I’m Mike Andrews, Group Chief Executive of NAPIT, and in this blog I’d like to celebrate the success of NAPIT EXPO… On the Road, which saw us take information about subjects including Amendment 3 of BS 7671:2008 The IET Wiring Regulations to a record number of electrical installers around the country.
Phew – what a couple of months we’ve had! I’m writing this blog now that the dust has settled following NAPIT EXPO… On the Road – a national roadshow that took in nine locations across the length and breadth of the country and provided electrical contractors with key information on a range of subjects, including Amendment 3 of BS 7671. Just as importantly, it gave my colleagues and I the perfect opportunity to talk directly to our members about the issues affecting them.
It’s not the first time that we have hosted this type of free-to-attend event, however, previously they have been one-off annual occasions. As you can imagine, going from one to nine events was a significant logistical exercise and one that no amount of early nights beforehand quite prepared us for! I’m therefore delighted to report that they all went incredibly well and the feedback received from attendees was very positive.
You’re probably wondering what prompted us to embark on such a venture. We wanted to communicate with our members on their doorsteps so, in-line with our regional Trade Association meetings, chose locations where they would not have to travel for much longer than an hour to attend. This was obviously impossible with just one event and, as I firmly believe that fortune favours the brave, we decided to give the new format a go.
If busy electrical contractors were going to attend, it needed to be worth their while. With this in mind, we spent a great deal of time configuring a programme that would mean their time was well spent.
We already knew that a significant number of our members were finding some of the finer details regarding Amendment 3 of BS 7671 difficult to understand. Areas of particular concern included definition changes, a change to protection, a reduction in earth loop impedance values, the addition of protective devices, wiring in escape routes, non-combustible consumer unit enclosures and the revision of model inspection, and testing certificates and reports.
Taking a whole day out to attend NAPIT EXPO… On the Road was unfeasible for most of our members, so we started each event at 4.00pm. We wanted to fit the event programme around the members, by starting each event later in the day, meant that they didn’t have to take time out of their busy working day or be out of pocket because of it.
As well as a series of informative presentations that were also given to each delegate on a USB stick, a Q&A session was conducted featuring a number of NAPIT experts, who were joined by IET Senior Electrical Engineer, Richard Townsend. In my opinion, this proved to be the most enlightening part of each event and it was clear that there are many issues surrounding Amendment 3 of BS 7671 that still require clarification.
Now the dust has settled, I’ve had a chance to reflect on what was achieved and I have to say that it far exceeds my initial expectations. As well as a threefold increase in attendance – with over 130 people attending the West Midlands Seminar at Birmingham City FC alone – feedback showed that over 98 per cent of visitors got what they needed to help them understand Amendment 3. Benjamin Pratt of B Electrical Services summed up the views of many I spoke to when he said, ‘The seminars were very useful and cleared up some of the grey areas about Amendment 3. I would definitely recommend attending this event to others.’
For those of you that couldn’t make it, we’ve produced a video of the highlights, as well as series of photos from each location that will give you some idea of what you missed.
NAPIT EXPO… On the Road is part of an ongoing commitment to supporting our members in every way possible and help them get real value from their membership. For example, during the events we were able to promote NAPIT Desktop 5, which now makes it even easier for jobs to be previewed, certified and notified.
The Q&A’s from each session – answering some of the much sought-after answers to the burning trade questions can be found at the end of this blog post.
Finally, I’d like to thank our supporting partners – Kewtech, NAPIT Insurance, Megger, NAPIT Electrical Wholesale, NAPIT Calibration, and TradePoint – for their contributions in making it so successful and we’ll be releasing details about our 2016 programme just as soon as they’re ready.
Download the complete set of NAPIT EXPO… On the Road Q&A’s covering: