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p>We homo sapiens are gregarious, social creatures. It’s a vital characteristic that gave us the edge over other early humanoid species and helped clear the way for our eventual domination of life on earth. Our distant cousins – Cro-Magnon man, Homo Erectus and the like – didn’t stand a chance, although I have it on good authority that pockets of Neanderthals have survived and are doing well, some even made it as far as playing for Chelsea.
Other creatures are sociable too – take a look at the ant, termite, bee and wasp worlds – and anyone who watches programmes featuring that master of natural life television, David Attenborough, will know that lions and primates owe their relative success to the close social groups they form.
But what makes humans unique is our ability to communicate ideas and concepts, however abstract, so effectively. Our rapid development is down to this one remarkable quality. It enabled the secret of fire – and its multi-varied uses – to spread quickly rather than remain locked within one small, tightly-knit community.
It should therefore come as no surprise that well into the 21st Century we still enjoy gathering – albeit in tribal-type formations – to enjoy each other’s company while swapping gossip and information.
Take Glastonbury (or ‘Glasto’ if you’re really hip) and any of the other big summer festivals; or – and finally getting to the point of this week’s column – the many industry expositions and exhibitions we seemingly love to attend (is it a ‘badge’ thing – making us feel all important-like – or just those goody bags full of free things to keep the kids quiet once we get home?).
Goody-bagless, I was doing stand-time at the NACFB Commercial Expo last week in Birmingham. Together with a few treasured colleagues – and Matt Rogers– we represented the Omni Capital brand for the third year running. It’s one of our favourite gigs: well-organised; serious; fun; and a quality-over-quantity audience. It also makes sense geographically given the NACFB’s nationwide remit and representation.
We did brisk trade. Footfall wasn’t just good in front of our stand but on it too. A particular joy was to discover how well-informed non-bridging brokers are about the short-term sector and its offering. Perhaps all that PR, marketing and supposed hype has served a purpose after all? But it was also good to see and meet so many specialist intermediaries with a particular interest in bridging and its many forms.
We were selective this year. For us, gone are the days of collecting business cards in a giant fish-bowl (‘win-an-ipad-here’ style), preferring instead to focus on brokers with an obvious knowledge of, and track record in, short term lending. And so, hey presto, we have in our diaries several booked meetings by way of potentially-lucrative follow-up.
One day was enough though. It always is. Our feet were sore; as were our jaws. But a word of thanks to borro for the endless supply of popcorn and to Ortus, our stand neighbours, for the offer of alcoholic refreshment, stoutly refused. We shall return.
Staying with the events subject, this coming autumn promises something of an expo bun-fight. New kids on the block include the NACFB-backed Finance Professionals Show being held at a re-vamped Olympia in early November, and the just-announced Financial Services Expo taking place a month earlier, also in London.
Meanwhile, the grande dame of expos – Mortgage Business Expo – continues to push its case for people to schlep out to the Graf von Zeppelin sheds in Docklands (aka the ExCel Centre). Taking place after the two new upstart events, I wish MBE well, but cannot help but regret its decision to move to this awful location (logistics-wise, that is).
I should state an interest here: Omni Capital is backing the FPS expo at Olympia. We like the location, the concept and the breadth of exhibitors. We also rate, as previously stated, the NACFB’s ability to lay on a show that works well and has relevance. So come and visit us on stand number F02 on 6th November. I’ll remind you again nearer the time.
Finally, and now that the dust has settled, I’d like to mention another ‘big event’ of the past few days – the B&C 5th Anniversary Awards. Held at the glittering Grand Connaught Rooms, near Covent Garden, Mo and the team promised us something different and they did not disappoint. While there’s only so much that can be done with the awards-event formula, B&C produced an evening that was quite distinct from its rivals. I know Mo will be pleased and proud with that, as he should.
So a big thank you to the entire B&C Team – with a special mention to Caron Schreuder, who put her life on hold for half-a-year to pull off a great success – and words of congratulation and commiseration to both winners and losers on the night. We can’t wait for 2014.
We homo sapiens are gregarious, social creatures. It's a vital characteristic that gave us the edge over other early humanoid species and helped clear the way for our eventual domination of life on....
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