In his regular column for Caerphilly Observer, Caerphilly Business Forum’s chair Tony Sheehan looks ahead to the forum’s upcoming speed networking event.
Cardiff is a wonderful city but like most capitals, it tends to hog the limelight.
It’s understandable. It’s our biggest city, where a significant part of Welsh life is governed from and where we go to see the rugby.
So it’s hardly surprising that the media tends to focus on Cardiff, that visitors congregate there and that businesses see it as the centre of economic activity in Wales.
There’s even talk about enhancing the status of Cardiff – and our other major city Swansea – to give them more pulling power, more leverage, more clout to attract inward investment to Wales.
I’ll leave it to others to argue the pros and cons of it but it’s a good chance to state that in Caerphilly, we do have another perspective too and it’s a great place to do business from.
While there is no doubt our proximity to Cardiff stands us in good stead, our distance from it also enables us to look in the other direction.
Cardiff is just one of our neighbours and although our members do a lot of business with the capital, we also do a lot of work with our other neighbours too. Our links with them are strong and constantly cultivate, leaving us well placed to take up opportunities this presents.
Next week Caerphilly Business Forum hosts a networking breakfast where our members will meet people from Rhondda Cynon Taf Business Club and Merthyr Business Club.
It’s a speed networking event, a format the members of the three organisations have taken part in before. It has worked well in the past as it’s back by popular demand.
In the two hours we allow, members will get a crisp introduction to many business people they may otherwise not have met. Opportunities will be seen and doors opened. And we’ll even allow them time for a free breakfast too.
The event starts at 8am on Tuesday July 17 at Llancaiach Fawr near Nelson – which is easily reached from both RCT and Merthyr – and (dare I say it) from Cardiff too.
Hope to see you there – to book a place email natalie@cbforum.co.uk.
Tony Sheehan
Chairman, Caerphilly Business Forum
For more information about Caerphilly Business Forum and its events call 029 2125 1395 or email Natalie@cbforum.co.uk