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*As September turned to October and any chance of an Indian summer finally evaporated, members of the British Water Cooler Association met for two days of meetings. The first day was devoted to a Seminar, entitled “adapting to a changing market” and the second was the September General Meeting. *

The seminar arose out of BWCA members wishing to share experiences and discuss opportunities arising out of the challenges presented to the bottled water cooler industry over the past 24 months. It addressed key issues related to the new arena in which the industry operates and identified current influencing factors including; climate change, economic activity, technological advancement, media focus and public perception and attitudes.

With BWCA members now following the path of ‘one industry – two solutions’, ie supplying both bottled and POU water coolers, the market for both products as a homogeneous offering to the consumer was evaluated in terms its historical and current performance, as well future prospects, in both volume and economic terms.

The data discussed and illustrated was not only that provided previously by organisations such as Zenith International, but embellished by data supplied by members from their own experience.

One of the most interesting presentations was the financial evaluation and modelling of a bottled water cooler distribution company versus a POU operator company, each adding-on the other’s product range to increase market competitiveness. This highlighted the strong economic advantage rendered to bottled water cooler companies by adopting POU cooler activity, but the near economic and practical impossibility of a POU operator broadening activity to bottled water coolers. The economic and operational benefits experienced by BWCA members since adding POU coolers to their product offering some years ago was enthusiastically shared by attendees sparking off the sharing of strategic and tactical information gained in the marketplace.

Other presentations included: innovation in pricing; marketing the business; staffing levels; termination reduction and customer retention; competition sources; environment and consumer perception; and service level commitment.

To alleviate the fast pace of the meeting, water related knowledge quizzes were interspersed between presentations. These lightened the tone and pace and also imparted important hydration facts which attendees could take back to their businesses for marketing purposes and staff training.

After a brief buffet lunch the attendees formed into random pairs and each pair tasked with coming up with a marketing idea within twenty minutes. Having completed this stage a member of each pair presented their idea to the meeting. When all presentations were complete, the 18 individual ideas, which had been written up on a board, were scored for practicality and originality. The top five ideas were then developed further, by the pair who had initiated the idea having been joined by others so that there were five larger teams at work.

Interestingly, the top ideas related to activities which the BWCA could undertake for the benefit of members. After a further twenty minutes a spokesperson representing each team made a fuller presentation of the idea and bullet points of each idea were noted on a board and will form the basis of future Marketing Committee activity.

The presentations and interactive group sessions produced much lively discussion and good humour with competitive barriers set aside as members shared their experiences for the wider benefit of the industry.

“I have rarely seen such enthusiasm and camaraderie in a forum of competing businesses,” said BWCA Chair Michael Barnett. “It is clear from comments made, and questionnaires completed at the end of the seminar, that the association must repeat such events in the future. This one was not only highly productive in real business terms, but it engendered a very positive atmosphere and outlook from those attending. Particular thanks must be expressed to the initiators of the seminar and presenters, the Angel Springs team; John Dundon, John Murphy, Chris Routledge and Kevin Matthews, as well as Ben McGannan of Water for Work & Home, Peter Brooks of Office Watercoolers SW and Graeme Carruthers of Eden Springs.”

BWCA General Meeting The day after the highly successful BWCA seminar saw over 50 delegates gather for the September General Meeting at the Hellidon Lakes Hotel in Northamptonshire.

Opening proceedings and welcoming BWCA members, association Chair Michael Barnett reviewed the past year (see Summer of discontent on page 37) and the fact that the industry had suffered a second successive poor summer. He then looked at the spate of anti-bottled water press that had begun at the start of the year with the almost simultaneous broadcast of the BBC Panorama programme “Bottled water: who needs it?” and the release of the Sustain report: “The taps are turning – are we falling out of love with bottled water”. He referred to the statement from the Minister of the Environment, Phil Woolas, that: “drinking bottled water borders on being morally unacceptable”.

Michael then mentioned the headline in The Sun in September: “Death by watercooler” which mis-represented the true facts about polycarbonate bottles and Bisphenol A.

“And as is that were not enough, our POU activities were hit by two Cryptosporidium outbreaks,” he said. “So the weather, government, media, water utilities and the economic climate have had a field day in undermining both our bottled water and POU activities over the past 21 months. Is it a wonder we are bruised and at times a little cynical? But,” he added: “there is some positive news too.

“While our bottled water activities have taken some heavy blows, I believe that I can say with confidence that all BWCA Distributor members now offer plumbed-in POU water coolers as well as bottled water coolers. We are all now ‘dual-service‘ providers.”

One industry – two solutions Michael then referred to the new phrase: “one industry – two solutions”, pointing out that the realignment of businesses to ‘dual-service‘ had meant that BWCA members had been very successful in winning major supply contracts for both types of water coolers.

Summarising the previous day’s seminar, Michael then said: “As we think ahead to 2009, we must optimistically look forward to a better climate, in all senses of the word: weatherwise. economically, media and politically.”

He then reminded delegates that 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the BWCA: “a time to celebrate the achievements of our association and our businesses over the past 20 years”.

Marketing BWCA Peter Brooks, of Office Watercoolers (South-West) and Chair of the PR & Marketing Committee then outlined the results of a recent membership survey. We will visit this in more detail in a future issue.

Action for hydration in the workplace Introducing the final session, Michael Barnett said: “This is going to be most interesting and informative. We have succeeded in bringing together some of the ‘tap water evangelists’ who, over the past two years, have been instrumental in raising the profile of the tap water versus bottled water debate in governmental institutional and in the public arena.”

Opening the session and explaining recent research on hydration, Ben McGannan of Water For Work & Home talked about “Hydration – our place in history,” and was ably assisted by company research scientist Colin Wilson BSc PhD who encouraged some audience participation.

The next speaker was Jeanette Longfield MBE of Sustain who talked about “Enhancing health and welfare in the workplace in a socially responsible and environmentally manner” and put across a totally anti-bottled water philosophy.

Steve Bloomfield of the public services union UNISON then talked about “Water – the hidden treasure – how can we make it easier for people to gain access to mains drinking water?” The last speaker in the session was Joe Harvey of the Health Education Trust who talked about “Water in schools.”

A lively question and answer session followed.

Zenith International Publishing Group Editorial Director Bill Bruce was invited to attend the General Meeting and here comments on the final session.

Know your enemy While it was clear that BWCA was brave to invite critics of much of its activity “into the lions den”, the tone of one of the presentations in particular underlined the evangelical aspect suggested by Michael Barnett in his introduction.

From the question and discussion session through equally lively conversations over lunch, the entrenched position of those opposed to bottled water and their disregard for facts was clear and served to remind BWCA members what they are up against when confronted with the media and lobbyists.

Thankfully, customers in general are happy with facts, appreciate excellent service and above all like to given a choice. It was clear me that with its “one industry – two solutions” approach, the BWCA enters its 20th year in pretty good shape and represents a truly sustainable industry. *Bill Bruce*