As an exhibitor, the CUBO Summer Conference 2015 provided us with a great opportunity to meet and network with new and existing customers, and for our customers to meet and share ideas amongst themselves.
 
It was also a great opportunity for us to get a sense of the wider landscape. Whilst our focus is entirely on benchmarking cleaning and waste management it’s really useful to understand the bigger picture, and the opportunities and challenges for the higher education sector now, and in the longer term. In terms of location, the University of Liverpool is one of our flagship case study sites. This offered plenty of scope when talking through our work and projects with potential new customers, as we were able to make specific and relevant references to the work undertaken there.
 
Throughout the Conference, there was a lot discussion about the increasing pressure on Universities to continually deliver more for less. There was also recognition that students, now customers in their own right, expect high quality facilities and sustainable environments for the fees they pay.
 
Whilst the majority of the public sector is cutting back and reducing services to save money, the higher education sector is looking for innovative ways to add value and competitive advantage. Given this focus, we felt well placed at the Conference and were delighted with the interest in our organisation and services.
 
Our independent best practice benchmarking process helps customers with in-house or contracted cleaning teams to go beyond those easy quick wins most Universities have already made. This is achieved by developing a platform for continual improvement through increased staff engagement and ongoing process review.
 
There was equal interest in our work with the Equality and Human Rights Commission around improving conditions and dignity for cleaning staff, and our recent developments in waste management best practice benchmarking. With many visitors to our stand confirming that sustainability and environmental credentials are increasingly becoming part of a student’s University selection process.
 
Overall, the Conference was professional and well organised with high quality, relevant delegates and speakers. We had many interesting conversations, generating a good number of high quality leads. We would definitely look to participate in the CUBO Conference again and look forward to making it a regular fixture in our calendar.