Coventry: Establishing essential business connections

Local business connectivity has just stepped up a gear and it’s all down to the Coventry CORE’s gigabit speed pure fibre network. Capable of delivering Internet speeds that are up to 100 times faster than standard business connections it’s helping to cement Coventry’s status as one of the UK’s first Gigabit Cities and Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber are with them every step of the way. “As a new venture in Coventry, we needed a vehicle that would help us reach out to local businesses,” said Andy Starnes, Coventry CORE city development manager, “and the Chamber was a natural fit.” Coventry CORE became a Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Strategic Partner in December 2014 to help embed its offering as a future-proof business service and illustrate its long-term commitment to the City’s business community. As with most businesses, awareness raising is a key element of Coventry CORE’s strategic business plan and it realised that the Chamber could play an active role in getting the message out to the people that matter. “We’re making a significant investment in the local economy,” said Brett Marshall, city development executive. “We’re recruiting locally, partnering with local resellers and even using local agencies to spread the word. We like to think that we’re creating a virtuous circle where the Council, the Chamber and local businesses are all set to benefit from cutting-edge connectivity and we’re convinced that it will act as major attraction for new businesses looking to relocate to the area. The Chamber is supporting our work in promoting both Coventry City and the idea that the City is a great place to do business.” While raising awareness among local businesses is hugely important, Coventry CORE views the ‘behind the scenes’ lobbying that the Chamber carries out with policy makers as being vital to its long-term business strategy. It recently participated in the Chamber’s Budget Response and believes that such activities make a significant contribution to policy decisions. As Andy Starnes was keen to point out, “it’s gratifying to see just how far up the Government’s agenda Internet connectivity has risen - something we believe is a direct result of the Chamber and other business organisation’s lobbying activities.” Andy also highlighted just how important the Chamber’s impartiality is when it comes to promoting ‘services that are good for business overall.’ “What we provide is good for business, whatever the sector, and our close alliance to the Chamber as a strategic partner helps to underpin that business case. “We’re committed to making the business community aware that there’s an alternative to existing copper based Internet infrastructure. By connecting to a pure-fibre network businesses are not only accessing ultra-fast speeds, they are also able to benefit from a host of cost and time saving solutions. With the help of the Chamber we’re getting that message across.” The Chamber’s Expo event at the Ricoh Arena in March provided Coventry CORE with an ideal opportunity to demonstrate directly to business the Internet speeds that can be achieved – and reaction was extremely positive. One local business area that’s already benefitting from the service is Fargo Village and the Chamber hosted a successful speed networking event there on the 14^th April in association with the Coventry CORE and their service provider HBT Communications. It’s just one of the ways the Chamber is helping to promote the many benefits business will gain from being connected to the Coventry CORE. Case study written by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce