Causeway

Chamber
Coleraine Castlerock Garvagh Kilrea Portrush Portstewart

ANNUAL REPORT
2014

Annual Report and Accounts Review

Causeway

Chamber
Coleraine Castlerock Garvagh Kilrea Portrush Portstewart

OPERATIONS
MANAGER
REPORT
CONTENTS
3

Operations Manager Report

Membership Services

Officers & Council Members

6 - 7
9

Events Review
Media report

10

Corporate Sponsors

11

Conclusion

I am glad to report that 2013/2014 has

been an extremely busy and successful
year for Causeway Chamber of
Commerce. Members are the lifeblood
of every Chamber and we are delighted
to report that we have seen an increase
in our membership over the last year.
Members join the Chamber based on
the Benefits, Service and Value that they
receive and our results in 2013 confirm
once again that we have delivered value
for our members and our partners.
Over the last year we have actively
promoted the benefits of Chamber
membership, recruited new members,
involved our existing membership in
events and activities of relevance and
benefit to their businesses. Company
budgets are still under great strain
and with an increasing emphasis
being placed on demonstrating value
for money, we have had to make the
case for membership to both new and
existing members. This has involved
clearly communicating what Chamber
membership can do for our customer,
how it can complement their current
activities and how greater engagement
and involvement with the Chamber
can have positive spin off benefits in
terms of providing members with a
forum and network in which they can
promote their businesses, how events
can professionalise and improve their
customer offerings, and how increased
networking opportunities can positively
impact on their bottom line.
We have delivered an extensive mix of
events over the 12 month period. Our
programmes are varied in order to meet
the expectations of our wide membership

Annual Report and Accounts Review

base but networking continues to play a

key role in all our activities. As a Chamber
we are committed to continuing to develop
an events programme to provide an
extensive mix of information and network
driven benefits.
We enhanced our communication
engagement in 2013/14, whilst we
continued to communicate through
traditional news streams, and regularly
deliver strong business messages in
the press; we have developed a healthy
social media presence. We are engaging
more regularly with our client base and
as a result we feel members are better
informed about our activities and more
actively involved in our many events
organised throughout the year.
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all our member organisations
for their support, advice and loyalty. I
look forward to working with you on the
challenges and opportunities that lie
ahead. I would also like to thank our
Corporate Sponsors Autoline Insurance
Group, Irwin Donaghey Stockman, Riada
Resourcing, Roadside Garages Ltd,
W. Oliver Exorna Ltd all of whom have
enabled this Chamber to provide the level
of service that we give through their kind
sponsorship. Finally thank you to our
board of Chamber Council Members for
their support and advice throughout the
year.

Annette Deighan
Operations Manager

Annual Report and Accounts Review

Causeway

Chamber
Coleraine Castlerock Garvagh Kilrea Portrush Portstewart

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Building our membership remains a priority for the year ahead. Our members are our
strength. We plan to grow membership levels and encourage the greater involvement
and participation of the wider business community.

OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
PAST PRESIDENT
TREASURER

IAN DONAGHEY MBE

ANTHONY NEWMAN
JAMES SMYTH
KAREN YATES

CHAMBER COUNCIL
ALLISON HUTCHINSON
BRETT ROSS
CLARE MCINTYRE
COLIN MAYRS
DAVID BOYD
DEIDRE HEENAN
FRANCES LUNDY
HELEN MCCANN
JAYNE TAGGART
MERVYN LINTON
PAUL MCATEER
ANGELA STEWART

Annual Report and Accounts Review

HUTCHINSON TILES
RIVERRIDGE RECYCLING
B&E SECURITY SYSTEMS
BLAIRS CARAVANS
ROADSIDE GARAGES LTD
PROVOST, UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
RIADA RESOURCING
AVX LTD
CAUSEWAY ENTERPRISE AGENCY
ULSTER BANK
THE HARBOUR STUDIO
AUTOLINE INSURANCE GROUP

Annual Report and Accounts Review

4]
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2]
3]

EVENTS REVIEW
Our events calendar in 2013/14 had an extensive mix of events. We are extremely
pleased at the success of our events in which we delivered over 20 events. Many
of our events have been in partnership with Coleraine Borough Council, Causeway
Enterprise Agency and Invest NI. We are delighted that we had over 1048 + attendees
during the year at our events.
We encourage our members to provide feedback and recommendations for future
events as this helps us to provide a better service. We appreciate your engagement
and support and look forward to delivering more programmes that meet your needs
in 2014/15.
Here are the highlights of 2013/14 calendar of events.
7]

5]

6]

8]

9]
1] Afternoon Workshop with David Meade. Learning some useful
tips & techniques to use in business and other useful information
2] Tara Herron of Invest NI presenting award for Innovation Technology & Creativity to John Armstrong of Armstrong Medical Ltd with
Ciaran Magee.
3] Causeway Chambers Annual Dinner in the Lodge Hotel on 26th
February with special guest David Meade
4] Top Table consisting of Ian Donaghey (Chamber President), David
Harding (Coleraine Mayor), Gregory Campbell (MP), Sarah Travers
(TV Presenter) and Guests at the Coleraine Borough Business
Awards 2013.
5] Prime Minister Meeting taking place in October 2013
6] Winner David Boyd and staff of Roadside Garages collecting their
award for involvement in the community presented by Arlene of
Riada Resourcing.

Annual Report and Accounts Review

10]
11]
7] Afternoon Workshop with David Meade. Learning some useful tips
& techniques to use in business and other useful information
8] Chamber Members attending Bank of England Briefing held at the
Ramada Hotel, Portrush on November 2013.
9] Chamber Members on a Tour of Armstrong Medical in October
2013.
10] World Host Customer Service Taster Session for Retailers
11] Social Media Essentials Workshop May 2014
Ian Donaghey(Chamber President, Bill McCartney (Social Media trainer) and Jayne Taggart (CEA Chief Executive)

Annual Report and Accounts Review

Causeway

Chamber
Coleraine Castlerock Garvagh Kilrea Portrush Portstewart

MEDIA REPORT
Causeway Chamber has been in media in regards to the following areas:
DVA JOBS
REVITALISATION
ANNUAL DINNER
JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS

MEMBER SUCCESS STORIES

BUSINESS EVENTS
CAR PARKING

Media coverage we use for new stories and statements include:

COLERAINE TIMES
THE CHRONICLE
OUR WEBSITE
BUSINESS MAGAZINES
SOCIAL MEDIA ( TWITTER AND FACEBOOK)

We have released many new articles throughout 2013/14. The Key Articles include:
MAY 2013
JUNE 2013
JULY 2013

AUGUST 2013

SEPTEMBER 2013
OCTOBER 2013
NOVEMBER 2013

DECEMBER 2013

JANUARY 2014

FEBRUARY 2014
MARCH 2014

APRIL 2014

Annual Report and Accounts Review

Causeway Chamber AGM

Causeway Chamber Elects New President
Danske Bank Export First: Thought Leadership with
Armstrong Medical
Finance Minister addresses local business on rates
revaluation
Causeway Chamber Business Awards
Chamber meets Prime Minister
Proposed Closure of All DVA offices in N.Ireland
Including Coleraine Headquarters with loss of 324 Jobs
Coleraine Politicians Join Translink to Support Rail Service
Enhancement
Chamber Annual Dinner and Business Workshop with
BBCs David Meade
Riverside Jobs Boost
Revitalise Project: Waterside and Bridge Street Areas
of Coleraine
Launch of the 2014 Vauxhall International NW200
in the Titanic Building Belfast

Annual Report and Accounts Review

Causeway

Chamber
Coleraine Castlerock Garvagh Kilrea Portrush Portstewart

CORPORATE SPONSORS

CONCLUSION
With over 160 members and growing, Causeway Chamber is the organisation to help
you develop contacts, support networks and sales opportunities in the Borough.

AUTOLINE INSURANCE GROUP

Five years ago Autoline Insurance Group, one of Northern Irelands fastest growing
financial services companies, acquired James Campbell & Son, establishing their third
branch in Northern Ireland. Since then, Autoline has expanded further in the province
and now operates 5 branches in other key locations including Newry, Downpatrick,
Ballymena and Enniskillen.

If you are new to business in the Borough or have traded here for years we can guarantee
you will meet other companies new to your business. Each event has a time set aside
for networking and if you are new to the Chamber, the Chamber staff will introduce you
to other members.
By joining the Chamber you will automatically increase your customer and supplier
base. With many high profiled events scheduled for 2014-2015, the Chamber is
continually working to promote, develop and grow business in the Coleraine Borough

IRWIN DONAGHEY STOCKMAN

Irwin Donaghey Stockman has evolved from one of the oldest firms of Chartered
Accountants in Ireland (Atkinson & Boyd) through a series of takeovers (Touche Ross)
and mergers (Price Waterhouse, BP Stockman & Co), to be the largest independent
accountancy practice in the Borough of Coleraine..

The Chamber is very keen to ensure that you get value for money from your membership.
As a local business, the two most precious services are your time and your money.

YOUR TIME

W.OLIVER EXORNA LTD

The Chamber has no set monthly meetings. As a member, we send you details of
information seminars/events that you can choose to attend. We would encourage you
or a representative from your business to attend these events to develop your contacts
and gain maximum benefit from your membership.

Oliver Exorna is a family run business located in Coleraine with three dynamic
businesses, Exorna Kitchens, Oliver Transport Services Ltd and Coastal Self Drive Ltd.

RIADA RESOURCING
Riada Recruitment was established in 2000 and is now one of Northern Irelands
most successful & innovative Recruitment Agencies. We strives to develop &
maintain long-lasting partnerships with our select client base, as well as with all of
our candidates. We are focused on pro-actively sourcing candidates to match business
needs across all disciplines & industry categories.

YOUR MONEY

In return for your membership fee, you will receive:

ROADSIDE GARAGES
Roadside Garages offers an assortment of high-quality Kia and Vauxhall cars to
customers throughout the north of Ulster. We also have several second-hand vehicles
of various marques for sale, each in excellent condition thanks to the efforts of our
skilled mechanics. At Roadside Garages, we boast a fully-integrated service that can
meet all your driving needs. Visit our dealership today to find out more.

Riada

Resourcing

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Annual Report and Accounts Review

PS.

WEB PRESENCE - We promote your business online

MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATE Display this with pride
FUNDING Regular updates on funding opportunities
INFORMATION If you have a query let us help
CORPORATE HOSPITALITY Entertain your clients at impressive events
NETWORK Chamber members are a trade and support network, use
this to your advantage

The secret is for a

representative from your
business to get involved

with the regular events and
seminars that the Chamber runs
as part of an ongoing programme
to ensure your business benefits
from the experience and
expertise of others.

If you would like to know, more about how the Chamber is working to benefit
your business please contact: Annette Deighan on 028 7034 3111 or via
Annette@causewaychamber.com.

Annual Report and Accounts Review

11

Causeway

Chamber
Coleraine Castlerock Garvagh Kilrea Portrush Portstewart

Causeway Chamber of Commerce and Industry

2A Abbey Street
Coleraine
BT52 1DS
Tel: 028 7034 3111
Fax: 028 7032 1416
Email: info@causewaychamber.com

www.causewaychamber.com
Causeway Chamber
@causewaychamber

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Annual Report and Accounts Review