From this Saturday many of our hairdressing, hospitality and some leisure businesses will be reopening, and churches will be able to be used for public worship also. No doubt many have been preparing for this, reorganising layouts to take account of the one-metre-plus social distancing arrangements and other new rules. It will be incumbent on individuals, as members of the public and customers, and operators of the businesses reopening, to conduct themselves in a sensible manner. Respecting individual social distancing measures and precautions such as hand washing will continue to be necessary for some time into the future. Taking note of the way venues have to run, often by appointment and with managed footfall, ordering drinks and food from your table etc., will be critical to avoid a spike in infections. Above all we do not want to face the need for an extended lockdown!
One of the challenges for all businesses as they reopen is to reassure customers that they are safe to use and operating in accordance with Government guidelines! How are you getting this message out there? If by using social media, then as a Chamber we will support you in terms of liking, sharing, commenting or retweeting as appropriate - and please do the same for other local business and the Chamber posts!
Here is a link to the
MVDC website
where they have listed everything you could want or need for restarting, in one place. The different headings lead to the relevant sections of the advice contained on the Gov.uk website. This link is also on the Home Page of our website. For those looking for signage, screens, etc., Chamber Member Kall Kwik Leatherhead has developed a wide range in a number of colourways. Our videos of the Risk Assessment and Working Safely During Covid-19 and HR Considerations session featured in previous newsletters are still available on our
YouTube channel
and continue to be added to weekly.
A reminder from MVDC that every business open should have carried out a Risk Assessment and completed and be displaying the blue Staying Covid-19 Secure in 2020
notice
prominently on a door or window.
The Council has engaged The Retail Group, retail and consumer management consultants, to run three webinars and provide free 1:1 support sessions for retailers on a first come first served basis. Find out more
here
. Both Kerry-Anne Kitson, our Marketing Director, and I have attended some or all of these, and while the webinar series has now finished, there are more 1:1 support slots available. The people delivering them have wide experience in retail as well as consulting, and have worked with a number of other Local Authorities and LEPs. We thoroughly recommend booking your slot and wish to thank MVDC for funding and arranging this programme.
On Wednesday 1 July we had another ‘Virtual Coffee’ Restart Your Business session 6: Get Ahead - Take The Insights Track, led by Sophie Carr of Bays Consulting. Sophie showed us some simple approaches to leveraging the full value of the sales data we’ve collected in an excellent presentation followed with a Q&A session. The video is available on our
YouTube
channel. That evening, Sophie and I ran the The Not a Pub Quiz, full of fun with questions set by Sophie, who won our first Quiz. The winner this time was Member Jackie Adams from Jackie Adams Consulting, who will set the questions for the September event.
Our next Virtual Coffee session on 8 July
is
Restart Your Business Session 7: The UK Property Market – Past, Present And The ‘New Future’,
led by Member David Robertson of STREAM Properties Ltd.
On 9 July we have another Virtual Coffee event run jointly with Member
Mouse Literate - Quick Wins with Microsoft Office.
Wednesday 15 July sees our monthly Virtual Breakfast - Expanding Your Network and a Special Opportunity for our Newest Members. Chamber breakfast meetings have taken a slightly different format since becoming online events, and those whom we would usually have hoped to meet in person are yet to have a formal introduction. Therefore, new Members are being invited to introduce themselves and their businesses properly, and will each have a 2 to 3 minute spotlight on their business. After the introductions, there will be a chance to ask any questions, followed by the regular one minute speed round of all other Members.
Please see below for links to all these events and more.
We have re-launched our page
promoting offers
by our Members, so if you have an offer out there or wish to promote something special please do send details to
Kerry-Anne
. We are also now publicising job opportunities for Chamber Members on our News page, so please let us have any other sits vacant too!
Finally, please do promote the benefits of
joining the Chamber
to your business colleagues and customers. If you have a window which needs one of our posters and a membership sticker do let us know, and we have flyers as well for anyone in a position to deliver some.
