CIH to end relationship with events and publishing business Ocean

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has announced it is ending its relationship with long-time partner Ocean Media Group as the organiser of its annual conference after contract talks broke down.

The CIH told its 17,000 members this morning, in advance of this year’s event kicking off tomorrow, that it will no longer work with Ocean (OMG), which also produces the magazine Inside Housing, from September 2023.

The change means that the annual housing event, billed as ‘Europe’s largest housing festival’, will no longer serve as the Institute’s annual conference. OMG, which owns the event, insists the Manchester conference and exhibition will continue under different branding from 2024.

CIH members will also no longer receive Inside Housing magazine for free as a member benefit from September, Josie Twinning, director of membership and partnerships at CIH, said.

In a letter to members sent out on the eve of this year’s three-day Housing event, Twinning said: “Through discussion, we have been unable to reach a satisfactory agreement on how to continue this contract in a way which meets the needs of our members and so, our working relationship will come to a natural conclusion at the end of our contract in September 2023.

“This means from this date, you will no longer receive Inside Housing as part of your membership, and we will no longer work with OMG on the CIH annual conference and exhibition”.

The CIH is now creating a “new member-exclusive publication” to replace Inside Housing as a benefit of membership. Twinning said the institute will also continue to “offer a leading annual CIH event”.

In a column published in the latest edition of Inside Housing, editor Martin Hilditch said “the only change” to the event is that “from 2024 onwards, the CIH will no longer be a headline participant at the conference”. OMG and CIH have both been unavailable for comment.