‘Innovation in times of crisis’ webinar series to launch in February

A new four-part webinar series, hosted by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, will draw together some of the sector’s leading minds to explore the hot button issues affecting the industry.

The ‘Innovation in times of crisis’ series will commence on Thursday 18 February and run weekly up until 11 March 2021.

The webinars, which will be broadcast for free on Zoom, will focus on four different topics – manufacturing, trade bodies & government, interior design/designer makers and retail – with each episode featuring a guest panel of high-profile, expert speakers who will provide their insight on themes affecting each sector.

Each episode will run for 30-60 minutes and will culminate with a live Q&A providing attendees an opportunity to question members of that week’s panel.

The overview for each episode is as follows:

Innovation in manufacturing, 11.00am, 18 February 2021 – Chaired by Peter Holland of Linear Structure,a panel of directors from some of the UK’s leading domestic, contract and office furnishing manufacturers will discuss diversity in manufacturing to beat Covid-19, recovery strategies and the significance of circular manufacturing. Register now

Engaging with government, 11.00am, 24 February 2021 – Chaired by British Furniture Confederation chairman Jonathan Hindle, a panel of heads of trade associations and Mike Wood, MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Furniture & Furnishings, will discuss how to get industry specific government airtime on key UK policy and future trade discussions, engaging with the APPG and life after Brexit. Register now

Preservation through education, 11.00am, 4 March 2021 – Chaired by Daniel Hopwood, a panel of experts representing the interior design and design sector will discuss the skills and training requirements needed to survive, usage of marks of accreditation and connectivity with lone, micro and SME interior designers/designer-makers at grass roots. Register now

Opportunities for furnishing retailers, 11.00am, 11 March 2021 – Chaired by Peter Holland of Linear Structure, a panel of leaders from household name furnishing retailers will discuss retail in the online age, how to entice the consumer back into stores, effective leadership in a crisis and more. Register now

David Woodward, Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, said: “Drawing from some of our industry’s leading minds, we hope this series of informative webinars will inspire individuals and businesses working through an incredibly testing time and provide insight on how to handle a crisis and offer practical tips that attendees can implement within their own business no matter the size.”