On Wednesday 6th November, FIT Show organisers gathered a group of FIT Show stakeholders, with a focus on its visitor audience, to hold the first in a series of advisory board meetings. 

The debut advisory board gathering took place at the home of FIT Show, Birmingham NEC, and gathered 12 installers, fabricators and association members who have visited previous editions of the UK’s number one trade show for the window, door, flat glass, hardware, components and roofing industry.

As part of the session, which was hosted by FIT Show’s dedicated learning programme content manager, Elisa Basili, participants were asked a range of questions designed to interrogate the issues which they are facing in their day-to-day roles as installers and fabricators, as well as deep-dive into the topics and features they believe should be covered at FIT Show 2025 (April 29 - May 1.)

The advisory board participants collaborated to identify the wider issues that are affecting the industry and offered suggestions and solutions for how the industry should work together to create actionable change around key areas including: education, the supply chain, attracting and retaining talent, innovation and technology. A key theme that emerged was a shared desire to drive professionalism across the sector and make the installation of home improvement products a recognised trade.  

Laura Molineux, director at Hayley Windows, who participated in the session, said: “I attended the meeting because I believe it’s crucial for the younger generation in the glazing industry to be included in significant events and discussions like the FIT Show. It was incredibly valuable to discuss a range of topics with experienced representatives from across the glazing industry. I’m passionate about ensuring that smaller localised businesses, particularly those on the installation side of things, have a voice. We are the ones interacting directly with homeowners, and it’s essential to share these direct consumer insights.  

“As we look to the future, guidance for homeowners, installers, and manufacturers, will be key to driving our industry forward. Supporting education and training will not only improve standards across the board but also help us attract new talent into various roles such as surveying, sales, installations, fabrication, engineering, project management and beyond. By working together, we can help shape an industry that’s innovative, inclusive, and better aligned with the needs of both businesses and customers.”

Learnings from the session were captured by FIT Show’s content team and will be implemented into the planning process when curating content for the CPD learning programme at FIT Show 2025, as well as helping to inform decision making around key features within the show and its supporting marketing campaign. 

Speaking about the success of the advisory board launch, FIT Show event director, Nickie West said: “As custodians of the FIT Show brand, the industry’s only dedicated event in the UK for this sector, it’s hugely important to us to listen to our audience and provide touchpoints for them to have their say and help shape the future success of the show. 

“We’ve launched the visitor advisory board, part of a series of events, in order to gather feedback at every stage of the FIT Show cycle across a range of formats and settings. Our launch event saw 12 industry leaders from a range of installation and fabrication businesses come together to discuss, debate and collaborate on a range of key topics that are affecting them today, and in the future. 

“It’s our responsibility to ensure that FIT Show meets the ever changing needs of the industry and our visitor advisory board is a vital tool to facilitate this. I’d like to thank all of our participants - those who couldn’t attend on the day have also shared their feedback which has been invaluable. We’re excited to welcome further input over the coming months and anyone wishing to participate can express their interest by contacting our content manager, Elisa directly.”

Mark Lutley of Lutley Windows, who also participated in the launch advisory board meeting, added: “Thank you for the opportunity to connect and discuss our shared goals, we’re deeply committed to advancing our industry and continuously enhancing the standards for UPVC and glass installations. We’re excited to explore any initiatives that push our industry forward in areas like U-values, thermally efficient windows, and advanced glass upgrades.

“We are always looking for ways to adopt and implement new products that improve window installations, as well as provide added value in areas like EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) surveys and boosting employment within our field. Moreover, we’re eager to learn from industry leaders if there are ways in which we can improve KPI scores and develop efficiencies that will support stronger performance in the upcoming tendering processes.

“As we look ahead, we believe that collaboration and guidance are key to achieving these goals, both for our company and the industry as a whole.”

To express your interest in contributing to future FIT Show advisory board meetings, please email elisa.basili@montgomerygroup.com.