Each year the Chamber aims to make its Business Showcase bigger and better than the year before. For 2025 we tried something new choosing a location that was accessible to the general public rather than exclusively a businesses venue. We are very grateful to Natalie Bays, Centre Manager at the Mercury Shopping Centre, and Spencer Hawken, the General Manager at Lumiere Cinema, for working with us in making the Showcase happen. In the Mercury Centre we were able to offer members the opportunity to exhibit on Level 1 in the centre of the main shopping thoroughfare then, later in the afternoon, on Level 3 outside Lumiere Cinema.

It was the first time in the Showcase’s history that our exhibitors have been able to promote their businesses direct to the public and our B2C members who booked early were able to take advantage of this space to demonstrate their services and book appointments.

The Showcase was formally opened by Sue Ospreay the Mayor of Havering and we were delighted to be joined by many Havering councillors including council Leader Ray Morgon.

The Mayor was followed by Chamber Chair Janet Smyth who introduced a number of excellent speakers giving their thoughts on why Havering is such a great place to do business, some insights on the challenges facing new businesses owners today together with a timely overview by Manzurul Islam on the promise and perils AI in the workplace.