Our AdviceTech Catwalk event is a new kind of event for us, showcasing the emerging tech that’s likely to be useful to advice professionals in a few years’ time.
Because it’s a first for the lang cat, we thought we’d collect some views on what’s attracting people to the day, and get a sense of where tech fits into their firm.
Here’s a snapshot of what people are hoping to get out of coming along and if, you haven’t been to one of our gigs before, a preview of what to expect:
Greg Moss, director, Eleven.2 Financial Planning
“While I wouldn’t call myself an early adopter, I do like to use good tech. It’s a way of leveraging yourself really. As a small advice firm owner, I’m really conscious of the role technology plays in allowing me to outcompete much bigger firms on the quality of our product and our service. So I’m always keen to learn about interesting new kit and the people behind it.
“There’s so much chatter out there around new launches, widgets and tools. But it’s very hard to sift through everything you hear and figure out what’s going to be worthwhile. If you’re a small firm, you haven’t got the ability to take on a licence for every new thing going. You have to work out what’s relevant and what’s going to genuinely be useful, rather than just another nice idea badly executed.
“The lang cat has built a great community of industry ‘good eggs’, and generally creating a kind of hub for good people doing good things. That’s both on the advice side and the provider side. If that’s now being applied to the tech world, then I think that’s worth listening to.”
Aleks Sasin, founder and chartered financial planner, Navigatus
“I’m super excited to attend AdviceTech Catwalk. There’s a lot happening in the fintech world right now, and we’re always keen to keep our finger on the pulse of new developments while still having the time to fit in our day jobs. Let’s be honest, in the world of tech, it’s easy to get distracted by the next shiny thing!
“That’s exactly why this event caught our eye. It’s like a treasure trove of carefully curated new ideas all under one roof. What makes it even better is the chance to hear straight from the founders and understand the vision and mechanics behind each innovation. Plus it’s a fantastic way to connect with others in our sector who are just as enthusiastic about tech, but also value the importance of thorough research before jumping on board with new trends.
“At Navigatus, we’re all about embracing new technology, but we want to do it wisely. This event is our chance to do just that, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
Keith Boyes, managing director and chartered financial planner, Spentwell
“Tech is a definite interest for me. I’m always curious to see new developments and determine how these can help Spentwell be modern, efficient and effective for clients, and ultimately to keep delivering a service that’s memorable and valued.
“There’s so much tech in the marketplace, it can be difficult to determine what good looks like and whether it’s the right fit for the business. Where do you even start?! Tech should be about making life easier and removing barriers for clients who all have busy lives. For me as the adviser and business owner, it’s about maintaining and increasing efficiency.
“It’s that last point that’s key – I want tech to reduce rekeying of data, keep processes slick, and free up my time to be in front of clients, rather than getting bogged down with admin that good tech could deal with.”
Chris Baigent-Reed, founder and managing director, Jigsaw Tree
“Events from the lang cat are always well organised, with thought-provoking content and fab speakers and topics. They offer great networking opportunities (while having a drink or two!), and the post-event updates are great too.
“Thinking about the tech focus of this event in particular, from my experience I see that what with Consumer Duty and all the different AI solutions coming to the market, firms are getting decision fatigue. Anything like this that can help clarify a way through and outline the solutions for specific purposes will really help.”
Kate Shaw, chartered financial planner, Financial Life Planning
“Tech is not my favourite subject, but with lang cat events you know it’ll have a bit of an edge, and it won’t be ‘death by provider’. It’s also good timing – we are currently looking at every single bit of tech we’re using, so this seemed like a good place to start.
“What’s good is it won’t be usual ‘this is what we think you should use’. Actually no, you should let me decide. We think we’ve got our tech nailed, but you don’t know what you don’t know. It’s always handy to know what’s out there, what we might be missing or if there’s something that’s marginally better.
“I’ve got stuff that I’ve been using for years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s still the right thing. As we all know, there’s no nice simple answer with tech. But we’re all just trying to do the same thing – make it as efficient as possible. So AdviceTech Catwalk is a chance for a bit of review, a bit of a nose around, and it’s the lang cat. That’s a mighty triumvirate for me.”
