As the home of Scottish rugby, Murrayfield Stadium has seen plenty of match-winning tries in its time.
But there was a different kind of success to play for as three of the UK’s top business organisations gathered for a pioneering “triple crown” event that had “conversions” at its heart – turning conversations into collaborations.
The first-of-its-kind “Chamber Connect” initiative brought together the North East Chamber of Commerce, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Held on June 26, it was the initiative of rail firm Lumo, which runs low-cost, popular and environmentally friendly services daily between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Lumo, which began operating on the East Coast Main Line in 2021, prides itself in boosting trade links along its routes, from drawing its workforce from the communities it serves, to bringing together business leaders, to promoting local suppliers.
These include Ringtons tea and coffee and WATA drinks from North-East England and Holyrood Distillery whisky from Scotland.
About 100 people met at Murrayfield to build cross-border connections and explore new opportunities.
One participant, Andy Hogg, director of The IT Trainer, said the event was “invaluable”. He said: “Where else would I get the opportunity to talk to 100 people in a day?”
Emma Reid, commercial director at Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said the initiative was “such a great opportunity for members”.
She said: “This event is a great example of the strength we can unlock by working together across our chamber network.
“We know that making connections is the number one reason businesses engage with us, so bringing our Edinburgh, Glasgow and North East England communities together creates even more opportunities – locally, nationally and across the UK.”
Erin Newey, strategic partnerships manager at North East Chamber of Commerce, said it was “such a successful event”.
Her North East Chamber colleague Tim Marsden said: “We look forward to building on the success of this Chamber Connect through future collaborations.”
The event attracted representatives from a range of sectors for structured networking and knowledge-sharing.
The aim was to help chamber members expand their networks beyond their home regions and identify opportunities for collaboration across the wider chamber network.
Participants also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of Murrayfield, Scotland’s biggest sports stadium (with a capacity of 67,144) and officially known as the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium.
This was followed by a visit to the Fingal Hotel, the five-star floating hotel and event venue permanently berthed in Leith and owned by the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Lucy Davids, business development manager at Hotel Gotham Newcastle, said: “It’s been really good to be part of this Chamber Connect. Forming these connections will help to increase our brand awareness.”
Alan Busby, senior events & professional development manager at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Chamber Connect event showed what becomes possible when Chamber networks work across borders.
“We are keen to see this model repeated and to keep opening doors for businesses that want to grow beyond their immediate region.”
Richard Salkeld, director of communications & partnerships at Lumo, said: “Every day Lumo connects people, businesses and communities between London, the North of England and Scotland, so it felt like a natural extension of what we do to bring together three chamber organisations and encourage greater collaboration across borders.
“Rail has always been about creating connections, but those connections should go far beyond the stations we serve. We believed there was an opportunity to help businesses from the North East of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow meet, exchange ideas and build relationships that could unlock future economic growth, and we’re delighted the chambers embraced that vision.”
Lumo is currently the UK’s highest-rated rail operator for value for money, according to a Transport Focus survey of more than 100,000 passengers.
Its East Coast passenger numbers have increased by 23 per cent year on year – the biggest increase of any UK rail firm.
Lumo is supporting more community and Pride events than ever before as part of its commitment to inclusion and creating positive social impact.
In May, Lumo launched a new route on the West Coast Main Line, linking Stirling and London Euston via central and southern Scotland.
This provides three stations in central Scotland – Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet – with a direct rail connection to London for the first time.
Lumo’s East Coast service, which runs in and out of London King’s Cross, has helped boost rail’s share of the London to Edinburgh market from 35 per cent to 50 per cent, attracting travellers away from short-haul domestic flights with competitive pricing and journey times of about four hours.
Lumo’s Stirling to Euston route has created about 100 jobs, including at Lumo’s new rail base in Preston.
By late July, there will be four return trains a day between Stirling and Euston and a fifth return service between Euston and Preston.
Ticket prices start at £14.90 for Stirling to Preston and £29.90 for Stirling to Euston.
Other stations served along the route include Motherwell, Crewe, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes.
