Western Cape Business 2019 edition

FOCUS The Voice of

FOCUS The Voice of Business In a time of change, dynamic people and making connections with others are still fundamental to business success. After 214 years of service to business, two industrial revolutions and another one on the way, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry believes that there is one thing that has not changed: business is still driven by people – who are smart, dynamic entrepreneurs. The second thing that has not changed in 214 years is the need to communicate with others in the field, meet people to work with, learn from each other and generate the excitement of a shared vision. The modern term for this is “networking”, but the Chamber offers much more than that – it is “Where Opportunity Meets”. The two most recent revolutions have left us with electricity (most of the time) and information technology that have given us access to unlimited knowledge with just a few clicks and key strokes. The next revolution will supercharge all this with artificial intelligence and robots. But we will still need to meet each other, exchange ideas and discuss the threats and opportunities in the business world. The Chamber provides a safe space for being heard and finding opportunity. The third thing that hasn’t changed since 1804 is the need for a voice to speak on behalf of business. Our ability to lobby with integrity is underpinned by our status of being fiercely independent. We are not affiliated to any political party and we are not beholden to any single organisation. We monitor proposed legislative changes that could affect WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2019 32

FOCUS business interests. Where necessary, evidence is submitted to the appropriate parliamentary standing committee or other authorities on behalf of our members. This is a task that is becoming increasingly important in an age where requirements for “public participation” are built into legislation. We also use media releases with radio interviews and letters to newspapers to reach a wider audience and alert the public to developing problems and the likely unintended and undesired consequences of legislation and policies. Our voice matters. The Internet can provide most of the information we need, but sometimes it is necessary to go beyond Google and anticipate future problems. We do this by arranging seminars and workshops where information can be shared, and experts can lead discussions to provide a deeper understanding of issues that can affect businesses, both big and small. Bringing people together Bringing people together has always been a core function of the Chamber. In the early days this happened naturally as merchants visited the Chamber offices in Adderley Street for the latest shipping news and to learn what cargoes were about to be unloaded. That created a perfect networking opportunity, but these days we have to arrange events by organising conferences, exhibitions, coffee club mornings and celebrations to mark events like International Women’s Day. We have nearly as many events as there are business days on the calendar. The Cape’s economy has been built on trade and promoting trade is still one of our main activities. We have an international trade desk which is the first point of contact for visiting trade missions and delegations. We also set up information seminars on how to conduct trade with various countries and assist members with information on exhibitions as well as arranging for incoming delegations to visit the chamber and meet our members. For those venturing abroad for new customers we provide them with a letter of introduction, a Carnet de Commerce, in both English and French. We also issue certificates of origin for exporters, host the Port Liaison Forum where problems with sea freight are discussed – and often solved – and we promote exports with our Exporter of the Year competition, now in its 28th year. Our portfolio committees provide specialist forums for the different fields of commerce, industry and agriculture, and we secure top speakers to give members the latest information and to look ahead to likely developments. In many ways small business is the future of the country and we go out of our way to provide advice and HR support while our local chapters take the Chamber to business in the outlying areas of the city. We also have an annual small business expo where our members can meet a wide range of businesses who supply services to business as well as officials from all three tiers of government who can help small firms run more smoothly and with less red tape. Everything may have changed in the past 214 years, but the Chamber is still about providing services to business, so nothing has changed. CONTACT DETAILS Physical address: 4th Floor, 33 Martin Hammerschlag Way, Foreshore, Cape Town 8001 Postal address: PO Box 204, Cape Town 8000 Tel: +27 21 402 4300 | Fax: +27 21 402 4302 Email: info@capechamber.co.za Website: capechamber.co.za 33 WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2019