Time

Activity

14.30-17.00

ABPCO exec meeting and strategy session - SEC.  Room M1

15.00-16.30

Invisible Cities local guided walk.  Meet at the Crowne Plaza lobby in time to leave at 3pm.

17.30-18.00

Showround opportunity at the SEC - meet inside the front door.

18.15-18.45

New members and first-time attendees networking in the Argyll Foyer at the Crowne Plaza hosted by Glasgow Convention Bureau

18.50

All attendees meet at the Crowne Plaza reception to walk together to the Glasgow Science Centre

19.00- 19.45

Arrival drinks and an informal supper hosted by Glasgow Convention Bureau

19.45-20.15

Fireside session

Cultivating Success: The transformative impact of mentoring

Cally Willoughby-Ward, Chatty Penguin

Sammy Connell, NASUWT

Sarah Vaughan, CITMA

Rebecca Towell, Full Circle

The speakers will explore how mentoring is not only integral to being successful in your role but also a valuable investment in the future of our industry.

20.15-21.00

Networking and an opportunity to attend a short Planetarium show.

21.00

Walk back to the hotels.  No formal arrangements from this point.

Time

Sessions

7.30am

5k run leaving from the front of the Hydro

Or 7.00 - 7.40

Yoga session - this will take place in Gala Foyer, access through the front doors of the SEC Armadillo.

09.15-09.45

Coffee, registration and networking, with sponsor and partner exhibition stands.

09.45-09.50

Chairs welcome – Emma Duffy and Sarah Byrne

09.50-10.00

Glasgow/SEC welcome

10.00-10.40

Event Power – a force for good

Danielle Bounds, ICC Wales

Kerrin MacPhie, MIA

Martin Fullard, Davies Tanner

Emma Duffy, RCPCH

This interactive session with key industry leaders who will promote discussion and debate and takes a deep dive into how the wider impact of events reaches beyond the financial margins.  By exploring these diverse and often overlooked benefits how can we realistically unleash the true value that events bring to our society and economy and how can we leverage this compelling evidence to position our industry higher up the political agenda?

10.40-10.50

Results of our impact survey

10.50-11.20

Coffee and networking – with sponsor exhibition stands

11.20-11.50

The winning Combination: balancing Technology & Human Expertise in Events

Jake Dennett, Cvent

Sammy Connell NASUWT

Adam Baggs, Soaring Worldwide

With event teams at associations having to do more with less, finding ways to be more efficient is critical.  Technology can automate processes, giving teams more time to focus on strategy, creativity and community building.  But where should we draw the line between technology and human involvement?

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the role of technology in association events, and learn how your association can leverage technology to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

11.55-12.25

Tips and Hacks:  Presenting and Public speaking. 

Cally Willoughby-Ward, Chatty Penguin

If you feel nervous or scared about giving a speech, presenting to new clients or known colleagues, or being on stage, you’re not alone.

Using science, understanding, wellness and some neat tricks honed over many years and used by professional sports people and public personalities, it’s possible to get you from presentation panic to delivering an engaging talk, and in some cases, even enjoy it!

12.25-12.30

Chef update re the food at the SEC

12.30-13.20

Lunch and networking and showrounds

13.20-13.30

(optional)

Dissertation discussion on the utilization of content creators to support event digital marketing.

Scott McKillop – Edinburgh Napier University

Student update –– learn the findings of Scott’s dissertation on the use of influencers in the events industry.

13.35-14.05

Adapting to the future with limited resources – the BEST example

Workshop led by

Elaine Miller of EICC

Jai Mistry of MICE Organiser Ltd

Edinburgh event professionals launched an innovative new tool to measure the contribution and impact conferences bring to the city and the wider community.

Business Events Shaping Tomorrow (BEST), is a free and easy to use tool, designed to support event organisers in ensuring their conferences actively contribute to the UN’s SDGs of Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production and Partnership for the Goals.

For the session each table will have a different conference and different UN SDG to work on to come up with an idea for impact from the conference with limited resources as in the case of BEST. Teams will also have to think about how to measure the impact from their conference.

14.10-14.40

'Putting Together an Accessibility-Led Event' - Accessibility will be one of the major trends for 2024.  Next to AI and Authenticity it is the third ‘A’.  

Jo Powel, Macmillan CancerSupport and a panel of experts.

There are 16 million disabled people in the UK, 23% of working age adults are disabled and 45% of pension age adults are disabled. Also according to data, 70-80% of disabilities are invisible. The fact of the matter is, event organisers, more than ever, need to have a better understanding of their delegate accessibility needs and deliver events which meet these needs.

In this session, Jo Powel from Macmillan Cancer Support will be joined by a panel of experts each trying new things in this space to explore how associations can organise more inclusive and accessible events. 

Key learner outcomes:

• Hear about best practice for organising accessible events
• How you can understand and better cater to all delegates needs
• See the issue through the event organisers eyes

Speakers

• Jo Powel, Macmillan
• Lizzy Eaton, Oddity Events
• Nicola Underhill, Hilton Birmingham Metropole
• Heledd Williams, Meet In Wales

14.45-15.15

Avoid the pitfalls and dodge the disasters – stay future fit by minimising risk

Lee Morgan-Jones, James Hallam

Leanne Bladen, The Eastside Rooms

Adam Baggs, Soaring Worldwide

Emma Robson, Alzheimer's Research UK

To succeed we must often take risks – but when and how much?  This workshop will examine not just the risks inherent in Association events but also the tools available to maximise impact, whilst minimising the risk.

The panellists will discuss potential risks for PCOs from court action and media crises to cyber-crime and natural disasters before suggesting, recommending and highlighting steps that could be taken to mitigate such risks. 

The remainder of the workshop will see attendees work together as small teams devising solutions to real life crisis scenarios that have happened to the panellists and their peers.  

15.15-15.30

Comfort break and grab a coffee

15.30-16.20

Unlocking a future of heightened productivity and reduced stress

Dr Tharaka Gunarathne ‘Dr T’ , a TV psychiatrist and expert on motivation and mental health, challenges us to unlock a future of heightened productivity and reduced stress with cutting-edge brain science tips designed for event managers.  Elevate your skills, amplify your success, and embrace a future fit for unparallelled event management excellence.

16.20 – 16.30

Closing remarks from the Chairs