We are delighted with the positive response we received from the members of the public we met at exhibitions in 2016.

This year, we had stands at three shows for those considering construction projects. We exhibited at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show in Birmingham and London in April and September, and at Grand Designs at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham in October.

These shows provide us with a valuable opportunity to speak directly to consumers to inform them about our regulatory role and the Register of Architects. We have been encouraged by the warm welcome we received from visitors to these shows who, upon realising that we were a regulator and public interest body, willingly engaged with us outlining their concerns and hopes in terms of finding the right person to work with on their projects.

We have invested in a spot survey tool which enables visitors to use tokens to answer simple questions about their decisions regarding the appointment of an architect; this engaging idea has proved helpful by providing us with useful data as well as prompting discussions with visitors. Many consumers spoke about the importance they place on recommendations and reputation. This provided us with a starting point to have conversations about the title architect and how members of the public can check the Register to make informed decisions.

Over the course of the three shows we spoke to thousands of visitors who were not only consumers, but also architects and students. Our ‘Meeting with your Architect’ form continues to be a popular handout, with some 2,000 copies distributed over the course of the three shows and a further 430 electronic copies downloaded so far this year.