BCF Annual Handbook 2019/2020 handbook 2019 2 | Page 11

FEDERATION STAFF Wayne Smith and Trevor Fielding continue to provide exceptional regulatory and technical support to members, which is consistently rated by you as the most valued service offered by the Federation. Spearheading our strong lobbying and policy work is Ellen Daniels who’s also taken the lead on articulating the industry’s position on Brexit to government. I’m really proud of the team for their dedication to supporting the membership, and representing your best interests. Spectra House - one year on In Summer 2018, the doors opened to Spectra House, the new home of the BCF, and only one year on and the property is proving to be a great investment for the Federation, serving as a home to BCF staff and also as a home base to host BCF member meetings. Each year, BCF holds over 50 meetings and since the opening of Spectra House, 52 meetings have been held on the Coventry premises. Member attendance at the meetings has been on the rise since the change of location with 615 people attending in 2018, in comparison to 535 in 2017. The building also features a dedicated member lounge, encouraging networking during breaks and lunches. Historically, it was not feasible for BCF to offer many free workshops to members, but with the new building, BCF has now run two technical workshops for members at no cost. TiO 2 and Poison Centres were both oversubscribed. When not in use for BCF meetings, members are able to rent out the meeting rooms, which feature interactive touch screen technology, high speed WiFi, and excellent coffee all included in the cost. There are three rooms on offer, all at discounted rates to BCF members (more on page 22). Onsite marketing and professional development courses delivered for BCF members A new addition to the meeting schedule at Spectra House in 2019 has been marketing and professional development courses, with a range of topics including digital marketing and presentation skills. The training is delivered over one day, to a small group of 6-10 delegates. The concept was trialed in November 2018, with a course on presentation skills, taught by business consultant and marketing expert, Andrew Lloyd Gordon. The November course offering welcomed 8 delegates, and starting in January 2019, the course list was expanded to include digital marketing and copywriting. BCF ANNUAL HANDBOOK 2018/19 11