
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The Enterprise agencies operate as franchises of the central Foundation, using the same brand and being certificated to quality standards. The advisers undertake a structured professional development programme |
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The importance of the local business network which both provides sponsorship support to the agency but also a network of advice and expertise. The participating companies recognise benefits in terms of
- benefits to the local economy of increased business start ups
- networking benefits as business to business opportunities
- reputation as a contributor to the health of the local community – being part of the network confers a status
- staff development
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The exact structure of the local enterprise agency will vary, with some being legal entities employing the advisers directly. However many of the advisers operate on a self employed basis. Advisers need to be good listeners, able to summarise and structure feedback, have strong local contacts and knowledge, able to relate to people from different backgrounds, have a sound business background |
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The advisers are always neutral, ensure confidentiality, do not charge and avoid value judgements -”We do not try to pick winners”. Clients are always welcomed back and feel part of the network. Network meetings are a critical part of the support programme eg one agency had network meetings on the first Thursday of every month with 40/50 attending |
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The value in being based within a science park or higher education setting to call on research and specialist skills. Innovation centres also played a key role as a focal point, providing easy access to professional services, technology as well as being a meeting place for entrepreneurs with ideas |
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Agencies often run specific award schemes – such as entrepreneur of the year – as well as introductory courses on starting a new business |
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Several of the agencies had specialist programmes targetting key groups such as women entrepreneurs. Immigant populations or ”new Swedes” , where an important group in several agencies, with a focus on providing support to immigrants who often had real entrepreneural capacity but lacked the networks and needed administrative support. |
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A key new programme being introduced throughout the network is a structured mentoring support programme, which has been developed in partnership with the Swedish Government, who are providing funding to the local agencies for administrating the scheme. Jobs and Society have developed a high quality mentoring process that engages business volunteers from the support network. Each business mentor gives his/her time for free and is matched with a new business start up with a commitment of a monthly meeting over 12 months. The scheme is proving to be an important addition to the suport provided by the local agency |
3. Enterprise Fairs
Jobs and Society arranged its first Enterprise Fair in the south of Sweden in 1993, since when there have been over 100 such fairs in 35 different communities across Sweden.
The largest of these is now established as an annual event in Stockholm, where over two days there were around 40 different seminars, a larges exhibition made of new business starts and the business support agencies.
The Enterprise Fairs aim to provide:
- a trade fair for companies that have been established in the last 3 years
- these companies are offered very low cost rates to exhibit
- a one stop shop for any potential entrepreneur interested in starting a business, where they can access key authorities and support agencies
- an inspiration for the local community, with schools arranging visits to encourage enterprise development
The fairs are organised through the local enterprise agency in conjunction with the local authority, trade organisations and key community partners.
Exhibitors include:
- Authorities and organisations supporting business -Tax office, Agencies for local economic growth, Swedish Companies registration service, Swedish Customs service, Federation of Private Enterprise, Local trade organisations, Banks, Insurance companies, Software suppliers, Office suppliers.
- Newly started companies – all those companies established in the last 3 years are offered stands at a preferential rate, to market themselves and to increase their network and to inspire others.
- Other local businesses- especially those sponsoring and part of the support network.
- The Enterprise agency organises specialist workshops on business development and ensure that potential new business starts are invited, along with school parties.
In summary the Jobs and Society model:
Stimulates and facilitates the start-up and growth of new viable companies through a strong community focus, with companies working together to support business growth in their communities. This is seen to be their key contribution to the future health of their local community, creating wealth and jobs as a prerequisite to underpin the Swedish welfare system.
It recognises the weakness in the system which relies on large companies and large public sector for employment. The traditional expectation is that employment will be found one such employer, so there is a weak entrepreneurial culture. The Jobs and Society model attempts to address this through a community focused approach to enterprise development, which aims to encourage and celebrate entrepreneurship.
It is based on a network of dedicated and well trained professionals, supported through a quality structure overseen by the central Foundation. Critically it is business led and business funded, involving the major Swedish companies, their local operations and over 2000 small and medium companies working in their own communities. |
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The whole group outside the Chamber of Trade in Ljubljana |
 
Sharing ideas!
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| Reports and Studies |
| Please click on report to view in pdf format. |
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 A high profile business event for the Cymdeithas Cleddau Ddu area was held on the 6th December 2007 in Maenclochog Community Hall, facilitated by Victoria Callen – Area Business Mentor – West Wales. |
 The event was designed to encourage businesses in the area to work together, find out about what each other does, promote local purchasing and use each other to stimulate local enterprise. Providing an excellent opportunity for all to air and share their views. Business form all over the area attended with PBI, PBN and Business Eye also there to give advice. Lucienne Bennett (as seen on Country File) who runs a Bed and Breakfast for horse and rider in the Breacons National Park gave a really captivating presentation about her business, circular rides, petal rides and four day riding routes from her home, which was greatly appreciated by an enthuastic audience. Caroline Morgan followed by giving a local perspective and Geraint Harris Senior Ranger from PCNPA gave the National Park’s perspective.
The event was a great success and many thanks to all who helped.
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Fishguard & Goodwick -
Sence of Place Showcase |
Following a very informative ‘Plugging the Leaks’ workshop, held recently at the e-learning centre, Fishguard, was a ‘Sense of Place Showcase’ facilitated by Angharad Wynn, Marketing and Communications, Visit Wales. |
The evening was organisned by PLANED and provided local businesses with a chance to discuss how the principals and philosophy of Sense of Place could help to develop a clearer identity for Fishguard and Goodwick. Throughout the evening many attributes were identified associated with making Fishguard and Goodwick unique and distinctive, providing better marketing opportunities for the area and addressing the needs to establish it as a niche tourism destination. |
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Milford Haven Waterway Showcase |
The event was designed as a high profile business event organised as part of the celebrations of the bi- centennial of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. 200 years ago Brunel brought the spirit of enterprise and ambition to the waterway. The occasion aimed to demonstrate and celebrate the current dynamic business environment that exists in 2006 and to create opportunities for networking and business to business trade. |
Thirty five local businesses presented themselves at the showcase event, ranging from large corporations to small lone traders. The diversity of business was also impressive from craftsman, computer businesses, accounts and training providers to energy companies, power suppliers, commercial fishing representatives and waterway leisure businesses. In addition, forty other businesses attended the Energize business breakfast and approx. forty businesses attended various other parts of the day or simply to network with other businesses. One hundred people enjoyed an excellent local produce luncheon.
 The event aimed to showcase the opportunities for enterprise around the waterway. Businesses who took part welcomed the opportunity to network with other businesses. Those businesses who displayed at the event, appreciated the opportunity to ‘show off’ their business and do business with other local businesses. They also enjoyed the opportunity to show their successes to others. One business took the opportunity to launch a new venture at the event with others saying that this had been the first time they had ever showcased their business. Tamsin Dunwoody A.M. Deputy Minister for Environment, Planning & countryside, was the showcase president. She introduced the Chairman of the County Council Cllr Steve Watkins who opened the event. He expressed the importance of the area through history as an enterprising community. Nick Ainger M.P. opened the afternoon session by launching the new Pembrokeshire directory web site. He spoke of the importance of the internet for business and the environmental  benefits to e commerce.
The event also allowed local businesses access to their Assembly and parliamentary representatives. Feedback from those who had a trade stand at the event was very positive. All felt that the day had been a huge success for them to network but also to do trade amongst themselves. They were also keen to encourage the forming of local business groups in their own areas and agreed to help in recruiting other businesses to attend out future business events. |
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Newport - Sence of Place Showcase |
A very enthuastic group of local business representatives attended a ‘Sense of Place’ workshop held on the 23rd November 2007 at Llys Meddyg in Newport. |
Angharad Wynn from visit Wales facilitated, providing those present with an opportunity to identify niche tourism opportunities. The evening explored the unique ‘Sense of Place’ of Newport and how it can be used to develop the competitiveness and unique selling points of businesses in the area. Also providing practical guidance on how to fulfil visitors thirst for cultural experiences and exceed their expectations of what Wales has to offer. |
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St Brides Bay and Dale Peninsula
Business Showcase |
This event specifically aimed to increase the value of the tourist industry to the local economy through improving the connections between local businesses. The event included specialist workshops on local marketing provided by Design Wales, PBI (Pembrokeshire Business Initiative) Skomer Marine Nature Reserve and includes representation from Pembrokeshire Tourism and Business Eye. |
 The event was held on Friday 24th November at Broad Haven Village hall. There were 15 local businesses with displays as well as agencies able to support local business. Approx. forty businesses attended the Showcase event and seminars, with 35 people attending the showcase supper. The feedback from participants was very positive, highlighting the obvious problems in communication between businesses in rural areas.
 The perception that by knowing each other socially, business to business economic activity took place seems to be unfounded. The issue of isolation of small businesses particularly sole traders who do not meet and network with others was a topic of discussion with neighbours meeting and discussing business as they said for the first time. The overwhelming need identified throughout the day was for more networking opportunities.
The theme for the day had been joint marketing opportunities. This was a very popular topic with an excellent presentation from Design Wales, who talked about the importance of a ‘hook’ to attract interest. The presentation from the Marine Nature Reserve Officer provided information about  a possible ‘hook’.
Pembrokeshire Tourism was able to take this topic forward by inviting all tourism businesses to a marketing day on 25th January in order to look at packaging holiday opportunities. |
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