A word from ‘Durham Business Club Champions’ …
Great night at the Beamish Hall Hotel. Well done to everyone involved in the arrangements for the DBC 30th Anniversary. From the moment we arrived the atmosphere created was excellent. Being met by the event photographer, the champagne reception and seeing everybody in their glad rags all added to the occasion. The room itself looked superb and the entertainment was first class.
Raising over £1200 for charity spoke volumes for the generosity of the DBC members in what are quite challenging financial times.
And so to the awards. It was great to see some of the new friends we have made gain recognition from their peer business owners and we were truly honoured to have been nominated (let alone win) the DBC Champions award.
We have tried a number of networking groups and are still members at other clubs. They all have their own merits but there's something special about the inclusive, supportive, collaborative and friendly atmosphere within DBC. Whilst being sustained by the members I know creating this kind of culture needs to be driven from the top so a special thanks to the DBC Team who made this event so memorable but who week in, week out help make DBC a success!
If you value a club which is supportive but not intrusive, friendly whilst professional, innovative whilst traditional then DBC has got to be up there with the front runners.
2012 should see the club meet its member’s needs because it’s the members who tell them what they want!
Pete Nyland & John Ainsley of Compass Professional Development
It was a lovely evening and a really interesting group (I have never met someone who owns a train station before.)
Marta Mateus, Marta Vine
Great meeting in January. Lots of great businesses there and a really good atmosphere. I was really pleased I went along.
Kevin Wright, Santander
Well done, you created a great atmosphere last night, we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
Malcolm Glover, Turners of Sedgefield
Lovely evening at the Durham Biz Group. Never played Pass the Parcel at a networking event before. Such fun!
Jules Rutherford, U Turn TV
It was an excellent meeting with the right mix of business and pleasure, an excellent networking opportunity with very friendly people. I made my mind up within about 10 minutes that I would join this group.
Michael Collier, SHEMS
Lovely to see so many people at tonight's meeting. Talked to some fab new contacts which as always was great.
Rona Kerr, Rona Kerr Accountants
I really enjoyed meeting everyone, such a lovely friendly bunch, looking forward to the next event already.
Joanne Waddell, Sage UK Ltd
WOW, an amazing event at the Sage last night thoroughly enjoyed every minute, thank you!
Ellie Chandler-Brown, ECB Associates
Great event last night. Always great to meet other businesses in the area, and was fab to get a chance to nose around Sage!
Spire Hospital Washington
Durham Business Club has helped Peacock Carter grow our business not only through new clients introduced during meetings, but through a range of professional contacts. The relaxed, informal atmosphere makes it easy to talk to members new and old, making it by far my favourite networking event in the North East.
Richard Carter, Peacock Carter
#
ff
to
@
Durham_Business
they're the best networking and support group in the North East and I highly recommend joining.
Alex Purvis, Pink Label Marketing
Thank you for another great meeting last night, speakers were excellent, good turnout!
Carolyn McGregor, Rise Consultants
Great night
@Durham_Business
club tonight and good to see so many new and old faces. Look fwd to joining!
David Wilson, NE Money
Had a great day networking, just been to DBC event as always a big thank you to for all the hard work.
Stewart Vine, Couriers North East
Thanks again for inviting us along last night, wonderful meeting so many lovely people.
Truenorth media
DBC is one of the friendliest networking groups I've come across. You get to see a core of regulars at most meetings as well as meet a large number of guests every month. The structure and focus of the meetings are useful but still allows for plenty of time for informal networking. DBC have created the sort of environment which encourages members to enjoy themselves and create much business for each other at the same time.
Joo-lee Stock, Lindy Jazz
Networking with a group of similar minded people is invaluable. The meetings are invariably educational as well as being enjoyable. Fringe events and activities eg School Magnates provide diversity of opportunity and the chance to contribute to the commercial and economic
development of the area and people within it. And DBC is full of nice people - please take that as a serious comment as that's how it's meant.
Tom Dawson, St John Ambulance
A spectacular evening for the 30th year anniversary dinner, and much more than we expected.
Ellie & Ian, ECB Associates
Great awards night. What a night of entertainment!! Well done to the winners!!
Michael Gibbon, Gibbon Online
A MASSIVE thank you for organising the best event EVER!
Thank you for all the hard work you do – I think DBC is one of the best run organisations in the North East.
Janice Ross, Janice Ross Marketing
Tremendous evening on Friday. Congratulations to everyone involved in organising the event. Extremely professional, a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Many thanks!
John Atkinson, JA Business Support Services
Great night, venue and lovely food. We both had a splendid evening.
Andrew Ragsdale, Ragsdale Photography
A quick note to those responsible for organising a truly wonderful evening on Friday night for the club’s 30th Anniversary. The food was wonderful, service next to none and the entertainment exceptional! Thanks for such a lovely night.
Corrina & Neil Sleeman, Platinum PPT
The venue was excellent. When I attend a large event, I don't expect the standard of food to be as high as when I go to a restaurant in a small group. However, I thought that the food at this event was particularly good. It is abundantly clear that a lot of time and effort went into the planning of the event as things ran so smoothly and everyone had such a good night. Thank you to you and your colleagues for making the event so special.
Emma Firbank,Ward Hadaway
Brilliant night at award ceremony great company & entertainment well done to all the people nominated for awards, and everyone who contributed towards the night.
Alan McGee, Say Consultancy
The meal, the entertainment, the company, the venue and presentation of the venue were fantastic.
The organisation is a credit to DBG. A great success!
Len Stule, New College Durham
Please pass on my thanks to you and all who were involved in making the anniversary dinner on Friday such an unforgettable night. Everything was superb. The venue, the room itself, the entertainment and the company on the table.
John Scheel, Positive Solutions Ltd
Fantastic night on Friday and well done to Durham Business Club for a wonderful event and thank you so very much for the support through the Raffle for Arthritis Research UK - your support means such a great deal to me and the charity! THANK YOU!!
Marion Reed, Arthritis Research UK
A fantastic night at the Awards Dinner had by all and made extra special for me on winning the WOW Award for Customer Service, and only being in the Club for 8 months prior to getting the award. It truly amazed me, a massive thank you to everyone at the club for making me very welcome and a friend also.
Peter Kerr, Tyres2u (NE) Ltd
Incidentally, just to let you know that the Workshop on Bid Writing for Local Authority Tenders on 25 March at RMT, Gosforth was excellent and particularly pertinent to my current job role. Both the presentation and facilities were spot on. This was the one that you sent me details of and which was provided free of charge for Business Club Members. It also made my job much easier to persuade St John Ambulance Training to keep up our membership of the DBG because Workshops like that are normally advertised at between £85 and £125 per session, so they recouped the annual subscription in 1 go!!!!!. I think our members might find that sort of comparison interesting.
Tom Dawson, Key Account Co-ordinator
St. John Ambulance Commercial Training Division (NE Region)
From the moment I joined DBC I have felt a welcomed and valued member. Networking with members I have found work, advice, support and most of all others who have a common mindset, understand what it's like to run a small business and make you feel like you are not alone. It's lonely at the top when you run a business but when you network at the club you meet others who feel the same way and suddenly you don't feel as lonely. Many times I have come away from a meeting feeling energised and ready to face the next challenge.
I arrived late at a meeting with the world on my shoulders and huge dilemmas over premises. By the end of the meeting I had been given support, advice, contacts, information and had also (though I didn't know it at the time) met my business mentor who I now value very highly. I left the meeting with new confidence and a fresh outlook - thank you DBC!
When I joined the club I had just started my business and was a young, inexperienced, female. At 20 I wondered whether the more experienced, often male members would treat me any differently. DBC is one place where I have never felt different to be young or female. I have been respected and treated as an equal, my opinion has been valued and that's one of the things I love about DBC.
Rebecca McGarvie, Meltingpot Arts
After the great January event I’m pleased to say I’ve sent my membership form off to you and also the attendance form for the February event. The only thing I haven’t sent yet is the diary / directory form as I need to put a bit more thought in to it but wanted to get the membership application off to you ASAP.
Can I say I’m greatly impressed by Durham Business Club? In the short time I was networking I managed to gain 5 good contacts, have already had a meeting with one of them and have agreed a contract with them to do my design and printing.
Michael Gibbon, Gibbon Online
We really enjoyed working with you – and the group- I said to Andy on the way home, there was a real spirit of co-operation and mutual support amongst the delegates. In my short sessions with them – ie over coffee and lunch - there were some great contacts and helping of each other going on.
All lovely stuff which is hard to capture and to quantify but all very tangible and important… and to me what great clubs and networks are about! Keep up the good work!
Jill White, Andy Hanselman Consulting
First class networking opportunities and the chance to meet like-minded business people. Meetings are always interesting and informative and Christine is a brilliant organiser and 'spokesperson' for the club!
Marie Carter MC Communications
It's a very useful central point of reference - Christine is a veritable fount of useful knowledge (and dead enthusiastic!) Makes you feel part of a local community of like-minded people and businesses.
Chas Thomason, Dramatrain
I enjoy the relaxed 'non-vulture like' atmosphere that the club generates, I think business is more likely to happen when working in relationship with other businesses rather than simply scavenging meetings for the next job.
DBC fosters those relationships through its meeting style and it's other activities.
Paul Berry, photographer
DBC is a friendly, informal business organisation upon whom you can depend. Forward thinking, topical meetings and genuinely care about their members. I'm proud to be a member of DBC.
Alison Gittins, Young Enterprise