NETWORKING AND DRINKS RECEPTIONS
Every Wednesday in November 2020, commencing at 5pm GMT, we held a unique event, exclusively available to our members.
These were less formal than our webinar series and each focused on a separate, major theme.
For every evening, there were a couple of 5-minute opening talks given by two of our Partner companies. These commenced and framed the subsequent discussion. Attendees were involved as little or as much as they liked. Some attendees simply wanted to listen to the views expressed whilst others had questions and expressed their own views, which was actively encouraged.
Two of our other Partner companies were also present, ensuring that at least 4 experts were “in the room” each time.
Questions were forwarded ahead of the event or simply asked during it. They were either voiced on the night or simply typed into the chat function.
The series comprised of:
Wednesday 4th November: “Brexit!”
A wide-ranging discussion took place, about the likely and possible effects of Brexit on markets, economies and the delivery of advice. It’s certainly not just about passporting, although that was covered as well, of course.
Wednesday 11th November: “Business Models and Best Practice”
Regulation, COVID-19 and technology are all huge drivers impacting the present and future financial advice landscape – and that’s before we even consider Brexit. Amongst other things, we looked at what best practice might look like, the likely future demands of consumers, and how tech can optimise what our sector achieves.
Wednesday 18th November: “ESG, Regulation & Suitability”
ESG is clearly a huge area of interest – not least for consumers and regulators. Given the forthcoming regulations, the first of which will indirectly impact the advisory sector as early as March 2021, what do advisers need to do, to be prepared; not only to meet compliance requirements but also the demands of prospective and existing clients. We found out.
Wednesday 25th November: “Retirement Planning & Risk Management”
A retirement time bomb already existed across Europe, of course, and a global pandemic is only going to exacerbate that issue. How can the advisory sector best show its worth to potential savers, advise clients efficiently in a highly-regulated and difficult environment, and deal with investment risk, not least those during the decumulation phase? An insight flowed from the discussion.