The Industrial Agents Society is a force to be reckoned with. The industry body has sector agents comprising 99% of its membership. Yes, there are equivalent bodies for office and retail agents. But while these sectors are further divided into categories – with groups for shopping centre agents, retail warehouse specialists and high street guys and City, West End and regional office agents – the IAS allows any industrial agent to apply for membership.
The professional side of the organisation is about information sharing and promoting agency. It allows brokers to help each other and gain access to databases of deals done. But more than that, the IAS has become a veritable fraternity.
The social side of sheds
Industrial agents are known for being particularly sociable and they get on well, which are qualities that lend themselves to the creation of the kind of cohesive group that the IAS fosters.
Bonnie Minshull, industrial and logistics director at Savills and IAS committee member, has been part of the circuit for the past 12 years and knows the crowd well, referring to them as firm friends.
Sometimes she sees people at IAS events who she is in the process of doing deals with and describes networking as a lot like going to the pub with mates, adding: “It’s an important part of being an industrial agent.”
Despite being in the minority as a female – there are around 40 female IAS members, versus around 900 male members – she has always been treated as one of the lads. “I never feel like the odd one in the room,” she says.
Former IAS chairman Charles Binks says: “The IAS does what it says on the tin. It is relevant to agents active in that market and is an opportunity for them to get together nationally as much as regionally. Members share a common bond. And another reason the IAS works is because events are not too highbrow – it fosters a tight-knit community.”
Events are popular (see below) and current chairman Darren Cheeseman says: “In the shed world you know people regionally – London agents deal with the regions and there are overlaps of activity, so people are willing to get together and network and socialise. People are up for having fun – there are not many egos in our sector and events go beyond being competitive.”
Members are of course competitors, but they are also friends and colleagues who need to liaise with one another about instructions. Cheeseman says: “There is a willingness in the industrial sector to do that – competitors are also your lifeblood – we need other agents.”
The IAS puts on some events of note – including its annual dinner and the IAS Awards. More than 400 agents and clients attended the awards last September and 350 people – mainly agents – attended the last annual IAS dinner. Cheeseman says: “The dinner is about building relationships.”
Another important annual gathering is the IAS June BBQ, which provides an opportunity for clients and agents to rub shoulders. In major cities across the country the body promotes monthly Thirsty Thursdays, where clients sponsor events by putting money behind the bar, beers are deftly consumed and everyone has a jolly time, with a bit of business thrown in.
Aside from putting on networking events with a buzz, members look to the IAS committee to endorse events, such as conferences. The IAS also puts on CPD events. These are currently yearly, in accordance with the Investment Property Forum, but Cheeseman would like this to increase the frequency to up to four a year within the next couple of years.
Beyond the industrial sector, the IAS raises money for charity – donations last year totalled £19,000, although in better economic times the annual total was known to reach £40,000.
Getting together at MIPIM
The other important infiltrator of every industrial agent’s calendar is Shedmasters – MIPIM’s drinks and lunch event in Villa de la Lézardière in the hills above Cannes. Now in its 14th year, it was originally set up on an informal basis by the development team behind Thame 40 in Oxfordshire. They invited around 80 people but had to turn partygoers away. From humble beginnings this exclusive event has grown to accommodate 350 people each year.
The gathering always occurs on a Wednesday afternoon and Graham Brown, industrial and logistics director at Savills, says: “It is an opportunity to meet people you know of but haven’t got around to meeting. In the property business people move from job to job but the market doesn’t stop. A lot of people who were in different companies previously come now. The beauty of Shedmasters is that it is very focused on the industrial and logistics sector, whereas other parties at MIPIM cater more for people across the board.”
And do deals get done? Of course, says Brown – the event is “all about relationships”. Shedmasters is by invite only to weed out those who are unrelated to the industry, but anyone within the sector without an invitation is unlikely to be turned away. The remote venue also ensures there are rarely gatecrashers.
If there are any torrid tales to tell, Brown remains tight-lipped on the subject. He says: “People are always sensible – we never have any mishaps ?or embarrassing scenarios, but ?people enjoy themselves. It’s a nice, colourful do.”
What goes on on tour, stays on tour…
How many professional organisations will marry a networking opportunity with the chance to bid for one of Pamela Anderson’s bikinis? Very few, but this is just one of the more interesting aspects of IAS events. Another was a food fight that became legendary when a potato landed in Fiona Fullerton’s cleavage. The offending object was, of course, auctioned for charity.
Excess hedonism in the day led to difficulty finding a venue that would have the organisation back. Former IAS chairman Charles Binks says: “Whereas it was once riotous, Christmas dinners are now more under control. We had to tone things down.”
Those hoping to hear salacious stories from recent gatherings will be left disappointed. IAS committee member Bonnie Minshull says: “Events are now civilised – now it is about professionals having a good laugh, rather than bad behaviour.”
The IAS Awards are a highbrow event for agents and clients, wheras the IAS annual dinner is more about “letting your hair down”, says current chairman Darren Cheeseman. These dinners have led to a lot of stories over the years. In one incident during more heady times, a senior director slipped on a pool of vomit, smashing a tequila bottle and lacerating his knee. The more outrageous of these stories contributed to the event becoming black tie, for a more sober atmosphere.
While formal dress may have brought with it a more sedate feel, plenty of fun still ensues when shed agents don their glad rags, although Cheeseman is keen to point out that these days it is more about the quality of organised entertainment than the organic type. Cricketer Phil Tuffnell spoke at the last dinner and he went down well with his audience but comedian Mickey Flanagan didn’t fare so well a few years ago. He was “barracked beyond belief” and after just five minutes slammed down his microphone and left the stage. Members still joke about the IAS “breaking Mickey Flanagan”.
Kier Property hosted the opening Thirsty Thursday of 2014, which saw 60 agents gather in Finos for pints and patter. These monthly events are the backbone of the IAS and their continuing popularity serves to highlight the important role the organisation plays in bringing together key players in the industrial community.
IAS: a brief history
IAS was started in 1976 as the Industrial Agents Club. It became the IAS a few years later. In 1987 it changed to the Business & Industrial Agents Society to take on the changes in the Town & Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, the business park development boom and the coming of B1, B2 and B8. When the business park craze fell away in the late 1990s recession the society reverted to IAS.
