BPMA Christmas Lunch 2014 celebrates member success

The 2014 BPMA Christmas Lunch, held at the Guoman Tower Hotel on 12th December, celebrated the professional success within the BPMA community during an afternoon of relaxed entertainment.

With the iconic view of Tower Bridge as the backdrop, guests were treated to bubbly whilst networking with industry colleagues.

During the three course lunch, Matt Franks of Fluid Branding & new Chairman of the BPMA, reflected on the professional initiatives and solutions that the BPMA had delivered throughout the past year. He went on to unveil some of the Associations’ key initiatives for 2015: “Our mission statement is core to driving the industry forward. We are committed to leading our industry, representing and supporting our members, and offering true competitive advantage through education and engagement.”

Matt also informed guests that the BPMA is to launch its own manifesto at the Trade Only National Show in January, to reinforce the association's mission and to mark its 50th anniversary falling in an election year.

The BPMA Sword of Honour was presented to ex BPMA Chairman Viv Blumfield, director of Pro-motion Consulting, for her dedication and service to the industry during her chairmanship.

Viv commented: “I was thrilled to receive the BPMA Sword of Honour at the Christmas Lunch on 12th December and feel very privileged to have been chosen for this award in an industry that I have loved for 35 years. It was an absolute pleasure to work with the BPMA Secretariat and the Board of Directors for the last 2 years to help shape and guide the future of the Association. Thank you all so much.”

The Innovative Product of the Year Award sponsored by PSI was won by Desktop Ideas with the Squid Mini Charger. Sion Jones of Desktop Ideas said: "Winning this award for a product that we only launched back in September is simply amazing. Many thanks to the BPMA & all its members that voted for the Squid, what a wonderful honour and a great way for us to finish 2014.”

Other Finalists included the Mighty Mug by Premier Impressions, True Colour by Listawood and the Bespoke Power Bank charger by Bizz Badge.

The Supplier Unsung Hero of the Year Award sponsored by Outstanding Branding, Face 2 Face, RT Promotions and Somebody Else, went to Debbie Illingworth of The Pen Warehouse. Debbie said: “I would like to thank all our Distributors that voted for me. It is such an honour to win such a prestigious award.” Andy Thorne, Sales Director of Outstanding Branding, made Debbie’s day by adding a surprise gift of 2 tickets to the Brit Awards next year.

Other finalists for the award included James Lincoln of Listawood, Amy Gregory of Keramikos and Martyn Wood of The Umbrella Company.

The 191 guests helped to raise funds for the selected charity, Make A Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions. A staggering £5,233.63 was raised through a charity raffle, bingo and generous donations by many guests and companies.

Promotional Products rocked at the event with goody bags filled with branded Promotional Products given to the guests. Several of the products were branded with the BPMA gold and black logo or an element of the gold theme, which is the colour of choice for the BPMA's 50th anniversary logos.

The BPMA would like to thank the following companies who donated gifts for the charity raffle: Ravensden, The Electric Incentive Company, Liquid Lens, Avocet Sports, Willsmer Wagg, Jack Masters, Stormtech, Promo Trade Co and Clearwater Hampers.

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