Cromwell are taking a moment to reflect after an eventful couple of weeks, especially for our sales and marketing team. March and April are always filled with some of the biggest events in the industry, and we are always excited to be at the forefront. Not only have we been sponsors and exhibitors, but this time we have also tipped our hats to hosting too, here’s what the past 5 weeks have looked like for the team at Cromwell.
FPA Annual Awards
For the 3rd consecutive year, we are pleased to have been given the opportunity to sponsor the FPA Awards, this year being sponsors of the complimentary drinks at the ceremony. This sponsorship is not only a great promotion for us but also allows us to support the FPA, with whom we are very proud partners. Last year, alongside our sponsorship, we also had an award nomination, which, to our great delight won. We took home the trophy of ‘Back of House – Product Innovation Award 2024’ for our brand-new Compostable Glove Range, ‘Glovelee. ‘ Despite not entering an award this year, we did take samples of the award-winning product, alongside our trophy, which we displayed on our exhibitor stand.
Having the tabletop exhibition space allowed us the opportunity to showcase some of the products and innovations we bring to the foodservice industry, including our compostable gloves, caddy and bin liners and our new piping bags. Alongside our exhibitor space, we also had the honour of joining them for the award ceremony, which was an amazing evening of innovation and new insights into the food service and catering world. All the winners, and nominees alike were very worthy of the Trophy. It was a fantastic day and evening hosted by The FPA, Tom Canner our Sales Manager and Darren Kitchiner had the pleasure of representing Cromwell and are looking forward to returning again in 2026 – and perhaps we will even have a new product to enter in the awards? Watch this space.
London Cleaning Show
There was no rest for the wicked, as Tom and Darren were at event number two just days after the FPA Awards. This time, they had reinforcements, as Rebecca Addey, Edward Dry and Paul Fleetwood joined them at the Capital for the 2025 London Cleaning Show. Held on March 18th -20th, at London’s ExCeL, the 3-day event is a must-attend for those in the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry – drawing in a large audience of professionals from the sector. Having our largest presence yet, on stand A31, the team brought a wide range of samples, which included some firm favourites from the industry, alongside our latest innovations and even some upcoming products to help pique the interest of the visitors. This included our tried and tested CHSA bags, as well as our compostable liners, which were a key focus during discussions about the new Simpler Recycling reforms. We also had some new Cromwell innovations, which will be available later in the year, making their debut at the Cleaning Show, one of which was our new water-soluble strip laundry bags with a new packaging design that helps customers mitigate the impact of Extended Producer Responsibility.
It wasn’t only a great chance to showcase what Cromwell can do for the industry but also an opportunity to network with fellow experts, meet with customers, partners and suppliers and, of course, hear from the excellent speakers. See you all again next March for the Cleaning Show, this time in Manchester.
The CIWM NE Conference
In April, we turned our hands to organisers rather than attendees as we hosted our very first event backed by the CIWM and LARAC. We have worked with the CIWM (Chartered Institute of Wastes Management) for more than three decades, having being members of the organisation and council for over 30 years. In early 2025, the North East Council of the CIWM was seeking a venue and accompanying hosts for their Annual Meeting and AGM, and Cromwell was willing to put their name forward, to which the council unanimously agreed. The date was then set for April 2nd, and over the next few months, we planned the conference – this included organising thought-provoking speakers, catering, equipment and of course a suitable Northern venue.
The CIWM left this in our capable hands, and following extensive feedback, the event was a huge hit for all. Held at the unique location of The Motorist, in Sherburn in Elmet – the event was held on a sunny Spring Day, with Cromwell welcoming guests from across the Nation, and even one from as far as Ireland. The first half of the day saw 7 expert speakers address the crowd, presenting some highly interesting presentations on a variety of topics, from food waste, to textile recycling and even resident behaviour to waste management, all of which fall under the umbrella of upcoming legislation reforms like Simpler Recycling and EPR. The speakers were selected from each sector of the industry – from councils and manufacturing to consulting and beyond. The broad spectrum of topics gave everyone some food for thought and certainly grabbed the attention of the crowd. After the brilliant presentations, the guests were treated to some delicious food and beverages with networking, before a guided site visit of Cromwell’s neighbouring site and the AGM. The day was an action-packed one, and after 8 hours of great conversations and learning opportunities, all guests left in high spirits and provided great feedback to the speakers, the CIWM and us as hosts.
It was a pleasure to host this event on the CIWM behalf, and we hope to be able to have the opportunity again – making it bigger and better each year! The team can now rest and settle back into to daily life in the office before the next big event season approaches. If you have met us or made any enquiries at the above shows, please rest assured the team will be in touch very shortly. Thanks again for visiting us at our stands and events.
