ESSA has announced details of its 2023 annual conference. The theme is around how we harness change to our advantage by actively shaping change in our lives, businesses and the industry in which we operate.
Taking place on 30 November 2023 at The Warwick Conferences, Coventry in conjunction with headline sponsors BeMatrix and Abraxys Global, the theme of this year's conference is around how we harness change to our advantage by actively shaping change in our lives, businesses and the industry in which we operate.
ESSA’s primary focus during the past year has been its commitment to driving positive change which has involved leading and representing on more topics than ever before to represent suppliers’ best interests.
Continuing this theme, ESSA’s 2023 Conference will delve into how change allows us to explore new things and learn from different experiences which can be empowering on a personal and professional level. This one-day event will feature engaging speakers, informative panel sessions and collaborative member-to-member workshops. In addition, the conference also aims to offer invaluable perspectives on how ESSA will continue to spearhead change for good and will invite attendees to get actively involved in association decision making throughout the day.
This year’s opening keynote address is from author, coach and expert in organisational culture change, Alex Barker. Her book, How to: Be More Pirate dives into how to effectively rewrite ‘the rules’, challenging companies to think differently in order to continually shape how they operate and take more calculated risks.
Closing the conference is Amar Lafif OBE, entrepreneur, adventurer and television presenter with an astonishing track record of facing up to major challenges. During his humorous and engaging talk, he will take the audience on a truly inspirational, motivational and touching journey that documents his incredible exploits to show how loss can be turned into achievement.
Following last year’s success, in addition to the conference ESSA will also host its second sales stream workshop, ‘Selling with Standards’. Targeted at event sales professionals and commercial teams, these thought-provoking sessions with a series of guest presenters and peer-to-peer workshop will focus on understanding sustainability from a sales perspective.
ESSA director, Andrew Harrison, said: “Change is inevitable, so the important thing is to manage it in a positive way. Change helps propel us forward, even if that means temporarily placing ourselves in situations outside of our knowledge pool and comfort zone, and embracing change nurtures confidence, so the situation will inevitably become easier to handle over time through experience. It is vital that businesses see the potential in new opportunities that come with change to keep up with ever evolving expectations and to thrive. Our objective is that this conference will provide members with the inspiration to embrace change for the greater good of themselves, their businesses and ultimately the industry.”
Following the conference, the 2023 Annual ESSA Awards Dinner will host the most categories ever seen in recognition of the broad spectrum of excellence seen across the thriving events industry. This year, nominations are open for an incredible 14 categories - seven of which are new for 2023 – to honour teams and individuals and teams who have demonstrated exceptional work during the past 12 months. Free to enter, every ESSA member is eligible to submit an entry. Full details and application forms can be found here.
The ESSA 2023 Conference, Dinner and Awards is open to all in the events industry. Full ESSA members receive two complimentary tickets to the conference, dinner & awards*. Tickets start from £90 plus VAT. For further information and to register your attendance, click here**
*Additional tickets are required for three or more attendees from the same ESSA member company.
**Separate registrations are required for the daytime conference and evening awards dinner event.
