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Helen Caldwell, Director, BWF

BranWell Ford was very pleased to have a stand at the 10^th Professional Pensions Show at Docklands this week.  Thank you to all of you who visited our stand and enjoyed the warmth of our hospitality!  We had a marble based tombola that ensured that everyone was a winner – chocolates, wine and Next vouchers were all up for grabs, with the occasional BranWell Ford pen thrown in too.

The questions asked most were ‘what is the market like at the moment?’ and ‘is anyone recruiting?’  The answers are ‘slow, but with tentative signs of growth’ and ‘yes, but not as many as we would like.’  However, we were very buoyed by the amount of potential new business that we picked up at the Show. 

As a small business we invest vast sums of money and time into attending these events, in order to keep our profile high to generate the vacancies and candidates that will lead to successful placements for our clients and candidates.  We certainly hope that all that was invested into the Professional Pensions Show 2009 will contribute to a successful 2010 for all of us working in the industry.

Christine Brannigan - BWF - Director

A busy week with 2 days in Manchester  at the Spring Pensions Show. As with most exhibitions it was good to catch up with familiar faces and sitting in on some of the Conferences was of use to keep my skills up to speed.  The suit of armor on the Anthony Hodges stand was very impressive and Incisive Media were extremely hospitable to all attendees .  An Ali-G look-alike was even there!! It was difficult to get back to the station with the football match and hopefully the next show  in London in November will not clash with a big sporting fixture !!

Pip Sandford - BWF - MD

Attending the PP Conference and Exhibition in Manchester this week was a fun trip.  I was a guest speaker and extremely nervous, but I think I successfully delivered some thought provoking facts and highlighted the difficulties which are effecting the pensions industry from a recruitment perspective.   The drinks party and the exhibition enabled lots of networking with many of our clients and also some industry colleagues.  I also won a prize from Go Pensions (an i-Pod Shuffle which will inspire me to get running again).  The main interest was the Cocktails and Fizz at Mercer, Capita and Standard Life which did prove popular, but I think my favorite was the adult sized operation game at Hewitts and of course the balloon animals at Procentia.  Getting home was an experience with the football carnival for Rangers, I felt a bit out of place suited and booted.  Roll on the November show.