Return of Highland Business Week proved to be a hit
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Having the pleasure of meeting people face-to-face again is still a novelty in many respects.
This was the case with Highland Business Week as it made a return in full for the first time in three years, during the last week of September.
Organised by Inverness Chamber of Commerce, the week was hailed a success and provided the opportunity for connections to be made in tangible ways once again.
Highland Spotlight was a highlight of the week for many, with around 300 people in attendance and over 50 companies exhibiting at the Kingsmills Hotel.
This was a great chance for business-to-business connections to be made, with companies from across the Highlands and Islands region showcasing their products and services.
Paula Nicol, deputy chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said that she was delighted with how the Highland Spotlight exhibition went.
She said: “I’ve been really pleased with how it’s gone. There was such a positive feeling around the room and a real buzz which we often find at Spotlight.
“When we’ve not been able to hold the event in person for three years, everyone has welcomed the opportunity to make connections properly and have really meaningful conversations.”
Seminars were also a feature of Highland Spotlight, with Brodies LLP hosting the morning session on how people could protect their businesses and manage risk. AdSmart from Sky then provided tools for how people could advertise their businesses using the power of video and TV and the afternoon saw Fibre 1 discuss how unified communications can improve business performance.
Other events took place throughout the week, both online and in person, to ensure the programme was accessible to as many as possible.
Teclan held an event at Castle Stuart Clubhouse, providing expertise in how to build a brand that sells. The half-day workshop covered the basics of colour, visuals, typography, values and core messaging.
GrowBiz provided an evening event for Speed Networking, with the theme Connect with Purpose.
RBS also ran a variety of sessions throughout the week, including business builder events. Participants were shown how to write a 60 second pitch, and given discovery techniques on how to understand their customer.
They also held an event in conjunction with Mint Ventures, which encouraged women to learn about investing in early stage companies and understand the wider options for raising funding for women-led businesses to grow.
Highland Business Week was wrapped up with the annual Highland Business Awards, which recognised the valuable contribution that businesses and individuals make to the Highland business community.
This was held at the Drumossie Hotel in the form of a three-course lunch, where the winners were announced.
The keynote speaker at the event was Stephen Leckie, president of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, chairman of the Scottish Tourism Alliance and chief executive chairman and CEO of Crieff Hydro family of hotels. He provided guests with a relevant talk on the current challenges being faced by businesses.
Businesses were recognised for their success in areas such as sustainability, employee wellbeing and digital initiative.
Highland Business Awards judges said they were overwhelmed by the scale and range of activities demonstrated by the winner of the community engagement category, Cairngorm Group.
On accepting the award, Chris Dowling, managing director of the Cairngorm Group, said: “Generosity and giving back to the community have been core values in our business over the last 69 years, established by both my father and grandfather.
“To be able to carry on what they started means a lot.”
Highland Business Award winners:
Innovation
Sponsored by Highlands & Islands Enterprise
Parklands Care Homes
Resilience
Sponsored by Caithness Chamber of Commerce
Highland Farm Cottages and Highland Farm Café
Environmental Sustainability
Sponsored by SSE Renewables
North Point Distillery
Global Growth
Sponsored by EdgeCTP
Orion Engineering Services
Digital Initiative
Sponsored by Business Gateway’s DigitalBoost
sfG MentorNet
Workforce Upskilling
Sponsored by teclan
Mowi Scotland
Employee Wellbeing
Sponsored by Aquascot
The Pier
Community Engagement
Sponsored by Bancon Construction
Cairngorm Group
Employer of the Year
Cru Holdings
Young Employee of the Year
Sponsored by The Springfield Group
Grace MacLeod (Ness Walk)
Business Leader of the Year
Ron Taylor (Parklands Care Homes)
Highland Business of the Year
Sponsored by Stagecoach
Parklands Care Homes
