Fantastic show - where were the MPs?
30th June 2011
I recently attended the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers Expo in Birmingham.
Following the Business Money Midsummer Commercial Finance Dinner at the NEC Hilton Metropole the night before, the NACFB Commercial Finance Expo 2011 opened at the NEC Pavilion yesterday.
Deplorably given that its members will raise some £10bn, at least, in finance for the UK’s SMEs not a single MP could be troubled to grace the event even for a few moments.
Business Money editor, Robert Lefroy, commented: “I know I keep banging the same old drum but it is disgraceful that a government which depends so much on the efforts of the SME sector continues to treat it with the same of old mixture of sublime ignorance and disdainful contempt.
Some 1,200 delegates registered beforehand to visit the Expo, we had a stand for our e-mbrace product and it was immediately apparent that whilst last year’s contingent had its fair measure of day trippers and tyre kickers, this year the delegates were highly professional. We fielded a host of enquiries and left with 30 serious, hot prospects: invitations for us to follow up. All of the other exhibitors had similar experiences.
Those looking to book next year had better call NACFB now as I doubt there will be many free spaces. The Business Money Midsummer Dinner preceding the event will be smart business casual next year, reflecting not just the time of year but also the fact that the NACFB event the following day requires some intensive preparation and some sleeves-up commitment on the day itself.
We must all congratulate Adam Tyler for his prodigious efforts on behalf of the industry: if only our parliamentarians could do a little more in this vein.”
