Inaugural SET Annual Conference “Pride in Professionalism”
Success achieved
Organising a brand-new conference, in six months, without a dedicated events team, and exceeding the income and registration targets- Website
- https://set.et-foundation.co.uk/news-events/courses-and-events/set-conference-2018/
- Project dates
- May - 7 November 2018
Project team
- Alana Horden (Operations Manager)
- Emma Cosby (Marketing Manager)
- Amber Grant (Marketing Assistant)
Tools & Systems
- Eventbrite - registrations
Introduction
The Society for Education and Training (SET) is the membership body dedicated to professionals working across further education, vocational teaching. SET was formed in 2014 with a mission to build and promote the professional status of our members, who include trainers, teachers, assessors, tutors, support staff, mentors, coaches and managers, helping them progress in their careers through wider recognition of their expertise. SET currently has over 17,000 based mainly in the UK.
In June 2017, SET membership team and the Practitioner Advisory Group (PAG - an advisory group of members) discussed the idea that SET should hold an annual conference. The PAG identified that one of the main risks associated with an annual conference was that of reputational damage if attendance is poor and/or if there is poor quality content.
Following the discussion, the PAG recommended that further research and member consultation be undertaken and that this proposal be presented to the SET Management Board at their next meeting in September. The Board endorsed this recommendation and agreed that further research be undertaken.
As part of the consultation, a survey was issued to members in November 2017. There were 10 questions covering the SET Annual Conference and 92% of respondents when asked whether a conference would be a membership benefit that should be offered, responded with Yes.
Following this consultation, the Board, in January 2018, agreed to SET holding its first ever annual conference later that year.
The Board specified that the conference should:
- Support SET in retaining existing members and attracting new members
- Offer meaningful workshops and presentations that promote new and exclusive content, ensuring that delegates come away having learnt something
- Attract high profile keynote speakers
- Allow members opportunities to network
As well as being:
- Geographically accessible
- Reasonably priced
- Held at the most appropriate time of the year (and day of the week).
Discovery
We originally consulted with our 40 strong Practitioner Advisory Group, followed by our Management Board. Following this we carried out a survey of all members to get their views.
The research with members, undertaken in November 2017, included questions on the following:
- When asked what would influence members to attend, a high percentage stated that the conference should be an affordable price (62%), provide useful CPD opportunities (59%) and an opportunity to network (34%). There were many additional comments on the location of the event, as respondents felt London was too expensive to get to and added to the cost.
- Members identified the top three reasons to attend: 82% said they wanted new ideas to use in their teaching/training role, with 66% requesting new resources and 45% stating they would like more information on using SET membership.
- There was a range of responses to the question on elements that members would like to see at a conference with 80% identifying workshops as a key component; networking sessions was again identified as a priority (53%) and a high-profile keynote speaker at 51%.
- There were many comments and suggestions on a theme for the conference, however these could be interpreted as ideas for workshops rather than an overarching theme and have been grouped into the following areas:
- Future of FE (top of list), Technical education reforms, FE Best Practice, Strengthening FE in UK system, Current teaching; new legislation
- SEND, Differentiation, Mental Health, Inclusion, Disability, Challenging behaviour
- Research, Reflective practitioner to Researcher, Theory to practice, Teaching techniques and latest research, QTLS, Professional Standards
- Some additional suggestions included using digital technology, career opportunities/development, use of SET membership, sixth form provision, motivating and empowering learners and mentoring.
- A series of questions were asked on preferences for a day, month, length, location and cost and there were a variety of responses.
- When asked about barriers to attending (more than one option could be selected) 84% identified that the cost was the highest issue, 65% reported potential issues with getting time off work and 58% stated travel costs, which was also mentioned in previous responses on location of the conference.
Objectives
The following KPIs were agreed:
- 250 delegates attending
- 80% overall satisfaction rate
- 70% of delegates to agree that the conference will have an impact on their practice
We also had to ensure we didn’t exceed a net ‘investment cost’ of £50K for the conference.
Desired outcomes from an attendee perspective:
- Attendees should be inspired
- Be professionally refreshed
- Take useful resources back to the classroom
- Collaborative networks be formed
- Development tools shared
Timeline
May
- Project plan and budget agreed
- Venue contracted
- Registration page live
June
- Comms to members
- Exhibitor stand sales begin
July
- Early booking tickets expire
- Plenary topics and breakout streams finalized
August
- Majority plenary speakers confirmed
- Majority workshop speakers confirmed
- Speakers listed online
September
- Remainder speakers confirmed
- Speaker bios and photos online
- Exhibitor stands sold out
- Conference guide/marketing collateral design work begins
October
- Final catering numbers
- Videographer/Photographer contracted
- Final comms push to members
November
- Speaker slides/content collated
- Design/AV finalized
- Ticket sales target hit
- Feedback surveys finalized/sent
SET Conference 2018 - Project Plan
Activities
We were working to a restricted timeframe and were only able to begin work on the conference in May 2018. An extensive project plan was put together covering conference content, email/communications, website, delegate management, speakers, exhibitors, AV, venue liaison, and collateral. This gantt chart and regular meetings kept the small team on track. A later 6-week ops plan was produced for the final push, covering all logistics, comms and operational tasks in much more detail.
The SET conference was member-led. We asked our Practitioner Advisory Group for volunteers to a conference steering group. This group was instrumental in guiding our team in terms of themes, content and speakers. The group was a representative of our membership body and the further sector and their advice was invaluable.
We engaged an events agency initially and terminated the contract after a matter of weeks. They were helpful assisting with sourcing a venue, but ultimately did not have the industry knowledge or contacts required to help build content or source speakers. We did employ a temp admin staff member for the 4 weeks leading up to the conference to help deal with ticket enquiries and would highly recommend this.
SET is the membership arm of the Education and Training Foundation, so we were able to utilize a network of sector-specialists to source speakers. We asked for recommendations, spoke to contributors to our membership magazine and spoke to the Chair of our Board. As speakers were secured, we promoted them on the website and on twitter, and this lead to more requests for speaking slots.
All this work was done alongside normal business, meaning the team were stretched. However, utilizing our resources and the guidance of sector experts, following a well-structured process document and increasing our capacity with a part-time staff member in the last few weeks meant this was achievable.
Innovation
- We were very creative with the way we managed our resources. We only had some external events support at the outset of the project.
- We held a bookable drop in session alongside the main conference sessions to enable interested delegates to find out more about Advanced Teacher Status.
- We set up a “My big idea for further education is…” board. At the end of the conference, we published these as part of the closing presentation.
Marketing
A dedicated logo for the SET Conference was created, using the new-look brand identity which had been launched in April 2018. This made it an ideal time to launch a significant new benefit, in the form of a national conference, to members shortly afterwards. The logo was utilized in all communications – email, social media, conference guide, on-site branding and on-line advertising.
A half-price ‘early bird’ offer was launched to SET members in June 2018 via email and social media, with a deadline of 31 July. This resulted in excellent early ticket sales, which supported our recruitment message to exhibitors committing to a brand-new conference.
As was predicted, sales plateaued in August, as our target audience would be away, and we implemented a ‘six weeks to go’ campaign in mid-September to boost late sales. In addition to messages out via digital channels and via sector media, namely TES and FEWeek, we focused on enlisting the support of the following groups:
- Key FE influencers, some of whom were speakers at the conference, on social media, retweeting the message
- Targeted email campaign aimed at training providers and colleges within 30 miles of the venue
- Call out to engaged groups with SET, including QTLS and ATS ambassadors, Local Network Group leaders and PAG members
- Teacher educators at Universities and Colleges to encourage trainee teachers to attend
Challenges
The team were very stretched for time and resource. Work for the conference only began in May, giving us a 6-month window to plan and execute. The SET team was also new to the membership body and to the sector.
This was not only the first ever SET conference, but the first ever conference specifically for teachers and trainers in the FE Sector. Not only did we not have any templates or figures to go on, we were unsure of the impact or popularity of the conference.
Achievements
Opening session, SET Conference
We exceeded all of our targets! In summary:
- We had 309 registrations. The target was 250 so we achieved 59 more bookings (24% increase)
- We had a 95% satisfaction rating. The target was 80%. Within the 95%, 49% of delegates said ‘very’ satisfied.
- 89% agreed that the conference will have a positive impact on their professional development. The target was 70% and within the 89%, 54% said it will ‘strongly’ have a positive impact.
- We also managed to run the conference under our original budget, so the net investment cost was £40K rather than £50K
It is a significant achievement that we managed to deliver such a successful conference almost entirely by using our own resources and engaging with a small group of members who helped with ideas for the programme.
Targets & Statistics
We had a total of 309 registrations exceeding our target of 250 by 24%.
The registrations were made up of:
- 252 from delegates
- 17 from sponsors and exhibitors
- 30 from speakers
- 10 from staff
As this was our first annual conference we don’t have any comparative data.
During and immediately after the conference, we saw a significant engagement increase on our social media channels:
- 642 mentions of hashtag Twitter #SETCONF18 - 335 tweets and 329 retweets
- potential reach of 354k
- 143 tweeters
- 83 new Twitter followers (normal average of 20)
Facebook:
- 188 engaged users (compared to an average of 79 for the previous month)
- 1560 organic reach (compared to an average of 594 for the month)
- 414 daily viral reach (compared to an average of 116 for the month)
- 10788 daily impressions (compared to ave. of 3340 for the month)
- 10739 organic impressions (compared to ave. of 358 for the month)
- 662 daily viral impressions (compared to ave. of 176 for the month)
Financials
We originally set a budget of £50K for the conference. This was a net figure so, we could have a higher expenditure budget as long as we delivered income to offset the difference.
The total cost of the conference was: £58K incl VAT
The total income from the conference was £18.5K
The income was made up of £7.5K from sponsors and exhibitors and £11K from delegate ticket sales. For the tickets the vast majority were sold at £49 which was an offer for our members (the standard cost for the conference was £99). A few free tickets were allocated to some new teaching students as way of showcasing the benefits of professionalism and professional body membership.
This resulted in an investment cost of £39.5K, which was £10.5K lower than the agreed £50K cost.
What would we do differently?
We invited student members to the conference for a reduced ticket price; however the content wasn’t as relevant for them as it was for practitioners so their feedback was less positive. If we were to invite student members again, we should include speakers and workshops specifically for them.
Advice
Utilize your membership and your networks. An agency may not be the best way forward but ensure you have planned your resource properly. And send your feedback questions as soon as possible!
Feedback & Testimonials
"Excellent day providing a clear focus for the future. It is clear to me that they should be a more joined-up approach in Education and Training throughout Secondary Education, FE and HE, if we wish to secure a strong workforce of the future across all the sectors."
"My experience of the First SET Conference was extremely positive and encouraging, in an intellectually stimulating environment. We need more such opportunities to shout out and cry about how FE changes lives - to experience the narratives behind the numbers - and take pride in our professionalism. The time keeping throughout was impeccable, the structure was engaging, and the talks/sessions were current and relevant to the practice in the sector. The Conference was a testimony to professionalism - I look forward to the next one."
"Great venue, excellent speakers. Really motivating to be part of a community like that - hadn't realized how powerful this could be."
"Really great event that was worth standing all the way on an overcrowded train to Birmingham for (there and back!). I felt really inspired and valued as a professional for the first time in a long time. I do feel as though my skills and knowledge had improved as a result of attending."
"A fantastic day which inspired and re-motivated me to go back to work and try some of the things I had experienced."
"A really insightful and positive day, sharing thoughts and practice with a variety of colleagues from across the sector."
"I enjoyed having time to engage in interesting and thoughtful discussions with colleagues from other organisations. I particularly enjoyed the main talks and I have some interesting stats from the wellbeing presentation which I will be sharing with leaders at my organisation."
"Enjoyed the key notes, enjoyed the breakout sessions (but wished I could’ve done more!), enjoyed the networking opportunities, love my bag of goodies, even loved the food."
"I though the conference was a brilliant idea from SET. As the team leader of an educational project I never knew about the CPD opportunities out there and it was hard to find a conference that fitted what we do here as a training provider in quite a unique field."
"It was a very informative and enjoyable day, packed with inspirational discussions and talks, and excellently organised."
"It was a great conference and far better than many other conferences for teachers that I have attended."
"The event was very well organised and went smoothly thanks to the hard work of all involved."
Wider impact
As the conference was only held recently we haven’t yet had the full impact but already we have see
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A significant increase in social media
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Several follow up requests for visits and presentations. For example, our CEO was approached by a Colonel from the Commandant of the Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering about we can help their staff to raise their professional skills
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During times of severe funding pressures within Colleges in particular the conference has generated an amazing feeling of pride within practitioners (teachers and trainers) within the post 16 education sector. This was witnessed during the day where the feeling of togetherness and positivity shone through, and also evidenced through some of the feedback we have received from our members. This has included many, many testimonials, some of which are shown below.
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An immediate decision to run our second conference in 2019
