Longer daylight hours, crocuses starting to sprout and even the sighting of insects mean the spring equinox is almost upon us. Although the winter was relatively mild, the storms and flooding caused chaos and misery for thousands and put a dent in the still fragile economy.
But spring always brings a sense of optimism and this year is no different, with the next 12 months promising to be one of the most exciting in my tenure as BCC chairman. That’s why I’d like to focus on the BCC and our members this month.
Next March (2015) the Cleaning Show makes its London debut at the Excel Centre and I’m please to say the move to the capital has been met with huge support from sponsors and exhibitors alike. Mitie is on-board as one of the main sponsors and we’re expecting visitor numbers to be extremely healthy, with people able to enjoy the Cleaning Show as well as exploring one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
London is recognised as a truly global city and this has been enormously helpful in opening up the event to the European market, and indeed the European Federation of Cleaning Industrys (EFCI) has now decided to hold its board meeting in the capital during the show. So this year we’re expecting many more visitors from the continent and this, again, is one of the reasons we felt the move to London was so necessary.
A successful Cleaning Show is beneficial to the industry in general, as any profits the BCC receives from the show are ploughed back in to help fund new initiatives. Each year we’re able to offer 4 grants of up to £10,000 to fund projects that can better the industry, and last year we were proud to make awards to the British Toilet Association for their toilet app, and the Federation of Window Cleaners for a new safety scheme.
A fuller version of this article can be found in this month’s Cleaning & Maintenance magazine…