The reception hosted by the Furniture Industry Research Association and FIRA International, the UK’s largest furniture association and leading furniture technology centre, at the House of Lords on Friday 17th June was a "great success".
250 guests attended the prestigious annual event, which was hosted by Lord Hoyle of Warrington and took place in the Cholmondley Room and on the terrace overlooking the Thames.
Charles Vernon, the new chairman of the Furniture Industry Research Association says: "As the first major event since I took the role as chairman, I was pleased to see what a success the event was. The association has had a busy year with 20 members joining over the last 12 months, many of whom were in attendance. Thanks again to Lord Hoyle for hosting and to everyone involved in the organisation of the event. This event provides a fantastic opportunity to catch up with long-standing and new members, and meet our award and certification holders.”
Phil Reynolds, FIRA’s general manager, adds: “The event is a great way to celebrate the success of the furniture industry, with 14 of our clients receiving their certificates for achieving FIRA Ergonomics Excellence, FIRA Gold Certification or membership of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme. We were also particularly pleased to present a long service award to one of our key staff, Vaughan Taylor, who has been with us for over 40 years”
Speeches were made by Phil Reynolds, as well as the new chairman of the Furniture Industry Research Association council, Charles Vernon, and Lord Hoyle of Warrington.
A number of FIRA’s awards and certifications were presented on the night, including the Ergonomics Excellence Award, FIRA Gold Certification and the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) Certification.
FIRA Gold Product Certification was awarded to: Kitchen doors and panels, Burbidge & Son Ltd; Zig Zag Sinuous Springs, Wade Spring Ltd; Foamflex Cushions, Recticel Ltd; and Furniture Spring Range, Heico Fastners UK Ltd.
FIRA Gold Installation Certification was awarded to: The Symphony Group, for its retail kitchen, bedroom and bathroom displays; and Woodson Contract Kitchens, for its fitted kitchen furniture.
The Ergonomics Excellence Award was awarded to: Mirra 2 Chair, Herman Miller; Smart Chair, Humanscale; IN Chair, Wilkhahn; Go Flex document reading and writing slope, Ergonomic Café; and the Shadow laptop stand, Ergonomic Café.
The Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) Certification was awarded to Delta Laminates Ltd, Elite Contract Furniture, Mobili Office Ltd and Sven Christiansen.
