Archive for the ‘Speeches’ Category

 

With the industry on its knees, Show House editorial director Rupert Bates delivered a rousing speech to the nation’s housebuilders at the What House? Awards a fortnight ago.

“I wasn’t actually expecting to see anybody here and am still convinced this is a casting session for a new movie called ‘Lunch of the Living Dead.’

Anyway welcome to the 2008 What House? Awards - sponsored by The Samaritans.

Apologies for the plastic knives and forks but in the current market you cannot be too careful. There are no tables on the balcony. Not because we could not sell them; but it was considered a health and safety issue.

Gallows humour - where would we be without it? In the bar probably.

Of course the state of the new homes market is not remotely funny. We still have a terrific ceremony here today, but not the numbers of last year.

Many people who were here last year and indeed many who were here celebrating the fact they had been voted the best housebuilders in Britain, are out of a job, with a lot of extremely talented men and women made redundant in recent months.

Some companies did not book tables because they felt it was inappropriate to celebrate when staff had been laid off.

That attitude probably sums up housebuilders - good and bad. It is typical of the camaraderie in this industry, which prides itself on teamwork, to think like that and it shows massive respect for colleagues.

But it shows naivety too, for the fact is that despite the abysmal market and the redundancies, today is a fantastic cause for celebration.

The winners who will be announced shortly are quite simply the best new homes in Britain.

So don’t go back to the office on Monday and say ‘that was nice’ and just polish your award winning plaque and bleat about the fact you are still not selling anything.

Go back and shout from the rooftops that you build the best new homes in Britain. Official.

You may not be able to move politicians or the mortgage market, but use the marketing edge you are about to receive for god’s sake. It’s the sharpest edge you will ever get and in a depressed, but still competitive, market - priceless.

Go and advertise on whathouse.co.uk when we tell Britain you are the best. Advertise in national and regional papers and online. Put out press releases. Tell your local communities how bloody good you are.

On any marketing material name the What House? Awards sponsors who have said ‘Sod the credit crunch. This is an industry we believe in and will continue to serve.’

The suppliers to the industry, our sponsors, have been just as hard hit, if not more so, by the meltdown.

You will sell homes and you will inject confidence. We are giving you the syringe. Use it.

Yes it needs political will and lending liquidity outside of your direct control and we will hear a bit about that political will in a minute.

Industry bodies such as the House Builders Association who are one of today’s sponsors, the Home Builders Federation, the New Homes Marketing Board and the British Property Federation, are doing fantastic, lobbying jobs.

But, you know what, I rarely hear it from the individual housebuilders themselves.

Even in the good times, and boy did we enjoy some good times, housebuilders, especially the volume developers with mass and muscle, have been very poor about getting their message across.

Yes some of the quoted builders have had to quote some wretched figures and the media has taken perverse pleasure in the pain. But all we get, as housebuilders finally for the wrong reasons gets plenty of column inches devoted to them, is bland quotes about ‘difficult trading conditions.’

The bosses of housebuilding companies I’ve met over the years, large and small, are fiercely intelligent and passionate about their products. But they get blinded, or are told to get blinded, by the media lights and duck behind the stucco walls, hoping it will all go away and scared what the shareholders might think. The shareholders are already too scared to care.

It won’t just go away and don’t just leave it to your excellent trade bodies to bang the drum. Shout, get angry. Mobilise the local communities you house and create wealth for.

How everybody laughed a few short, hideous months ago when developers were making people redundant, writing down land and announcing big losses.

‘Serves you lot right, you greedy bastards’ was the message from the rest of Britain, totally ignorant of the consequence of failing housebuilders.

Be careful what you wish for, we warned. Forget the City which plays with people’s money in a global casino to land a whopping bonus. They don’t create or build anything.

Housebuilders provide for the basic human need and aspiration: shelter. It was the first domino to fall over and look at the collateral damage, with plenty more to come.

Enough of the lecture. But you winners out there don’t you go quietly into the night when you leave here - fat chance of that, some things never change! Tell the world you build the best new homes in Britain.”

INDUSTRY REACTION

“A very good speech. I have sat through a lot and that was excellent. Genuinely very, very, good. I wanted to take some bricks and build a house myself.” Dara O’Briain, What House? Awards presenter.

“Rupert’s speech was very uplifting. The Awards were a credit to everyone in these difficult times.” Paul Vallone, managing director, Berkeley Homes (Urban Living).

“Sensational. Just the rallying cry the new homes industry needed.” Ian Crowther, sales director of Awards sponsor Johnson Tiles.

“A really enjoyable Awards and a really excellent speech.” Sebastian O’Kelly, property editor of The Mail on Sunday.

“Rupert’s speech was inspiring to everyone I spoke to.” Ginetta Vedrickas, national property journalist and Awards judge.

“We will leave no stone unturned when it comes to shouting this from the rooftops. Rupert’s speech was bang on the money and we all need any edge we can find at the moment.” Duncan Cumberland of Housebuilder of the Year Rosemullion Homes.

“A tremendous ceremony. The Awards were distinguished by Rupert’s exceptional address. A real tour de force,” George Oldham, architect and Awards judge.

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