Our well-regarded nation-wide networking events provide a relaxed social environment to meet new and potential clients outside of the normal working hours. Our events enable you and your clients to build new connections as well foster relationships with other commercial suppliers. Many of our members have had great success securing new leads, and business opportunities, through meeting guests at our events.
To ensure that networking events continue to be effective, popular, enjoyable and ultimately sustainable we ask our members to adhere to the following rules:
Purchasing Places
Commercial Interiors UK networking events generally have a minimum requirement for the number of places purchased. This is to ensure that all members bring guests. Members are expected to allocate at least half the places purchased to clients and a guest list is required prior to the event to confirm this. If on the provision of the guest list it is found that only members staff are attending these tickets will be cancelled. The exception to this are dinners and luncheons and educational events although we still encourage and recommend that you bring clients. Events are not refundable once booked. This includes events hosted by our Media Partner Design Insider.
The Commercial Interiors UK Open exhibitions are sold as exhibiting opportunities and we expect members participating to actively promote to their client base to maximise attendance for all participants.
Guests
Guests should be existing or potential customers. Tickets must not be purchased on behalf of other companies. It is possible that your guests are also Commercial Interiors UK members. In this case the function of the guest should be in the procurement or specification of the member’s products and not in a front-line sales role. This is a guideline for members but the Commercial Interiors UK reserve the right to question the role of members’ guests if a conflict of interest is apparent. If your intended guests are suppliers to our industry ie. not building operators, architects or designers, and are not fellow Commercial Interiors UK members we ask that you check with the Commercial Interiors UK office that it is OK to invite them.
Guest Lists
Members will be asked to provide their companies guest list as soon as available. Please note that we strongly recommend that potential guests are invited as early as possible. We have found that this generates the best attendance and lowest cancellations by guests.
Lists should include the guests’ full name and company name. Final confirmed guest lists must be provided by the deadline indicated on the booking form (usually the week prior to the event) and by email to minimise errors on badging. Guest lists are available to members attending after each event.
Badging
Printed badges are provided for every attendee with full name and company name. If appropriate table numbers are also indicated on the badge.
Tickets
Commercial Interiors UK do not normally provide tickets for events. Entry is by name on guest list.
What our members say…
We asked a selection of members who regularly attend our events to provide a little feedback. The following comments were kindly provided by colleagues from Panaz, iliv and Hansgrohe:
In three words?
'Social, enjoyable, valuable'
‘Fantastic nationwide networking’
‘In the diary’
What is the key purpose behind your attendance?
‘Meet new clients, especially those we are finding it difficult to access in normal working hours and enhance existing relationships’
‘Bringing contacts together at a relaxed social style event has worked fantastically well’
‘To maintain a presence’ and ‘to see a great range of different people’
Your advice to new members?
‘It is always a welcome environment to connect with others, pack your business cards, smile and come and meet like-minded peers’
‘Build relationships not only for yourself but your guests as well, they will remember this far more than the drink you got them…’
‘This is what Commercial Interiors UK is good at doing – connecting people’