When I was approached to take on the role of secretary of Cardiff Business Club, I hadn’t anticipated just how much the world — and the workplace — would change in the years that followed. That was seven years ago now, and in that time we’ve witnessed a wholesale shift in how people connect, communicate and do business.
I had just settled into the role when Covid struck. Until that point, the Club’s model had been tried and tested — a steady flow of evening events attended by 160 or so people from across the Welsh business community. But overnight, the in-person events stopped. There was a period of real uncertainty as we, like many organisations, tried to work out how to keep things going without any idea how long restrictions might last.
We decided to move online and held our speaker events via Zoom. This not only enabled us to keep the Club active during lockdowns, but also opened up some unexpected opportunities. Without the need to gather in person, we were able to attract a wider pool of speakers — including international names like Mike Batt, whose family come from the Rhondda and who built a successful business-to-business travel company in the US after his time as marketing director at British Airways.
We kept up engagement with our members and were heartened to see strong levels of attendance — in one case, 150 people logged on to hear Frank Holmes of Gambit Corporate Finance present findings from a survey on the impact of Covid on the business community.
But coming out of Covid brought a fresh challenge. While it was a relief to return to face-to-face events, it quickly became apparent that working patterns had changed. The Monday night slot that had served us well for years no longer suited the new rhythm of the working week. Attendance dipped and we had to adapt.
We’ve since become more flexible about when we run our events, often taking our lead from the speaker’s availability and from what we know about audience preferences. Slowly but surely, the numbers have started to build again. Recent events — such as our evening with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson — have seen attendance return to pre-Covid levels, with around 150 guests in the room.
More importantly, we’re seeing a shift in the make-up of the room. There’s a stronger mix of ages, and a more even gender balance — both of which are encouraging signs. We know that younger professionals have had a very different experience of entering the workplace. Many were interviewed remotely and began their careers in relative isolation. They’ve missed out on the informal mentoring and role-modelling that naturally comes from being around more experienced colleagues day to day.
In that context, Cardiff Business Club can play an important role. It provides a space for people to meet others outside their immediate network, to hear directly from experienced business leaders, and to share thoughts and ideas in an open and sociable environment.
I’m always struck by the kinds of conversations that happen in the margins — the introductions over drinks, the shared insights at a dinner table, the casual remark that turns into a meaningful business lead. These are the sorts of interactions that simply don’t happen on a Teams call. As one person says they’ve been trying to connect with a certain company, someone else will say, “I know someone there — let me introduce you.” It’s those moments of serendipity that make in-person events so valuable.
Our aim now is to keep the Club relevant — not just in the topics we cover, but in the voices we hear from. The world of business is changing rapidly, with new industries and new challenges emerging all the time. Our recent speakers have included representatives from renewable energy, technology and the creative industries. We want to continue reflecting that breadth — to hear from established leaders, but also from entrepreneurs and innovators who are shaping what comes next.
The Club remains grounded in its founding principle: to bring people together. That sense of connection is as important now as it’s ever been — and perhaps more so for those entering the business world at a time when the traditional ways of building networks have become less predictable. By creating a space where people can meet, learn, and share ideas, Cardiff Business Club continues to do what it’s always done — just in a way that’s responsive to the changing landscape around it.
