Chief Executive’s comments – Justin Ratcliffe

CAB on message

Some of CAB’s most prominent messages in the last few years have been linked to aluminium and sustainability. A key issue though, is how as a trade association we deliver information on everything from land reclamation and re-use after mining to recycling to responsible sourcing schemes.

For CAB it has been a varied mixture of PR, trade show pavilion areas, speaker opportunities, Awards, ezines, strengthening links with umbrella trade organisations, and media interviews. All have their place but it has also been crucial for us to understand the broad and varied approach required to communicate with a diverse range of target audiences requiring different levels of detail. The recent ‘Glass Talk’ and ‘G10’ events in Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham respectively, have been fascinating in the way that they have highlighted how new formats and styles of communicating can bring benefits.

For CAB, long-standing links with national exhibitions such as Interbuild and Ecobuild have helped develop awareness of our messages and, particularly with the latter, helped engage with specifiers. The Building Schools Exhibition & Conference (BSEC) in February 2010 presented speaker opportunities at a niche sector event including an interview with BSEC TV (which can be viewed at www.buildingschools.co.uk). The latter was an invitation to place our key messages alongside those of government ministers and local councils involved in the building programmes. The added advantage is that our messages have been widely distributed on CD across the sector after the event.

The UK Aluminium in Renovation Awards in 2007 and 2009 have highlighted to architects how aluminium could be used to preserve a piece of national heritage or to upgrade the environmental performance of residential or utility buildings. On the other hand our large-scale regional events, including the launch of the ‘Supply Chain mini-conference’ has highlighted how main contractors and architects can work more closely and effectively with CAB members. A forthcoming series of regional breakfast seminars will expand these and similar messages to a wider geographic audience.

Communication with Europe is increasingly important. An excellent example a few weeks ago was a two-day visit to Brussels organised by the Construction Products Association (CPA) – an intensive updating of the political scene and the work of UK MEPs. It also provided CAB the opportunity to lobby a key point of view on aluminium’s end of life recyclability to Christine Beunen, Secretary General of CEPMC (Council of European Producers of Materials for Construction).

The arguments were in support of an agreed European position and highlighted how for CAB and aluminium in building, communication strategies are increasingly diverse and collaborative.