IFP Conference, Day 1

Jeremy reports from the Institute of Financial Planning annual conference at Celtic Manor, near Cardiff. Jeremy is there both as a Certified Financial Planner looking for technical updates, ideas and people who can help to develop Planning for Life and its services, and as a Member of the IFP Board and Conference Committee responsible for organising the conference.


This was always going to be a difficult year to organise a conference, and we had tough decisions to make at the beginning of the year. To secure Celtic Manor required a significant deposit at a time when we could not be certain we would get the number of delegates, exhibitors and sponsors we needed to break even. However, the venue, the programme, the speakers and an improving economic climate have all helped to bring in the numbers, and although we have slightly fewer delegates this year, we are more than happy with the final roll call of over 300 delegates and over 50 exhibitors / sponsors.

We decided on a sporting theme this year - Fit for the Future - the future being 2012, the London Olympics of course, but also the implementation date for the Retail Distribution Review. This is the FSA’s massive project to “sort out” the way financial products are sold to consumers and which will have a huge impact on the financial services industry, indeed is already having an impact.

Although the conference did not officially start until 4.00 most delegates were here from mid morning, taking the chance to sit in on a number of fringe meetings ranging from a discussion on life planning to technical sessions on pensions, tax and investment. I joined the panel for the well attended life planning meeting organised by Tina Weeks and we had a lively discussion about life planning. I believe we inspired many who were interested in moving in this direction, as well as showing that there are almost as many different ways of “doing” life planning as there are life planning practitioners.

The conference proper started with an orientation session aimed mainly at first time delegates and new members. This was followed by the AGM and the welcome evening held in the exhibition hall, a chance to mingle with delegates and exhibitors over food and wine, a conversation which moved into the bar after the exhibition hall closed at which point life became a little hazy.

I was delighted to hear at the AGM that I had been re-elected to the Board for a second three year term. My thanks to all those members who voted for me and I look forward to serving the membership to the best of my ability in the run up to 2012, and in what Justin “Scum” Urquhart Stewart described as a once in a generation opportunity to radically change financial services for the better.