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01st December 2015

http://www.conference-news.co.uk/2015/12/atlantic-rower-rachel-smith-to-speak-at-abpco-agm/

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World champion and Atlantic rower Rachel Smith to join ABPCO for

AGM

Theodore Koumelis - 01 December 2015, 09:55

ABPCO is the UK’s leading organisation for professional conference and event organisers, industry

associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in the conference and meetings industry.

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) is holding its next AGM

at the ICC Birmingham on Friday 5th February 2016 with Dragon Boat world champion and Atlantic

rower Rachel Smith as the special guest speaker.

A networking session will begin the day followed by a review of 2015, the results of the ABPCO board

elections and a detailed look at the business plan for 2016 including ABPCO’s focus on hot industry

topics such as the Living Wage.

BBC Midlands Today presenter Mary Rhodes will join Living Wage Foundation director Sarah Vero to

discuss the campaign before Mark Riches and Sarah Wright take to the floor to talk about the new

Trailblazer apprenticeship standard in events management.

Following lunch, Rachel Smith, who broke records rowing across the Atlantic in 2008, will share her

insights into challenging yourself to do the extraordinary both in business and in personal life.

“The AGM is shaping up to be an outstanding event with interesting sessions and a superb guest

speaker,” comments Nicole Leida, joint-chair of ABPCO. “2015 has been a successful year for ABPCO

and the AGM will give us the opportunity to celebrate but it’s also a chance to look towards the future.

Our dedicated sessions will make for interesting discussion amongst attendees but Rachel Smith will

certainly open a few eyes when it comes to the challenges she has faced. We’re all looking forward to

what should be a fantastic day at ICC Birmingham.”

As the networking dinners have proved so popular there will also be a social dinner held at Austin Court

on Thursday 4th December.

ABPCO is the UK’s leading organisation for professional conference and event organisers, industry

associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in the conference and meetings industry.

01 December 2015, 10:39

01 December 2015, 10:36

01 December 2015, 10:23

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ABPCO association director Heather Lishman

An educational session is being held to demonstrate how the living

wage can work in the events industry.

Co-hosted by the Association of British Professional Conference

Organisers (ABPCO) and M&IT, the engagement session will feature

presentations from Living Wage accredited businesses, as well as a

Q&A and a chance for networking.

It will be the second event to take place as part of M&IT and ABPCO's

joint Living Wage for Live Events campaign, after a round table

discussion held at Church House Conference Centre in October.

ABPCO association director Heather Lishman said: "Following on from

the discussion we had in October, we realised there was some

confusion in the market place as to what Living Wage accredited

actually means, what the benefits are and how you can go about

becoming accredited.

"We agreed to put on an education session that shares best practice

with plenty of opportunity for discussion and some time for networking.

"We understand there are sceptics within the industry and that there

will be challenges in introducing the Living Wage, and so we hope to

show businesses where the living wage has tangible benefits."

The educational session will take place at KPMG headquarters at

Canary Wharf on 26 February from 2-4pm.

For more information and to register to attend, visit the ABPCO

website here. If you'd like to present at the session email

heatherlishman@abpco.org.

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Email the editor

Living proof for the Living

Wage

Living Wage accredited businesses to present at engagement

session, organised by M&IT and ABPCO

14/12/2015

What's your view on this? Post your comments here:

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2 of 3 17/12/2015 11:49

Virtual Fam Trip

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Editor's Blog

Back to Blogs

04/12/2015

Clear out the clutter

To get the most of the government’s renewed engagement with the events

industry, we have been asked to speak with one voice. That’s why the

Department of Culture, Media and Sport has started to assemble its

representative board, made up of industry figures invited to help shape the

future of the sector.

And that’s a starting point at least, because at present there is a huge

amount of background noise. Upon entering this industry, I was handed a

list of acronyms to memorise; the majority of which were industry

associations, formed to aid professional development and knowledge

sharing. From MPI to ISES and ABPCO via PCMA, EVCOM, MIA and

EMA, all have worthy aims for their members.

But with conservative estimates reckoning on there being around 30

associations, there is a school of thought that the message has become too

diluted. A leading figure from one association confided this week that a

consolidation has to take place and the possibility of alliances between

these membership organisations has been mooted.

Whether they will get round the table to discuss further mergers remains

another matter – the marriage of Eventia and the International Visual

Communications Association to create EVCOM has not been the smoothest

of mergers, with both sides complaining that the other has a perceived

greater influence.

It’s the subtle differences between each of these memberships that make

further mergers a difficult prospect. How does the cool and edgy feel of

ISES events stack up against the education-driven MPI offerings? EVCOM

claims to be attracting more corporate members than ever before, but how

do corporates who prefer the dedicated in-house only networking and

education content of the EMA feel about EVCOM’s ‘visual communications’

slant?

With all this in the background, the government’s representative board

should prepare to clear its throat to be heard above the din.

Post comment

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2 of 6 09/12/2015 13:29

Business Quarter online

7th December 2015

http://www.bqlive.co.uk/2015/12/07/newcastlegateshead-takes-conference-gold/

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Home News Awards NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, Diabetes UK, Opening Doors & Venues and SECC Glasgow, win at ABPCO Excellence Awards

Category: Awards Created on Monday, 07 December 2015 11:45

The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) held its annual Excellence Awards on Friday hosted by members, The

Brighton Centre.

The Awards are a key part of the Chairmen’s Lunch, which brings together ABPCO members from both the supply and demand side of the industry.

The winners were:

• Best conference by an in-house conference organiser.– Diabetes UK

• Best conference by an agency conference organiser– Opening Doors & Venues

• Best industry partnership– NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau

• Special Chairmen’s Award – SECC Glasgow

“The winners should hold their heads high because the shortlist this year was of exceptional quality,” commented ABPCO Joint-Chair, Caroline Windsor. “To be a finalist for

any one of the categories is a real acknowledgement of excellence but to be voted winners by your fellow peers is something quite special - the Excellence Awards continues

to be a fine example of how fantastic the industry really is. Congratulations to all our finalists, the worthy winners and of course to our fantastic hosts at The Brighton Centre”

The Excellence Awards, now in its second year, celebrates the very best the industry has to offer. A shortlist was drawn up by a team of industry experts with the finalists

sharing a five minute presentation of their submission as a case study at the awards lunch. Voting then took place amongst peers following those presentations and lunch at

The Brighton Centre.

“On behalf of the entire team at the SECC, we are genuinely thrilled to have won the Chairmen’s Award,” comments Kathleen Warden, Director of Conference Sales at the

Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre. “We’d also like to congratulate all of the other winners in the ABPCO Excellence Awards and all those that were nominated. These

awards are testament to the partnerships we have developed with the PCO community over the years, and we would like to thank the ABPCO board and their members for

recognising the work that we do in continuing to innovate and move our industry forward. Thank you; it’s a true honour.”

As well as the Chairmen’s Lunch and the Excellence Awards, ABPCO arranged an industry dinner on the previous evening at The Old Ship with a tour of Brighton itself the

morning after. The tour offered delegates the opportunity to ‘get under the skin’ of the city before a series of microforums, held at The Brighton Centre, with partners

including Shocklogic, Hiscox, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Eventsforce and Cvent

ABPCO is the UK’s leading organisation for professional conference and event organisers, industry associates and those studying for, or seeking a career in the conference

and meetings industry.

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NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau, Diabetes UK, Opening Doors & Venues and SECCGlasgow, win at ABPCO Excellence Awards

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