Time for the housing sector to take charge

The CIH Annual Conference and Housing Exhibition is the leading event for the UK housing sector.  The event brings the whole of the housing sector together – not for profit, local authority, private sector, commercial partners and suppliers – in one place to learn, improve and influence.

Delegates will have the chance to hear from more than 100 speakers taking part in over 50 sessions during the three main days of the event, which not only provide the best national platform for senior professionals to debate and influence the current strategic and policy landscape, but a great development and learning opportunity for ‘rising stars’, chairs, board members, councillors and tenant representatives as well.

Conference 2012 will be held at Manchester Central, the award-winning venue at the heart of Manchester’s thriving ‘convention quarter’. After 25 years in Harrogate and following extensive research among conference delegates, exhibitors and visitors, the move has been designed to take advantage of the state-of-the art venue facilities and better meet the needs of the thousands of housing professionals who attend each year by significantly reducing costs and time away from the office.

With Manchester’s great transport links, as well as more than 2,500 hotel rooms and a wide range of bars and restaurants within a 5 minute walk of the venue, the ‘convention quarter’ offers an intimate and convenient environment and makes it easier for all attendees attend the largest, most influential and best value housing meeting of the year.

“2012 is an exciting time for the housing sector. As government funding reduces, as a profession it will be up to us to find solutions. The time has come to challenge traditional thinking and learn to do things differently.

This year, the Housing 2012 conference won’t be polite - we have a new venue, new format, and a fantastic new programme that will spark some heated debate. It’s an opportunity to reinvent our assumptions – to challenge the way that we work, stop doing things just because it’s what we’ve always done – and come up with some groundbreaking new ideas.

It’s true that shaking things up can sometimes be scary. But we have the freedom to make decisions, and we need to take this opportunity to shape our future. In Manchester, it’s our job to help you, as housing professionals, to make this happen.

Housing 2012 will involve some intense debate, creative thinking and insights from a host of influential figures. It’s the perfect platform for us to take the reins and come up with some practical solutions to move the housing sector forward. I hope to see you in Manchester, ready to share your vision for the future of housing.

Grainia Long, Chief Executive.