Propeller Club Liverpool…Networking Again
Propeller Club Liverpool…Networking Again
by Steven Jones, Propeller Club Liverpool
There is the old saying that you don’t know what you had until it’s gone, but conversely, sometimes it is thankfully easy to forget the pain of loss when good times return again. That is certainly the case for the maritime community in Liverpool and the North West as Propeller Club First Thursday networking returned for the first time this year.
The UK has struggled through the various COVID variants, and with Omicron having threatened more lockdowns it is wonderful to see that we may be finally be emerging, and people are able to come together once more. Mixing in a spirit of positivity and optimism.
The February First Thursday was hosted by Port City Innovation Hub (PCiH). Which is a first of its kind Innovation Accelerator initiative delivering region-wide business advice and support to increase the number of SMEs bringing new products and services to market for the maritime sector.
PCiH is a programme of funded innovation accelerator support across Liverpool City Region led by Wirral Council in partnership with delivery leads The University of Liverpool, Wirral Chamber of Commerce, Mersey Maritime and Rainmaking in the Liverpool City Region.
The programme currently runs until June 2023 and is supported by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Strategic Investment Fund and European Union Regional Development Fund.
Participants can access distinct support offerings in innovation strategy, research and technology expertise, sprint masterclasses, mentorship and market insight. The programme creates a bespoke Innovation Action Plan with partners that means when the time is right needs are matched to a thriving sector and business support ecosystem within Liverpool City Region. https://www.portcity.uk/
So raising a toast to such a fantastic and exciting initiative, the maritime community came together as if the past two years were just a bad memory. We welcomed a number of maritime students from Liverpool John Moores University, accompanied by their Anna Kaparaki and Christos Kontovas.
It is always so wonderful to not only get to meet the students, to hear of their ideas, their passions and their hopes for careers ahead. It is also a chance to help them progress, by showing them the power and importance of networking. Making the introductions which may well help them with their studies in the year ahead, but then too with finding jobs and progressing through the industry.
We welcomed a host of representatives from leading maritime companies, with the likes of Lloyd’s Register, Hill Dickinson, Stone Marine, MIRIS International, KVH, 90% of Everything, and Idwal Marine, to name but a few.
It was also a chance to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, and guests had visited the city to experience the famous dragon dance held in the China Town area of the city. There is a real buzz returning, and as ever the maritime community is leading the way, as it has always been in Liverpool.
As people shook hands, hugged and began once more to come together in a positive spirit of getting things done, ramping up businesses, setting out ideas and plans for the year ahead it was wonderful to sense the energy that networks bring. A community of like-minded people, all with their own goals, but with a shared and common purpose. That is why it is so important that we are meeting in person once more, that is why the foundations of laughter, of friendship and camaraderie.
That is what Propeller Club exists to provide, and we look forward to welcoming ever more people to our events through the year, and more maritime professionals to join us. So if you are in Liverpool on the First Thursday of the month, please do come along.
You can find out more at www.propellerclub.co.uk
