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IBP Executive Board Report 2011/2012

IBP has made great strides in 2011/2012 – cementing its status as a true knowledge hub for journalists and communications professionals working in the built environment sector.

Following former president Denise Chevin’s review of IBP we have introduced a number of new ideas. We have also injected new blood into the main IBP board and to the judging panels for our flagship Annual National Journalism Awards.

Our IBP Twitter feed is generating strong interest, and is a powerful information resource for anyone following architecture, construction, engineering, housing and commercial property news.

We were delighted that the Futures Group staged a workshop on designing for the iPad last autumn, showing that the built environment is at the cutting edge of this particular innovation in the publishing world. A webcam of the main presentations is available to view on the IBP website. Plans are well advanced to hold another Futures Group interview, with a leading web editor, Richard Fletcher, Editor, Telegraph.co.uk, which is scheduled for Tuesday September 18th – full details will be circulated nearer the date.

And in true IBP tradition we hosted our first speed-dating ‘Face to Face for 10’ event, where public relations executives met senior journalists, including Claer Barrett (Financial Times), Rebecca Evans (Construction News), Martin Hilditch (Inside Housing), Deirdre Hipwell (Times), Elaine Knutt (Construction Manager), Christine Murray (Architects’ Journal), Sarah Richardson (Building), and myself, for 10 minute bursts in a rapid-fire event which proved to be a learning curve for both editors and PR’s. Similar sessions are in development for 2012/13.

I am delighted to welcome Stuart Macdonald of Inside Housing, Rebecca Evans from Construction News, Christine Murray of Architects’ Journal, Donal McCabe of Land Securities and Jonny Popper of London Communications Agency on to the IBP board; it is this new breed of journalists and communications experts that will provide the ideas which will continue to take IBP forward.

IBP is also launching, in association with Gorkana, the media database and portal for PR’s and journalists, a ‘new’ PR and Communications Awards scheme for the built environment sector in September 2012. The call for entries and the judging, by leading editors and senior communications executives, will take place in the New Year with an Awards presentation event taking place in the late spring.

The Annual Welbeck Strategic Land Debate is due to take place on Monday September 24th, hosted again by Hogan Lovells and IBP, with the working title: “Why will future generations remain in the countryside – where will you live, where will you work?” The speaker panel is in development and full details will be circulated nearer the date.

And we also look forward this year to returning to the spiritual home of the IBP Journalism Awards – the Four Seasons hotel on Park Lane – for the end of year ceremony which will be bigger and better then ever before.

New Award categories are in development and new judges, including: Lee Baker, Director, aop, Pip Clothier, journalist and broadcaster, Mark Collins, Executive Director, CBRE, Jerry Gosney, Digital Publishing Consultant, PPA, Steve Hale, MD, Crofton, Liz Peace, Chief Executive, BPF, Stephen Thornton, UK Head External Affairs, RICS and John Waples, former Sunday Times business editor, Senior MD, FTI Consulting, join our panels this year; but the same commitment to quality and impartiality for which the IBP Awards have stood for, for nearly 40 years, will again be our watchword in 2012.

Finally my thanks to the rest of the IBP board, to outgoing chairman, Alan Smith (Kier Group) and incoming chairman Harriett Hindmarsh (AECOM) and, of course, to our tireless chief executive Gerald Bowey.

If you would like to suggest an IBP event, or become involved with our organization in any way, please contact me at giles.barrie@ubm.com To keep in touch with IBP events and updates please go to www.ibp.org.ujk

Giles Barrie
Editor in Chief, Property Week
President IBP

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President’s Report 2009/10

The Shape of Things to Come

In the past we have presented a report of the last year’s activities. We have consigned looking back to the waste bin and intend to concentrate on the future and how IBP is shaping-up to the task of delivering ‘insights’ into our industry sector; how journalism and the constantly changing way in which we all deliver the news and break the next story.

During my Presidency I am going to build on the findings of the IBP Futures Group, chaired by the FT’s Claer Barrett and the recent Review of IBP carried out by the previous President, Denise Chevin. Fundamentally we will be focusing on issues that will assist both journalists and communications professionals to do their jobs more effectively and deliver a better ‘product’. So education, continued professional development, technology and other key subjects will be delivered with a mixture of fun events, interesting speakers and audience participation.

The Futures Group, which is not targeted at any section or age group within IBP, has already proved that this approach works. We have had an evening with John Waples, an interactive Q & A with a panel of legal experts on litigation, an insightful session with Mira Bar Hillel and in September we will have a session with a panel of experts on the iPad, apps and their potential to bring the news quicker and to a bigger audience.

We are embarking on a major international recruitment drive to develop the overseas journalist membership, aligned to an International Journalist of the Year Awards scheme, amongst other benefits.

We have in development the IBP Communications Awards, due to be launched next spring, which, like its sibling the long established National Journalism Awards, will recognize and reward good communications and communicators, with a panel of senior editors initially judging on line entries and then interviewing finalists in several categories. All this will be delivered at the newly formatted annual IBP Summer Party.

Our key annual event, the National Journalism Awards, has been refreshed and new category guidance notes and a hints and tips section have been added to this years “Call for Entries”. This year we are a fixture at Chelsea Football Club; for 2012 we return to our former regular home the Four Seasons Hotel, in Park Lane, which has had its 2012 make over for the Olympics – IBP is due to take over the venue on the 22nd November, when we hope to deliver our own Olympian Awards and hand out the prizes for the best in journalism.

I hope I can count on your support, whether an editor, journalist or communications professional, to drive these new initiatives forward and help deliver a programme of events that really makes a difference.

Please email me on: giles.barrie@ubm.com if you would like to get involved with any of these initiatives or if you have an interesting idea you would like to see develop as part of the IBP programme.

See you soon

Giles Barrie
President Elect

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Executive Board’s report 2009/2010

Gerald Bowey
Gerald Bowey

In common with our sector IBP has had a mixture of good and bad news to deal with. Nevertheless in 2009 we continued to provide members with the key events that set IBP apart from other communications groups, celebrated our 40th Anniversary and set-up the first Futures Group.

One of the partnerships to suffer was with The All Party Parliamentary Built Environment Group with which we had planned to co-host another Housing debate in the light of the Bill being adopted (given Royal Assent early 2010) and the run-up to the next general election. With the dire state of the housing market and politicians of all shades running for cover, under the general excuse of being in purdah, this initiative fell by the wayside.

Last June’s IBP Journalists v PR’s cricket match, sponsored by restoration and stone specialists Szerelmey, produced another PR winning side, with team captains, Dave Rogers (Construction News, now running his own media company) and Andy Walker (in his last act before leaving ACE for the charity sector) giving their all – both in taking the field and shouting encouragement to their teams.

The Annual Summer Dinner held at the RAC was a truly International affair not only kicking-off the IBP 40th celebrations but also marking the CIOB’s 175th Anniversary with their President Li Shirong delivering a keynote speech, to over 70 members, on the opportunities available from the continuing emerging markets in China.

Professor Li also presented the first of the 2009 crop of Awards the Subscription and In-House Magazine of the Year – with the chairman of the judges Giles Barrie, editor of Property Week, providing his usual running commentary on the judge’s final choices.

Commenting, Giles said: “We had a lively and invigorating final judging session in both categories and were most impressed with the variety on offer and the different approaches taken”. In acknowledging the judges deliberations he particularly thanked architectural author and journalist Ruth Slavid, former editor of AJ Online, “for her forensic analysis of the entries”.

Giles praised the Willmott Dixon and Costain entries two polished publications, “the Judges relished the openness with which Willmott Dixon described some big corporate changes, while Costain clearly demonstrated communications flair in the packed issues of Blueprint submitted” he said.

Announcing Mott Macdonald’s m2 the winner, in the In-House category, Giles commented: “This is a publication for its time, concise, colourful yet cost effective, with a lot of personality, information and projects and an overall warm feel to the presentation of the contents”.

In the Subscription category Giles announced a Highly Commended Award for Construction Manager, a former winner, “this magazine has improved again under the editorship of Elaine Knutt, with a marked stronger editorial voice on behalf of the membership of the CIOB” he said.

But the winner in this category was ‘A’ from RIBA North West. “We were truly wowed by this title. It looks and feels great but does not limit itself to highly specialized or pretentious architectural fare” he said. Indeed the issue that impressed the judges the most was the issue that focused on the recession “far more enjoyable” he said “than the Le Corbusier issue at the same time there was a great North West spirit flowing throughout” he concluded.

In July we held a unique concert of two parts to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the founding of IBP; starting at the spiritual home of journalism, St Bride’s Church Fleet Street, the magnificent choir took us through a programme of four decades of contemporary music and song. This was followed in The Press House by supper and live music with Clarence King and the Regents, fronted by Bob Kidby and including guest spots by Claer Barrett and Jack Russell. The whole evening was made possible because of the generous support of Bob Kidby and the sponsorship of Lovells, now Hogan Lovells.

Last October unfortunately saw another casualty of the credit crunch, after four seasons, the IBP Regional Journalism Awards were stood down because of lack of sponsorship support from the North West property sector. The IBP board will review the situation in 2010.

But October also saw a full turnout of all the judges sitting on the National Journalism Awards panels; some twenty four journalists and construction industry professionals came together for the final judging session, again hosted by The Building Centre in Store Street, to make their final selections. This follows the assessment of over three hundred articles and twenty magazines. A daunting task delivered with great care and professionalism by the judges.

To close the 40th Anniversary programme a capacity audience attended the IBP Annual National Journalism Awards in the Members’ Dining Room at the House of Commons, preceded by a reception, supported by BDP, in the Strangers’ Dining Room.

The individual categories, (with the exception of the Housing Journalist Award), continued to be well supported by sponsors with the evening event also being sponsored by Resolution Property. Entries in most categories remained high with a range of positive news and feature stories as well as analytical pieces on the credit crunch grabbing the headlines and the Awards please see the Awards’09 Bulletin report on the IBP website homepage for full results.

We were most fortunate to have as our Guest Speaker Roy Greenslade, Media Analysis, Evening Standard and Professor of Journalism at City University London who gave us his ‘take’ on the battle between print and online news gathering and delivery to the reader (a full transcript of Roy’s speech can be viewed on the homepage); while Peter Murray, Director of NLA, guided us through the Award categories with his usual insightful links.

Your executive board (please see full listing attached to the AGM papers) continues to oversee the events and ‘new’ initiatives that IBP takes forward on an annual basis they should all be congratulated on the very positive way in which they work together and contribute to the meetings, often after putting in a full days work.

Having reached our 40th Anniversary the board has set-up a number of Futures Groups to look at the interests and needs of young journalists and communicators. In addition, with sponsors, we are looking at the development of the National Awards scheme and the online role provided by members in delivering the news. Claer Barrett, associate editor of Investors Chronicle has kindly agreed to chair the Young Futures Group and reported to the board in February 2010. By the time you read this report I hope you will already see positive additions to the IBP programme.

Of course the events mentioned above and other IBP initiatives are regularly reported and archived on the website for your further interest. Do take a look.

IBP will only prosper if we share the issues that interest us. Journalists need to engage and set the agenda with communications professionals both in-house and in consultancies; PR’s need to talk to journalists before they target their news stories. How often have we heard the clarion call know your media? Well use the IBP network to help build your relationship with journalists.

IBP has and can continue to contribute to the wider on-going debates constantly taking place in our sector, in this context I encourage you to get involved and to make a difference, we now have future groups that can help facilitate your input – please do not hesitate to contact IBP.

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EXECUTIVE BOARD’S REPORT – 2006

Extracts of the report presented by Gerald Bowey, CEO, ibp Services, on behalf of the executive board, at the AGM (20 July 2006).

Three year’s ago I outlined an ambitious programme to help build the ibp brand and position the organisation as a point of excellence in our industry sector. I also expressed the hope that we would create opportunities to work with other bodies and events with the view to adding new dimensions to membership benefits.

I would like to illustrate some of those initiatives.

Last year we held our ‘Question Time’ at the House of Commons in association with the All Party Built Environment Group with a high powered panel of editor’s and experts locking horns in a ground breaking debate on ‘transport in crisis.’ Discussions are underway to possibly follow that up with a debate with the City of London.

In 2006 we launched our inaugural north west Regional Journalism Awards scheme in Manchester which was judged a resounding success by participants and sponsors alike. The 2007 awards are due to be presented (again in Manchester) on 05 October.

Our National Journalism Awards go from strength to strenght with entries up on the previous year and a capacity audience with the chairman of Cannel 4 Television Corporation, Luke Johnson, presenting the Awards. November 23 is the date set for this year’s Awards dinner at the Four Seasons hotel in Park Lane.

In March this year I held talks with Reed Midem to develop the concept of an International Journalist of the Year Award that would be run and presented in association with MIPIM. Subsequently I have had further discussions with Thierry Renault, deputy managing director of Reed Midem, to develop a theme and structure for this Award at MIPIM 2007.

While the emphasis of ibp is for Award schemes for journalists, I make no apology for that, ibp was conceived and continues to function fundamentally as an organisation for journalists.

However, apart from the obvious benefit to us all of rubbing shoulders with journalists’ these ibp initiatives also bring real benefits to corporate affairs and public relations consultant’s members too.

I believe that on the back of the development of the International Journalist of the Year Award ibp will soon be able to offer all members a comprehensive and regularly updated directory of working journalists worldwide. This benefit can only come out of extending the ibp brand and influence.

But we do social events well to. In June we had the annual cricket match at Thames Ditton where the hacks took the annual trophy for the sixth time in eight contests.

This year I was able to present a new award minted in honour of Alan Hughes, affectionately dubbed some years ago by the imp cricketers – ‘the fox’ for the man of the match which was presented to Andy Gelded of Wilmot Dixon for a fine catch.

Our bi-annual ‘Meet the Editors’ forum was run this year in association with the London Architecture Biennale providing a great partnership opportunity and a high calibre event with eight leading editors talking to an audience of nearly seventy communicators. The venue, St Bride’s Church, again emphasized the use of exciting buildings, like the Royal Opera House and Somerset House, the scene of recent ibp events.

The Summer Dinner, also a fringe event this year to the Biennale, did not disappoint with the backdrop of the Building Design Partnership’s studio and plaza and a very focused talk by David parsley, ibp Award winning journalist and founder editor of City A.M. on the merits of launching a new morning newspaper in a world dominated by the electronic highway.

The Summer Dinner also provided a wonderful environment in which to present the winners of the third annual Magazine of the Year Awards. Kristina Smith, editor of Construction Manager, romped away with the subscription Magazine of the Year while Tarmac World scoped the In House Magazine category for the second year running.

We are also actively seeking partners and putting the ibp brand on other organisations events – where there is a natural empathy – such as ‘The Property Forum’ and the ‘Art and Work Awards’.

But of course none of these initiatives and the continued development of our key events just happen.

We have a hard working and combative executive that proves the well worked cliché – ‘if you want something done find a busy person to do it’.  They are all to be congratulated on the very positive working basis in which they interact at board meetings.

I would make particular thanks to Patrick Gulley, who has stepped down as chairman, for his very creative input in developing the importance of ibp’s brand and position in our sector. He has not just brought an imaginative edge to his chairmanship but a hands on knowledge of what will work.

Our President Aaron Morby continues to be a sounding board and inquisitive seeker of truth – “why are we doing this” and “will it add anything to ibp” is his clarion response to some of the ‘early day’ ideas that get discussed at board meetings. But once he is satisfied that it will reflect an aspect of our industry well then he will adopt it and staunchly support it – usually saying it was his idea all along!

Vice President Clive Branson is invaluable with his advice, wisdom and knowledge of our industry – he brings a whirlwind of enthusiasm which a younger man would find hard to keep up with.

I cannot conclude this report without a big nod of appreciation for the late Alan Hughes who brought his considerable skills to producing regular hard copy updates. He is already sadly missed.

David Helsen continues to pull, almost effortlessly but of course with a great deal of hard work and pre planning, the annual cricket match together and provides one of the high points of the year – when hack’s and pr’s forget their differences and play to win!

I hope that by highlighting these few examples that I have given the reader some idea of the hard work and dedication that the whole executive board gives to creating – “more than just a network”.

I would also like to draw the reader’s attention to the two abiding questions that the board talks about: recruitment and the support of ibp events.

No organisation can expect to survive without a continued input of young people. All ibp members have the opportunity to act as ambassadors’ for ibp. Don’t make it the industries best kept secret – share its worth and help to grow its value.

Supporting events is the most positive thing any member can do which helps to ensure a future for ibp. But you can also come up with ideas. If you experience that eureka moment share it with any one of the board members of your choice.

I look forward to seeing you soon at an ibp event.