Pigs braved the Beast from the East

Despite the Beast from the East trying to put a damper on proceedings, Pigs Manchester was a superb event, its organisers have declared. More than 80 people managed to get through the snow and bitter winds to gather for the first networking event of 2018.

“It was brilliant that so many people made it,” Pigs organiser Sarah Ball said. “I think we got more because quite a few attendees said that they were meeting before Pigs with customers or suppliers, and then coming together to Pigs.

“The roads were pretty clear from Derby where we are based at Balls2 Marketing. However, it wasn’t the same for others and it was a real shame that the snow and ice prevented people from travelling from some parts of the country. It certainly didn’t help that the M62 was closed. We took a moment in the evening to raise our glasses and say a big #Pigscheers for those that couldn’t make it.

“But apart from that, the evening went without a hitch. There was a good mix of old and new faces at the event. Speaking to a few of the newbies, they were converted and told me they were planning to be regulars in the future. I think it’s because we are so laid back that people enjoy it so much. I’m often asked why we don’t give people name badges, but it works well just introducing yourself to someone you’ve not met before.

“We again have to thank the generosity of the sponsors who make Pigs possible and this event was well supported by: AluK, Avantis International, Bison, Build Show, DW3, Edgetech UK, Emplas, Enduroshield, Extrudaseal, Fire Glass UK, FIT Show, Georgian Bar Company, Glass and Glazing Federation, Glass and Glazing Products, Glazpart, Improveasy, Kawneer, Korniche, Morley Glass, OnLevel, Premier Conservatory Supplies, Premier Arches, Regalead, Selecta Systems, Senior Architectural Systems, Stuga, Synseal, The Consultancy, The Veka UK Group, Thermoseal, Titon, Total Hardware, Ultraframe, Unislide, Whizzle, and Yes Glazing.

“The venue put on a superb spread and there were many good comments about the quality of the food,” Sarah said. “This is a regular haunt for Pigs, and they always do us proud. The only small slip up was on the signage that said People in Grazing – which made us laugh. London is the next venue and we will definitely be hoping for better weather.”