Delegates and exhibitors duly assembled for the CIH Annual Conference and Exhibition for the last event to be held in Harrogate after 25 years. The move to Manchester Central Convention Complex (formerly GMEX) in 2012 has been rumoured for some time and the formal announcement by CIH and Ocean Media eventually came in a press release on 7th June that next year’s conference and exhibition will be in Manchester from 12 to 14 June.
There have been many opinions expressed about the move to Manchester. After so many years many felt at home in Harrogate, knew their way around, had favourite bars and restaurants but complained loudly about the cost of accommodation and for some the inconvenience of being forced to stay in Leeds and York and being bussed to Harrogate. Others grumbled about travel difficulties especially the train service from Leeds.
However, with the decision made, and with the expectation of easier travel and plentiful hotel rooms at competitive prices the social housing world moves on. I share the opinion of some that, in recent years the conference has, to an extent, lost its way and moving to Manchester will revitalise the event – we shall see.
As last year ReACT shared the SLCNG stand. It is very convenient to be with friends and to have the opportunity to chat with the many SLCNG members who call in. We also had a number of potential customers drop in for a demonstration of ReACT. Kate will be quite busy following up new leads during July.
In ASB terms the big event at conference was the launch of the “Respect Charter” which was sponsored by ReACT. The launch was well attended with the announcement carried out by CIH Chief Executive Sarah Webb and a presentation by Sam McGrady, Deputy Chief Executive of HouseMark. I expect that everyone involved in ASB is well aware that the responsibility for the former Respect Standard for Housing Management has been handed to the housing sector and its makeover has been the responsibility of CIH, ably assisted by SLCNG and HouseMark. If you would like more information about “Respect – ASB Charter for Housing” go to http://www.cih.org/respectstandard/
In terms of delegates, exhibitors and visitors my take is that numbers were down on last year. There were approximately 80 exhibitor stands less than 2010 with one hall closed and there were certainly a fair amount of empty space in the remaining four halls. Delegate and visitor numbers also appeared to be well down. This may, of course, have much to do with the economic situation which was cited so many times, I lost count. My hope is that the “buzz” around conference which existed until the last couple of years returns in Manchester.
For a very interesting article “Harrogate Memories” go to http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/regulation/harrogate-memories/6516245.article it’s worth the read.
By Mike Blomer MBE
- A big ask and no answers (redbrickblog.wordpress.com)
As of today (17th August) over 100 social housing landlords had signed up to the Charter which is a good start. However I urge you not be complacent. The new Charter is sufficiently different to the old Standard that it merits signing up without delay. The Charter continues to be voluntary, and is a key part of the new, co-regulatory approach within housing. It should be noted that the Charter is not intended to be a wider community safety charter – it is about landlords’ ASB services. However, the importance of partnership working in improving outcomes for service users is acknowledged throughout the Charter.
Posted by mikereact 
The ReACT Blog 