The Association has been busy on a number of fronts within the last few months, with a range of things to organise in November, most notably the NACFB AGM and Gala Dinner.
This year’s demand for the Gala Dinner has already seen more bookings than even in 2007, with around 550 guests attending which meant we have had to move to a bigger room. We have been very busy finalising the last minute preparations to ensure that the day runs smoothly and the office has been particularly frantic recently!
But fear not, despite our increased stress levels, the day should run like clockwork! The day is also coupled with the NACFB’s AGM which is a great opportunity for the membership to decide on the path taken for the coming year.
In addition, we are also hosting the extremely popular Networking Lunch throughout the day, with over 40 exhibitors attending and a huge turnout from NACFB brokers. All in all, this promises to be a very busy but extremely worthwhile day.
In the week before, we will as usual, also be exhibiting at the Mortgage Business Expo being held at Olympia 2 on the 16th and 17th November, so we are currently packing boxes of literature and pull up stands for the day.
The Mortgage Business Expo is always a great event and expect to see some old faces and new.
During the afternoon of the second Expo day, I will be dashing across to give a presentation at the ICB Annual Dinner and Awards at Whitehall, London.
A range of industry figures will be present at the event along with HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
My presentation will be aimed at helping small businesses secure loans and funding, which is a key area that the Association has focused on with the aim of getting the message across about the range of alternative funders available to SMEs.
In addition, we have also been very busy undertaking our new rebranding initiative to underline our commitment to helping to fund UK business and emphasising our role as an Association, in putting SMEs in contact with brokers and lenders that can help.
This has always been a major part of the Association’s work but with businesses struggling to secure funding along mainstream lines, we want to ensure that the message is clear and that we are focusing more strongly than ever on this matter.
This is perhaps more important now than ever with the failings in mainstream finance and all will be revealed at the NACFB AGM.
On top of all this, the Association is also making preparatory arrangements for its 20th anniversary as being the trade body for commercial brokers.
Next year will be a huge year for the Association and a great chance to look back at the achievements throughout the 20 years we have been around but perhaps more importantly, the range of challenges that lie ahead.
The culmination of 2012 will be the 20th anniversary celebrations at the 2012 NACFB AGM and Gala Dinner Awards Ceremony on the 23rd of November in London, but it is probably best to get this year’s event out of the way first!
