The industry is currently facing the challenge of an economic recession that is as serious as any that has gone before.

Yet, in the past 100 years, the industry has weathered many storms and I have no doubt that it will successfully come through the current downturn. There may well be some casualties but one thing is sure - the association will stand firm, supporting the industry, lobbying government on its behalf in very difficult times and, not least, guiding its members towards best practice.

But the association is not the only organisation to help our members. An imperative of any hospitality business in the current climate is to cut costs as well as to raise revenues. Cutting costs does not mean cutting value or quality - but it does mean purchasing more astutely and carefully and ensuring that value to the consumer is maintained - even enhanced.

The offers contained in this promotion show just how much our supplier members can help all the businesses in BHA membership as they work their way through a recession which, I suspect, will last for many months yet.

The offers, all of which are specially designed to help our members cut costs and maximise services, reflect the real aim and purpose of supplier membership. This is not just to provide a means of enabling specially approved suppliers to gain access to the BHA's huge membership but, even more importantly, it enables them to provide special deals that offer quality alternatives and better choice. But, not least, the promotion also directly reduces our members' costs, which is why these offers are so valuable.

I am very pleased that the association has been able to organise this promotion and even more delighted that the offers it contains are potentially so valuable. I'm sure many of our members will take advantage of them. Through this mutual support between members and suppliers, we will all the more profitably work our way through this damaging recession. This promotion shows the way forward.

Bob Cotton

Chief Executive