Alan SmithIncoming Chairman of IBP, Alan Smith, Public Relations Director of HBGUK sets his agenda.
Firstly, I’d like to thank all those confident enough to elect me as the new Chairman of IBP. Secondly, I’d like to thank Patrick Gulley, my predecessor, for all his consistency and efforts over the past years – his will be a very hard act to follow.
I would like to take this opportunity in chairing the IBP Board Meeting for the first time to share with you, very briefly, some of my aspirations for the continued development of IBP with the support of Aaron Morby as President, Gerald Bowey as Chief Executive and all the Executive Board Members.
The over-riding objective, however, is to maintain the existing momentum in building the IBP brand and its services to its members. However, within that context, I believe we have four main tasks or objectives ahead of us…and they are in this order:
Green paper: IBP ‘The Way Forward’
This paper, currently being developed by Gerald, for presentation to the executive board outlines some potential solutions to taking over, gradually, much of the current workload delivered personally by our Chief Executive. Once presented to the board I believe it is imperative that we take some decisions on this as soon as possible, not only to meet that main objective, but to help develop IBP’s events and activities to attract new members as well as improved services to existing members. Indeed, this is essential to the success of the next three points:
International Journalism Award
This initiative, started by Gerald (and endorsed by the Board) at MIPIM last year, has a massive potential to widen the IBP brand and membership as well as membership services. I will give my full support and effort to develop this as a major theme of IBP’s growth in 2007 and beyond.
Construction, property and architecture organisations are, today, largely of a Global scale in terms of operations, supplies or influence. Whether it is Richard Rogers, Skanska, Vinci, Bovis Lend Lease, Gardiner & Theobald or Royal BAM Group, most major UK players are, actually, international operators. Developing IBP’s international credentials can not only further appeal to members but particularly to the construction press – here and internationally.
As well as the linkage with MIPIM/Reed Midem, perhaps we could also develop a relationship with FIEC, the Federation de l’Industrie Europeene de la Construction (European Construction Confederation) in Brussels with a view to sharing their journalists’ database?
Membership
All IBP’s efforts are to deliver relevant services to its members and to further develop new membership. Construction is not an isolated business. It is disparate and it involves a very long, diverse supply chain from client, property developer, architect and planner, through contractor and subcontractor to supplier.
Perhaps we need to try and engage more property development and subcontractor/supplier in-house PR people as well as the wider press: PPPBulletin; Concrete Journal; Sustain magazine; Highways & Tranportation; Martime & Port Construction, etc? And maybe look more closely at the wider industry bodies (like Andy Walker’s ACE participation) including: ICE; CECA; CIOB; MCG; CC; CIBSE; CITB construction skills, etc.?
Corporate Affairs
Given the recent initiative by IBP to engage the All Party Built Environment Group, I believe that we should capitalise on such links to become more proactive in encouraging Corporate Affairs-linked events and membership. The more we develop this side, the more gravitas IBP will develop within the industry at large.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, IBP is about sharing and knowledge and contacts. Therefore our greatest contribution to the membership has to be the ‘Social’ element. I fully endorse the continued emphasis on a regular calendar of social events that have become a hallmark of IBP’s success.
Aaron Morby President (Construction News) Clive Branson Vice President
(Commercial Property Register) Patrick Gulley Chairman (Gardiner
& Theobald) Giles Barrie Vice Chairman (Property Week) Ben Roskrow Vice Chairman (Housebuilder) Rhodri Harries Hon Secretary (GCI London) Richard Aylwin (Aylwin Communications) Gerald Bowey (Communication Solutions) Denise Chevin (Building) Andrew Geldard (Willmott Dixon
Construction) David Helsen (Helsen Corporate Communications – c) Harriett Hindmarsh (Sheppard
Robson) Alan Hughes (Bulletin Editor) Dominic Morgan (Tamesis Business
Communications) Antony Oliver (New Civil Engineer) Ruth Slavid (AJ Focus/AJ Special Projects) Jo Smit (Regeneration) Alan Smith (HBG UK) Kristina Smith (Construction Manager) Andy Walker (Association for Consultancy and Engineering)
IBP SERVICES BOARD -2005/06 Aaron Morby President (Construction News) Paul Finch Hon Vice President
(Architectural Review) Patrick Gulley Chairman (Gardiner
& Theobald) Ben Roskrow Vice Chairman (Housebuilder) Gerald Bowey Chief Executive
(Communication Solutions) David Helsen (Helsen Corporate
Communications)
HON VICE PRESIDENTS Paul Finch (Architectural Review) Peter Bill (Estates Gazette) Adrian Barrick (CMP Information
Limited) Clive Branson (Commercial Property
Register)
IBP Services Chief Executive, Gerald Bowey, emphasised the added value provided by IBP to its members in his report, on behalf of the Executive Committee, to the Annual General Meeting held at The Building Centre last month.
He said: “No organisation can expect to survive and prosper without paying due care and attention to what its members want and need to enhance their own job performances, whether they are journalists or PR practitioners. I believe that, year on year, IBP continues to provide added value to its members.”
The Building Centre Group again hosted the annual IBP AGM, in the conference suite at Store Street, adding more than a touch of style by organising a wine tasting immediately following the AGM.
Andrew Scoones, director of The Building Centre Trust took time out from organising the transformation of the window area at Store Street, where he has created the New London Architecture experience – if you don’t do anything else this year go have a look – to host the tasting.
As usual Andrew brought his considerable knowledge of Italian wines to bear on the proceedings, providing a range of white and red wines for IBP members to savour, debate and categorize. The journalists yet again romp home with the right answers, with freelance Andy Taylor and Ruth Slavid, editor, AJ Focus taking home the prizes – their choice of the excellent wines tasted is edited by the Internal communications office and produced by an external agency. Tarmac World readership surveys showed that 88 per cent of the recipients read all or most of the magazine. “The judges liked its energy, its variety and its active regional correspondents and they felt it was an easy read,” concluded Murray.
The annual Journalists versus PRs cricket match, sponsored by Clancy Consultants Ltd., did not begin with a flourish. But by the end of the afternoon at Thames Ditton Cricket Club’s ground in Surrey it had turned into what more than one of the participants called ‘a classic’.
There were good, solid starts to each innings. Grieff and Cassie, opening for the PRs against some distinctly sharp medium fast bowling by Gaved and Lynch, seemed well in control and as the innings progressed useful contributions from Dixon, skipper Andy Walker and Chris Helsen pushed the total well into what looked like being the comfort zone.
And then came Helsen senior! I never saw David Helsen in his ‘pomp’ but these days his batting is uncompromisingly simple. He plants his front foot down the wicket and whacks whatever is bowled to him. So it was this time. He blasted his way to 29 and indeed carried his bat so that the PRs set a challenging total of 153.
The buzz went round the fielding PRs. “That should be enough.” So it should have been. After his usual poised start, Chris Hart fell victim to an unnecessary run out but then Dawson, Windle, Rogers and Lynch chipped away at their target – and suddenly it was in reach.
Walker, Dixon, Cassie and Chris Helsen had produced excellent bowling performances but they couldn’t quite get the final break through and the Journos finished at a dash.
It was all genuinely exciting stuff and the feel good factor that comes with a game of cricket keenly fought out between two well-matched sides was clearly evident in the bar afterwards.
Andrew Moffatt of Clancy Consultants Ltd. did the presentational honours and David Helsen, fresh from his batting triumph of the afternoon, was once again the genial host, dispensing drinks with the same skill with which he had wielded the willow. It had been a great match and was declared by a very large majority as ‘the best so far’.
