UKAA BTR Expo 2020

Date:

Thursday 28th April 2022

Venue:

Business Design Centre; 52 Upper Street, London, N1 0QH

UKAA BTR Expo 2022: Bigger, Bolder, Better

After the trials and tribulations of the past couple of years, the buzz of hosting the UK’s largest ever dedicated Build to Rent (BtR) event was simply fantastic. On 28^th April, 755 industry professionals joined together to focus their attention on the future of BtR.

The unique Reverse Trade Show that kicked off the event held at the impressive Business Design Centre in north London, was bigger than ever before with 14 owners/operators meeting with 47 exhibitors. The universal feedback was that there were some excellent conversations going on, with all the right people in the room. The energy was outstanding, while the scent pods provided by White Circle provided a lovely uplifting atmosphere.

Throughout the day, 13 thought-provoking sessions covered a wide range of topics, with the Expo’s three parallel stages hosting presentations, breakout sessions, workshops and silent theatre talks. Particular highlights included discussions around:

• Customer experience, putting the renter first
• The role of data from sustainability certifications in reaching net zero and ESG goals
• Which services and products BtR residents value the most
• The UK rental market: what’s changed and where are we heading?
• Best practice: delivering a superior customer experience
• Proven concepts for enhancing net operating income

The fresco from Aster Muro – A Guiding Light – was also a memorable highlight. The painting is to be donated to one of LandAid’s charities, St Christopher’s Fellowship, which works across the UK providing children’s homes, supported housing, fostering and specialist support services for young people in care, on the edge of care or leaving care.

Of course, the launch of the UKAA Best Practice Guide was another key element of the Expo, as was the chance to say farewell to outgoing CEO Dave Butler, who steps down at the end of this month. What a warm and fitting send-off.

As ever, there are things that we will be seeking to improve before the next Expo, but the bar has certainly been set high by this event. We look forward to the challenge of delivering an even more impressive Expo in 2023. In the meantime, we would love to hear your views on this year’s event – you can share your insights through our survey.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the outstanding success of the event. To our headline sponsors, RealPage and Welcome Furniture along with our other sponsors BoConcept, The Furniture Practice, PooPrints, REDIRECT, EE, Yardi, The Focus Group, Loft Interiors, TechnoGym and Wunch Keynotes & Consulting, Fixflo and event partners, BTR News. We managed to deliver something for everyone, focusing on the needs of suppliers while also attracting everyone who’s anyone in the Build to Rent sector.

Watch Highlights Video:

Now former CEO, Dave Butler bid us a farewell:

We also heard from a few of our exhibitors on how the day went:

Michel Baumgart, Business and Contract Director at BoConcept

Mitch Handley, Marketing Manager at Inventory Hive

Merilee Karr, Founder and CEO at Trusted Stays

Ryan Doyle, Sales Director at Switch Hospitality Management

Sarah Walsh, BTR Consultant at Cortland Consult

Testimonials

The UKAA’s events have always been a fantastic way to engage with existing clients and strengthen relationships within the sector as well as build new foundations for future business. The most recent expo, April 2022, the UKAA Team really out did themselves. It was a truly phenomenal event from start to finish. As a supplier, the opportunity to take part in the reverse trade show and speak directly with operators is extremely valuable and a great way form new partnerships at the start of the expo. This was extremely effective for us and the schedule really well organised by Leena and Emma. Having a wide variety of suppliers from within the Build to Rent sector is fantastic for attracting lots of different operators and in turn additional suppliers. Having the opportunity to discuss the industry and our product with likeminded individuals usually all with a common goal of improving the sector and standards within the UKAA expo has been instrumental by hosting events to bring everybody together. Effective industry improving talks being ran and delegates still being present within the exhibition hall from a suppliers perspective was the perfect balance from a suppliers perspective. Alex Gooch, Head of Build-To-Rent & Customer Success at Inventory Hive

“The UKAA BTR Expo 2022 successfully maintained the high standards of all UKAA events. The footfall was second-to-none, by far the best attended event since before the COVID pandemic. We had some excellent conversations with high profile investors and operators in the BTR space, to whom we would not have had access otherwise. In addition the organisation of the event was top notch, meaning the whole day went smoothly. Highly recommended.” Sean Wilson, Marketing Director at TLJ

“This was the best BTR event I’ve been to in three years. The quality of the exhibitors, delegates, content and venue was excellent. It was a day full of great connections and worthwhile discussions.” Lesley Roberts, Partner & Executive Director at Allsop and UKAA President

“The UKAA 2022 Expo offered us the chance to network with decision-makers within the BTR sector. The event was very well organized from pre-setup to the actual event itself, where there were some great talks and opportunities for attendees to meet exhibitors. A big thank you to UKAA for another great event!” Senel Sowerby, PLS Field Marketing Manager, UK & Ireland at Quadient

“The UKAA Expo gathers together the great and the good of the BTR sector for a relaxed and valuable interaction and learning. Miss it and you miss out!” Roger Southam, Real Estate Broker, Consultant and High Performance Coach

“LandAid is incredibly proud to have once again been selected as the chosen charity partner for the UKAA Conference. As an organisation, UKAA have continued to go above and beyond in their support of LandAid and young people facing homelessness – not just through their events, but also through networking and advocacy. I am hugely grateful for this support; your impact will be felt by young people in need all around the UK – Thank you!” Paul Morrish, Chief Executive at LandAid Charitable Trust Limited

“We were proud to be a part of the UKAA Build to Rent Expo. To see the brand that we created come to life throughout the exhibition and have the opportunity to speak to many stakeholders within the Build to Rent sector was exactly the reason why we wanted to be a part of this event! A fabulous event and we look forward to expanding our portfolio within this sector.” Sarah Riley,Client Services Director at Focus IMC 

“Another fantastic event by the UKAA. The Expo allowed our property management business visibility of the Challenges and Opportunities in the multi-family and single-family markets. Plus an easy way to review what new suppliers and technology are available to assist our growth. All delivered in a single compact action-packed day that is very time & cost-effective.” Adam Ali Director at Howsy