A report on the recent Britannia conference in Berlin from the company’s marketing and communications manager, Charlotte Parslow.

When Berlin was announced as Britannia’s next conference destination, the attendees of the 2023 event were enjoying 28°˚C heat and a rather lovely hotel pool in Portugal. Consequently, the idea of being in a busy city got a fairly lukewarm response.  Happily though, this historic European capital ultimately delivered an outstanding event for the Britannia Cooperative, and one which received the best delegate feedback for many years.

It all started with a relaxed welcome dinner, hosted - as the whole event was - at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Hotel just off vibrant Potsdamer Platz. The Britannia Group are a social and amiable bunch, and so this evening was characterised by lots of networking and chat, helped along by a lovely buffet dinner, plenty of drinks, and some handy goody bags provided by IFX Payments.

The next morning, the attendees filled up on caffeine and then gathered for the start of a packed day of business content. It soon became apparent that the dominant themes were transformation, communication, and embracing technology, with Gemma Loader discussing the rebadged ‘Young Britannia’ group, and Beth Goodyear talking about opportunities within commercial moving. After more caffeine and discussion, Jan Krueger from Hapag-Lloyd provided insights on the last 12 months in shipping, and then keynote speaker James Dearsley – sponsored by BAR Services – gave an inspiring talk in which he tackled digital transformation and its potential for our sector. 

After a delicious lunch, Charlotte Parslow explained some of the practicalities of working with AI, the BAR’s Director General Ian Studd discussed the various ways in which the BAR is advocating with those in power on behalf of the industry, and Gavin Shields, fresh off a flight from Las Vegas, delivered an engaging presentation about his experiences setting up a self store, which led him to develop Stora, his software company. The business sessions closed with the much-anticipated announcement of next year’s conference destination, which certainly didn’t disappoint. The attendees were delighted to hear that the event will be located in the magical city of Venice in 2025, from 2 – 5 May. 

The next day, Reason Global provided all attendees with an attraction or excursion of their choice, so everyone had a chance to socialise whilst enjoying Berlin in their own way, from bus tours to bunker museums (and even a bar on a beach!).

Everyone was back in time to enjoy the gala dinner and awards ceremony, which was generously supported by Basil Fry & Co. After a delicious three-course meal and a chance to celebrate achievements within the Group, some people danced the night away whilst others amused themselves with the photobooth, provided by Janus. Some of the photos are even suitable for publication!

The next day, everyone headed back to the airport full of new ideas, and with the relationships between Britannia branches, overseas partners, and suppliers stronger than ever.

Photos: 

Britannia’s Sales Director Gavin McCarthy was emcee.

The gala dinner and awards ceremony.

Michael Hart from Britannia Bearsbys, Tommy King from IFX Payments, and Tina Tyson from Britannia Beckwith enjoy the photobooth.