An introduction to Chamber of Commerce and South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce

1. South Cheshire Chamber of
Commerce and Industry
An Introduction

2. What is a Chamber of Commerce?
The largest business network globally

3. What is a Chamber of Commerce?
“A chamber of commerce is an organization of
businesses seeking to further their collective
interests, while advancing their community,
region, state or nation”
- American Chamber of Commerce Executives

4. What is a Chamber of Commerce?
Chamber missions vary, but they all tend to focus to
some degree on five primary goals:
• Building communities (regions/states/nations) to
which residents, visitors and investors are attracted;
• Promoting those communities;
• Striving to ensure future prosperity via a pro-
business climate;
• Representing the unified voice of the employer
community; and
• Reducing transactional friction through well-
functioning networks.

5. What is a Chamber of Commerce?
Chambers have other features in common.
• Most are led by private-sector employers, self-
funded, organized around boards/committees of
volunteers and independent.
• They share a common ambition for sustained
prosperity of their community/region, built on
thriving employers.
• Most are ardent proponents of the free market
system, resisting attempts to overly burden
private sector enterprise and investment.

6. Some Chamber Facts
• Currently, there are about 13,000 chambers
registered in the official World Chambers
Network registry.
• There are roughly 3,000 chambers of commerce
in the US with at least one full-time staff person
and thousands more established as strictly
volunteer entities.
• 54 chambers members of the British Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). Several more
non-member chambers.

7. Chamber Models
• Compulsory/Public law chambers
▫ Enterprises of certain sizes, types, or sectors are
obliged to become members of the chamber
▫ European Union countries (France, Germany,
Italy, Spain), Japan
• Continental/Private law chambers
▫ Companies are not obligated to become chamber
members
▫ USA, Canada, UK, Sweden, Finland, Norway,
Denmark

8. Chamber Models
• Bilateral Chambers
▫ Formed of individuals and companies who share a common
interest in trade and commerce between two countries
▫ To represent and further the interests of each of its member
countries
▫ Promotion and encouragement of bilateral trade and
investment
▫ Examples: Nigerian-British COCI, Danish-British COCI,
French- SA COCI etc
• Multilateral Chambers
▫ Formed of companies (and sometimes individuals) from
different countries with a common business interest
towards or in a specific country
▫ Examples: Council of Foreign Chambers of Commerce in
the UK (CFCC)

9. Chamber of Commerce in the UK
Constitution
• Chamber shall be constituted as a body
corporate but not as a company limited by
shares
• A chamber shall not be a subsidiary or division
of any other body, except another chamber
• A chamber shall be an independent body and not
under the direct control of government or a local
authority

10. Chamber of Commerce in the UK
Membership
• Not less than 75 per cent of the members of a
chamber shall be engaged in manufacture,
commerce, business, trade, shipping, distribution,
agriculture, fishing or professional practice
• The membership of a chamber
▫ The name of which includes a reference to any place or
area in the United Kingdom, shall be genuinely
representative of the businesses in the whole of that
place or area
▫ The name of which includes references to any place or
area outside the United Kingdom, shall be genuinely
representative of the businesses seeking to promote
business or trade between those places or areas.

11. Chamber of Commerce in the UK
Purposes
• A chamber shall exist to serve and promote the
interests of the whole of the business community
in any places or areas included in its name
• A chamber shall provide the local business
community with information, advice and
assistance
• A chamber shall undertake, or encourage its
members to undertake, joint promotional
activities and to develop arrangements for
mutual support.

12. Chamber Members
• Local businesses are voluntary paying members
of a chamber (non-profits, quasi-public and even
public sector employers also sometimes pay dues
to belong).

13. South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce
“An independent membership organisation
supporting, informing and representing the
interests of the businesses in South Cheshire”

14. South Cheshire Chamber
• A not-for-profit limited company operating
across the geographic area covered by the former
borough of Crewe and Nantwich
• 480+ members out of a business population of
approximately 3,750 registered businesses in the
area
• 5 full time and 1 part time employees

15. South Cheshire Chamber
Nominated Directors
South Cheshire Chamber Property
3
Board
MMU Cheshire 1
Cheshire East Council 1
Elected Directors
Member Companies 8
Ex-officio Directors
Chairman 1
Chief Executive 1
Total number of Directors 15

16. South Cheshire Chamber
• Working on the ethos of
▫ Information
▫ Facilitation
▫ Representation
• Income Streams
▫ Membership fees
▫ Events and Business Support activities
▫ Sponsorship and Advertisements
▫ Public sector contracts

17. SCCCI Services
• Business Advice & Support
▫ Business Advice Line
▫ Legal Advice Line
▫ Export Documentation Services & International trade Advice
• Information & Promotion
▫ Providing Business Information
▫ Free Quarterly 4Front Magazine
▫ Free Articles in 4Front Magazine
▫ Chamber Networking Events
▫ Free Promotion of Members Events
▫ Free Interactive Website and Business Directory
▫ Membership Logo & Membership Certificate
• Representation & Lobbying
▫ Representation and Lobbying on issues affecting the local
business community

18. SCCCI Strategic Map

19. Chamber Vision
• To restructure/ re-organise the chamber
in line with the new digital engagement
strategy
• Identify the gaps in service, quality and
performance
• Implement new strategies of staff
engagement and development

20. Chamber Future
• Improve engagement with the members
• Increase member retention
• Increase overall membership
• Increase revenue by providing platform services to
public sector organisations and others (‘partner
members’)
• Increase revenue through advertising, directory
listings and events
• Create a more interactive chamber which is readily
engaged with the business community
• Raise profile of SCCCI locally, regionally and
nationally
• Set a benchmark for other chambers to follow

21. Chamber Executive and Business Community Co-ordinator
nadeem.ahmad@sccci.co.uk
01270 504700 (Ext – 19)
www.southcheshirechamber.co.uk
Twitter – @SCheshChamber, @SavvyNaddy
Presentation Slide available at - http://slidesha.re/vt7315