The British Plastics Federation (BPF) facilitated almost 40 online meetings over three days as part of its Meet the Recycler and Meet the Equipment Supplier events, which took place between 6 and 8 October.

via Shutterstock
BPF brings networking events online
Ten members of the BPF Recycling Group were available for virtual meetings on the first day and eighteen BPF Equipment Group members were available on days two and three. The latter event provided attendees with an opportunity to pose questions to a wide selection of equipment suppliers, including those involved in the supply of material handling equipment, processing machinery, ancillary and testing equipment, recycling machinery, as well as components and instrumentation.
Participating companies were able to meet interested parties that had pre-booked meetings from the comfort of their desk and feedback from the event was very positive. A quick survey of participating recyclers showed that every company would be interested in a similar event in the future and nearly all thought their involvement could lead to future business.
C L Rye Trading Ltd Co Director Leon Rye, who attended, said: “C L Rye Trading Ltd took part in Meet the Recycler in October as part of a new idea to broaden supplier and customer contacts. The idea was welcomed and so we found this to be a valuable resource, which we hope will bring additional work to our 40-year-old family company. We look forward to working with new contacts over the coming months and working with the BPF to make this a regular item.”
BPF Membership Services Director Stephen Hunt said: “We continue to be encouraged by the healthy appetite out there for people to network online or to learn the latest on key topics via our online seminars. The Meet the Recycler and Meet the Equipment Supplier events were new territory for the BPF, and we are pleased to learn that so many of our members found them useful.”
With around 500 members from across the entire UK plastics supply chain, the BPF provides an ongoing service where those looking to source products or services from the plastics industry can submit enquiries, which are then emailed to relevant companies within its membership.