As we head off this evening for our customary April Durham Business Club meeting at the lovely Redworth Hall Hotel, it’s a good time to recap our two successful – and very different – events from last month.
Bowled over by Durham Cricket
March’s evening Club meeting saw us make a welcome and overdue return to a venue that has hosted many DBC events before: Emirates Riverside in Chester-le-Street, home of Durham Cricket.
While admiring the views from the Castle View Suite in the Paul Collingwood Pavilion, members and guests got the lowdown from Durham Cricket about the organisation’s recent rebrand, and the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup matches that will be held in Chester-le-Street in June and July – a coup not just for the town, but for the wider region.
Meanwhile, event sponsor Baldwins wrapped up the evening with a timely update on what businesses need to do as part of HMRC’s move to Making Tax Digital.
Elis inspires
Though the Club gets around its fair share of beautiful North East hotels and venues, we also have a long history of showing our members the inner workings of some of the region’s most interesting factories and workplaces, with Peterlee’s Caterpillar, Thorn Lighting at Spennymoor and Sage at Great Park among the past highlights.
For our March breakfast we headed to one of our member businesses, the global textile rental and laundry company Elis – formerly known as Berendsen – which has a long history of operating in Durham city, and relocated from Neville’s Cross to its purpose-built Meadowfield plant in 2017.
Members and guests were fascinated to hear from Operations Manager Mike Rimington about how the plant has increased productivity and achieved a gold standard within the Elis group over the past two years, with a story that was, in turn, interesting, informative and inspiring.
“Taking the people along on the journey” emerged as one of the most powerful messages, and a crucial step for any business that relies on the support of its workforce to implement positive, but sometimes difficult, change.
Our hosts followed up the talk with a detailed tour of the site, ensuring that DBC attendees gained a really unique and valuable insight into a North East business success story.
Why not join us?
The sheer variety of our events is one of the features that members most love about Durham Business Club – and the rest of 2019 promises even more interesting venues, insightful talks and enjoyable networking, all around the region.
Check out our events listing for details of our upcoming evening Club meetings and networking breakfasts, or find out more about joining us.
