After the year we’ve all had, there’ll be plenty to talk about at the next Tea & Affordable Housing. Here’s what our uniquely informal conference is all about – and how you can get involved.
In 2018 we decided that we needed to organise a different kind of conference. Because, while there’s definitely a place for more formal, structured events in the affordable housing sector, it’s also important that we simply get together from time to time to have an open conversation about the issues we’re facing. And importantly, we felt that the lenders that we work with every day needed to be part of that conversation.
We were also convinced that a good cup of tea can solve pretty much anything. And so, Tea & Affordable Housing was born.
At its heart, the conference has been designed to bridge the gap between the financial services and affordable housing sectors; to talk about where we’re both heading and what we can do to help each other along the way. Last year, one of the themes we covered was technology and innovation and this will definitely be a talking point again at this year’s event, which is on Friday 31st January.
Is it a coincidence that that particular date is Brexit Day? Well, strictly speaking yes! But it seems very appropriate, given the political changes we’ve all seen and the impact those changes have had on our industries over the past year.
To help us make sense of what we can expect in the coming months, we’ve invited the ‘Growth Guru’ economist Will Hobbs to kick off the event with a keynote speech. As Chief Investment Officer for Barclays Investment Solutions, it’s his job to decipher the various signals coming from the economy and predict where the markets are heading. I’m sure that his insight will be invaluable and will (hopefully) breathe some confidence into all our plans for 2020.
What’s on the agenda
From there, we’ll head into the day’s panels, Q&As and group discussions. (While we appreciate and warmly welcome our keynote speakers, it’s important to us that Tea & Affordable Housing is built on informed conversations.)
Here’s what’s up for discussion on the day:
· What impact will the death of Help to Buy have on Shared Ownership?
· How adverse is adverse?
· Can we talk cladding?
· The future of SO: the good, the bad, and the ugly
What’s not on the agenda
When I mentioned that we had created a different kind of conference, one of the ways that we set ourselves apart is by not selling things to our delegates. So there’s no need to battle your way through an accompanying exhibition or head home with yet another goody bag full of pens and plastic. We have just one sponsor – Barclays – and they kindly enable us all to get to get together and do our thing. Which is to have a good chat about over a nice cup of tea.
Now isn’t that refreshing?
Tea & Affordable Housing has been created for professionals from Housing Associations and lenders working in the affordable housing sector. It’s happening on Friday, 31 January at One Churchill Place, London. A limited number of FREE tickets are available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tea-and-affordable-2020-tickets-78947914337
