The annual PA Forum Learning & Development Conference is BACK and we cannot wait to welcome you for a fantastic day of learning, sharing and celebrating the Executive and Business Support community being back in one room!

We have a great lineup of inspirational and motivational speakers who are really excited and very much looking forward to meeting you.

For anyone who might like to or feel more comfortable joining us virtually, we will be offering you the chance to log in for a selection of sessions throughout the day, to enjoy from your desktop!

Joining us on the Main Stage this year will be:

Lucy Brazier OBE, CEO of Marcham Publishing, Publisher of Executive Support Magazine.

Simone White, Global Chair, Global Administrative Initiative Network.

Marc Amerigo, Entrepreneur, project leader and international speaker, expert in innovation and performance in complex environments.

A Panel of CEO's, Partners & Directors where Lucy Brazier will be presenting your questions live on stage.

Michelle Mills-Porter, The People Reader

A Panel of Business Support Professionals where we'll be hearing all about their career journeys and how members have used their transferable skills to come into the profession or side step into a new role or opportunity.

All of these sessions will be available for you to enjoy virtually or in person.

For anyone looking to attend in person we will also have additional sessions including:

An exciting Team Building Activity courtesy of KDM Events
An attendance certificate for you to take back to the Office as part of your Continued Professional Development Portfolio

Refreshments throughout the day to enjoy
A buffet lunch (sustainably sourced menu)
15 Exhibitors for you to engage with
Lots of Networking Opportunities

Below we have included some more details about our inspirational and motivational speakers:

Lucy Brazier - Skills to Position the Assistant as an Influential Leader

Lucy Brazier OBE is one of the world's leading authorities on the administrative profession.

As CEO of Marcham Publishing, specialist publishers of Executive Support Magazine, Lucy works with the best trainers of Executive Assistants from around the world to deliver the most up-to-date and current training in the market.

Lucy has a unique overview of the role and where it is heading. With access to the most forward-thinking, passionate, and knowledgeable trainers and administrative business leaders in the world, as well as personally meeting and speaking to literally thousands of Assistants over the last 10 years, Lucy's knowledge of the market and what Assistants all over the world are facing on a day-to-day basis are second to none.

Lucy has worked in publishing for over 30 years. She has previously worked as a Publishing Director for Wilmington PLC as well as for EMAP, The Times, The Independent, Centaur Communications and Glass's Guide. In 2021 Lucy was awarded an OBE for services to office professionals. She has also received an Honourary Fellowship to the Institute of Administrative Management – one of the oldest management institutes in the world, having inspired professional business managers and administrators since 1915 – in recognition of her work to drive the profession forward.

Simone White - Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace, The importance of building a community

Over the past few years, DEI has increasingly become more important across all areas of life, especially within work places. With so much focus on it, there should be an increasing sense of belonging for everyone. Yet this is not the case for many administrative professionals. In her Keynote, The Need for Inclusion, Simone White will discuss the importance of DEI in our space. She will highlight the importance of advocacy for ourselves and others and how each of us can work together and impact change.

Simone has worked within administration for nearly 25 years. Passion for administration motivated her to create an internal network for administrative professionals supporting over 500 individuals globally. She is a leading voice advocating for the profession.

Simone collaborates with administrative professionals and business leaders, promoting the inclusion of assistants as active, impactful participants as well as executers, raising awareness of the historical bias towards the profession. She highlights the need for the profession to be more diverse in terms of gender, race and ability and to be strategically included by organisations when building DEI programs.

She has presented globally on topics such as The Power of Networks, Leadership, Ownership & Belonging, and Inclusion and has had articles published online and in print.

She is an EPAA Fellow, a member of the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Team, and an Advisory Board member for Practically Perfect PA.

Her work has been recognised and celebrated, having received awards from Women in Investments in 2021 and WeAreTheCity in 2016.

Marc Amerigo, entrepreneur, project leader and international speaker, expert in innovation and performance in complex environments.

Marc Amerigo is an Entrepreneur and expert in Innovation and Performance in complex environments, and since 1995, Marc has enjoyed working with a number of Executive Assistants across a range of projects in his previous role as CEO or Director.

Marc is currently working with Antoine Albeau, who holds 25 world championship titles and numerous world speed records. Marc is like the catalystor of a team of 80 people supporting each attempt working across 50 different companies.

Marc Amerigo holds a number of Exceptional world records in high-speed extreme sports and other successful complex projects, including aerial, nuclear and automotive. Marc was the innovator behind each world record title, and whilst he wasn't the person enjoying the spotlight, these attempts could not have been a success without a clear strategy, managing uncertainty, utilising technology and people management.

Behind every project and achievement was an extraordinary powerful collective of passionate people, and Marc can relate and appreciate that this sometimes can be related to the role of a Personal or Executive Assistant and Project Managers.

Marc will share with us how he managed to combine all resources to better the teams performance every time as we tackle ever more demanding and evolving environments professionally and personally with thought provoking insights that could help with the tasks and projects of tomorrow.

The role of the PA is fundamental to an organisation, balancing leadership and management whilst also supporting some of the most senior leaders in the business, ultimately trust is at the core of every relationship and Marc will share with us how he managed to build trust in the most intense and extreme of environments and circumstances.

Michelle Mills-Porter 'The People Reader', Author, Trainer, International Speaker and Master Behaviour Profiler

Previously a multi award winning entrepreneur, Michelle Mills-Porter is “The People Reader”. An author, trainer, International Speaker and Master Behaviour Profiler, she has written a suite of analysis tools that help to unlock People Power and to reach Sky High Performance.

Her background in non-visual / non-verbal communication and behaviour is underpinned by sound neuroscience. She is a tsunami survivor which is where she says she learned the best lessons in human behaviour including motivation, collaboration and resilience and it’s this that led her to this path. Michelle is a board member of numerous charities and her keynote The Magnificence of Humanity has closed many annual conferences including IOSH, CIPD, and ISMA.

Imagine being able to read people so that you KNOW how to build rapport. You know what will excite them, what will switch them off and give them what they need before they even have to ask for it!

In this energising session, The People Reader – aka Michelle Mills-Porter, will give you the superpower of “People Reading” in 30 minutes flat!

With supporting neuroscience and evidence, Michelle will show you the patterns in human behaviour that allows us to build rapport quickly by such signposts as;

The way the dress and accessorise

The words they use

Their body language

Michelle is sharing insider tips such as;

*How to spot a lie, as used my MI6

*And how to get rid of someone in less than 10 seconds!

Lucy Brazier puts your questions to a panel of leaders including CEOs, Directors and Heads of Office

We have all gone through a significant period of uncertainty and change and for many of us we are still adapting. We have had feedback from our community and we can't help but wonder what opportunities there might be available and how businesses in varying sectors continue to adapt and evolve. This asks questions such as: What is the future of the role in the eyes of the leadership team? How can we ask for more role-specific training? and What are businesses doing to support their Executive and Business Support communities?

Joining our panel is:

Alex Bishop, National Head of Dispute Resolution & Litigation and co-Head of Birmingham Office, Shoosmiths
Heidi Stewart, CEO, BHSF
Andrew Walster, Director, Streetscene and Regulatory Services, Coventry City Council
Dawn Haywood, CEO of Windsor Academy Trust
Professor Paul Noon, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise & Innovation), Coventry University
James Rigby, EMEA CEO, SCC

We look forward to welcoming our panel and putting YOUR questions to them

The BOX, with KDM Events

A large box containing a digital keypad and an ominous-looking biohazard canister has been deposited in your conference room... it must be unlocked and removed for forensic testing.

On the main screen, a digital clock remains frozen at 60:00 minutes…but once the teams are briefed by your Event Manager, the clock springs into life, and the countdown begins.

Inspired by live escape room games, this is a fast and furious challenge as each team goes all out to successfully decode the master cryptic message to gain the means to open the box.

Cracking puzzles to unlock their individual team boxes, interpreting cryptic puzzles, spotting clues in the environment and mastering dexterity challenges are all important in this race against time. Your teams face the ultimate test of logic, creative thinking, problem solving and hands on puzzles.

One thing is very clear - once the counter reaches zero, the box can never be opened, so don't forget to keep your eye on the clock!!

"...simply brilliant. The highest and most intense participation I have even seen from a team building event – completely unique" Close Brothers Motor Finance

PA Forum Learning & Development Conference 2022 (HYBRID)