In early October, Britannia Movers welcomed around one hundred delegates to its annual conference at Coombe Abbey Hotel in Warwickshire.
This was the first conference the group had hosted for over three years, with the 2020 event being cancelled due to the pandemic, although a Covid-safe outdoor festival was held in 2021 to celebrate Britannia’s 40th anniversary. The appetite for an indoor, in-person meeting was clear, with a large number of the cooperatives’ branches represented and a healthy proportion of suppliers and international partners joining them as well.
The event began on Friday 7 October with a welcome drinks reception and buffet dinner in the hotel’s fabulously ornate Cloisters room. Coombe Abbey has a rich and varied history going all the way back to the 1100s, and the building provided plenty of wow factor with thick stone walls, painted frescoes and decorative plasterwork ceilings.
The first night’s entertainment echoed the historic surroundings, with a harpist, a silhouettist, and a monk telling ghost stories that brought a shiver to spines of the enthralled audience. Judging from the noise levels, people were delighted to be together again, and the bar was busy until well after midnight.
The next morning the business sessions took place in a converted real tennis court, with the stage set dominated by a striking backdrop showcasing Britannia’s updated logo in all its forms. Indeed, the group used the conference as an internal launch for their new branding, which MD Mark Tresler explained in his introduction. However, they swiftly moved on to a range of presentations from their partners, suppliers and leadership team.
Tyler Betts from TransferMyBills kicked things off with a demonstration of his company’s platform which helps movers to easily swap their utility bills to their new address, and he was followed by BAR Services’ Vicki Hawkins who tackled the thorny subject of sustainability in the packaging industry. After a break for coffee, Andy Shotbolt from Britannia Reeves led a cast of characters who delivered a funny and poignant session looking at how the jobs in removals have changed over the last hundred or so years. Then IT became the focus, with an expert session on what Google statistics can tell us about the state of the UK housing market and how we can use this intelligence to maximise web leads.
After lunch, Andrew McMillan – formerly head of Customer Service at John Lewis – took over to deliver his keynote speech. This was a fast-paced and fascinating tour of defining your collective purpose as a business, motivating your workforce and using customer experience to build brand identity. The audience was riveted, and everyone came away with valuable ideas and inspiration. Andrew was a tough act to follow but Britannia’s own Gavin McCarthy did a superb job, talking about the importance of online reputation. This then led into Britannia’s annual awards, in which Britannia Reeves received the National Service Award, and Britannia Ryansmove lifted the Top Shipping Performance Award.
After that, the group retired to the hotel grounds to enjoy the autumn sunshine, and the event team transformed the conference room to get it ready for the black-tie gala dinner. By the time the delegates returned for a champagne reception, the space was beautifully illuminated and decorated with light-up furniture, with an ice sculpture showing the new Britannia logo forming a centrepiece. After enjoying a sumptuous three course meal, the attendees danced the night away to the sounds of a live band.
Many of the little touches which made this event feel like such a treat were made possible by the generosity of industry suppliers, and Britannia would like to thank BAR Services, Basil Fry & Company, Reason Global Insurance, Janus International, IFX Payments, Haywoods and Chillibyte for their incredible support.
Photos (left to right): MD Mark Tresler welcomes delegates to the conference; Chris Ryan from Britannia Ryansmove (L) receives the Shipping Performance Award from International Services Director Steve, Fanning; Andy Shotbolt from Britannia Reeves (L) accepts the National Service Award from Britannia’s Gavin McCarthy.
