Shaping Connections and Championing Innovation: Edmund Bell on the Value of Community in Commercial Interiors
At the heart of the commercial interiors sector lies collaboration, innovation, and the ability to adapt to evolving challenges. As proud sponsors of the Commercial Interiors UK (CIUK) Annual Luncheon 2025, Edmund Bell is a company that embodies these values. We spoke with Fiona Napier, Managing Director, who shared her perspective on why events like the Annual Luncheon are crucial for building relationships, sparking opportunities, and strengthening the collective voice of the industry.
From celebrating shared achievements to discussing future opportunities, Fiona highlights the importance of investing in connections and explains why Edmund Bell continues to align its brand with CIUK’s flagship event. She also shares her optimism for the sector’s direction, particularly in areas where sustainability, innovation, and human-centred design are reshaping the landscape.
The CIUK Annual Luncheon brings our industry together as a community – why do you believe it’s important for commercial interiors professionals to regularly connect, celebrate, and share experiences as a collective?
The strength of our industry lies in the depth of its connections. When professionals come together, they exchange not just ideas, but perspectives shaped by experience. These occasions foster trust, encourage cross-sector collaboration, and help us collectively address the challenges and opportunities that define the future of commercial interiors. Plus… the Luncheon’s a good time!
What opportunities do you think events like the CIUK Annual Luncheon create, both for individual businesses and for the commercial interiors sector as a whole?
Gatherings of this nature facilitate conversations that often lead to strategic partnerships and innovation. They create visibility for businesses, open doors to new markets, and encourage the sharing of best practice. For the sector as a whole, they reinforce a sense of unity and help maintain the high standards our industry is known for.
How does your business approach building and maintaining relationships within the industry? Why is it important to spend time with existing customers and connections, as well as invest in forging new ones?
Focusing our spend on service and innovation, Edmund Bell doesn’t have a large branding budget. We rely on customers who have had a good experience with us to continue to choose us and to help further us in the market. Time spent with these and new contacts is always well spent: forging closer relationships and giving us the insight into the issues and trends we need to adapt to on an ongoing basis.
Why have you chosen to align your brand with Commercial Interiors UK’s Annual Luncheon? What does supporting this event, and the association as a not-for-profit, mean to your business?
Supporting the CIUK Annual Luncheon aligns with our commitment to the advancement of our sector. CIUK’s not-for-profit model ensures its efforts directly benefit members through advocacy, skills development, and industry resources. By associating our brand with this event, we contribute to the collective strength and reputation of the commercial interiors’ community. The Luncheon specifically is regarded generally as the highest profile event of the year and we all enjoy it very much, so naturally want Edmund Bell’s brand associated with the fun!
What excites you most about the current state of the commercial interiors sector? Where do you see real energy, innovation, or potential right now?
The current more universal focus on budget teamed with sustainable and human-centred design really plays to Edmund Bell’s strengths. There’s still lots of drive in the BTR and workplace spaces that we’re growing into and our more traditional markets of care and hospitality are continuing to develop in novel ways. With lots of new product on the way, we’re excited about what the future holds for EB and the commercial interiors sector.
Fiona’s reflections capture the essence of what makes the CIUK Annual Luncheon such a defining moment in the industry calendar: community, collaboration, and celebration. For Edmund Bell, sponsorship is an active investment in the future of commercial interiors, championing innovation while strengthening the networks that sustain the sector. As Fiona notes, the event is not only about serious conversations and strategic partnerships, but also about enjoying the unique energy and camaraderie that comes from bringing the industry together.
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