We’re taking HomeGame international! Well, at least to the opposite coast – we’re coming to Glasgow in 2025. We’ve got the IMAX screen in the Glasgow Science Centre for the main event, and there will be some other surprises along the way…
We’ve always considered our HomeGame events to be the biggest financial services events in Scotland, but this time we mean it. We’re planning a huge day and aiming for this to become the destination event for the financial sector in Scotland.
THE DAY
We want to look to the future this year. We desperately need to increase visibility and improve the reputation out there of financial planning and advice. When most young people are asked to talk about careers in financial services, we hear about hedge funds, and fund management and sitting in front of three Bloomberg screens – all the things that AI will potentially disrupt and commoditise.
What we don’t hear about is the thing that will always stand the test of time – human relationships, trust and connection. So we need to get smarter at highlighting this.
At the same time, smart planners are starting to get proper gains from new technologies. If we are to attract new blood, there’s no point in introducing it to fax machines and microfiche.
So! New Blood takes a TRIPLE track approach. We’re all about introducing a new audience to financial planning. We’re about showing how new technologies are already making a huge difference. And for people already in the sector, we’re about showing how you can attract the next generation of financial professionals.
HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT THEN?
First of all, we’re taking over Glasgow Science Centre for the day. This is an enormous playground and we’ll be making the most of it, using the amazing IMAX screen in the main theatre, the main reception hall for our expo and the first floor and Planetarium for our post-conference drinks.
Second – but more importantly – this won’t be your typical conference. We’re planning to split the audience into three. One third will be planners, one third will be the industry, but most excitingly a third will be young people and educators. We want students and other young people to come along, learn about what planning is and see what an interesting and vibrant sector we have.
To do that we need to make our day interesting and vibrant. So the agenda will reflect the audience. We’re partnering with Scottish Financial Enterprise and various schools, colleges and universities to make sure we engage everyone. We want to show the best of the profession – but we also want to hear from the planners of the future themselves, about what we can do better to attract them.
This isn’t a milkround, but one of the most exciting developments of the last few years is the advent of academies and structured programmes to get new blood into the sector. We’ll have as many of them on hand as we can. Who knows, maybe there might be a spot of matchmaking done.
As you’d expect, we’ll hear from progressive, interesting voices throughout the day. We’ll look over into other sectors who do better than us at this sort of thing. And because entertainment isn’t a dirty word we’ll include some of that too.
But the centrepiece of the day will be something that’s never been done before. Using as much new technology as we can possibly throw at it, we will be doing Live Financial Planning, to show those who haven’t experienced it what it’s all about. And for those who know fine well what it is, we’ll show how two of Scotland’s most progressive planners can incorporate technology to speed the process.
This is something that would normally take a couple of weeks. Our planners will have two hours. Their client will be an actor who will have been briefed on five potential scenarios – the audience will pick which we do, and the planners will have no idea what any of them are. From that standing start our intrepid duo plus their onstage admin team will need to do discovery, goal setting, cashflow, and more.
It sounds hard, but don’t worry, they can work over the lunch break too.
Everything will be visible to the audience in real time with head-worn cameras and more, and you’ll see how AI can speed the process along. It’s live, unrehearsed and extremely risky, which is exactly how we like it.
New blood, new technology, new ways of working, new things to do at what we think will be the biggest ever Scottish financial planning conference. That’s HomeGame 5.
THANKS
Thanks to those that have already helped spread the word and get students and members on board: Scottish Financial Enterprise, LIBF and Future Financial Adviser. Interested in getting involved? Drop us a line…
THE PRACTICALITIES
The date to mark in your calendars is Tuesday 30 September – join us in person on the day.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, tickets are free for advice professionals working in an advice firm; so advisers, planners, paraplanners, compliance and admin fill your boots (if you work for a huge provider with an advice offshoot you only qualify if you’re in an advice-giving or paraplanning role).
We’ve also got specific tickets for those new to the profession, so if you are newly qualified, just starting studying, a student on a relevant uni or college course these tickets are for you – particularly if you have never attended an industry event before!
Everyone else is asked to buy tickets at a cost of £100 plus VAT.
We provided the research for a report, in conjunction with Parmenion, which reveals how far short of expectations many adviser platforms are falling. The research found that over the last 12 months, 88% of advisers needed to apologise to at least one of their clients on behalf of a platform, and that poor service delivery from platforms impacts 91% of advisers every day.
We provided the research for a report, in conjunction with Parmenion, which reveals how far short of expectations many adviser platforms are falling. The research found that over the last 12 months, 88% of advisers needed to apologise to at least one of their clients on behalf of a platform, and that poor service delivery from platforms impacts 91% of advisers every day.
Service means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It’s so subjective it can be hard to put your finger on. This paper aims to challenge the status quo and inertia that’s built up in the sector for many years.
