MIPIM UK Day 2

We've been very lucky to be joined by the local media during our time at MIPIM UK at Olympia.

Day 1 Claire French, the business editor for the Portsmouth News joined us to get a flavour of what the exhibition was all about. She came along to our lunch at the Belvedere in Holland Park and was able to interview Penny Mordaunt MP, the Minister for Communities.

The resulting two pages of copy really captured the feeling of optimism from our consortium - and as ever it was a delight to spend time with Claire.

On Day 2 Alastair Fee, the Business Correspondent for BBC South came to London to spend the day with us.. He was keen to capture the story of Portsmouth and Southampton working together to promote the opportunities in the region. He filmed in the hustle and bustle of the exhibition hall, on our stand and then at our second lunch. Speakers there included Jonathan Goring talking passionately about Ben Ainslie Racing and Charlie Flynn from investors Lucent speaking about the Royal Pier development in Southampton.

Alastair was filming one minute and tweeting the next- it was great to see such a professional newsman at work.

So MIPIM UK wraps up today. Overall our partners seem to have relished the opportunity to promote the place where they live and work to a wider audience. Business has been done andwe are already thinking about next year.

From the point of view of the Business South team it has been hard work ensuring our time in London was successful  - but it was worth all the effort...

After months of preparation we are finally here at MIPIM UK

After months of preparation we are finally here at MIPIM UK - and what an experience it has been so far...

 

Business South has co-ordinated the private sector led consortium promoting development opportunities in Portsmouth, Southampton and the surrounding region at the first ever MIPIM UK event. We've helped to pull together a cohesive story of what the region has to offer to potential investors and developers - and all the hard work has culminated in three days at Olympia.

 

A prospectus called Prosper has been produced as well as a video and we are proudly manning a beautifully designed stand that has been the focus of much activity. (So much so that a member of the team running MIPIM UK asked us last night whether we had events running on the stand all day...)

 

On the first day we were visited by Minister Greg Clark and throughout the day a vast number of enquiries were dealt with by partners on our stand.

 

MIPIM UK hit the news headlines because of the protesters outside and Champion Manager Leigh-Sara Timberlake was in the thick of it (quite literally) escorting our guests to a traditional London bus taking us off site to a sumptuous lunch at the Belvedere in Holland Park.

 

Potential investors and developers were invited to join us for a delicious lunch in beautiful surroundings. Our speakers were Penny Morduant MP, Minister for Coastal Communities, Regeneration and High Street and Tim Kent, Director at Lloyds Register.

 

Penny Morduant outlined the opportunities for investors in the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton while Tim explained how Lloyds Register had successfully moved to Southampton after centuries based in London.

 

Claire French, Business Editor at The News in Portsmouth, was among the guests and it was fascinating  to see her putting her story on the page while she sat in the Press Centre at Olympia.

 

Seeing how other cities are promoting themselves has been an eye opener. Cardiff has brought an enormous 3D map that illustrates beautifully where their development opportunities lie - and tonight I am off to a reception they are holding to find out more about their aspirations.

New Report Shows Digital is a Major Growth Sector in the South

Chris Cooper is the chairman of Digital South, the Business South Action Group, and in this quarterly article he highlights the importance of a new report that finally helps to quantify the size of the digital cluster in the south.

And the good news is digital is already employing more than 100,000 highly skilled people in the south and that number is set to grow.

“One of the questions posed to me is - how big is the digital sector? If you can prove that the digital sector is a big driver of economic growth and employment in the region, it makes it easier to be heard amongst the many voices clamouring for policy change, investment and/or attention, sometimes being bigger is an advantage. How to prove it though? Firstly, we could argue over what do we mean by ‘digital’. Then how do we measure this ‘digital' thing. What are the boundaries, who do we include? This could lead you down a path of many interesting twists and turns which I simply avoid by taking what is already available. Thank you Office for National Statistics (ONS).

“Without getting into the detail, the ONS have handily already categorised who, what and where a digital tasked/employed person is. I will argue later in this piece about some of the ONS data shortcomings.  For now though, this is a fantastic starting point. Next step was to see how I could make some sense and relevance of this data.  Knowing my limitations, I sought expert help. In the spirit of collaboration and partnership Hampshire County Council (HCC) Economic Intelligence kindly researched and then published the Digital Technologies (download here) report on the size, coverage and depth of digital employment and economic activity here in the south.

“The report covers 4 LEP areas. Dorset, Solent, EM3 and Coast to Capital. The findings are based on ONS data. The report was written by Jola Sysak, Principle Research Officer, Hampshire County Council.

“But back to the original question. How big is the digital sector. According to the figures. Very. What do we mean by big? Employment, yes it is big. Over 100,000 jobs. Economic impact. That is big to. Digital represents over 10 per cent of the region’s GVA. However, this is not all. The figures miss another chunk of those involved in digital activity as part of the their employment but they are not recorded as such. This is because they work for a bank or a retailer, or in pharma or in naval engineering. Thus, the figures actually undershoot the size and importance of the digital community. We are trying to find a way of including those numbers in next years report. So digital could be even bigger…

“I would like to share some highlights from the report that I believe are important to consider when thinking about the size of digital in the south. This is after all not simply all about numbers.

    •       The digital cluster in the south region versus the rest of the country is higher than average at over 13 per cent
    •       Digital employees tend to be higher skilled with higher salaries
    •       Digital skills compete with high value manufacturing and maritime sectors
    •       Clusters of digital activity are right across our region

“Another reason for creating the report is to ensure we can measure any changes. Be they the result of policy, circumstance or graft. By understanding what the current situation is will better inform us all to make smart decisions about where we work, what we train for, what we study and what types of job do we want to do. The intention is with HCC’s, ONS and Business South’s assistance we hope to publish another report next year.

“Next steps. Digital South has already used the report to justify the need for investment in the local digital economy as part of a TSB Catapult Funding request. Digital South is also seeking cross LEP support to include a Digital Economy focus in their investment plans. The report is available as open data. Please feel free to read and share. I encourage a healthy debate on what to do next with this evidence.

“My thanks to Jola Sysak and the Economic Research team at HCC.”

A Room with a View

It has to be the best view in the city – and an invited group of Southampton’s finest got to check out the panoramic vista from Admiral’s Quay this week.

From Business South’s offices in the nearby Ocean Village Innovation Centre we’ve been fascinated for nearly two years as we’ve watched the city’s tallest residential tower take shape – so the opportunity to take a peek inside was just too good to miss.

While completion is still some months away – developers Bouygues took the inspired decision to invite business leaders and civic dignitaries to come see for themselves what all the fuss was about.

(I must admit to a slight feeling of trepidation as the lift swept up to the top floor but the glass of bubbly and soothing tones of a quartet playing classical music helped to quell any nerves).

And I can reveal the views are quite simply stunning ...

Southampton is laid before you in all its glory – with Southampton docks and the Itchen waterfront offering a fascinating backdrop for the future owners of the best penthouse address in the city.

You can indeed just spot the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth – and if the new owner is a Saints fan (or maybe even a player) they should be able to hear the roar of the crowd on matchdays.

Cooking up a storm at the Hampshire Fare launch

A Glass of local bubbly, fantastic tasty nibbles and the wonderful setting of the Leckford Estate Farm Shop – what’s not to like?

An invitation to the launch of this year’s Hampshire Fare Food Festival was the hottest ticket this week – with the chance to find out more about some of the county’s top food and drink producers.

Celebrity chef Angela Hartnett (pictured below, clutching a copy of the Business South magazine) was the guest of honour. She and Luke Holder are the culinary brains behind Hartnett Holder and Co – the wonderful restaurant at Lime Wood Hotel in  the New Forest.

She told guests at the food festival launch that she loves working in Hampshire and she can feel the tension melt away as she drives down the M3 towards the New Forest.

There’s no doubting that Hampshire is a great place for food lovers. At the launch you could sample everything from posh bubble and squeak to buffalo burgers. I munched my way through some yummy cheese, sticky parkin and liquorice ice cream washed down with dry apple juice – and each element was delicious.

The Leckford Estate Farm Shop is nearly a year old and is one of those sublime places you wish you could visit more regularly.

My colleague Leigh-Sara (pictured above) and I were bowled over by the variety of food and drink for sale and really impressed by the cafe (especially the fabulous coffee).

Business South is really keen to support our region’s food and drink producers and each January we host a Local Produce show.

(We’ve got an early bird offer for exhibitors and you can read more about it here http://www.businesssouth.org/site/south/uploads/Business-Solent/SiteImages/Events/LocalProduceShow2015 Exhibitors Invitation FINAL.pdf)

As ever there are some wonderful events taking place during the Food Festival - for more details go to http://www.hampshirefare.co.uk/

Happy munching ...

Something for Businesses to Ponder...

It's Student Volunteering Week from next Monday (Feb 24). All across the country students will be doing good deeds for others -  in fact, Monday is officially Good Deed Day.

In our own back yard students in Portsmouth will be helping to clean up the storm-battered beach, while Winchester’s finest will be taking part in a volunteering hustle in aid of Naomi House and Jacks Place.

Over in Bournemouth students will be down on the community farm in their wellies, getting their hands dirty for a great cause.

And in Southampton students will be taking part in a series of events across the city.

My partner’s son recently graduated and I was struck at the time by the Vice Chancellor’s speech where he highlighted the enormous amount of volunteering students get up to while they are at university.

They had helped to raise many thousands of pounds for charity and given their time and brain power to help community projects get off the ground or keep going.

This has to be good for the students because it shows them there is a world beyond the lecture theatre and it undoubtedly benefits the towns and cities where they give their time for good causes.

Increasingly you hear it said that graduates joining businesses are concerned that their employer is contributing to their community and giving something back. (I understand some use this as a criteria when deciding which companies to apply to for work).

According to the experts, those born between 1980 and 2000 or Generation Y as they are more commonly known, are less interested in financial gain than their parents, and more concerned with job fulfilment.

More than just a means of paying the rent, Generation Y see work as a route to exploring their passions, hobbies and philosophies.

The traditional model of being able to do more social and charitable good when you are older and more financially secure is undoubtedly changing. Young people want to increase their pay scale and achieve social good at the same time.

As we inch forward out of the economic gloom of recent years, businesses will once again be looking at how they can make a difference (and resurrect those corporate social responsibility policies that have been sidelined due to budgetary constraints).

Employers should take volunteering into account when they decide which candidates to appoint – and then harness that generosity of spirit to enable their businesses to give something back to the local communities that support them.

It is a virtuous circle – and a resource that companies should be happy to support.

To find out more about Student Volunteering Week go to http://www.studentvolunteeringweek.org.uk/

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines ...

In recent times I barely seem to have drawn breath before another deadline comes hurtling towards me at full pelt.

Coming from a newspaper background I’m used to writing copy on demand all day long (and I’m long enough in the tooth to remember writing for late night final editions, with the news editor hovering near my desk hungry for the latest political tit-bit from my notebook).

Conducting interviews for the next edition of the Southampton magazine is certainly keeping me busy – and it’s been fascinating so far...

This edition will showcase Southampton and give the latest news and views on key developments such as the Cultural Quarter and Waterfront development. It is focusing on the visitor economy and will highlight opportunities in the cultural / leisure / retail / restaurant / tourism realm.

I’ve been lucky enough to speak to not one but two of our leading hoteliers in the region. Robin Hutson of Hotel du Vin fame and more recently the driving force behind the success of the luxurious Lime Wood Hotel and the Pig hotels. He spoke to me about creating the Pig in the Wall in Southampton and his future plans for the Pig brand.

It was also a pleasure to interview Nicholas Roach, the chairman of the Nicholas James Group about his plans to build a striking new five star hotel at Ocean Village. His group already runs the successful Christchurch Harbour Hotel and the new Southampton development looks set to raise the bar for hospitality in the city. 

Artist's impression of the new five star hotel at Ocean Village

Fascinating to learn he started out working as an accountant at PWC based in Ocean Village and his office overlooked the spot where the new hotel (which looks like an art deco cruise liner) will eventually be sited.

Mr Roach is a keen advocate for Southampton, having been to university in the city and he is looking forward to seeing his beautiful new hotel take shape over the coming months.

The whip is being cracked and I need to get on with writing more content – so no more time to blog at the moment.

Mind you, even though I say it myself, this latest edition of the Southampton magazine looks set to be a really good read ... I’ll let you know when it hits the streets.