It’s the time of year our members have been waiting for. The annual ENSE Partnership Summit & Awards is just around the corner.
Anticipation is building towards the big event as the commercial catering industry’s brightest and best prepare to congregate, create business opportunities, and share their knowledge.
Ahead of this year’s Partnership Summit & Awards, which takes place at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel from 1st to 3rd April, Bob Adams, Managing Director, and Ben Sherriff, Business Development Director, give their thoughts on what attendees can expect.
What makes the ENSE Partnership Summit & Awards so unique, in your opinion?
Bob Adams: What makes it so unique is it’s not a conference. We’re the only ones in the industry that don’t have a conference. We have a Partnership Summit.
We’re there to do business, we’re there to develop better relationships, and we’re there to help people grow their business and knowledge.
What were some of the highlights of last year’s summit for you, and what were the key takeaways?
Ben Sherriff: We continue to grow, and we continue to build awareness through our collaborative efforts, which creates even better growth for the community.
When we talk about being collaborative, we’re basically referring to what goes on with the suppliers. We continue to see them staying in the group and building momentum, and those key partnerships continue year on year.
What’s been going on within ENSE since the last Partnership Summit & Awards?
Bob Adams: We continually listen to what the community is looking for and then enhance our offerings based on that.
As a result, the platform that we offer helps suppliers gain more traction with the distributors and helps the distributors gain more knowledge so that they can gain more business in the marketplace.
How do you feel the commercial catering equipment industry has evolved over the last 12 months?
Ben Sherriff: I think what we’ve seen in the last 12 to 18 months is that there’s been huge consolidation in the industry.
On top of this consolidation, we’ve seen various organisations expanding in different marketplaces and coming into our marketplace.
But technology is really the main focus.
These are the two key points from the last 12 months.
Are there any examples of technological developments that have really caught your eye?
Ben Sherriff: The key focus for what we do in ENSE is AI, which is a big topic. It’s something we have to embrace—the world’s forever changing.
How suppliers and dealers use this technology to advance themselves with communication is an especially key point within the industry.
How has ENSE adapted to these wider industry developments?
Bob Adams: Over the last four or five years, we’ve seen tremendous advances in technology because of what happened during COVID-19, and we’ve all been forced to become more technologically smart in order to advance ourselves.
We’ve adapted to this change in our communication and training initiatives to help distributors at all levels with that communication. And when I say all levels, I mean all levels throughout an organisation.
This allows us to drive the message further, whether that’s through our online initiatives or social media activity. Whatever we’re doing, we use that technology to the best of our ability to help the entire community.
What outcomes are you hoping for from this year’s Partnership Summit & Awards? What would make it a success for you?
Ben Sherriff: I’ve been in ENSE for four years now. What you’ll see at the partnership summit is what I’ve seen grow year-on-year, and that’s the energy in the room.
It’s fantastic to see, watch, and listen to, and the relationships develop on so many different levels.
The key to the partnership summit is quite simple—it enhances business profitability. Coming together and sharing each other’s knowledge is just a bonus.
To summarise, what can visitors expect from this year’s Partnership Summit & Awards?
Bob Adams: I think business passion is the first thing that comes to mind. We’re very passionate and professional about what we do.
The Partnership Summit is just pure excitement. You can feel it in the room. You can cut it with a knife. There’s so much energy and excitement. Everybody wants everybody else to succeed.
It’s a forum that really drives our entire platform and drives everybody’s knowledge and profitability moving forward for the next year.
We look forward to seeing you at the NEC!
If you’re an ENSE member, we hope to catch you at this year’s Partnership Summit & Awards.
If you’re not a member but are interested in joining the UK’s premier catering equipment buying consortium, you can find out more about us here.
You can also contact us at 07775 643557 or 07500 778457 or by email at [email protected].