At BFI we treat our speakers like royalty by Director of Research Elizabeth Smith

I recently chaired a conference at which one of the speakers reminded me we first met when, enormously pregnant, I turned up at his office to discuss the case study he was presenting, then left quickly as Mother Nature intervened. Kindly, he didn’t refer to that in the story he subsequently shared at the conference of opening a factory behind the iron curtain.  That baby is now 22, and the speaker in question is still sharing his wisdom with our audiences, through many career iterations across the globe. In these strange times, it is lovely to still be working with people who’ve seen our company grow up.

Our expert speakers are the key to our survival 

It’s also a testament to our wonderful head of admin who makes sure that everyone who speaks for is treated like royalty. Which is richly deserved, as they are the lifeblood of our conferences and the reason we are still, after two recessions, three threatened pandemics and one all-too-real one, producing sterling events.

Because we are a highly specialist conference and training company, working in the HR risk arena and addressing all the things that cause senior HR executives to lie staring into the dark at night, we need to ensure we invite real experts. We want the practitioners; those talented folks who head up the really innovative HR functions. Our delegates know that the people we feature, speaking now from their spare rooms rather than in a lovely venue in London or Edinburgh, are always going to be at the top of their games. They have lived experience and know the profession inside out. They are the innovators and risk-takers and the ones people always want to sit next to at lunch. (A touch we are trying to recreate virtually and we’ll keep you posted.)

Why speak at a BFI event? 

We work like detectives to find them. While our producers are researching the subject, they ask for recommendations, read journals, see who’s making difference in the HR arena. Fiercely protective of our editorial integrity, we match experts with subjects to ensure we cram the day with invaluable content. Being a member of our speaking panels is a wonderful way to share best practice with fellow senior HR experts, and we have spent the last year recreating the experience virtually, which by and large has worked. Being part of a distinguished panel of speakers gets you noticed; it can lead to all sorts of interesting offers. Over the years, our speakers have been offered book deals, been headhunted, interview and written about. It’s a superb networking opportunity too – at least it was when we could all chat in a coffee queue.

Benefit from excellent support and technical expertise

We’re working on how to recreate that; virtual networking is a challenge but we’ve got a creative and stubborn tech team supporting us. They support our speakers too. Conference speaking is an art and we make sure we share all our expertise (along with the technical pratfalls we’ve survived this year) to make sure the presenters know how to appear professional, knowledgeable and calm, despite the added nerve-shredding layer of zoom. Our tech team go to extraordinary lengths to make sure speakers appear at their best. We talk them through glitches, advise on lighting, slide design and all the tiny details that go into making this experience a positive one. We have, this year, had speakers join us virtually from the wilds of the Hebrides to the Isle of Wight and, though human slips are inevitable, we have managed to minimise the appearance of pets or sudden blackouts.

Hear the good, the bad and the ugly

We don’t feature so-called professional speakers. Our audiences want the real-life experience and case studies, so there’s no room for sales pitches or marketing. We are always happy, too, to make charitable donations in a speaker’s name, and have become involved with some worthwhile organisations as a result.

A platform to share real stories & experiences 

HR is under more pressure than ever this year – all our research tells us it’s been an almost overwhelming learning curve to rapidly manage challenges in mental health, furlough, vaccination policies, technology and all the other Covid-19 gifts. This last year, more than ever, it has become a matter of survival to share experiences and learn from the companies who are leading. We are continuing to deliver programmes with real content, with practical advice and information, and to learn from those who are getting it right – and a few generous souls who share their stories of getting it wrong so others benefit from their mistakes. One speaker, presenting on how they dealt with mental health issues during furlough, was described as ‘lifesaving’ by a delegate. Knowing that we are providing a platform for our experts is what keeps us going. Seeing delegates listening to case studies and war stories, we know that is the most effective way to learn, benchmark and discover. Story-telling in all forms is seeing a huge renaissance; at our events it never went away.

*** END ***

Article written by Elizabeth Smith, Director or Research (BFI)

Additional benefits of speaking at our events

Enjoy Positive PR

We will also support you and your organisation in all our communications, including our social media channels. We are happy to share any relevant articles, research or information to help you achieve your organisational goals.

FREE tickets and discounts

All our contributors receive a free guest pass (standard conference tickets are £395 plus VAT) for a colleague or client to benefit from a free days training at the event to multiply the learning brought back into the business.

Interested in speaking?

Complete this enquiry form and we will be in touch.