Member Engagement
Jane Thomson and Sean Scott of Glasgow Prestwick Airport address the Glasgow regional meeting
with information on the Young Forwarder Network and the Bitesize training modules offered by BIFA. Northern Ireland Due to unforeseen circumstances, the April meeting in Northern Ireland was postponed at short notice and will now take place on Thursday 25 June at the Mission to Seafarers, Belfast. Register here to reserve your place. Scotland Scotland regional meetings continued to build strong momentum in April, with record attendance at the Glasgow meeting on 23 April and a strong turnout in Aberdeen on 28 April. In line with Member feedback, both events were held as late morning/lunchtime sessions, combining industry discussion with networking over coffee, pastries and a buffet lunch. Glasgow’s meeting was once again hosted at the iconic Trades Hall in the city centre, offering excellent transport links, while Aberdeen took place at the Crowne Plaza Aberdeen Airport, a well-received venue convenient for Members and offering free parking. Both meetings featured Alyson Good of Forth Ports, who provided updates on developments at Grangemouth, including
investment in project cargo handling equipment, and the wider role of Scotland’s ports in supporting trade. In Glasgow, Members were also joined by Jane Thomson and Sean Scott from Glasgow Prestwick Airport (pictured), who showcased the airport’s specialist cargo capabilities, including its 24/7 operations, multimodal connectivity and growing role as a strategic freight gateway for Scotland. In Aberdeen, Robert Paterson of Aberdeen International Airport highlighted the airport’s cargo capabilities and its ambition to support Members in developing more freight opportunities through Aberdeen. Alongside the guest speakers, Members received BIFA updates covering customs and border developments, policy activity, sustainability, legal and insurance matters, and wider issues impacting the freight and logistics sector. Discussion across both meetings reinforced the value of regional engagement and giving Scottish Members a stronger voice on both local and national issues. Scotland regional consultant Jack Rice, of Caledonian Freight, reports that the strong attendance and positive feedback from both meetings underlined the appetite for these forums, and
he is already planning for the next meetings in September. Avonmouth Hosted by the City of Bristol College, those present heard that Avonmouth Members are starting to use the subsidised training courses that the college provides. Specific ‘Logistics Bootcamp’ courses are being planned and Members will be informed of dates once they are confirmed. Members were asked what their biggest current challenges were. The disruption caused by the geopolitical conflicts was discussed and Members all noted the commercial impact, but also the time involved explaining to customers why rates and delivery times are affected. The costs and resources required to develop and implement a sustainability strategy including electric trucks were also highlighted as a key challenge. The recent BIFA partnership with the Smart Freight Centre (see page 8) will assist Members in developing these strategies.
“ Avonmouth Members are starting to use the subsidised training courses that the City of Bristol College provides
All BIFA members are entitled to attend regional meetings which provide an important conduit for the exchange of information between Members, guest speakers and the BIFA secretariat. Forthcoming dates are listed in BIFAlink and at www.bifa.org/events
June 2026 | 29
www.bifa.org
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker