The team behind the People in Glazing Society (Pigs) will celebrate 10 years of networking events next year, and have unveiled an updated logo ahead of the anniversary events in 2024. “Next year we celebrate 10 years of Pigs,” said Sarah Ball, a founder of Pigs and joint managing director of Balls2 Marketing. “And we are running a special programme of events.
“We’ll kick off with Birmingham on Wednesday 26 March, to tie in with the Triple Glazing Question being held earlier in the day. This will be followed by another Pigs event on 13 June in Bristol, then 22 August for a Pigs Summer Party in Newcastle before the final UK date: 7 November in Manchester.
“We are also planning in a US trip to Dallas to tie in to Glassbuild. And there’s also a new logo, designed by Emily at Balls2 Marketing, that we are all rather excited about!”
Reflecting on Pigs’ beginnings, and how far it has come, Sarah added: “When Balls2 Marketing took over the organisation of Pigs, we wanted to emulate ‘open to everyone’ events. The first one we organised was after the Triple Glazing Question event back in 2014, which was a massive success.
“We have established an annual programme of UK events over the last 10 years, and there’s even been a few escapades to the US alongside Glassbuild America. We were happy to be the last industry event before the Covid-19 lockdown and the first back. We outgrew our early venues, and found bigger ones to accommodate our 200+ regulars.
“What has not changed is the ethos of building relationships. There are no badges, speeches, sales pitches and pop-up banners at any of our events – just a room full of people in the industry, chatting about glass and glazing.
“None of this could happen without the sponsors. Pigs is based on equality, and the sponsorship is no different. There are no headline sponsors – everyone pays the same. Some dip in and dip out; some just back their local events and others sponsor the whole year.
“Many companies have been with us for years, and we appreciate every one of them. Thank you always seems too small a phrase to use for the continued support we get.”
The Pigs team has pledged to continue raising money for Kelly’s Heroes next year. Both Sarah and Andy Ball are preparing to climb Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for the charity.
“Generosity from Pigs has been extraordinary over the years,” added Sarah, “which proves what I often say: the glazing industry is the best industry in the world!” Read more about Pigs online at the society’s website.
