8 August 2024

Members’ Day, the Annual Review and the AGM summary

July brought the end of the educational year, and the start of the summer holiday period. The BPIF Members’ Day in many ways acts as our own “Speech Day”- a day to get together, mingle and learn, and to celebrate the great things about our sector.

BPIF Members’ Day covers a lot of ground (a bit like the BPIF itself), and it was hugely exciting to be back to the full roster of day’s events: a morning event, the AGM and Annual Review, followed by the industry gathering at the House of Lords, for which we are hugely grateful to Lord Teverson for being our host. After a moment of consternation when the general election date was announced, we soon realised that the timing was great - to be at the House just as the new Parliament went through its induction rituals.

It was a busy day, but one packed with activity, excitement, and conversations with friends, colleagues, partners and competitors. Our morning session comprised a series of roundtables focusing on environmental issues, with each table hosted by an expert leading participant. From greenwashing to net zero, taking in ESG, brand views of print sustainability, process improvement and regulatory overload, the room was abuzz with conversations.

15 minute slots flew by, discussion leaders changed groups, and before we knew it, time was up. Each leader then gave an “elevator” pitch of discussion points, opportunities and challenges, and with just enough time for some questions and answers, the morning was over before we knew it. The sessions provided insight and learning, but also meant that table participants could chat and mingle, providing a great foundation for the rest of the day. Our industry experts provided brilliant insight and facilitation, and to really make sure we all gain the most out of the day, we’ll be producing summary white papers of each topic, and pursuing the issues and opportunities flagged.

After a quick lunch, I was joined by our Chair Jonathan Dul and our Financial Controller Steve Oldham, and the three of us led the BPIF Annual General Meeting. I was pleased to be able to report the BPIF’s improved financial results for 2023/4, and a focus on investing in staff, technologies, services and training for the future, after a year of considerable change.

The AGM gave an opportunity for me to highlight the huge ground that the BPIF covers – representing the sector to politicians, engaging with Brussels through Intergraf on incoming legislation, responding to consultations on draft legislation, and speaking up on issues that affect members. It’d been a busy year, with a great deal of legislation, and some issues of concern, notably with packaging legislation implementation.

I highlighted the progress made by our professional services team investing in technologies, tools and staff to develop our employment and health, safety and environmental support, and continued excellence from BPIF Training, with apprenticeship training a real bright spot for the sector.  None of this is to say that we can’t do more and better, which is always the case and that keeps us focused! Please do make sure you look at our Annual Review to see just how much ground we cover – I think you may be pleasantly surprised, and I hope you’re making the most of your membership.

And so, to what for many is the highlight of the day, and possibly the year - the Print Reception at the House of Lords, where yet again the sun shone on the sector! Lord Teverson kindly hosted us, and welcomed us with congratulations on the impact, environmental focus and engagement of the sector, noting that the BPIF’s Election Manifesto for Print was particularly well composed and timely. Our co-hosts, Unite, spoke about the incoming Labour administration, and its focus on regulatory change, notably on employment. I then wrapped up, noting the importance of ensuring we have a vigorous, profitable and dynamic sector that can further develop its strong track record on investment and training.

To close the day, we invited Simon Biltcliffe from Webmart, who sponsored the Kathy Woodwood Award for Learning, to present this prize. Congratulations to the two runners up, and of course to the winner, Ronan McKechnie, who not only impressed the judges but impressed all at the reception with a marvellous off the cuff thank you speech.

It was a wonderful day to celebrate our sector, and a great start to the summer break period. We hope to see you there next year!