The British Equestrian Trade Association’s (BETA) Conference, held at Hilton East Midlands proved to be a big success with over 80 members of the trade attending in person, 30 online, a diverse schedule of talks and the opportunity to network too.
The day, chaired by BETA Chairman Michael Darley, started with Gillian McAteer from The Citation Group discussing the HR changes coming in for 2023 and beyond, sharing case studies of tribunals and how businesses can protect themselves and ensure the best working environment for their team. Next was Jodie Seddon from Level Law who discussed the legal side of sponsorship, the commercial value for brands, and steps that can be taken to protect brands for maximum benefit. Following a short break, Claire Shand from Westgate Labs talked the audience through the campaign that led to the company winning the Marketing Effectiveness Award in 2020, and proved that with the right attitude, great things can be achieved on a small budget. The morning session concluded with Richard Cole from Future Money discussing the factors shaping the economy and a look at the past, present and future economic issues the country and businesses are currently facing.
“The day has been great,” said Laura Szuca from Equilibrium Products. “For me, I think it’s important for the trade to come together. We spend a lot of time doing things behind Zoom and it’s a great opportunity to get face to face for trade, retailers, manufacturers and old friends.”
“Fantastic day, as always,” said Nikki Newcombe from Bliss of London. “Great to network with everybody. Great talks- I always pick up something new from each individual talk even if I don’t think it’s necessarily relevant, I always take something home.”
“It’s been a very good event,” said John-Henry Welton from Tower Farm Saddlers. “Great to catch up with people in the same position as us, likeminded people in the industry who are doing the same thing or are doing the same thing at different points along the chain. I think the speakers have been great today. Very useful and you always get ideas even if they’re things that you’ve thought about before, to be reminded about the importance of it and different directions. It’s good to take a moment to reassess what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”
After lunch, BETA’s CMO, Dr Diane Fisher, started with a personal view of the equestrian industry from a safety perspective and shared how equestrian related injuries are managed from her position and what we can all do to help support riders and the NHS. Next up was Sara Blackshaw, a retail consultant well known to the trade. Sara discussed future fashion trends including colours and fabrics, and the challenges of the supply chain that many manufacturers are met by. Following Sara was Rhea Freeman from Rhea Freeman PR, who talked about influencers, brand ambassadors and sponsored riders and whether businesses need them. This talk also included some ways that they can add value and led to an interesting discussion with the audience. Last by not least, Alyce Morris from Wastepack talked about the plastic packaging tax and the extended producer responsibility. This generated a lot of questions and was a valuable discussion to round off the day.
“We had a lot of positive feedback from the conference and really enjoyed being able to see so many of our members in real life,” said Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA. “We do a lot through Zoom now, everyone does, but there’s nothing like face to face discussion, networking and learning.”
For more information on the BETA Conference and other training events and conferences, see www.beta-uk.org.
