Over 100 enthusiastic delegates poured into Warwick to create a ‘buzzing’ CISI Paraplanner Conference in late May.
A host of expert speakers, covering many subject areas, gave presentations to the main hall and led various technical streams throughout the two days at Chesford Grange hotel. The co-chairmen praised delegates for their high level of interaction and engagement with the sessions. Organisers said they were happy with the turnout for the first Paraplanner Conference since the merger with the IFP late last year. They reported that there had been a buzzing atmosphere and plenty of enthusiasm shown.
Event co-chair Farida Hassanali CFP
TM Chartered MCSI said: “We’re really pleased with the turnout, it’s really positive. The CISI has done a great job organising it and there are more delegates than last year. There were about 112 signed up, and even yesterday there were about 80 in the pre-conference sessions. People have been asking lots of questions throughout the day and everyone has been keen to contribute, which was what this is all about, that element of being able to share and grow together. It’s a really friendly, forgiving audience, you look out and no one is there judging you. They are just looking for you to succeed, which I think says a lot about paraplanners generally."
Ms Hassanali, a paraplanner at UBS and chair of the Paraplanner Professional Interest Group, spoke of her pride at taking on the role, having been a member of the IFP since 2008.
Her co-chairman Dan Atkinson APP ACSI, Senior Technical Consultant at EQ and IFP paraplanner of the year 2014, was delighted with how many attended Wednesday’s pre-conference sessions. He said: “It was really good to see that room rammed full of paraplanners; there was a real buzz about the place; people were excited about the conference.”
Of the main hall sessions on Thursday, he said: “It’s been a really friendly audience and I’m really glad they’ve been interacting with lots of questions.” Paraplanner of the year 2015 Adam Wareing CFP
TM APP Chartered MCSI was the first speaker on Thursday. He urged delegates to make marginal skill gains every week because they lead to "big improvements" in the quality of paraplanning over the long term. He spoke about how science now understands the human nervous system’s way of learning and getting better by adding layers of myelin, the fatty coating on the nerves.
Mr Wareing CFP
TM APP Chartered MCSI said: “You are never too old to learn a new skill. Look to challenge yourself to practice a new skill each week just beyond your current abilities. Excel is a good one to build on the knowledge you have each week. Marginal gains add up to big improvements over time.”
The head of paraplanning at Clarion Wealth Planning said that he used the same technique himself, for example, committing to learning a new Excel formula each week. Mr Wareing said other skills which could be improved over time included areas such as listening, writing financial plans, writing skills and much else besides. Paraplanners should commit to adding to their skills and improving existing skills every week, he said.