The retirement of our Annual Reception

On Thursday 18 May our 25th, and final, annual reception took place in the fitting venue of the Museum of the Home in London.

Since 1997 the reception has welcomed many hundreds from across the furniture sector, giving the opportunity to network and celebrate the contribution the industry makes to the economy.

However, after 25 years, the decision has been made to retire the reception and to focus on wider events to better support members and the wider sector.

Speaking on the retirement of the event, Brian Ahern, Chair of the Furniture Industry Research Association said "The furniture sector is very different from our first reception in 1997. We utilise technology today which would have seemed unimaginable then, with advancements impacting what we produce, how we produce and how we reach customers.

"As the sector changes, we do, so after 25 events we’re retiring the reception to develop and deliver alternatives to better serve you. We’ve already introduced our new ‘Technical Forums’ and I’ve witnessed first-hand the collaboration and conversation these stimulate. Furthermore by moving away from large reception gatherings we’ll have more freedom to come to you around the country, making us more accessible than ever. 

"Although we live in a digital world the Research Association and nature of our sector still makes face-to-face valuable, and we’ll not lose sight of that."

Huge thanks go to everyone who've been part of the reception over the years. We've greatly enjoyed hosting you and look forward to forging ahead with new events to better support our members.

The Research Association would welcome input from members to help define future events. There's a very short anonymous feedback survey here whereby you can have your say and help shape the future. We're keen to know:

• What type of events would you like to see the Research Association host?
• What topics should events focus on?
• Where would you like us to host any future events?