Best Association Event
British Insurance Brokers’ Association, The BIBA Conference
The BIBA Conference is a two-day event held every May which is now in its 45th year. It has grown exponentially to become the largest insurance broking event in the UK and one of the biggest broking conferences and exhibitions in the world. We have held the event at Manchester Central Convention Centre since 2014. We have a full conference agenda of Keynotes, Seminars and Fringe sessions in the Auditorium and breakout rooms, Exhibition covering the full 10,000 square metres of Central Halls 1&2, and exhibitor hosted meeting rooms.
During the pandemic, we sadly had to cancel our 2020 Conference and pursued a digital event in 2021.Therefore the stakes were high last year to deliver our first in-person conference for 3 years and it was a record-breaking success with more exhibitors and sponsors than our 2019 Conference, and over 8000 registered attendees! Our theme for The BIBA Conference 2022 was Our Insurance Community, and we set out to reunite the industry after the pandemic. The buzz in the venue was electric. As a membership association, it’s important we support our members and give them unrivalled access to industry experts, knowledge, networking opportunities and member benefits they cannot get elsewhere.
British Society of Soil Science and the SEC, The World Congress of Soil Science 2022 – ‘Crossing Boundaries, Changing Society’
Between 31st July – 5th August 2022, the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science took place at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, signalling a historic move, and marking the first time it had returned to the UK since 1935.
It was the role of the British Society of Soil Science, as the local association, to organise the congress, ‘Soil Science – Crossing Boundaries, Changing Society’, which would bring together 1,700 soil enthusiasts from around the world and set the scene for vital knowledge sharing between industry-leading academics and practitioners.
One of the key objectives of the meeting was to push the boundaries of sustainable event design. Soil plays a significant role in ecological sustainability and the event took place shortly after the IPCC report issued a ‘code red’ for climate change, and just six months after the Conference of Parties (COP26) event.
CIPD, CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition 2022
The CIPD’s audience of human resources (HR), learning and development and organisational design and development professionals face constant challenges in the ever-changing world of work. Our Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) is an essential date in the diary for our community to debate, share and learn to help businesses grow and make positive societal impact through work.
We’ve been innovating since our first hybrid ACE and took 2022 to a new level for our audience; people perfectly positioned to influence work and working lives for good. The hybrid format supported our accessibility goal to make content available to all customers.
We improved the functionality of the platform for Q&A, polling / surveys and introduced new features to ensure that delegates everywhere could engage with all areas of the show. We increased the number of virtual speakers and panellists which meant we were able to have more international speakers – this had been difficult historically, due to geographical barriers.
We introduced new formats which increase audience participation and encouraged shared learning. Customers reported that our event was “inspiring”, “insightful”, “informative” and “interesting”. Sponsors gave us excellent satisfaction ratings and exhibitors rebooked at our highest rate ever.
MA Exhibitions, TCCA Critical Communications World
Critical Communications World is The Critical Communication Association’s (TCCA’s) flagship event, organised by MA Exhibitions. TCCA promotes the use of critical communications for public safety.
The annual event covers mission-critical communications, 5G, cybersecurity and public safety communications with over 100 exhibitors showcasing the latest in technology and innovation.
CCW moves annually, which creates opportunities as well as challenges in attracting regional attendees. CCW 2022 took place in Vienna 21-23 June, and not only had a 25% increase in visitors but the quality of those visitors was testament to a creative marketing campaign. An exciting area of growth for the event is the Government Authorities Global Village (GAGV), which provides a unique opportunity for national governments to collaborate on their respective public safety programmes. The number of countries taking part almost doubled in 2022 (only its second year), from 10 to 18, illustrating just how important this feature is regarded in terms of international, mutual co-operation. New areas for sponsors to connect with buyers resulted in a very successful onsite rebook with over 70% confirming attendance for 2023. This industry-defining show, coupled with cutting-edge content has established CCW as the FOMO event for the industry.
National Housing Federation, Housing Finance Conference and Exhibition
Our ambition for the Housing Finance Conference and Exhibition is to bring together finance professionals from the housing sector, strengthen their connections and equip them with the knowledge they need to thrive.
We have always taken a collaborative approach to organising the conference and 2022 was no different. We worked closely with our advisory board of members across the country, past delegates, speakers, exhibitors, the venue, and Culture Liverpool.
Since the pandemic the event has evolved, making use of video technology and an event management app to widen participation, improve accessibility and make it easier for delegates to find the information they need.
The conference exceeded its measurements of success with a 98% audience satisfaction rate and onsite attendance of 1,300, matching pre-pandemic numbers. Delegates were thrilled to be reunited after a two year hiatus. The fantastic atmosphere and attendance made 2022 one of our best conferences yet.
As one of our delegates said:
“It was a fantastic conference this year. It was so good to be back, and it was great to catch up with people in my network face to face again. The venue is great, and Liverpool is a fab city!” – Chief Financial Officer, Octavia
National Residential Landlords Association, The Landlord Conference 2022
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) held its inaugural national conference on November 15th, 2022, welcoming more than 600 delegates, speakers, and exhibitors to Coventry Arena.
The Landlord Conference, unique in the sector, aimed to bring NRLA members and other property professionals together, with a programme of expert speakers and panel discussions covering hot topics including mortgages, legislation, energy efficiency, and compliance.
Speakers included newly appointed housing minister Felicity Buchan, who used the event to deliver her first speech in the role, as well as answering audience questions, in what was a huge coup for the association.
The conference was designed to support landlords at a particularly challenging time, with political and economic uncertainty, soaring interest rates and new legislative proposals all casting a shadow over the sector.
Tickets for the event sold out a week ahead of the conference, more than 50% above target, with the venue filled to capacity on the day and sponsorship packages and exhibition stands also selling out.
The conference had a fantastic atmosphere and exceeded targets in terms of both profits and satisfaction levels, with a new date and larger venue already secured for the 2023 event.
Royal College of Physicians, Medicine 2022
Medicine 2022 was a fantastic opportunity for healthcare professionals across the globe to come together to learn and reconnect after the pandemic.
We are delighted to have achieved all three of our aims.
The programme provided the latest medical updates and featured key leaders and decision makers.
The conference showcased all that the RCP has to offer – high-quality education and a community of likeminded, friendly physicians.
We achieved record attendee numbers and income from sponsorship and delegates fees.
Most importantly, the feedback from delegates, speakers and sponsors echoed the success of the event.
“A fantastic and highly educational event, for any physician. Lots of food for thought. I enjoyed feeling part of the college!”
