Networking

SevernNet Business Breakfasts are generally held on the 3rd Thursday of each month.

The Business Breakfast calendar for 2022 is in the table below. If you are interested in hosting a breakfast or have a topic to share please get in touch at info[@]severnnet.org.

A regular monthly event, this is an opportunity to meet your neighbours – local businesses from across the area – large and small – share information and get to know each other better.

Please come along and join us. We look forward to meeting you.

The SevernNet Business Breakfast flyer can be downloaded here.

Next Business Breakfast

Date: Thursday 15th February, 7:30am – 9:00am
Venue: The Bristol Port Company, St. Andrew’s House, Avonmouth, BS11 9DQ.

Skills for Logistics (SfL) is hosting February’s Business Breakfast.

Megan and David Coombes from SfL will be presenting conclusions from their researchof the Skills Needs and Challenges across the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA). Focused on the Logistics and Distribution Sector, the work is being undertaken in co-operation with S. Glos. Council, Business West and SevernNet.

As the number of vacancies grow and the numbers looking for work shrink this skills challenge will increasingly impact every business across the area. What measures can we take to address this?

Come along and join the discussion. Book your place here.

January’s Business Breakfast is on Thursday 18th January 2018.

Date: Thursday 18th January, 7:30am – 9:00am
Venue: The Bristol Port Company, St. Andrew’s House, Avonmouth, BS11 9DQ.

Sims Metal Management (SMM) is hosting January’s Business Breakfast.

James Norman and Dave Lee are looking forward to sharing Sims Metal Management’s plans for the future in Avonmouth.

Book your place here.

November’s Business Breakfast is on Thursday 16th November 2017.

Date: Thursday 16th November, 7:30am – 9:00am
Venue: The Bristol Port Company, St. Andrew’s House, Avonmouth, BS11 9DQ.

Sponsors: Professional Hygiene Ltd.

Please register here.

More information about the event is available here.

We look forward to seeing you.

Previous Breakfasts

October’s Business Breakfast was on Thursday 19th October 2017.

The event was held in the stunning National Catering Equipment Centre which opened in September 2017 on St. Brendan’s Way (BS11 9HA). Bringing businesses and community groups together, the event was focused around a Local Community Facilities Dragons Den. Thirty-eight people came along, representing 27 businesses and organisations, including 10 community groups.

We were delighted that Cllr. Asher Craig (Bristol City Council Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Communities) was able to join us and open the event.

Read more here.

July’s Business Breakfast is on Thursday 20th July 2017.

Our host this month is Shirehampton Park Golf Club, with breakfast sponsored by [to be confirmed].

We’ll be featuring:

Avonmouth Severnside Flood Defence and Ecology Mitigation Scheme – What do you think and how might this impact or benefit you?

A Forgotten Landscape – a Heritage Lottery project to conserve and enhance the Lower Severn Vale Levels, while improving community access and engagement.

We’ll be exploring opportunities to do more with green spaces across the industrial area and how organisations could help manage them for habitat creation and wildlife.

As usual there will also be lots of opportunities to network, and a 30 second slot to introduce yourself and your business to the room, together with refreshments and a light breakfast.

Please register here.

More information about the event is available here.

June’s Business Breakfast, held on Thursday 15th June, was hosted by The Bloodhound Project with breakfast sponsored by v6e.

More information about the event is available here.

May’s Business Breakfast, on Thursday 18th May 2017 was hosted by Accolade Wines.

May’s business breakfast was attended by 44 people from 30 organisations across the area.

More details to follow …

April’s Business Breakfast was very well attended. A summary will be available soon.

We’re delighted that April’s Business Breakfast on Thursday 20th April will be hosted by Nisbets at their Access 18 location. Find out more about this growing local business, one of the area’s largest employers, between  07:30 and 09:30 (Optional tours from 09:00 to 09:30). Please register here.

We hope you can join us. If you can give up an hour and a half first thing in the morning, we promise you’ll walk away feeling it was time well spent. Register here

A regular monthly event, this is an opportunity to meet your neighbours – local businesses from across the area – large and small – share information and get to know each other better.

We look forward to meeting you.

Mar 17:  Opportunities for Skills Improvement and Investment … and Golf

March’s business breakfast was hosted by Shirehampton Park Golf Club and by Skills West from Business West. We’d like to thank both organisations for their support.

Jon Palmer from Shirehampton Park Golf Club presented the facilities available at the Club. More information is available here.

Barry Tugwood introduced the important new Skills West programme which aims to support a more dynamic skills and training system that is responsive to businesses in the West of England. You can download his presentation here.

Jacqueline Hood, a Masters student from the University of Bristol, asked attendees for their support for a Resource Efficiency initiative they’re running across the area with Resource Futures and SevernNet.

Highlights will be available shortly.

Feb 17: Importance of Management Skills and Branding featured at this month’s Business Breakfast

Our hosts in February were the Chartered Institute of Management at St. Andrew’s House, The Bristol Port Company. The current state of UK leadership and options for improving management competence were discussed.

Brand51 also featured. Instrumental in helping us launch the SevernNet Business Breakfast, Brand51 shed light on what Brand51 do for local businesses and offered some words of wisdom about the importance of branding.

Highlights from the event can be found here

Jan 17: The Bristol Port Company helped kick off the year with a well attended Business Breakfast

Highlights from the event can be found here

Nov 16: Key Messages from Avon Fire and Rescue at Business Breakfast

Avon Fire and Rescue (AFR) hosted November’s Business Breakfast, attended by 20 local organisations. Many thanks to Jan Morris, Station Manager, and team for their hospitality.

There were some key messages for businesses (headlines below – for more detail:click here)

• £1bn is wasted each year in the UK on Unwanted Fire Signals (UWFS) or false alarms.  Avon Fire and Rescue can offer advice. A publication can also be downloaded from www.fia.uk.com.
• If a false alarm does go off, notify AFR immediately.
• Take steps to prevent arson. Housekeeping is critical. Keep rubbish well away from buildings.
• A business continuity programme is essential. What would you do if your business burnt down?
• Businesses are responsible in law for ensuring the safety of business premises and people using them.
• Many staff become complacent with fire drills and will use the exit they’re familiar with.
• Chemical storage and stock management is critical.

Avon Fire and Rescue and SevernNet will organise a Fire Safety Workshop in the New year. Let us know if this might be of interest (info@severnnet.org).

The breakfast concluded with a demonstration by one of the Fire Fighting teams in extracting someone who is trapped from a car. Bram Fischer from Wessex Buses volunteered to be the trapped person. Bram “It was a valuable experience. Much noisier than I expected. Good to be reassured about what was happening throughout”.

We were also warned to ensure there are no loose objects in a vehicle e.g. a bottle of wine can have an impact of 13kg at 30 miles per hour (mph) and 31kg at 70 mph!

Business support for Oasis Brightstowe

Joe Docherty, Principal from Oasis Brightstowe Academy, asked businesses if they could support employment related events in December, January and February (see separate item below).

Zoe Joyner (Nisbets) and Joe also mentioned that a number of 16 years old leavers from the Academy were now working as apprentices at Nisbets. Further opportunities are welcomed by the Academy.

Health and Safety Peer to Peer Group

SevernNet facilitates a Health & Safety Peer to Peer Group that enables people working in Health and Safety across the area share their expertise and best practice. If you’re interested in being included within this network please let us know.

SevernNet Membership

Businesses are also encouraged to become paying members of SevernNet to enable us to continue to operate into 2017.

Next Business Breakfast

December’s Business Breakfast is on Thursday December 15^th from 07:30 to 09:00. Venue to be confirmed. If you would like to host please let us know.

Thursday 20th  October 2016 – hosted by The Bristol Port Company

October’s business breakfast focused on three key areas which we hope will interest all businesses across the area:

1. The Bristol Port Company and their up and coming developments

2. Employment challenges … getting those vacancies filled. Key reflections from the very successful Job Fair on 29th Sept. in Shirehampton which saw 320 jobseekers come through the door.

3. Supply chain opportunities through working together. We touched upon this last month.

All three of these topics are, of course, inter-related.

Please join us. If you can give up an hour and a half first thing in the morning, we promise you’ll walk away feeling it was time well spent.

The Bristol Port Company is our host at St. Andrew’s House (BS11 9DQ). and the event starts at 07:30 until 09:00.

Please book a place using this link: https://severnnet-business-breakfast-oct16.eventbrite.com.

Agenda

07:30   Arrival, tea, coffee, breakfast and networking
07:50   Introductions, including 60-second intro for everyone attending
08:00   Update from The Bristol Port Company and discussion
08:15   Update from Job Fair and discussion
08:25   Supply chain opportunities across the area – discussion
08:35   Close of formal session & informal networking

Any queries please email kate.royston@severnnet.org or call 07969 569 444.

September 2016: Thursday 15th  September 2016

The SevernNet Business Breakfast returns on Thursday September 15^th after a short summer break.
The event will be hosted by Avonmouth Community Centre, and run from 07:30 to 09:00.

We’re hearing a lot from businesses that filling vacancies with the right people is increasing challenging, and this will be September’s Business Breakfast topic.

The breakfast will also be an opportunity for businesses attending the Jobs Fair at Shirehampton Job Centre on Sept. 29^th to discuss the event and cover any questions you may have.

We’ll be joined by Chris Mitchell from Bristol City Council. He is BCC’s Job Fair guru as well as a key member of their Ways to Work Team and will have helpful advice to offer!

As always there will be the 60 second intro spot for everyone attending and plenty of time for networking. We’ll be serving drinks and a bacon sandwich (and a simple alternative for vegetarians/vegans).

Please join us. You can register through Eventbrite here: http://severnnet-business-breakfast-sept16.eventbrite.com.

Agenda

07:30   Arrival, tea, coffee, breakfast and networking
07:50   Introductions, including 60-second intro for everyone attending
08:00   Discussion – local employment challenges and opportunities
08:15   Discussion – Job Fair
08:25   Resource Exchange / Supply Chain – any ‘Haves’ or ‘Wants’ that may interest others
08:35   Close of formal session & informal networking

July 2016: Thursday 21 July 2016

Focus on Supply Chain: who are you using to provide your services & products? What opportunities are there to connect with other businesses in the area?

Venue

Avonmouth Community Centre

Time

07:30 to 09:00

Charge

Register via Event Brite
Special offer – select ‘Breakfast Invite Offer’ and come for free.
£5 SevernNet members, £10 non-SevernNet-members