Along with 2,500 other people, I was fortunate enough to attend the Personal Finance Society’s long-awaited Festival of Financial Planning this week. 

It was a hoot - an entertaining and heartening celebration of one of the UK's most dynamic professions (yes that's the one you are working in). 

After an absence of five years, the event last held in 2017 returned to the NEC, Birmingham, and was a rampant success. Hats of to the PFS for taking the risk in staging the largest event in UK Financial Planning.

For those not in the know, it’s probably worth explaining what the Festival of Financial Planning is all about. It is, effectively an annual conference with a bit more fun thrown in. As much celebration as business event and boy did people need it in these gloomy times.

There was live music, including a very entertaining rock band called ‘Consumer Duty’ - an impromptu collection of financial professionals who kept the crowd entertained in the evening on the first day with some rock and pop classics. 

There was a giant rainbow-coloured festival tent, stilt walkers, a Festival TV channel and so on. If Glastonbury did business events it would be a bit like the Festival of Financial Planning.

That’s not to say it was non-stop partying, most of the day’s business involved listening to some top industry speakers and visiting the near 80 exhibitors who put major efforts into making their stands as entertaining as possible. There were lots of games and prize draws plus bucket loads of networking. I've been to hundreds of industry conferences and this was one of the most enjoyable - it reminded me of some of the best IFP conferences.

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects was meeting up with lots of old faces and plenty of new ones. And the fact that everyone was pleased to be getting back to some normality after the abnormality of the pandemic and its enforced social isolation.

It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces and such good bonhomie among attendees. Most people were having a good time and meeting people, enjoying good conversations. This was definitely a profession on the up, not one worried about recession.

It was also a reminder to me that while working from home or virtually may be very convenient, getting out and meeting people is vital for financial professionals to hear new ideas and keep up with the latest developments.

Most Financial Planners get into Financial Planning because they are inherently ‘people people’ - they like meeting new people and forming new bonds and friendships. I know many Financial Planners say their clients often turn into long term friends and that’s no surprise.

The Festival of Financial Planning was a reminder that ultimately we are social animals and learning can be fun and sociable as well as serious and essential.

I do not know when the next Festival will take place but five years is, for many people, too long.

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