FPA has an idea worth spreading and breaks from convention with congress keynotes

The Financial Planning Association 2015 Professionals Congress will break from convention this year with two keynote sessions restructured to reflect the hugely popular TED Talk format.

The keynote sessions will each feature three leaders from business and the professions along with financial planning practitioners to provide insights into the issues that will shape the direction of financial planning for years to come.

The FPA previously announced that the futurist Chris Riddell will present the opening keynote address on day three of the congress (Friday, November 20), and it will name further speakers within days for the opening keynote session on day two (Thursday, November 19) and closing keynote session on day three.

The FPA says the speakers will include:

• A presenter whose TED Talk is “the most viewed outside the United States”;
• A creative thought leader and television personality;
• A four-time winner of Retailer of the Year;
• A performer who has graced stages worldwide;
• A world leader in life changing surgery; and
• A recent Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner.

The FPA says the aim is for speakers to share their “inspirational stories and visions for the future in ways that will ignite discussion, and encourage deep reflection”. In between, financial planners will take the stage to share their experiences and views on a range of topics.

The FPA has already announced that award-winning journalist and broadcaster Jennifer Byrne and social researcher and thought leader Mark McCrindle will speak at the Congress.

Byrne will address the Women in Financial Planning Breakfast on the morning of day two of the congress. The event is open to both men and women.

In addition, new workshop streams tagged “expand”, “grow”, “engage” and “inspire” offer 24 sessions covering diverse areas from technology, through to client communication and people management.

The FPA says the workshop program has been “built by planners, for planners”.

Each workshop topic had been road-tested and selected based on the needs of financial planners, to ensure they are equipped to operate in the ever changing professional environment.

Delegates have been urged to select the workshops they wish to attend at the time they register to avoid missing out on limited spaces.