Twenty-six exhibitors from across the commercial finance industry took stands at the event to speak to NACFB member brokers. Exhibitors included representatives for the high street banks, lessors, factors and other business services.

Chief Executive of the NACFB, Adam Tyler, said: “As an Association, we want to work together with members and lenders, because we believe that by pulling together we will all emerge fitter and stronger when the market does eventually return. The “Meet the Patrons” day is a fantastic opportunity to do just that, and despite the gloom in the market the mood at the event was extremely positive.”

He continued: “The Association had to make some difficult decisions at the beginning of the year on how best to approach the coming twelve months. It would have been easy for us to batten down the hatches and effectively ‘hibernate’ to conserve resources during this difficult period. But we felt that this was a time when members would need us more than ever and so we scheduled events for the beginning of the year. The ‘Meet the Patrons’ is one of our most popular events, but we were staggered by the number of people who showed up on the day.”