Impressions from the new class

2025 has been a year of change and growth for the Brouha team, with the arrival of several new members, strengthening the business as a whole. We’ve welcomed Amy Goddard - Design Lead, Dominic Cassidy – Videographer & Communications Consultant and Rosie O’Donnell, who joined us as a Marketing Intern and has recently been promoted to Communications Lead. 

The Brouha team recently attended the annual NHMF Conference and Awards, the perfect excuse to catch up with customers and peers from social housing sector, and Dominic and Rosie share their take on their first time at the conference. 

Dominic Cassidy comments:

“Arriving at the Stratford hotel on the evening of the NHMF Awards Ceremony & Dinner for the first time gives you a small but invigorating glimpse into quite how many energetic and industrious people are involved in Social Housing in the UK.

“For this first evening everyone is simultaneously dressed up to the nines and ‘letting their hair down’, figuratively at least! It was a long but fun night, with people perhaps a little more relaxed than normal, and as a result I found myself naturally participating in the celebrations, surrounded by interesting conversations about the issues and the people in the sector!

“Attending the conference to support the NHMF Working Groups and the NHMF Service Provider Forum by creating social media posts, articles and videos on the themes discussed and audience reaction meant there was so much to see and do that I found it essential to use the Conference App to help me stick to my plan for the days. I was in charge of recording sessions so we could support our customers, either speaking or chairing, with the follow up reports and blogs.

“I spent most of the time either at Plenary talks or sessions in the main ballroom area  driven by the NHMF Working Groups we support, with occasional visits to nearby smaller meeting rooms to attend sessions such as the NHMF Procurement Working Group’s upcoming Guide to Procurement, which will support the sector on how to rise to the challenge of Procurement Act 2023. I also spent time in the NHMF Frameworx Lounge with Paul & David to report on meetings and the Social Value Award prize giving and celebrations.

“The plenary talks were excellent, a very good way to get an overview of a particular topic or issue of importance to the social housing sector, specific examples of approaches taken by well-known service providers and housing providers with real world results and learnings. It was a relaxed atmosphere that enabled the audience to engage with the presenters either in moderated Q & A sessions or by simply grabbing a word as they came off stage. This freedom allowed me to get some really great video soundbites from the speakers too, on a high following their great presentation.

“I really enjoyed the interactivity of the NHMF Procurement Working Group Session where the use of real time anonymous polling encouraged audience members to engage throughout, providing immediate information for the presenters to consider and react to.

“The attendees and exhibitors all seemed friendly and approachable, happy to stop and talk and share opinions. The general atmosphere was relaxed and conducive to serendipitous conversations, and I was able to record many short video interviews to learn about their impressions of the event and take-aways from their time at the conference.  

“I certainly look forward to returning and learning more about the state of play in the social housing sector, the sentiment of the people working within it and the unexpected meetings with people from across the industry that made the event so informative and rewarding. Attending the NHMF conference helped deepen my knowledge and understanding of the issues facing our industry and adds to Brouha’s ability to serve the unique communication needs of the organisations we work with in the social housing sector.”

Rosie O’Donnell comments:

“I got my first taste of the social housing sector and life at Brouha during my second year at university, spending three months with them as a marketing intern. One year later, I returned to the team, and recently, I had the opportunity to attend the 25th Anniversary of the NHMF Conference and Awards. It was my first industry event, and it exceeded all my expectations. 

“Part of my role is to write social media posts about these types of events – as well as posting live, so I thoroughly enjoyed being in the room celebrating all the amazing work being done. You could really feel the passion and the support people and teams in the sector have for one another.

“I found all of the sessions really interesting, but the one that particularly stood out to me was ’Keeping Residents Safe - Resident Engagement’. This session focused on resident safety, and it reinforced just how important resident engagement and feedback are now in building safety, shaped by the lessons of Grenfell and regulations like Awaab’s Law and what comes next.

“It was really eye-opening to hear from Stop Social Housing Stigma about the reality and impact of stigma within social housing, and the barriers it can create if residents don’t feel respected or listened to – after all, they’re the end customer for us all! I especially enjoyed listening to Pam Hankison, a social housing tenant and Board member of SSHS, as many of the other conversations at the conference came from a contractor or housing association point of view. Hearing real stories from a resident’s perspective highlighted how important it is that their voices are heard across the sector.

“And finally, the awards night. It was definitely the highlight of the week. Everyone looked amazing dressed up in black tie! It was great to finally meet people I usually work with remotely and new faces - something we don’t get to do very often!”