The Programme
Designed for association event professionals, EvolveLive! 2027 brings together practical ideas, expert insights and real-world experiences to help you create stronger, more effective events.
Throughout the day, you'll hear from industry peers and specialists, explore current challenges and opportunities, and leave with actionable takeaways that you can apply straight away within your own organisation.
This years event focusses on three streams, Personal, Professional and Practical, giving you the ability to shape your day.
The Programme
EvolveGrow! 2026 brings you a one day conference on event sales, marketing & sponsorship for associations. View the agenda below, with more speakers to be announced.
Agenda - 5th February 2027
09:00 - 09:30
09:30 - 09:40
09:40 - 10:25
Registration and refreshments
Welcome and introductions
Keynote: The Show must go on - Building radical resilience in high stakes environment
Event professionals live in a world where the unpredicatable is the baseline. In this opening keynote, Rina Singh MBCI will introduce the concept of Radical Resilience, a deliberate mindset focused on strengthening your operational roots and emotional grounding rather than just surviving the storm.
Speaker: Rina Singh, ResiliencePOD
10:25 - 10:30
10:30 - 11:15
Movement Break
Breakout 1A: #Successfest
We spend plenty of time talking about best practice, but sometimes the most useful lessons come from seeing what actually worked. This is about getting underneath the result and understanding the decisions, ideas, and practical changes that made the difference. Expect three very different stories, plenty of transferable ideas, and inspiration that you can take back and apply to your own events.
Apply to speak
10:30 - 11:15
Breakout 1B: Personal: Battling Burnout
This session explores the causes and warning signs of burnout in the events industry, alongside practical strategies for managing workload, setting boundaries, building resilience, and fostering healthier workplace cultures. Through expert insights and shared experiences, delegates will gain realistic, actionable ideas to support both their own wellbeing and that of their teams.
10:30 - 11:15
Breakout 1C: Professional : Leading through uncertainty
Associations operate in a uniquely complex environment, balancing member needs, volunteer leadership, governance structures, and external pressures such as economic shifts, policy changes, and evolving expectations. In this context, uncertainty is not an exception; it is the norm.
11:15 - 11:45
Refreshments and Networking
11:45 - 12:30
Keynote: Martyn's Law and Association Events: What Every Event Professional Needs to Know
Martyn's Law (Protect Duty) will bring a significant shift in how organisations approach public safety, preparedness and event planning.
Whether you're responsible for small regional meetings or large-scale flagship events, you'll leave with a clear understanding of the emerging requirements and practical actions you can take now to help keep your events safe, compliant and resilient.
Speaker: Danielle Bounds, NEC Birmingham
12:30 - 13:30
Lunch and de-liberation
13:30 - 13:45
13:45 - 14.15
Welcome back and networker
The great AI Debate
The Proposition: AI is bad for events. In a "traditional debate style" our speakers will speak for and against this proposition. Watch with intrigue and perhaps take away some new perspectives.
14:15 - 14:20
Movement break
14:20- 15.05
Breakout 2A: From Crisis to Confidence: Public Relations Strategies for Association Events
Whether facing a health and safety incident, cyberattack, speaker controversy, severe weather, venue disruption, or social media backlash, having a clear communication strategy is essential. Using real-world examples and practical frameworks, delegates will leave with actionable strategies to protect both their events and their organisation's reputation.
14:20 - 15.05
Breakout 2B: Building robust frameworks to identify, assess, and mitigate risks throughout the event lifecycle.
Successful events depend on more than great planning—they require a proactive and structured approach to risk management. This session explores how event professionals can build robust frameworks to identify, assess, prioritize, and mitigate risks at every stage of the event lifecycle, from initial planning and venue selection to live operations and post-event evaluation.
14:20 - 15.05
Breakout 2C: #Failfest
Not every good idea works. In #failfest, three association event professionals will share case studies of things that didn’t quite go according to plan. They’ll talk openly about what they were trying to achieve, what actually happened, what they would do differently next time, and what others can learn from their experience.
15:05 - 15:35
Refreshments and Networking
15:35 - 16.20
Breakout 3C: People, Purpose and Performance: Creating Resilient Association Teams
Associations rely on the dedication of both staff and volunteers to deliver value for members, achieve strategic goals, and respond to an ever-changing environment. Building a resilient team means recruiting people with the right skills, values, and mindset, while creating a culture where individuals feel supported, motivated, and empowered to contribute.
Attendees will leave with actionable approaches to strengthen team resilience, improve performance, and create a positive organisational culture.
15:35 - 16.20
Breakout 3B: Managing Cyber Risk Across the Event Lifecycle
Association events generate and process significant amounts of sensitive data—from delegate registrations and payment information to speaker details, member records, and event app interactions. As cyber threats become more sophisticated and data protection requirements continue to evolve, event organisers must take proactive steps to protect their organisations, partners, and attendees. This session session explores the key cybersecurity risks facing association events and provides actionable strategies to safeguard data before, during, and after an event.
15:35 - 16.20
Breakout 3C: #Whingefest
Starting with the question “Wouldn’t it be great if…?”, this highly conversational session will explore what association event professionals would genuinely like to change about our industry. From venues and suppliers to technology, contracts, pricing, accessibility, sustainability, and the way we work together, nothing sensible is off the table.
16:20 - 16:25
Movement break
16:25 - 17:15
Keynote: The Art of Showing Up
What if confidence wasn’t something we had to find, but something we could learn to access?
Award-winning international speaker, coach and bestselling author Taz Thornton shares a simple yet powerful framework for unlocking strengths that most of us don’t even realise we possess.
Through powerful storytelling, practical psychology and an easy-to-use approach to understanding the different qualities we all carry within us, Taz reveals how to access the right strengths at the right moments. The result? More confident communication, stronger relationships and greater influence - whether we’re leading teams, working with clients, standing on a stage or simply having the conversations that matter most.
Speaker: Taz Thornton
17:30 - 21:00
The EvolveLive! After Party
17:15 - 17:30
Wrap up and takeaways
Want to join us? Tickets are limited and early bird registration closes 10th September.