At one of the biggest events of the Christmas season, over 90 guests joined the Junior Chamber of Commerce (“JCC”) to celebrate the launch of their new brand; The Isle of Man Business Network (“IOMBN”).

“This is a very exciting time for us,” said Rachael Hooper, Chairman of the Isle of Man Business Network. “We decided it was time to take a brave leap; to break ties with the old name, the logo and the brand, so that our new name could reflect what we actually do and so that even more people could realise that our events are designed for them.”

The JCC was originally set up in 1992 and was connected to the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce. Over the years the JCC has evolved into a separate organisation and has become the leading society for business networking and self-development on the Island. The JCC used to operate an age restriction, limiting membership to people at a “junior” stage in their career. Now, their events are open to everyone, at any stage in their career. The name Junior Chamber of Commerce had become a hurdle for members and speakers to jump over before being able to take advantage of what the organisation has to offer.

“Some of our speakers have genuinely turned up to our events expecting to present to students and sixth formers, and then were pleasantly surprised to see such a cross section of the Island’s business community,” continued Rachael. “We would like to thank everyone who made this change possible, particularly our members and of course the committee. We’re a not for profit organisation, run by volunteers and it has been inspiring to see the level of time and effort that has been put into making this change a reality.”

The committee started evaluating the brand in March this year and decided that it didn’t quite fit what the organisation was trying to achieve. During the following months, the committee looked closely at their strategy, particularly paying attention to what their members wanted, and discussing their plans to re-brand with them. The name change was officially passed at September’s AGM, which allowed the committee to look at the brand identity and change it so it reflected who they are and what they stand for.

“I’d like to congratulate Rachael, Richard [Smith – Vice Chairman], Kate [Parrish - President] and the rest of the committee,” said Minister Laurence Skelly, MHK. “I was fortunate to be included in one of their strategy meetings earlier on in year to discuss the re-brand. Networking on the Isle of Man is vital which is why organisations like The Isle of Man Business Network are important for our economy, bringing together like-minded business professionals. I’ve attended several of their events this year and they always bring such a cross section of the Island’s business community together. Their new tagline; “Join. Connect. Communicate.” exemplifies essential goals for the Island’s business community, to help drive the economy forward. I think this is a great transformation for the organisation and I wish them all the best for the future. Well done everyone.”

Photo - [L-R]: Richard Smith, Rachael Hooper and Kate Parrish.