Nearly 2,400 financial professionals attended this week’s Personal Finance Society’s two-day Festival of Financial Planning – the biggest event of its kind this year.
The event at the NEC in Birmingham attracted 2,133 on its first day followed by 1,924 on the second day, with many attendees going to both days.
The total number of people who attended over the two days was 2,348.
The PFS, the professional body for Chartered Financial Planners, has hailed the event as a “fantastic experience.”
The event included keynote speakers such as paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, multiple learning streams and dozens of expert keynote speakers. There was also a large exhibition area featuring nearly 80 exhibitors.
The event took place against a colourful festival backdrop which featured live music from ‘Consumer Duty’ – an enthusiastic and entertaining rock band including leading Financial Planners and financial professionals, and a Festival TV channel with Martin Bamford. The central area featured a giant rainbow ‘tent’ with an artificial lawn, stilt walkers and entertainers.
The aim was to celebrate the best of Financial Planning.
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The festival was last held in 2017 and postponed during the pandemic. There is no word yet from the PFS on when the event will be held again.
Caroline Stuart, the newly-elected President of the Personal Finance Society, said: “It has been a fantastic experience to be back at the Festival of Financial Planning after five years.
“Catching up with old friends, fellow professionals and hearing stories of planners helping their clients has made it two days to remember. I am sure that the more than two thousand attendees have made connections and started conversations that will carry on for months and years to come.
“It has been a particular honour to be here as President of the PFS and hear about how we as Financial Planning professionals can best make the case for our profession and understanding members’ priorities going forward.”
Don MacIntyre, interim CEO of the Personal Finance Society, said: “This was my first Festival of Financial Planning, as I am sure it was for many others, and it has been great to see so many of our members getting together, reconnecting and sharing experiences and best practice.
“I have met and spoken with members from all different areas of the profession, which has been an invaluable learning experience for me to better understand the services they deliver to clients, what their professional priorities are and what they want from their PFS. I have many positive additions to my to do list thanks to the engagement and contributions of members at the festival. I look forward to continuing that engagement at upcoming regional and other events.”
The event was held this year on Tuesday 1 November and Wednesday 2 November.
Speakers included Therese Chambers of the FCA, Justin Urquhart Stewart, co-founder of 7IM, Nick Eatock of Intelliflo, Gretchen Betts of Magenta Financial Planning, Chris Budd of the Institute of Financial Wellbeing, leading Financial Planner Amyr Rocha Lima and business consultant Brett Davidson.
Topics covered in the sessions included fintech, later life planning, leadership, consumer duty, productivity, marketing, ESG, business growth, trusts, team building and retirement planning sessions.
The event is expected to provide 11 hours of CPD over the two days.
The event’s hashtag was: #PFSFestival
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