www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
Pool&SpaIndustry FEB 2012 SPN
33
SPATEX SELL-OUT IS A GOOD OMEN FOR 2012
BSPF Managing Director Chris Hayes looks ahead at challenges which range from capitalising on the Olympics, to embracing social media to European legislation
H
KEY DIARY DATES: SPATEX, Brighton
FEBRUARY 4th - 6th 13th
EUSA Meeting
14th - 17th TC 402 Meetings 27th 29th
ISPE Council PIP and BISHTA Committees
MARCH 1st
8th
13th 19th 22nd 27th
28th
MAY 16th 17th
JUNE
18th - 22nd Water Safety Awareness Week
SPATA National Council and BSPF Board
SPATA Seminar
SPATA Technical Committee SPATEX Board SPATA Seminar
Swimming Forum ISPE Seminar
BISHTA Technical Committee PIP and BISHTA Committees
SPATA National Council and BSPF Board
appy New Year and the countdown to the Olympics and Paralympics really start in earnest now!
There will be so much interest in this sporting extravaganza and our industry needs to capitalise on the interest of people in sports such as swimming to increase demand for our products and services. Just as the elite level athletes will be working hard to achieve their goals, so must we to keep our businesses in shape. Athletes will be dealing with the difficulties of competing with the drugs cheats, likewise we will be combating the small number of unethical businesses that try and mislead consumers and / or the trade and this can damage our reputation. Continuing the sporting theme, just as athletes need coaches to maximise their performance, so do business owners to help them fine tune their business. It has been great to have advice from professionals, such as Dave Gammon, the Basingstoke Business Coach to challenge our thinking. We also benefit from professional legal advice from Wright Hassall and also insurance advice from Keith Bull at Nsure. In this month’s issue, Keith has an article on the importance of having the right insurance for your company. There continue to be a number of challenges to overcome, including proposed changes, such as Building Regulations Parts L and F. Further consultation is underway on potential changes in 2013 and there will be further consultation ahead of any planned changes in 2016. It is unclear what effects there will be on the pool industry, but SPN will keep you informed.
The need for timely information to be provided is vital, as companies need to demonstrate their professionalism. Membership organisations such as BISHTA, SPATA and ISPE are working hard for their respective members. Both BISHTA and SPATA provide a growing number of factsheets and other resources to assist members keep updated with changes impacting our industry. The fantastic co-operation amongst members
means lots of information is drawn to the attention of the trade associations, who then communicate these messages to the rest of the membership. The latest member factsheet has been provided by RAM Tracking and it promotes the benefits of GPS vehicle tracking and is mentioned on page 34.
Another challenge for the industry is to decide how much to embrace social media. Some companies have already grabbed this opportunity by the scruff of the neck and this will help to raise their profile and reach out to the domestic and commercial audience they are seeking. A number of BISHTA and SPATA companies recently attended a social media training day to learn more about this platform and there is separate news on the outcome of the day on page 34.
In terms of looking forward this year, SPATEX is a sell out. This promises to be a great weekend to profile our industry. I am very grateful to all the exhibitors for their support of the event which I know will be a great success as a result of the tenacious hard work and commitment from Michele Bridle and Helen Mulingani, supported by the SPATEX directors.
During SPATEX, the SPATA and BISHTA Awards will be held at the Grand Hotel and with 27 companies battling it out for the SPATA Awards and 14 companies for the BISHTA awards; it means there is some serious competition! If you would like to attend this black tie event, check with the office to see if there are any tickets left, they are priced at just £75.00 + VAT per person. Once again I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the sponsors who support this event. The work to produce a set of European norms for domestic pools and spas is really hotting up and with a recent meeting in Paris and one to follow in Barcelona, it is hoped to have the documents drafted by the end of 2012. Work is also due to be underway on European norms for domestic hot tubs and spas. spn
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