The 2008 LABC President's Reception was held in the UnderGlobe at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London on 9 September. Over 100 guests attended the event at this stunning venue on the River Thames. The evening was hosted by Steve Evans, outgoing LABC President and Chief Building Control Surveyor at Milton Keynes Council.
In his speech, he reflected on his time in office and praised the high quality work of the approximate 3,500 building control staff in the England and Wales LABC Regions for delivering an efficient, customer orientated service. Steve said, "The building control function is hardly ever recognised, but the work carried out by our members is invaluable in providing safe, sustainable buildings."
He continued, "I am proud to have played my part in the increased marketing and promotion of LABC. During my presidential year I really wanted to raise both the public's and industry's awareness of LABC and I believe this was achieved."
A product of Steve's promotional work was the short LABC film titled Building Business Partnerships, which was shown to the guests. It focussed on LABC's relationships with commercial customers and explained what LABC does in both the commercial and housing sectors.
In addition to visiting the regions and attending events on behalf of LABC, Steve raised money for his chosen charity, Against Breast Cancer. He quickly reached the original target of £17,500 for his sponsored bike ride from Greenwich to Paris and surpassed the revised target of £30,000. He thanked everyone for their support and presented a cheque to the charity.
LABC Chief Executive Paul Everall said he appreciated the commitment Steve showed in raising the profile of LABC. Paul also said he looked forward to working with the incoming President, Jeremy Hall, Building Control Manager at Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.
Jeremy said, "I feel privileged and honoured to be elected President of LABC. I look forward to the year during which I will endeavour to continue the good work of the long line of previous presidents undertaking the duties with pride and enthusiasm." He will officially begin his Presidential year at the Annual General Meeting on 25 September.
Guests at the reception included government officials, LABC commercial partners, and industry organisations including the Consortium of European Building Control, Chartered Institute of Building, Construction Industry Council and Association for the Conservation of Energy, among others.