I was very pleased to receive a letter from the Port of Tyne this month which highlighted their previous 12 months and plans for the future.
For in any economy the shipping industry plays a significant role in its import and export activities and here in the North East we are no exception. Sea ports play a crucial role providing a service to many industrial sectors and the Port of Tyne and Port of Sunderland are vital to the North East’s communication network.
Reading this inspired me to pause and reflect on our successes in 2013, and I am delighted to report that it was a most prosperous year for the BIC. We remain committed in our mission to build business success in the region, and this is reflected in our plans for the coming year, in which will be introducing a new raft of support for established businesses and start ups all over the region.
This will include the launch of our new Coworking facility, an ideal escape for high growth businesses who are currently working from home and I look forward to helping to create a cheerful atmosphere well into the years to come. A successful coworking space requires many factors to ensure that the sessions run smoothly, productively and efficiently. Which is where, as highlighted above, the good transport links really are a necessity. As well as appropriate facilities and event organisation. Here at the BIC we feel that by adopting the coworking approach that we add even more value to our centre.
The BIC is just like any other business, we must move with the needs of the market place and engage with clients on their terms and requirements and 2013 was also the year we launched our Interim Sales Director Programme (ISD) in conjunction with David Anderson and DigitalCity Business. This programme allows companies access to a top level sales and marketing specialist who helps develop their business development strategies as well as the skills and knowledge to execute them. ISD has already worked with numerous businesses since the programme began all over the North East.
The BIC also became a local contact point for the cross border exchange programme, Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs and have just seen our first entrepreneur fly out to Italy to share and receive knowledge and skills with an established company for two months. The programme is a fantastic opportunity to expand networks throughout Europe.
Finally in this digital era, I would like to share news of tenant The Centre for Digital Business which opened last year catapulting onto the events scene helping drive forward growth as a centre for training, consulting and research in digital business.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support and I look forward to working with you into the next 12 months ensuring 2014 is a year for our ongoing development and growth.