Informal Networking Evenings
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 – Mimosa Restaurant, The Crescent, Colchester Business Park (and every third Tuesday in the month)
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 – The Bar, Park Inn Palace Hotel, Southend on Sea (and every fourth Wednesday in the month)
We have been holding these events for the past few months and we are really starting to get a following!  They are an informal opportunity for members and their colleagues to drop in for a drink on their home from work.  There is no cost but it would be helpful (but not essential) if you could let me know if you plan to attend – admin.essex@iod.net .
Time:  18.00-20.00
Cost:  FOC

Directors’ Breakfast Club – Could your company cope with potential Olympic chaos? -  Thursday 22 March 2012
The message is out there … businesses should plan for all eventualities including interruptions to supply chains and staff unavailability leading up to and during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Transport for London (TfL) has tried to dispel myths about the 109 mile Olympic Route Network which will be reserved for athletes, officials and the media but it is predicted that, on the event’s busiest day, 800,000 visitors are expected to be using the public transport system.
However, if you are not based in London, will the Games still affect you?  Problems with communications including internet drop out, possible data caps during peak times and overload of mobile networks, staff unavailability as well as unauthorised leave, loss of productivity in the workplace, flexible working or disruption with suppliers could all make for a difficult time for us this summer.
We obviously have the Mountain Biking site in Hadleigh and Chelmsford will be one of the 66 UK evening locations for an Olympic Torch celebration – ‘Sparks Will Fly’ – when the torch travels through the county on 6 & 7 July.
Join us at the Salvation Army’s Hadleigh Farm Tearoom (with view of the Mountain Biking track) to meet Gary Sullivan, Chair of the Essex Olympic Board for Legacy, and Jason Fergus, Head of Sports Delivery and 2012 Legacy from Essex County Council, who will answer your questions so that we can try and make the biggest sporting event in British history a success for you too.  Book online or contact me at admin.essex@iod.net.
Venue:  Salvation Army Training Centre, Hadleigh Farm Tearoom, Hadleigh
Time:  07.30 – 09.30
Cost:  £33.60 (inc VAT) members & guests / £39.60 non-members

Directors’ Lunch – LEPs: Delivering Benefits for Essex Businesses? – Thursday, 19 April 2012
The South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) was approved by the Coalition Government in 2010.  It is a partnership involving leaders from business, local government and further and higher education, which is working towards creating the most enterprising economy in England.  It covers East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock which makes it the largest strategic LEP in England with a combined population of 3.9 million.
The single goal for the LEP is to promote steady, sustained economic growth over the next two decades.
Moreover, it must achieve this growth whilst simultaneously enhancing and protecting the valuable natural assets which make our communities and landscapes attractive and distinct.
The SELEP Chairman, John Spence, announced last year that he wants to create England’s most enterprising economy – is this being achieved?  Join us for lunch at Braxted Park and have your say as to how you see Essex businesses are benefitting from this promise of sustained growth in our county.
Book online or contact me for further details at admin.essex@iod.net
Venue:  Braxted Park, Witham
Time:  12.00-14.30
Costs:  £45 (inc VAT) members & guests / £48 (inc VAT) non-members

Tina Weavers
IoD Essex Branch Administrator
01376 518795

If you wish to make a booking for any of the IoD events listed above, please click on the relevant links. You will be prompted, at the appropriate stage, to log in to iod.com before your booking can be processed. You can do this using your registered email address – rather than your membership number – and by following the instructions on screen.  If you require help logging in to the site, please telephone our Membership team on 020 7766 8866 who will be happy to support you through the process. Thank you.  Or you may email admin.essex@iod.net for a booking form. Thank you.