Last Thursday, we had the privilege of assisting WEAF - West of England Aerospace Forum’s Annual Gala Dinner as a headline sponsor. Director Harriet Harrison and Associate Tom Nation travelled all the way to the Winter Gardens in Weston-Super-Mare to partake in the Bond-themed event, which brought together 200 leaders from aerospace, defence and advanced manufacturing for a night of networking, fine-dining and high-rolling.
Our Involvement with WEAF
Our performance consultancy Sandler South West has been a trusted partner of the West of England Aerospace Forum for over 6 years now. During that time, we have helped WEAF members deliver exceptional customer service and overcome leadership, management and sales-related challenges.
We were delighted to support an event that reflects the collaboration and innovation driving the South West’s advanced engineering community, especially as we supported last year’s Making a Difference Awards Show.
Attending the Gala Dinner
Tom and Harriet benefitted greatly from the event, both as an opportunity to connect with fellow WEAF members, and as a way to celebrate its participating sectors over a fun-filled night with much to do and see, including an after-dinner speech from guest speaker and former MI6 officer Matthew Dunn. 
“It was a fantastic opportunity to deepen relationships with clients, such as Safran.” Tom says, “I managed to establish relationships with new members and learn more about each individuals goals and ambitions for next year.”
Keeping with the spy theme, our team tried their luck at the casino tables, and surprisingly, Harriet came away winning lots of (pretend) money; who would’ve guessed she was such a card shark?
We’re proud to have supported an event that celebrates the growth of South West’s engineering and manufacturing sectors. Thanks to WEAF for giving us the opportunity to sponsor and attend this event, and thanks to SKF Group for also making this event possible as the silver sponsor.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead to next year, we will be doing so much more work to support WEAF’s membership network. We will be tailoring our sales, leadership and management training solutions to aerospace and manufacturing organisations as part of WEAF’s SC21 (Supply Chains for the 21st Century) programme. We’re excited to continue partnering with WEAF to strengthen sales performance, develop leaders and support long-term growth.
If your organisation is focused on scaling, improving consistency or developing your sales culture in 2026, we’d love to talk.
👉 Book a conversation with the Sandler South West team: https://go.sandler.com/southwest/contact-us/