Please see Useful Contacts

A wide range of business support organisations are on hand to offer valuable advice and assistance to established businesses and those wishing to start up a new business.

Local Chambers of Trade Local Chambers of Trade are in a unique position to represent the conurbation's business community, promoting members' interests and those of their local area. Networking opportunities enable members to develop local contacts, and discuss topical business issues and matters relating to the local economy. Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Chambers offer a comprehensive range of services and Dorset Business also provides an International Trade Service, which includes the arrangement of reciprocal overseas trade missions and an export documentation service.

Christchurch Town Centre Forum Christchurch Borough Council has established the Christchurch Town Centre Forum which comprises representatives from a broad range of town centre stakeholders including a number of representatives from the business community. The main aims of the Forum are to advise the Council and others on a wide range of investment and other issues, promotion of the town centre, information sharing and consensus building.

Business Link Business Link offers help to anyone in Dorset who is thinking of starting a business, helping small and medium-sized businesses to grow and deal with problems, challenges and opportunities. They will link businesses to expertise from across the private, public and voluntary business support sectors. Business Link is quality assured regionally to clear national standards and offers a wide variety of support services over the phone, via the web, through one-to-one meetings or by attending informal business clubs hosted across Dorset.

The Business Start-up Programme encourages new enterprise and self-employment locally, working with those 'still thinking about it' through to businesses with up to 24 months' trading behind them - but still learning. There is a comprehensive package of information, training, and advice and a parallel 'women into business' programme also includes confidence building sessions and networking activities.

The skills and ability of staff are paramount for business success. The skills team can help identify any skills gap, guide businesses through the plethora of training organisations to access suitable training and provide advice on available funding to support the cost of training.

Federation of Small Businesses - Wessex Region The Federation of Small Businesses is the UK's largest organisation lobbying on behalf of and working for small businesses. With a national membership base of over 185,000, the FSB has been able to negotiate a number of benefits for its members. These include Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise indemnity against in-depth investigation, Employment Tribunal advice and representation and the provision of business related documents that can be tailored to individual requirements.

Work is undertaken on behalf of members at a branch and regional level to offer expert advice, supported by outside agencies, and networking opportunities with other businesses. Issues include business legislation, employment legislation, new legislation on the environment, care home legislation, business rates and broadband.

Business Networking Clubs Business and professional networking organisations create an opportunity for members to promote best practice and exchange ideas, problems and opportunities in an informal and relaxed setting.

The Prince's Trust also run other programmes for disadvantaged young people (14Ð30) with an emphasis on developing skills, raising self-esteem and changing attitudes. These include our Team programme for young people to gain skills and confidence as part of a 12-week personal development programme, which is run by our delivery partner Dorset Fire & Rescue Service from AFC Bournemouth & Poole Fire Station.

Commercial Property Searches Businesses looking to relocate in Dorset or expand existing operations can access a new computer software system called Evolutive for available land and properties across the county. The internet based database replaces Property Pilot and has been extended to include hotels, guest houses, B&Bs and leisure properties in addition to office, industrial and retail premises.

Bournemouth4Business A grant and fund-finding software package is available on Bournemouth Borough Council's website. The database gives access to national and European funding together with specific information on support which is only available in the local area.

Managed Business Space - Please see Directory Listings under 'Enterprise Centres' Flexible managed business space is widely available in the conurbation providing high quality, serviced office accommodation to suit all budgets and space requirements

Ferndown and Uddens Estates Forum Businesses on the Ferndown and Uddens Industrial Estates have come together and formed a Forum dedicated to action solving their issues and problems. Chaired by Ward Goodman (Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors) the Forum has been in place for three years and includes all of the 375 businesses that make up the Estates. The Forum is facilitated by an Estates Coordinator who has put in place a number of projects and actions including a Business Directory and an estates website www.Ferndownforum.com. The Co-ordinator, Julie Adams, has the ethos of bringing business together around common issues such as recruitment, transport and access to learning to each others advantage.   In doing so, she has delivered reduced bus tickets for estate employees, subsidised business relevant training such as customer care, an introduction to marketing, and is working on an estate wide travel plan. Through its work the Forum has won funding to finance many of these initiatives and is being looked at as good practise by many other estates around the conurbation.

Bournemouth International Conference Bureau (BICB) Bournemouth's official FREE venue and accommodation finding service.

European Information Centre   Partenariat is an international business-to-business matchmaking event held twice a year in various locations throughout Europe. Delegates attend pre-arranged, 30 minute face-to-face meetings with businesses from the host region and meetings can also be made with businesses from over 70 countries worldwide. A travel package is usually available and other benefits include free access to interpreters, preparation workshops, financial assistance and translations of company profiles.

Seminars and Workshops - We run a series of highly successful seminars that cover three main areas: how to win public contracts, how to find grant funding and how to write bids. These seminars have proved extremely popular and it is wise to book early.

E-Base E-Base is an expanding online library of data and information relevant to Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole and the rest of the South West. It has been set up to help promote the use and sharing of evidence in policy-making and research accessing key datasets, a library of reports and analysis as well as news and events.