Welcome to the June edition of the NACFB e-newsletter. The association has been busy sending out its Annual Members’ Survey over the last week and all members should now have received this. In what has been another difficult year for the commercial finance industry, the results from the survey really do count. The figures will enable the association to apply more pressure to the Coalition, through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Bank of England and will give an accurate assessment of the difficulties that all brokers are currently facing. The survey is a fantastic platform to give a voice to the broker and the results will be used in the National Press and the Industry Press to highlight the problems in the market. It is the only survey of its kind in the commercial finance industry

Additionally, the form is also the Voting Form for the 2011 Awards which gives our membership the opportunity to tell any of the Patrons that have particularly impressed them during the year and of course, by not voting for a particular lender, it goes a small way in letting them know that you feel let down by them over the last year. All the winners nominated will be announced at the NACFB Gala Dinner on the 24^th November. There are a few changes to this year’s categories, one has been temporarily withdrawn and a new one added.

 I would strongly urge all members to return the form before the 31^st July, so that we can collate the figures and get a clear perspective of the state of the market.

The NACFB’s AGM & Gala Dinner date has been announced. This year the association will be returning to the Birmingham Metropole on Thursday November 24^th. The Metropole has proved to be very popular amongst the membership and is a fantastic venue which is easily accessible to our members across the country.

Despite another challenging year for the industry, the 2010 Gala Dinner had a record attendance and brought together lenders and brokers from across the industry. The AGM also gives the opportunity to the membership of the association to decide on the way forward for the NACFB and the chance to discuss the industry’s future. The day will also include the extremely popular Networking Lunch which opens at 11am, with lunch being served from 12.30pm onwards. The Networking Lunch has proved very popular with both the delegates and the exhibitors alike and provides a superb chance to meet with colleagues and network with other brokers and lenders that are active in the market.

As with previous years, we have another fantastic evening of entertainment in line, with live music for ‘The Real Thing’ one of the most successful should bands from the seventies, famous for their biggest hit ‘You to Me Are Everything’. The Real Thing were credited with putting Liverpool back on the musical map through the seventies. This year’s comedy will come from Simon Evans, an extremely popular comedian with numerous Edinburgh Festival appearances under his belt and credited with writing alongside other big names in comedy, including Dara O’Brian, Sean lock and Lee Mack. Simon has regularly appeared on radio 4’s News Quiz and Armando Ianucci’s ‘Charm Offensive’ and will no doubt bring much laughter to the evening. The night will culminate in the NACFB’s Award Ceremony which will recognise lenders that been most active in the industry within the year and is voted for by the NACFB’s membership.

We would recommend that you book early to avoid disappointment. To book your place, please contact the Exeter team on 01392 440040 or email events@nacfb.org.uk

Timetable of day’s events

Formal notification of the AGM will be sent our in September but below is a provisional timetable for your diary:

Balmoral Suite:

11.00 – 2.00pm Networking Lunch

Sandringham Suite:

2.00 – 4.30pm NACFB AGM

Library Suite:

6.30 – 7.15pm Champagne Reception

Kings Suite:

7.15 – late Dinner followed by entertainment and awards