2020 has certainly been an adventure for the staff and members of Fife Chamber. Like everyone across the Network, we have had to adjust quickly to the demands of Covid restrictions to keep supporting members, and we are now a lot wiser, quite a bit greyer and most definitely closer. Although we’ve been physically separate as a team, and that has been hard for everyone, we have never relied on each other more than we have in the last eight months.
The highlights have been numerous, from maintaining great attendance at our online events, even though everyone is, increasingly, ‘Zoomed out’, to the loyalty of our members who have continued to renew their memberships despite their own challenges, to seeing members step forward with offers of help for each other, to the enhanced collaboration with all the other chambers in the Network to create an even more unified business voice for Scotland. There have, of course, been lowlights as well, especially seeing some of the members we have got to know well go out of business.
Live events were always significant for us so we had to pivot to online meetings: and we have done. We have progressed from almost ‘make it up as we go along’ on our first Chamber Chat to delivering the Fife Business Awards online, with a live studio presenter, live feeds to the finalists and the distribution of 250 Celebration bags so finalists and sponsors can have a proper party at home. In between, we launched our ‘Tour of Britain’ of virtual joint events with chambers of commerce from across the UK and we moved the event partnerships we already had with other Scottish chambers online.
My amazing team made this happen and our President Brian Horisk summed it up perfectly when he said: “The team have done a fabulous job steering the Chamber through these most challenging of times. They have put in the hours to create great events and stay in touch with members and help them in every way they can. The Board and the members needed them to deliver, and that is exactly what they have done.”
The centrepiece of our programme next year will be Fife Learn Rebuild, which will create platforms for experts to share their business knowledge and members to share their equally valuable insights, so we can all rebuild our businesses and get back to doing what we do best: profitably creating and delivering great products and services. That will be good for individual members and for the Fife economy. But we also want to help our communities rebuild, so we will be donating 30% of money from ticket sales to local charities, so they can get back to doing what they do best: looking after the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in Fife.
The team will start 2021 with many factors still out with their control but with a strong conviction to look out for each other, stay focused on members and be a reliable partner for Liz and her team at the SCC.
