You might have been for_given for thinking that with all the whip cracking, boot scooting and Stetson hats on show at this year’s fifth Queens_land State Conference, you were at the Tamworth country music fes_tival, instead of the Brisbane Con_vention and Exhibition Centre.
But according to conference chair Leonie Henry, the western theme and slogan of the confer_ence — No Bull — were an obvious choice by the conference commit_tee in its progressive attempt to position the conference as a forum for planners by planners.
“We didn’t want to have any_thing on [the conference program] that wasn’t absolutely practical. We wanted information that you could pick up, take away and use in your business straightaway — no garbage, No Bull,” Henry says.
The conference committee had four clear objectives to deliver to delegates this year. These were detailed sessions on technology, practice management, compliance and practitioner experience.
Around 400 conference dele_gates attended sessions ranging from paraplanning to hedging, alternative investments to super_annuation, as well as business building and more.
However, clearly some of the more popular sessions were those dealing with ‘real life’ experience, where delegates heard first hand from other planners on how they have gone about improving their own business. These included Trinity Financial Services’ Bill O’Sullivan explaining how his business has managed to grow over the past five years by an impressive 702 per cent, and ipac Securities’ Peeyush Gupta talking about valuing a practice.
According to Henry, the expec_tations of this year’s conference were exceeded in two ways.
“Firstly, there were a lot more practitioners standing up and say_ing not how we should do it but how they do it. These were the ses_sions that were best attended. And secondly, to ensure what we were listening to was the real stuff — we were quite serious about the con_ference theme, No Bull,” Henry says.
In looking to the future, Henry is comfortable with the way the present structure of the state conference is shaping, with a stronger emphasis being placed on practitioners talking to prac_titioners about how they go about doing business. To date, this has proven a successful and popular format by delegates for the conference.
But that’s not to say the con_ference won’t continue to incor_porate a significant technical ele_ment from fund managers. Far from it.
“We need them, we absolutely need them,” Henry says.
“They are a very necessary part of our conference, but we don’t want to be overwhelmed by them. You learn more by listening to somebody saying, ‘This is how I do it’.”
In closing the conference, Henry presented the Queensland Com_munity Foundation with a $5,000 donation to be placed in its per_petual fund for the betterment of Queensland. This marks the third consecutive occasion the confer_ence has made a donation to the foundation.
This year’s conference marked the first time it has been held in July. Member feedback will decide whether the conference stays in July or is moved back to March.
Henry says the conference com_mittee will also examine whether to cut down the future format of the state conference into two intensive one-day sessions instead of a two-day conference.
In addition, she adds that another consideration, depending on member feedback, was mov_ing the conference to a Thurs_day/Friday format, rather than the present Friday/Saturday one.
“The structure is always up for grabs, but if you’ve got something that is working, you tend to stay with it,” Henry says.
