Game changing announcement ...

GAME-CHANGING ANNOUNCEMENT WOWS VISITORS AT BiKBBI ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The BiKBBI hosted its Annual Conference at The Houses of Parliament at the back end of January. It was attended by a record number of guests including sponsors, Installation Standards Partners, manufacturers, retailers and installers of course, around one hundred in all!

The event was also attended by more members of the press than ever before, an endorsement of how the institute is now being accepted industry wide and beyond.

The Conference was hosted by national radio personality Mike Jones, who introduced Member of Parliament and BiKBBI Patron Stephen Metcalfe who delivered an opening address on his association with the institute and its relevance. He also mentioned the important role it plays within the industry and to the consumer.

Stephen avoided using the B word (Brexit), but made an amusing reference to it once or twice within his speech.

Next up was BiKBBI CEO, Damian Walters, who spoke about a wide range of subjects. These included a report on the unprecedented year that the institute had enjoyed in 2018, which saw the successful launch of a number of initiatives and collaborations, attracting more sponsors and installations Standards Partners, a huge improvement on brand awareness that

Mike Jones Stephen Metcalfe

Damian Walters

'The event was also attended by more members of the press than ever before, an endorsement of how the institute is now being accepted industry wide and beyond.'

led to a massive increase in interaction with the consumer, and all underpinned by the most important thing, a continued upward surge in installer membership, the bedrock of the BiKBBI and the main reason why it exists.

Damian also spoke about the successful launch of the Apprenticeship Scheme where the very first batch of BiKBBI apprentices were welcomed to the state-ofthe-art PROCAT training facility in Basildon, Essex, he also announced ambitious plans for the apprenticeship scheme to be rolled out across the UK which included a target figure of some 500 new apprentices within 2 years! 

'BiKBBI Protected is an innovative new service, operated by the BiKBBI, that is offered to retailers of all sizes, from independent single showrooms, to national retailers.'

Damian gave the podium to Michael Burke who delivered a light-hearted and informative address on BiKBBI apprenticeships and the part he will play in developing them in his role as Apprentice Ambassador.

Staff long service awards were presented to Christine Masson and Lynsey Easom for reaching the 5 year mark with BiKBBI, whilst Claire Walters received her 10 year accolade, before Damian Walters took to the podium again to announce the launch of a ground-breaking initiative that will change the way in which domestic KBB installations are operated in the UK! BiKBBI Protected is an innovative new service, operated by the BiKBBI, that is offered to retailers of all sizes, from independent single showrooms, to national retailers. The service, which is driven by leading technology and under-pinned by the institute’s existing compliance management, will allow retailers to signpost customers to a robust installation service, which is either delivered by the retailers own approved installers, the wider BiKBBI membership or a mixture of both.

Essentially, the new service takes the retailer out of the contractual equation, connecting consumers with installers nationally, creating a robust direct legal relationship, to include contracts, schedules, pricing and payments. More details can be viewed in this magazine on page 11.

So all-in-all, the conference was a great success which reflects the maturity, growth and acceptance of the BiKBBI within the KBB industry. Now in its 14th year, opinions of the organisation have developed from ‘a good idea with great ethics but requiring support,’ to the highly respected, influential and opinion-forming body that is today.

Michael Burke Steve Adamson

A NEW ...