Conference News puts a spotlight on the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO), exploring the transformative power of its community and the vital role its members play in delivering life-changing events that impact lives.
Correspondent Kristyna O’Connell interviews members Rose Padmore, Sammy Connell, and Sarah Vaughan to uncover how their work drives global progress and creates meaningful change.
The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) is the UK’s leading professional body for association conference and not-for-profit event organisation. Since its inception, ABPCO has championed excellence by facilitating conversations, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among its members. This approach fosters innovation, learning, new opportunities, lasting professional relationships, and a strong sense of community within the events industry.
ABPCO distinguishes itself as one of the few UK conference and event industry associations that selects Full and Associate Members through peer assessment. This rigorous selection process ensures that clients and suppliers can expect members to uphold high business and ethical standards in managing national and international association and corporate conferences, seminars, meetings, exhibitions, and other events.
With a history spanning over 30 years, ABPCO has been a commanding voice for professional conference organisers, leading industry initiatives and campaigns while steadily growing its membership. The association is committed to positioning itself as the leading body representing the interests of professional conference and event organisers, enhancing member benefits, raising professionalism across the meetings industry, and ensuring the UK remains competitive on the global stage through collaboration with other associations and national bodies.
Keeping it relevant
On keeping content relevant for its attendees, Sarah Vaughan, head of events at the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys says that having face-to-face conversations with members during events is a valuable way to gather feedback, as it allows them to hear directly about the challenges and topics impacting their daily work, which in turn helps shape the content. Vaughan says, “When it comes to keeping event content relevant, staying informed about industry trends is key. Monitoring member interactions on platforms like Linkedin and collaborating with committees helps us align with what our members need. Listening directly to members has been the most effective way to understand their challenges and interests.”
Rose Padmore, PCO and director of Opening Doors & Venues Limited, founded the agency in 2000. Since then, it has evolved from organising small business gatherings to becoming a leading professional conference organiser (PCO) specialising in association conferences. The agency now offers comprehensive services, including website development, speaker management, and community engagement, to deliver impactful and successful events. Discussing community-driven content creation and innovation in conference programming, Padmore says, “Our clients often lead on the content, with programs shaped by themes and abstracts submitted by delegates themselves, making it community driven. In academic conferences, there’s usually a standard format, but we may suggest novel session types like panel discussions to keep things engaging. The goal is to listen to the community and keep content fresh by incorporating their insights.”
Sammy Connell, ABPCO co-chair, Fast Forward 15 mentor, and head of events at National Association of School Masters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) says that aligning the content with the association’s campaigns and initiatives to empower members and drive change is a key part of keeping the content relevant. She says, “In terms of content, it’s crucial to have people on the ground who truly understand the issues. We work with teachers in classrooms, head teachers, and school leaders who bring valuable insights back to us. For example, post-Covid, we’ve seen a massive increase in behavioural challenges in schools, including violence against teachers and girls. This feedback allows us to identify key areas, such as well-being, workload, or pay uncertainty, and build campaigns and event content that address these concerns.”
What about technology?
Event technology is rapidly advancing, becoming an increasingly prominent focus in the industry and often promoted as the way forward. But is it truly embraced and desired by attendees, or is it being driven primarily by organisers without a clear demand from the community and those attending the events?
Vaughan says, “Event technology is a complex issue. For a small organisation like ours, technology is essential due to limited resources, but the financial and time investment can be significant. Solutions like apps and platforms offer benefits but only if implemented thoughtfully and with proper member consultation. I’ve seen costly investments in tech that fail due to low engagement or lack of preparation. Benchmarking and learning from others’ experiences have been critical for us to make informed decisions.”
While Sammy Connell says, “I believe in the principle of ‘tech does tech, humans do humans.’ We need to keep that balance clear. As for the cost of tech, associations must be cautious. We can’t enter long-term contracts until we’re confident the service is robust and delivers value for our members’ money. Any shortcomings would be raised at every meeting and AGM. To avoid that, we often trial technology for a year and review its performance before committing. We also go out to multiple suppliers, compare costs, and ensure we only pay for what we truly need. For us, it’s not about having every feature. As a union, we don’t use sponsorship or promote specific providers, so high-level sponsorship packages or add-ons aren’t relevant. Instead, we focus on cherry-picking the tools we need – registration, badging, scanners, apps, hybrid options, etc. We narrow down the options, find a good price, and ensure it works for us and our members.”
Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability
Sustainability is no longer just an idea; it has become a concrete action in the events industry, integral to every event, whether big or small. But is this shift driven by pressure from attendees, suppliers, and the industry, or is it because organisers genuinely value its importance?
Vaughan says, “Sustainability is another major focus for us. We’ve made strides, like eliminating printed materials, using recycled badges, and working with venues that prioritise green practices. While we experimented with fully vegan menus in 2022, feedback pushed us to return to mixed options due to perceptions of value. We collaborate with Climate Action for Associations (CAFA) to manage initiatives like a net-zero hub and carbon offsetting for delegate travel. While we feel some external pressure, we prioritise actions that align with our members’ needs and practicalities, ensuring our sustainability efforts remain relevant and effective.”
Padmore says, “We believe sustainability is important. Years ago, we might have felt pressure to act, but now it’s about genuinely wanting to make a difference. The topic has become more prominent, and there’s more support available, so we’re working with clients to adapt. For instance, some committees still want printed programs, but we’re helping them see the benefits of digital options.”
Adding, she says, “Food waste is another focus. For our last conference, we arranged for leftover lunch bags to be collected daily and delivered to a local shelter. It’s a small thing but shows our commitment to minimising waste. There’s a balance between sustainability and providing value, so while we’re not mandating vegan-only menus, we aim to engage our community in sustainable practices by offering options and asking them to select preferences at registration.”
On getting support, Padmore says, “There’s more support now from venues and our colleagues in the industry, like through ABPCO. Everyone’s more aligned on the importance of sustainability, and I think that collective support makes it easier for all of us to prioritise these initiatives.”
Sammy Connell says:“We openly acknowledge that we’re not perfect, and we keep emphasising that we’re here to learn. As an association, our values align with people, planet, and purpose. If something affects these core principles, then it’s meaningful to us. There is pressure to do the right thing, but we also genuinely want to. It’s a combination of knowing we should and wanting to, which makes it a win-win.”
The life changing work that the association does, what it stands for, and the community it creates, drives a deep and human level of connection for all event industry professionals. Often it can get overlooked that planning, organising, and attending these events does change lives and improve people’s businesses for the better. Here’s what each member shared about the incredible power of ABPCO’s work:
Sarah Vaughan
“For me, ABPCO isn’t about traditional learning through courses or qualifications. It’s about the community—learning from others, attending events, and exchanging ideas.”
Rose Padmore
“I don’t think people realise that each large conference is like a business, requiring a comprehensive business plan. Organising events, even smaller ones, involves thinking through every detail. Watching our teams plan shows me just how much thought goes into it, and it’s incredible to see everything come together.”
Sammy Connell
“Our events change lives. There’s no other way about it.”
