The HBAA Board and Executive committee have elected current Chairman, Chris Parnham for a second year in the post.
The HBAA has experienced some restructuring since the end of last year; the departure of Peter Ducker, and the recent appointment of a new Executive Director in Juliet Price, has coincided with Chris Parnham’s year as Chair, one in which he has begun to drive though progressive and modernising change to the association.
Parnham’s year so far has seen the rules of membership and participation relaxed to make the association more inclusive, the upscaling of venue membership, giving venue members a stronger voice and an equal seat at the table, and more beneficial initiatives, including a new Customer Service NVQ for members, and benchmarking for all agent members. Feedback after the recent Forum, which was held at Twickenham Stadium, strongly supports the current mood for change, and recognises that the association is delivering more value to members than ever before. Record numbers of members attended the Forum, and the feedback on content was overwhelmingly positive.
Chris Parnham said, “2013 has been an amazing year for me. Since becoming Chairman, I’ve also become an agency owner through acquiring Absolute Corporate Events, and I’m loving the experience. My new business partners, Angie Mason and Jill Fleming have been incredibly supportive over my commitment to the HBAA. It’s been a real privilege to lead such a great association through timely and radical change, and I am so grateful for the support and encouragement I have received from the membership.
I am thrilled to be able to continue for a second year, as I feel I am barely half done in the role. With the backing of a truly inspiring Executive Director, Board and Executive team, I believe we are creating a more relevant association, more dynamic and more appropriate to today’s industry, and more welcoming to today’s fresh new talent. Old habits are being peeled away, and new ideas are being explored. We have so many more exciting initiatives to share, and even more challenging objectives, so it’s terrific that I have been given a mandate to continue along this path. My second year will be all about continuing our change journey, but focusing more on increasing our membership, and preparing a long term strategic plan for the association, to guarantee on-going positive progress over the next 5 years.”
Juliet Price, the HBAA’s Executive Director said of the re-election; “Chris’s appointment for a second term as Chairman is a brilliant win for the Association, and we are very fortunate that he has accepted the challenge of another year at the helm. This provides the HBAA with the stability to consolidate the activities and initiatives instigated over the past 12 months, and with our talented and experienced Executive Committee working and delivering on our objectives, 2014 promises to be another great year for the HBAA.”
