We exhibited at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show which took place at the NEC, in Birmingham in March 2016.

Attending consumer property shows, such as this, forms a key element of our stakeholder engagement work. These exhibitions provide us with a unique opportunity to reach out directly to a captive audience of consumers who are considering domestic, construction projects and enable us to raise the profile of the Register. We had in the region of 1000 visitors to our stand over the course of the show and we advised them about the Register of Architects and ARB’s regulatory role. Our practical ‘Meeting your Architect’  form was once again well received with around 800 copies handed out to visitors.

We also accepted an invitation from the show’s organisers to present a master class outlining ARB’s work and encouraging consumers to check the Register to make informed decisions. This was well attended.

Additionally, we used our new spot survey tool for the first time, it allows visitors to answer questions by placing tokens in voting tubes to select a response. We will build up a pool of data over the course of the year which we can use to inform our future communication messages and activities. Initial findings highlight the importance consumers attribute to recommendation, reputation and registered status when selecting a professional.