13 Oct Thriving BIAFD Autumn conference 2026
Last week’s flagship event brought the membership together for a day of insight, discussion and networking, with 125 delegates registered from over 50% of member companies.
The day started with the Executive meeting, where delegates discussed current market conditions and the use of AI was highlighted as a real opportunity for members.
Delegates were also presented with the results of the association’s recent membership survey. The 64 businesses that responded – around half of the membership – have a combined annual turnover of £1.64 billion and employ 4,720 people in the UK and Ireland. Two thirds are positive about the next 12 months, and CBAM was named as the issue members most want BIAFD to prioritise which is positive given what had been arranged for later in the afternoon!
After lunch, the association’s AGM took place before the programme turned once again to CBAM. Jamie Mcleod, director at associate members Crowe UK, focused on the practicalities, including the customs data issues already being seen, and the steps members should be taking before January.
His Crowe UK colleague Max Pyot also gave a short briefing on the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which has applied since August.
Members were then fortunate to hear first-hand how implementation is coming on, as Martin Greenwood of TR Fastenings and Tracey Brotherton of Hexstone joined Jamie on a panel to share their own experiences of CBAM so far. A clear view from the panel was that default values will be critical.
Following the break, sponsor Fasten.it gave an overview of the company and its services, before award-winning speaker and Gen Z expert Alex Atherton delivered a session on working with Gen Z and overcoming generational divides in the workplace.
The day ended with a thought-provoking panel on how members can recruit and retain top young talent, with Alex joined by Demi-Leigh Mitcheson from Accu and Jeremy Pugh from Pugh and Sanders. Representing around 200 members of staff between their two businesses, Demi and Jeremy gave interesting insights, with being upfront about what you offer to new and existing staff emerging as key.
The evening was filled with conversation over dinner with a mix of discussion on the issues raised during the day and the opportunity to relax and enjoy the social side of our industry.
Chair Gary Henderson said: “I’d like to thank everyone who joined us at the Autumn conference. The growing attendance shows how much members value coming together.
“Our membership survey has given us, for the first time, hard numbers on the weight of this sector, and that is the evidence we will be taking to government, with CBAM at the top of the list.
“The reason we bring in keynote speakers is to educate us on subjects that affect the whole membership.
“Alex brought a unique perspective on multi-generational workplaces that has certainly challenged my thinking and I’ll be making changes in my business as a result. Information like this is only really valuable if we act on it.”
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to event sponsors Fasten.it, Precision Technology Supplies and Epicor.”
Next year’s conferences will take place on Thursday, April 29 (Spring) and Thursday, October 7 (Autumn) at the Leonardo Hotel Hinckley Island.