IFP conference next week 'will be the best ever'
The Institute of Financial Planning's chief executive is predicting next week's annual conference will be the best one ever to be held.
With excitement building about the biggest Financial Planning event in the country, Steve Gazzard CFPCM, said he was delighted with the speakers and events organised for the three days at Celtic Manor in Wales.
The theme for this year is 'keep it real' with the aim to be providing tangible ideas that can be taken away to be used in daily business practice.
The organising committee has made a number of changes this year, including making the awards ceremony part of the Tuesday night gala.
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Partnership's chief executive Steve Groves will be a Key Note speaker, discussing the impact on retirement planning beyond April 2015.
Mr Gazzard said: "We've got an exceptional programme lined up and I'm confident that this year's conference will be our best one ever.
"Our theme of 'keep it real' really sums up what this fantastic event is all about.
"It gives us the perfect opportunity to have open and honest debates and to focus on what's really important to clients and prospective clients as well as to the hundreds of Financial Planning professionals who will be attending."
A new lunchtime feature on Tuesday is called meet the experts.
Cedric Bucher, head of business development at Architas, said: "The meet the expert sessions will cover a variety of topical issues from asset allocation and portfolio building to communication in a digital age and finally the difficult subject of choosing the right platform for your business. "We are delighted to be part of such distinguished panels and look forward to a lively debate with Financial Planners and Paraplanners on these key issues."
Chris Williams CFPCM chief executive of Wealth Horizon said: "I always look forward to the IFP conference as it provides a number of tangible and intangible benefits.
"There's always a strong line-up of speakers and workshops and it's a fantastic opportunity to listen, challenge and debate some of the most topical issues and opportunities across the profession.
"The breadth of topics and content ensures that there's always something to learn.
"Perhaps the most exciting part of the conference though is the delegates themselves.
"A chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones – it's very rare to have so many luminaries of the profession and exciting new talent in one place and the conversations over lunch, dinner and dare I say drinks are my greatest pleasure.
Natalie Hyett, national account manager at Partnership said: "We're delighted to be supporting the 2014 IFP conference. Events like this are key to the development of our profession and given this year's budget announcements, advice around retirement is in the spotlight."
The IFP events and conference committee is made up of IFP's Katherine Morgans, plus Financial Planners Tina Weeks, Dennis Hall, Mark Cherrill, Damien Rylett and conference chairman Mike Macleod.
• Don't miss our daily news coverage of the conference starting on Monday plus frequent news alerts via Twitter @fpm_online to keep you updated on all the conference news and keynote speeches. Watch out too for our special issue of Financial Planner magazine in mid-October featuring comprehensive conference coverage and an extended picture gallery.