THE BVRLA Leasing Broker Conference 2021 closed with expectations that the industry will come through the current tough period with renewed buoyancy, embracing new technologies as the UK transitions to electric vehicles.
Panels saw expert speakers discuss a range of topics, as well as networking opportunities for delegates, and the presentation of new products in the market.
The event, held at the Royal Institute of British Architects on 21st October, kicked off with the recently installed Leasing Broker Committee chair Paul Parkinson welcoming delegates from across the sector, before heading straight into a session on what the BVRLA is doing, how members can get involved, and the association’s governance programme.
Following this, a panel on regulations and compliance discussed Consumer Duty amongst other topics, with speakers from the Financial Ombudsman Service, the BVRLA, and Auxillias.
The session could easily have gone on for far longer than the half hour it had, as could the following discussion on the electrification of fleets, involving Crowd Charge, Arrival, and Octopus EV.
Refreshing approaches to digital marketing, including the importance of fresh and accessible content formed the bones of a talk by Lee Manning of Armchair Marketing, before the conference closed with a talk from representatives of Alphabet, led by head of partner Richard Chadwick, Fleet Alliance (Andy Bruce), Low Cost Vans (Rod Lloyd), XLCR (Lee Duerden), and Central UK Leasing (Geeta Badhan), looking ahead to 2022 and beyond.
Interspersed throughout the panels were talks from some of the events sponsors, which include Alphabet, APD, Fleet Procure, Leasys, MotorLease, and QV Systems.
Despite numerous challenges facing the market, not least the impacts of Covid-19 and the associated semi-conductor shortage, the leasing market was been praised for moving swiftly and adapting to testing conditions, including employees, customers, and working practices.
Despite expectations that the impact of lockdowns and vehicle shortages will continue to be felt well into 2022, the outlook is optimistic, based on what the industry has dealt with already within the past 18 months.
Broker News is the media partner of the BVRLA Broker Conference. Event sponsors were Alphabet, Leasys, Fleet Procure, QV Systems, MotorLease and APD Global.
