Event Overview
Overview

This year’s event offers options to satisfy event professionals at different levels of seniority and experience.  For event director/heads, there will be some strategic sessions with timetabled discussion for the sharing of ideas and best practice.  For middle managers or those newly involved in the events function, there will be useful and informative practical workshops. Plus, all delegates will have access to some exciting case studies about innovative and outstanding events.  Additionally, we are answering a demand for guidance and support on managing stress with our taster sessions led by Carole Spiers, Chair of ISMA and an expert practitioner in stress management.

This event is designed for Heads and Directors of Congresses and Events; Heads of Commercial and Business Development; Senior event managers and officers; event co-ordinators and executives.

Benefits of attending
  • Event heads, directors and senior managers should join our strategic sessions led by highly experienced practitioners, to review your approach to your association’s event function and portfolio:
  • Revaluate your strategic objects and values to ensure that your events are fully integrated with the overall association objectives
  • Hear from a highly experienced event director and coach on how the step change from middle management to becoming an event head or director will impact your decision making, leadership and business development skills
  • Learn about the value of long-term planning beyond the standard one-year rolling event plan and why this is a strategically and operationally invaluable exercise
  • Develop successful long-term sponsor relationships to enhance the event revenue stream

Plus, middle level or new event managers and officers can join our practical sessions to develop critical event management skills to:

  • Understand the benefits of project management using simple and easily available resources
  • Develop a better awareness of setting up and managing accurate event budgeting and understanding the terminology
  • Improve successful speaker research skills and effective speaker acquisition at a mini-workshop
  • Discuss a variety of innovative formats that can be introduced to events which may need refreshing or updating
  • All delegates will also be able to hear about two very different, but innovative and successful events in the golf industry and the financial services sector.

Plus, by popular request, mini-taster sessions on stress-busting techniques by the Chairman of the International Stress Management Association and expert practitioner.

 

Programme Agenda
Programme

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9:00 AM
Collect your badge, meet your fellow delegates and visit our supplier exhibition
9:30 AM
The chairman will welcome delegates, introduce the conference theme and explain the day’s format.

Speakers

Guy Bigwood

Chief Executive Officer
Global Destination Sustainability Movement

9:40 AM

While the revenues generated by events through sponsorship and delegate fees are important to sustain an association’s activities, it is easy to lose sight of the wider benefits, for members and your organisation. Live event experiences offer the opportunity to bring your association’s brand, core values and strategic purpose to life: by focusing on the bigger picture, you can achieve so much more than revenue. This session will explore the purpose of association events and reaping the financial benefits of putting members first.

Topic: Event Strategy
Format:

Speakers

Alex Vail

Director, Events
UK Finance

10:10 AM
Discuss how you can apply what you have learnt and share these with the room.
10:30 AM

The investment of time and resources into major congresses and events is usually considerable, but the final product can lack inspiration, experiential peaks or deliver the impact you were hoping for.

  • How does your event’s purpose differ from your association’s objectives?
  • How do you simplify the message of your event and weave that impact into your event’s story?
  • What are your stakeholders wants and needs and their motivation for attending your event? 
  • What event design choices – venue, formats, content, music and staging, your communications strategies and tone of voice – can you make to create an engaging and impactful event?

This session will walk you through the Event Narrative Framework to simplify your event strategy and help you deliver an event that meets its purpose.

Speakers

Sasha Frieze

Managing Director
The Business Narrative

It’s easy to get into a rut when you plan a conference programme.  But how can you inject some new ideas and interest into your programmes?  Hear some short case studies from those who have dared to be different and the results achieved.

Topic: Event planning and operations

Speakers

Samantha Strutt

Head of Member Development
British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association

Avnish Patel

Events Manager
Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom

Paul Gentry

Head of Conferences & Events
Royal Statistical Society

11:15 AM

Enjoy a hot drink and meet your fellow delegates, speakers, conference sponsors and exhibitors.

11:45 AM

Explaining the design and content elements of the three-year plan and the maintenance process; how the plan assists with budget control and risk management; understanding the information and acting on it. 

  • What to do with successful events – expansion, spin-offs, geo-cloning 
  • Why it’s important to strip out under-performing events
  • How does this help to secure and grow revenue

Speakers

Riad Mannan

Event Portfolio Development Manager
Institution of Engineering and Technology

Behind every event should be a detailed and regularly reviewed budget.  Costs can easily get out of control or important items overlooked if not recorded. A winning event can quickly become a financial nightmare if costs have not been managed. Learn how you can set-up a comprehensive budget; understand the difference between fixed and variable costs; work out how to include fluctuating delegate fees to give a true picture of revenue and profit.

Topic: Event planning and operations

Speakers

Lorraine Reese

Associate Director - Events and Marketing
Biochemical Society

12:30 PM
Enjoy a delicious lunch and take 15 minutes out to join one of two stress-management taster workshops.  Please register on the day 
12:45 PM

Enjoy a delicious lunch and take 15 minutes out during lunch to join one of our stress-management taster workshops.  

In today’s fast paced environment, people need to learn how to work efficiently under pressure, to cultivate mental toughness and build resilience.

Aims of the session are to:

  • Understand the difference between ‘pressure’ and ‘stress’
  • Identify the early warning signs of stress both in oneself and in others
  • Discover tips and tools to manage pressure effectively
  • Taking responsibility for one’s own health and wellbeing

This programme is designed for insight and effective action. 

All delegates will be given a stress test card for personal use.

Speakers

Carole Spiers

Chair
International Stress Management Association

1:10 PM

Enjoy a delicious lunch and take 15 minutes out during lunch to join one of our stress-management taster workshops.  

In today’s fast paced environment, people need to learn how to work efficiently under pressure, to cultivate mental toughness and build resilience.

Aims of the session are to:

  • Understand the difference between ‘pressure’ and ‘stress’
  • Identify the early warning signs of stress both in oneself and in others
  • Discover tips and tools to manage pressure effectively
  • Taking responsibility for one’s own health and wellbeing

This programme is designed for insight and effective action. 

All delegates will be given a stress test card for personal use.

1:30 PM
Round table briefings from experts, each lasting 10-15 minutes with extra time for questions and discussion.

Let’s get social! Learn about building a content strategy, and how to boost your social media marketing. Get ideas for your association. Understand the power of influencer marketing, and how you should surround yourself with the right people for successful engagement.

Speakers

Johnny D. Martinez

Head of Marketing & Business Development
Shocklogic

Many associations are now appreciating the value of reaching an audience beyond the confines of the meeting or conference room, by live streaming their events. This works particularly well where time and travel costs prohibit attendance, but where key information and messages need to be delivered or where important topics require immediate member input. But, if the remote audience are just passive viewersand not actively participating, then they might just as well watch a video on demand.  Active participation is the first step to longer-term engagement by members, who may otherwise feel out of the loop or not valued or consulted.    

The added value of live streaming is in the opportunity for remote delegates to become actively involved and creates greater inclusivity across the whole membership body.

In more than 10 years of live streaming events, Martin has explored many different methods of enabling remote delegates to interact. (He has even written a book on the subject.) 
In this briefing Martin will reveal some tips and tools to help you fully engage remote delegates in your webcasts.

Speakers

Martin Shepherdly

CEO
BeThere Global

The word 'tracking' gets mixed responses from organisers and attendees alike. We will discuss how you can make your stakeholders feel comfortable with the concept, offer hints and tips on how tracking can add value to your live event and the context it can add to delegate feedback. We will look at real cases and show how the output not only helps in fulfilling objectives, but adds value for all your stakeholders.   

Speakers

Caroline Perriam

Account Manager
Crystal Interactive

2:00 PM
Round table briefings from experts, each lasting 10-15 minutes with extra time for questions and discussion.

Let’s get social! Learn about building a content strategy, and how to boost your social media marketing. Hear about successful case studies, and get ideas for your association. Understand the power of influencer marketing, and how you must surround yourself with the right people for successful engagement.

Speakers

Johnny D. Martinez

Head of Marketing & Business Development
Shocklogic

Many associations are now appreciating the value of reaching an audience beyond the confines of the meeting or conference room, by live streaming their events. This works particularly well where time and travel costs prohibit attendance, but where key information and messages need to be delivered or where important topics require immediate member input. But, if the remote audience are just passive viewersand not actively participating, then they might just as well watch a video on demand.  Active participation is the first step to longer-term engagement by members, who may otherwise feel out of the loop or not valued or consulted.    

The added value of live streaming is in the opportunity for remote delegates to become actively involved and creates greater inclusivity across the whole membership body.

In more than 10 years of live streaming events, Martin has explored many different methods of enabling remote delegates to interact. (He has even written a book on the subject.) 
In this briefing Martin will reveal some tips and tools to help you fully engage remote delegates in your webcasts.

Speakers

Martin Shepherdly

CEO
BeThere Global

The word 'tracking' gets mixed responses from organisers and attendees alike. We will discuss how you can make your stakeholders feel comfortable with the concept, offer hints and tips on how tracking can add value to your live event and the context it can add to delegate feedback. We will look at real cases and show how the output not only helps in fulfilling objectives, but adds value for all your stakeholders.   

Speakers

Caroline Perriam

Account Manager
Crystal Interactive

2:30 PM

Making the transition from being a manager and team member, to leadership can be a daunting change.  The operational and practical expertise that led to the promotion may become less important than the ability to think commercially and long-term and bring out the best in the existing team.  Learn from our experienced speaker, an Events Director of many years’ standing who is also a business coach. 

Hear more about:

  • Learning to “let go” and the art of delegation
  • Selling the events function to the board
  • Getting the most out of your event team
  • From colleague to boss - adjusting to the role
  • Managing workload and stress for you and your team
  • Moving from operational to commercial thinking
  • Mentoring and coaching junior colleagues
  • Managing conflict

Discussion of the issues at round tables

Speakers

Kate Ray

Personal Performance Coach
Association of Professional Staffing Companies

For an association event to fulfil its purpose in educating and informing members and wider stakeholders, effective engagement must be a priority.  An event provides a unique forum to sound out members’ views, to learn about their challenges and to affirm that the association is delivering on its objectives.  Delegate engagement technology makes it easy to have these conversations, to vote on important issues and to highlight future concerns. 

This session will give an unbiased review of what technology is available and how it can be used most effectively to maximise engagement and deliver value to all participants.

  • Networking tools and aids
  • Learning technology
  • Interactive audience technology
  • Experiential technology VR and AI
  • Fun stuff!

Speakers

James Morgan

Dean
International Tourism and Hospitality College

3:15 PM
Network with your fellow delegates and engage with the association business partners exhibiting.
3:40 PM

The acquisition and management of high-level sponsors is one of the most commercial aspects of association event delivery.  There can be a nervousness about allowing sponsors to dictate content or have an over-powering presence on the programme. But without the sponsors’ financial support, many events would cease to exist.  Balancing the need for funding against the integrity of the event is an age-old problem.  But it’s possible to achieve a balance and develop successful long-term relationships.  Our experienced sponsorship head will explain how.

Speakers

Find out some tried and tested techniques to research and acquire great speakers. Copy the commercial approach to speaker research. Overcome your trepidation when approaching senior level speakers – presenting what’s in it for them. Picking up the phone. Working with speakers to create their topic content in line with event objective. Use of speaker agreements/contracts. 

Speakers

Julia Jepps

Programme & Research Director
Association of Association Executives

4:30 PM

The BIGGA annual exhibition was the association flagship event, but was failing at the time of the speaker's appointment as CEO.

Strong action was needed to turn it round and bring it up-to-date.   The improvement has been a continuous programme with some significant changes in 2019.  The speaker will describe the thinking and processes involved including:

  • Creating a compelling event
  • Engaging all stakeholders
  • Continual improvement
  • Implementation of important change
  • Putting the visitor at the heart of the event
  • The importance of attracting engaged visitors
  • Stakeholder feedback and outcomes 

Speakers

Jim Croxton

Chief Executive Officer
British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association

-

Speakers

Jessica Parker

Head of Membership & Events
Wine and Spirit Trade Association

-

Speakers

Laura Marshall

Events Manager
National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers

  • Retaining your customer base and not losing it
  • When and why discount – what do offer and what not to offer
  • Ways to tell your customer what’s happening – don’t keep flogging the same old message in the same old way!
  • Keeping market share – how to ensure your customer buys again and attracting new buyers
  • Customer care – this will determine whether your customer stays or leaves
  • Dealing with competing events
  • Brand and reputation – worth much?

Speakers

Christine Le Couilliard

Freelance Researcher, Content and Event Project Manager
Consultant

5:00 PM

The brainchild of our speaker, this exciting event brought fresh take on a dry topic.  Combining many elements, the Festival generated great feedback from all involved.  Find out about the “festivalisation” of this unique event.

Speakers

Mark Hutchinson

Societies & Member Marketing Director
Chartered Insurance Institute

5:30 PM

Summary and closure of the conference.


Speakers
Speakers

Guy Bigwood

Chief Executive Officer
Global Destination Sustainability Movement

Jim Croxton

Chief Executive Officer
British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association

Sasha Frieze

Managing Director
The Business Narrative

Paul Gentry

Head of Conferences & Events
Royal Statistical Society

Mark Hutchinson

Societies & Member Marketing Director
Chartered Insurance Institute

Julia Jepps

Programme & Research Director
Association of Association Executives

Christine Le Couilliard

Freelance Researcher, Content and Event Project Manager
Consultant

Riad Mannan

Event Portfolio Development Manager
Institution of Engineering and Technology

Laura Marshall

Events Manager
National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers

Johnny D. Martinez

Head of Marketing & Business Development
Shocklogic

James Morgan

Dean
International Tourism and Hospitality College

Jessica Parker

Head of Membership & Events
Wine and Spirit Trade Association

Avnish Patel

Events Manager
Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom

Caroline Perriam

Account Manager
Crystal Interactive

Kate Ray

Personal Performance Coach
Association of Professional Staffing Companies

Lorraine Reese

Associate Director - Events and Marketing
Biochemical Society

Martin Shepherdly

CEO
BeThere Global

Carole Spiers

Chair
International Stress Management Association

Samantha Strutt

Head of Member Development
British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association

Alex Vail

Director, Events
UK Finance

 

Venue & Hotels
Venue & Hotels
The Event is hosted by ETC Venues Monument

 

Location

8 Eastcheap
London
EC3M 1AE

Google Map

Local Hotels

If you need a hotel select from the recommended ones below

Local Hotels

Options & Fees
Options & Fees

The Conference is open to employees of Associations, Societies, Federations and other membership organisations.


Very Early Booker

Valid up to 30 April 2019: £345.00 plus VAT

Early Booker

Valid 1st - 31st May 2019: £395.00 plus VAT

Standard

Valid after 31st May 2019: £445.00 plus VAT