With the industry’s main exhibition and networking opportunity, Merchandise World taking place in Farnborough on 12 September, it makes sense to use the gathering to share advice and air views on one of the biggest issues facing business in Britain – Brexit. The BPMA Brexit Summit takes place on the afternoon prior to Merchandise World. With Britain set to leave the EU on 29 March 2019, businesses have only six months to prepare for an event that still has many question marks around it.

Certified wholly women-owned business Outstanding Branding, a global distributor of promotional merchandise, revitalised its annual company conference this month and introduced their very first OBcon.

Held off-site at the impressive Devere Theobalds Estate for a full day and night, OBcon was designed to put the global team firmly in the centre and firmly in the picture – the morning session not only reviewed the previous year, but more importantly outlined the Directors’ vision for the next three years.  It also featured the management team presenting detailed plans of how the coming 12 months were shaping up, and how the goals were going to be achieved.

Following on from the award-winning success of 2017, last Thursday 12th July saw the 2nd Annual London Merchandise Show, this year hosted at Gabeto in Stables Market, in the heart of buzzing Camden.

Fluid spiced things up this year with a Cuban theme that was reflected in the branding, products, venue and even in the tropical weather! The aim of the event was to showcase branded merchandise in a relaxed yet inspiring environment with an abundance of creativity, making merchandise relevant and exciting.

The BPMA is bringing together an expert panel on the eve of Merchandise World to debate the impact of Brexit.

On 29th March 2019 the UK will leave the EU.

BPMA members are being encouraged to enter this year’s IPM COGS Awards, the celebration of the partners and agencies who make great campaigns happen.

Designed with service agencies in mind, the IPM COGS Awards encourage both members and non-members to show the world how their contributions have created world-class campaigns. Last year’s event saw BPMA member Pro-Ad picku p two awards (pictured).

This year’s BPMA student design award saw students from Nottingham Trent University tasked with devising a product that had an extended life cycle.

This year’s BPMA student design award has been won by Micael French of Nottingham Trent University (NTU), with a promotional product designed to exploit the burgeoning festival market.

An innovative campaign using contactless technology to give Lucozade customers free travel on London Underground picked up the Grand Prix Award for TBK Group at this year’s IPM Awards.

Lucozade was named as Brand Owner of the Year, after campaigns for sub-brands Lucozade Sport, Lucozade Energy and Lucozade Zero collected five Gold awards, three Silvers, as well as the Grand Prix. TBK Group also took two more Silver trophies for the ‘£10 million Giveaway for Carphone Warehouse’ campaign, helping it cement the title of Agency of the Year 2018.

Fluid Branding has added promotional merchandise show in London to its event schedule. The company has created The London Merchandise Show 2018, which will be held in The Stables Market in Camden.

Since the floorplan for January 2019’s Merchandise World was released in June, 125 Exhibitors have already confirmed their booking, with many more on the reservation list still to contact. More suppliers are joining all the time and backing the show.

EverythingBranded.co.uk are pleased to announce the success of their first ever Summer EB Fest Event on June 2nd 2018. Together with suppliers, family and friends, they celebrated the outstanding achievements of our tireless staff as well as raising money for their new charity partner, Global’s Make Some Noise.

Over 250 guests attended the event and donated towards the first of many fundraising events, held at Aqua Park, Rutland.

The PAGE group hosted their annual conference, table top exhibition and awards dinner at Brandon Hall Hotel & Spa in Brandon, Coventry on Thursday 14th June 2018.

The conference was attended by PAGE members where Brian Hayward welcomed new members and addressed the well received latest PAGE catalogue and other support facilities offered by PAGE.  The conference was then followed by a table top exhibition where 44 featured suppliers showed off their products that had been selected for the new catalogue.

Bonn’s annual celebration of product media, Haptica live, brought merchandise to life once more.

The sixth edition of Haptica live in Bonn attracted 193 exhibitors, an increase on the 174 in 2017 and 142 the previous year.

The BPMA helped support Wear a Hat Day on the 29 March with director general Gordon Glenister and membership account manager George Turnbull out and about in Cambridge challenging a few hopefuls to wear as many hats as possible in less than a minute.

Are you a budding Golfer?

Then the BPMA would like you to attend their Annual Golf Day.

Due to a large response, we will be holding another webinar on Friday 4th May at 10.30 am with DAMM Solutions to discuss GDPR requirements and to answer any questions you may have. As part of your BPMA membership, this is free.

See how Coca Cola bottles light up. Bite into crunchy organic apples. Enjoy smoothies in CI colours. Convey political messages in the washroom. Feel jerseys made of ocean waste. Listen to how the Deutsche Bank is realigning itself. Salute the winners with a champagne toast. Plus a wide range of product novelties – from charging cables to lamas, from bamboo mugs through to Brixies construction kits to touch and try out. The sixth edition of HAPTICA® live on March 21, at the WCCB in Bonn, once again did justice to its subtitle “The Experience of Haptic Advertising” and succeeded in impressing everyone with its diversity in haptic advertising ideas.

BPMA are holding a GDPR seminar for all BPMA members on 9th April 2018 @10am this will be run by DAMM Solutions.

Wear a hat day is on the 29^th March, and we are encouraging members to support it with social media content and join us in a challenge to try and ask individuals to wear as many hats as they can on their head.