The Festival of Learning 2024 – Fit for the Future

“Fit for the Future – the ABPCO Festival of Learning, SEC Glasgow 29-30th April

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers, (ABPCO) is the UK’s leading professional body for association conference and not-for-profit event organisations. We are excited to announce that our flagship Festival of Learning event is returning in 2024 and it will be taking place in person from Monday 29 to Tuesday 30 April 2024.

The Festival of Learning brings the association events industry together and provides opportunities for sharing, learning and collaboration. After unprecedented change in our industry its more important now than ever that we come together to support each other and the theme of ‘Fit for the Future’ reflects that.”

The Festival of Learning will be attended by over 100 leading PCOs in the UK and a range of industry partners. Sessions include:

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.
Event Power – A Force for Good. This interactive session with key industry leaders will promote discussion and debate and takes a deep dive into how the wider impact of events reaches beyond the financial margins.
The winning combination: Balancing technology with Human Expertise in Events led by Cvent and Sammy Connell from the NASUWT
Adapting for the future with limited resources – Join the team from the EICC and Jai Mistry, MICE organiser as they look at how conferences can actively contribute to the UN SDGs.
Tips & Hacks: Embracing Public Speaking – using science, understanding, wellness and some neat tricks Cally Willoughby-Ward, Chatty Penguin shares her knowledge.
Cultivating Success: The transformative impact of mentoring – an informal panel discussion with Sarah Vaughan, CITMA, Sammy Connell, NASUWT, Rebecca Towell, Full Circle and Cally Willoughby-Ward, Chatty Penguin
Avoid the pitfalls and dodge the disasters – stay future fit by minimising risk with Emma Robson, Alzheimer’s Research, Martin Linfield, James Hallam, Leanne Bladen, Eastside Rooms and Adam Baggs, SoaringWW
Accessibility will be one of the major trends for 2024. Next to AI and Authenticity it is the third ‘A’. Join Jo Powel, Macmillan Cancer Research and a panel of experts to discuss how we understand and adapt to intellectual accessibility.
We would like to thank the SEC and Glasgow Convention Bureau in their support of this event. Also GES, Harrogate Convention Centre and Aberdeen Convention Bureau and Brightelm,for their support of our lunch, refreshments, networking and event tech.

We also have some student places available – thanks to the sponsorship of ACC Liverpool.