With over 85 delegates, speakers and sponsors the event was the largest conference to date and it was great to see so many old and new members taking advantage of the content delivered by the expert speakers.
The 2024 BCMPA Conference, held at the Delta by Marriott Nottingham on the 9th & 10th July, was deemed to be a great success. The event kicked off with an informal evening of networking the night before, which members reported to be an integral part of the value of a conference, allowing for interesting conversations around the our industry in a relaxed atmosphere. It was good to hear post Conference that some members are already working collaboratively and doing business together post the event.
The speaker programme was excellent and the day began with a brilliant presentation by Professor Trevor Williams, Former Chief Economist at Lloyds Bank. He reflected on global and national challenges and the geopolitical landscape post the General Election, as well as trends that the UK must consider and how they will effect British business and BCMPA Members. Delivering a great deal of content his lively talk was well received by the audience.
The morning session focussed on providing members with content around the impact of packaging legislation and how this affects Retailers when choosing suppliers. James Bull of Tesco and Richard Pinkerton of Nestlé spoke around how consumer choices are forming part of their own procurement programme and their thought processes when selecting 3rd party solutions. Tim Barbary of Benchmark presented his thoughts on net zero and carbon accounting with a look at what needs to be done to reach government targets in the future.
Kevin Vyse of ProAmpac took delegates through the history of packaging, and sustainable packaging decisions and Jude Allan, acting head of OPLR, talked though the impending EPR legislation and also gave an overview on the on pack labelling regulations.
Sponsors included:
Nuology – Easyfairs – AddParts – AutoPack – Benchmark Consulting – Element Logic – Keystone Law – Two Blues Solar
The afternoon session started with an excellent presentation and panel discussion moderated by Josephine Coombe of Nulogy. The value of data collection and transfer was one that was recurrent through the conference and the panel made up of Richard Pinkerton, Nestlé UK, Thomas Verbeke, Danone and Steve Tarrant, Glowcroft, gave delegates important insights into the ways in which digitalisation allows for increased agility and resilience in the supply chain. With the Glowcroft experience of employing the system, endorsing the value of digitalisation for co packers.
Chris Newhouse of Easyfairs spoke around how Exhibitions form part of the marketing mix and allow companies to raise their profile and stand out in a crowded landscape, Lucy Pringle of Keystone Law delivered an interesting talk around Succession Planning and Maximizing exit value, Tom Fripp of AddParts explained how 3D Printing of machine parts plays its part in reducing downtime and maximizing production efficiency. With Jonathon Stewart from Autopack advising how to get the most out of machinery to ensure the best outputs. The Conference ended allowing the delegates to get back just in time for the European Cup Semi Final.
With this being the first Conference in over 6 years it was good to see BCMPA members show their appetite for the event and for taking part and being part of our industry conversation. The delegates and members were able to network during the breaks and lunch and to talk to the sponsors around the ways in which they offer their support to contract manufacturers, packers, fulfilment & logistics customers.
We thank everybody for their attendance and look forward to the next event.
