By Rob Oliver, Distribution Director at Dudley Building Society

When I reflect on the recent, inaugural Building Societies Show, it’s the headline numbers that immediately draw my attention. The show brought together 36 building societies under one roof at the Coventry Building Society Arena, alongside 504 brokers. But for me, that only really scratches the surface of what the day actually represented.

When the idea was discussed within the BSA Distribution meeting that I chair, it generated a huge amount of interest and excitement. Not quite the fairy tale story of the first building society being thought up in 1775 at the Golden Cross Inn, however, it was at the offices of Hinckley & Rugby Building Society back in November 2025.

While the scale of the show is impressive in its own right, it was the level of collaboration that really showed where the sector is right now, where it is trying to get to, and how it engages with brokers and supports them in placing cases.

This was not simply a large event. It felt much more deliberate than that, built by societies and shaped around brokers in a way that created space for proper conversations, practical discussion, and direct access to the people who are ultimately making lending decisions.

In the current market, that came through clearly from conversations on the day, particularly in how valuable access to decision-makers was for brokers working through more involved cases.

And that is so important, because brokers are having to work harder to get cases over the line, with affordability still tight in places, customer circumstances becoming more varied, and cases that might look straightforward on paper often requiring a deeper level of understanding once you get into the detail.

In that kind of environment, knowing where to go, who to speak to, and how a case is likely to be viewed becomes just as important as the product itself.

Across the sector, there’s a real breadth of expertise, whether that sits in later-life lending, complex income, or simply a willingness to look at something that sits outside standard criteria and take a considered view on it. Although, if we are honest, accessing that breadth has not always been as simple as it could be when you are managing multiple cases and working within tight timeframes.

Bringing so many societies together in one place was a start in addressing this. The event gave brokers a clearer line of sight on how different lenders think, where there may be flexibility, and who they can speak to when something is not entirely straightforward.

 

Access to decision-makers

One of the strongest themes from the day, based on the conversations we were having with brokers, was just how important direct access to decision-makers has become in the way cases are now being placed.
It is no longer simply a case of matching a client to a product. That part of the process has become more nuanced, with brokers needing to understand how a lender will interpret the detail of a case, where they are comfortable, where they may need more information, and how quickly a decision can realistically be reached.

That means more emphasis on sense-checking cases earlier, before time is spent progressing something that may not ultimately fit. Being able to have a straightforward conversation around a scenario, there and then, can make a significant difference in avoiding delays further down the line.

That level of access is not always easy to replicate in day-to-day interactions, which is why an environment that encourages those conversations becomes so valuable for brokers managing both volume and complexity.

 

A sector that is working more closely together

When you consider the timing of the Building Societies Show, it also feels aligned with the broader conditions we are seeing across the market, where there is a greater reliance on experience, judgement, and open discussion to reach the right outcome.

This is where the mutual sector continues to play such an important role, with a shared approach that focuses on understanding the full context of a case rather than relying solely on process.

Events like the Building Societies Show help bring that approach into one place. They give brokers the opportunity to build relationships, have open and informed conversations, and leave with a clearer sense of how to approach their cases.

If this first event is anything to go by, it feels like a format that reflects the direction the sector is moving in. More open in how it engages, more accessible in how it communicates, and more focused on making it easier for brokers to do their job in a market that is not always straightforward.

Now, what about next year? Watch this space, as we are already discussing plans for 2027.