On 1st October, members, and suppliers of The IPG gathered at The Mermaid Theatre London to address The Changing World of Business. Stepping into the theatre was like being in the heart of Covent Garden with street performers greeting arrivals.
The IPG biennial conference has grown into one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the group’s calendar. The pandemic of COVID-19 did nothing to alter the conference atmosphere – attendees continued to enjoy this great networking opportunity and the message was loud and clear – “The show must go on!”
Facilitating the discussion of managing change while maintaining business as usual was at the heart of this year’s conference messaging – as was the underlying message that ‘we are stronger when we work together’.
The day’s programme was action-packed, it saw members have a face-to-face catch up with suppliers in the exhibitor’s area. This was followed by an afternoon in the auditorium – where attendees listened to a roster of prominent speakers, all highlighting that there are a lot of opportunities for those willing to embrace change. They also learnt about plans of the group and were entertained by various ‘stronger together’ themed acts.
Flash mob dancers opened the “line-up” with an exhilarating street dance to the song ‘This is The Greatest Show’. Glenn Fisher, Managing Director of The IPG then gave a heartfelt speech, appealing to everyone to stand united, and work together. Glenn said “ Those businesses that succeed and thrive, are those agile enough to continue to adapt quickly, because it is in that very change where new opportunities arise. Our partnerships are in place to seize those opportunities together and help each other have more successful businesses. Because with your success comes our collective success and with our collective success the group will continue to grow stronger, together. “
Back by popular demand, the electrifying David Meade hosted the afternoon. His boundless energy and dynamic delivery captured the audience from start to finish, with out-of-this world mind reading tricks.
A Keynote address from international marketeer David Abbott inspired the audience to rethink their sales strategy by showcasing various techniques to help them optimise their pricing.
As always, The IPG received fantastic support from their suppliers with key sponsors Bristan and Davant taking to the stage to discuss the importance of Customer Service and British Manufacturing respectively.
Entertainers included Spikey Will, a legend in Covent Garden – who demonstrated his core strength with his impressive ‘bed of nails’ act. The audience also marvelled at feats of skill from the Acro-Chaps who then encouraged members and suppliers to put their core strength to the test and work together to complete a chair levitation triumph.
Kaleidoscope, a light show with a difference provided the opening act to The IPG’s presentation – which focused on the group’s core strategy of providing its trading partners with the platforms to sell better.
And finally, the conference came to its conclusion with an evening dinner at the Leonardo Royal Hotel St Paul’s. Robin Beal, Chairman and Founder, summed up the day by saying “ As you know this event only happens once in 2 years, that’s once in 728 days. For 727 days we mostly get on with our daily lives, work hard and give ourselves little praise, so let’s be unapologetic about celebrating our successful partnerships on this special occasion and this evening we are going to top it off with an enjoyable meal, great networking and having some fun! “
The dinner included a ‘tongue in cheek’ awards ceremony and entertainment from Rory Bremner. A silent Auction was also held, with generous donations and bids, the group raised 9K for its charity partner Missing People #FindEveryChild.