Firstly, a very big thank you to all those who attended our series of meetings…
Welcome to 2025. I’m always uncertain at what point you should stop saying ‘Happy New Year’ – perhaps we’ve already gone past it? Happy New Year anyway.
However, welcome to a new year, and if it’s the early part of any year then it’s certainly time for us at the CA to focus fully on our Annual Conference & Dinner, which is – I hope you know – taking place on the 30th January, at the Hilton Deansgate hotel in Manchester.
If you attended last year, then you’ll know what a great venue this is, not just for the Conference itself but also the evening meal and entertainment, which is a hugely important part of the overall day.
We are very fortunate to have Landmark Information Group as our Headline Sponsors, while Stewart Title are the Drinks Reception Sponsors, plus we have a vast array of our highly valued Affiliate members exhibiting on the day. Propertymark are also sponsoring the raffle prize draw in the evening.
With just a couple of weeks to go, we’re now in a position to announce full details of our Conference agenda. As the event is entitled, ‘Past, present and future – where is the conveyancing industry up to and what can we expect in the future?’ it will be no surprise to hear we intend to have one eye on the here and now, and one eye on what might be coming over the horizon.
It means the Conference content will be split into a number of areas, with a specific emphasis on what is impacting on conveyancing firms day-in-day-out, how the wider economy/housing/property markets impact business levels, and also a look at the future in terms of technology, but specifically artificial intelligence (AI).
Clearly, there are a huge number of issues that impact conveyancers every single day, and we have designed all our ‘Breakout sessions’ to focus on topics/discussions which we believe will highlight these issues and the potential solutions firms could/should adopt.
For example, we have a specific Discussion Group on Social Media, Marketing and PR as a tool to drive new business; we have one on pricing models within the conveyancing industry featuring contributions from heads of different firms who operate – and charge – differently; we have a deep-dive into recruitment, how to attract, and retain, the best talent and overcome the significant challenge that is having enough quality human resource within each and every firm; finally, we’ll look at current technology usage in conveyancing firms today, outlining where else there might be real business benefits and financial advantages to be had.
We’ll also provide a full analysis on the economy and property/housing market in the UK from Behavioural Economist, Roger Martin Fagg, and a number of other sessions will focus on the growing importance of AI, outlining how it’s already being used, the advantages within the conveyancing process and within firm’s themselves, the potential threats and how to get ahead, and stay ahead, of the curve in this area.
Of course, it’s not just about the Conference but the Annual Dinner, where we will once again be raising money on behalf of our chosen charity, The Children’s Society, and providing all attendees with a fabulous meal and entertainment to let you hair down to.
This day is really and truly the jewel in our event crown, and we are hoping to see as many of you there in order to take advantage of one of the prime benefits of CA membership.
If you want further detail on the Conference agenda, please see the press release we issued this week here. Plus, of course, you can find information on all things Annual Conference & Dinner from the dedicated website for the event, which can be accessed here.
And, of course, if you’ve yet to register or book your place, then please do. We’d love to see you in Manchester at the end of the month.
Nicky Heathcote is Non-Executive Chair at the Conveyancing Association (CA)