Last month, owners, managers and team members from across Britain and Ireland’s leading zoos descended on Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park (a Regency member) for the annual conference of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).

BIAZA is the charity that works with zoos and aquariums to drive forward improvements in animal care, conservation, education and research, and Regency Purchasing Group is a proud Corporate Member of BIAZA.

Regency was one of the main sponsors of the two-day event, showcasing their purchasing and cost saving support, operational expertise and advanced technology available to new and existing BIAZA members. Additionally, led by Regency's Procurement Manager - Louisa Noble, Regency supported the event's food and drink offering alongside numerous trusted suppliers and brand owners including:

Bidfood, Britvic, Delice de France, Delicious Ideas, Food Heroes, Froneri, Love Joes, Nisbets, Pilgrim Foodservice, PizzaSi, Proper Cornish, Simply Lunch, Stokes, Stroodles, South East Coffee, Tri-star and Vegetarian Express.

Hosted by Jimmy Doherty and the BIAZA team, the conference saw a huge range in talks including projects to improve in-school teaching, the ethics of social media and legislative updates. Presentations included messages from Zoo Minister Baroness Hayman and Jane Goodall, and a question and answer session with expert animal communicator Jess French, and of course, a presentation from Regency's Louisa and Liz sharing their expert purchasing and market knowledge.

A spokesperson for BIAZA commented:

"The conference was only made possible with the support of our brilliant sponsors. BIAZA is delighted that Regency was a special part of the event of the year in the zoo sector!"