Hello all. Welcome to our final newsletter of 2022!
Firstly, I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that has supported ISSBA during 2022 via membership, volunteering time, attending or sponsoring events, sharing social media posts, contributing to the newsletter and being part of the Anglia Business Exhibition. All at ISSBA would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Our November Networking Event at DJV Boutique was fantastic and enjoyed by all that attended. There was a nice mix of existing members and new faces but all agreed that it was very friendly and welcoming. Thank you to DJV Boutique for sponsoring/hosting this event. The mini demo of their style makeover was fascinating, especially seeing how different colours can have a huge effect enhancing skin, even making people look younger and less tired!
Thank you to everyone that joined us at The Dove Street Inn on 6th December for our Christmas drinks event. I apologise that I was unable to attend personally but the committee informed me that a great time was had by all.
Booking is now open for our January Networking Event. We are very excited to be going back to the New Wolsey Theatre on 25th January after a break due to the pandemic, thank you to them for sponsoring. Book your place now and join us for a friendly and welcoming networking event with coffee/tea.
Anglia Business Exhibition 2023 takes place next year on Wednesday 10th May and as we expected, stands are selling fast! We have frozen stand prices again this year to help make it accessible to all businesses so everyone can be involved in our region’s premier B2B expo. You can book a stand here or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please get in touch on contact@angliabusinessexhibition.com for a chat. There is a range of packages to suit different budgets so book now to make sure you get maximum benefit from the promotional opportunities. Click here to read our ABE23 update.
Our December Member of the Month is Ipswich County Library. Library services now offer so much more than just books. Read their article to find out more.
Emmaus Suffolk have kindly written our Business Focus piece for December. Read their article titled ‘How Sustainable and Local Trade Practices Can Help your Business to Succeed’.
Would you be interested in joining the ISSBA committee? If so, let us know on mail@issba.co.uk. We are a friendly bunch and usually meet once per month (via Zoom currently). As well as having a say in how the organisation is run, this is a fantastic opportunity to build your profile in the local area. Get in touch if you’d like to know more.
Don’t forget our Recommend a Friend scheme, it is great to see ISSBA members benefiting from this. Any current ISSBA member will get one month's free membership for each new member they recommend, plus the new member also gets one free month, so Win-Win! There are no limits to how many referrals each ISSBA member can make as long as you have a current, paid up membership, so if you bring in 12 new members, you'll get a whole year for free!
GoCardless is making the renewal process much easier for many of our members. If you haven’t signed up yet, either let us know on mail@issba.co.uk or keep an eye on your inbox for an authorisation request. GoCardless is a direct debit system fully protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee and means that you never need to worry about forgetting to renew again. By signing up to this you will help your committee save valuable time in chasing renewals, so please, if you aren’t already signed up, please do!
Graham Barton, ISSBA Chair
