SUCCESS IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING LANDSCAPE
Sunday 4th — Tuesday 6th July 2010
The Celtic Manor Resort, South Wales
The AGR Conference is the premier event in the UK graduate recruitment calendar. Almost 600 professionals attended the event last year.
The conference planning team invite proposals to present seminars, training workshops, showcases or debates on topics connected to the conference theme which this year, not surprisingly, focuses on the challenges faced by all of us working in the graduate market, and the actions that we need to take to ensure success in this rapidly changing landscape.
• What does the immediate and longer-term future hold for graduate recruitment and development?
• What can we learn from previous recessions?
• How can we best position ourselves for recovery when it comes?
• It is said that out of adversity grows strength — what new, better and more cost-effective working practices are being introduced?
• What is the business justification of recruiting and developing graduates? How do you measure and articulate the Return on this Investment?
• What’s the best way to maintain and build your brand and secure employee engagement in these changing times?
• When the market recovers, what will be the impact on graduate retention and how can you avoid excessive attrition?
• Has there ever been a more important time for creativity, innovation and smarter working practices?
• How do you personally survive the recession and maintain morale?
These are just some of the questions that spring to mind when we consider the impact of the economic downturn on our business.
There are many and varied aspects to our theme and we hope that you are interested enough to put forward high quality proposals to present at this year’s event.
Proposals must reach the AGR office by midday on Monday 22nd February 2010 at the very latest.
To whet your appetite still further, here are a few more ideas of topics that could be included:
• Opportunities in harsher times
• Adjusting management principles in the current climate
• Translating recruitment into a commercial business model
• The social economic return on graduate recruitment and development
• ROI — tracking graduates progress and contribution over time
• Re-engineering a graduate programme
• Maintaining a positive brand in a downturn
• Using technology to drive down costs
• Other ways of driving down costs
• Increased applications, increased targets, increased success. How?
• Changing graduate perceptions and responding to them
• What future internships?
• Preparing for life beyond the recession
• The impact of demographic and other changes to the graduate population (social inclusion, globalisation, fewer young people)
• Recruitment and development during times of rapid change — mergers and acquisitions
• Remaining positive in an uncertain world
• Influencing the agendas that really matter
• Drilling down — the benefits and ways of building relations with potential employees earlier
Conference Format
There are 4 seminars on the afternoon of Monday 5th July.
In a change to recent practice in 2010 seminars will last 90 minutes and will run only once. They attract audiences of between 75-120 delegates and are intended to tackle ‘big picture’ or strategic issues taking the form of either presentations, allowing adequate time for questions from the floor, or debates designed to engage the audience following short inputs from speakers or panellists. We particularly welcome proposals to mount debate and discussion. Naturally, topics must be linked to the conference theme.
Seminar presenters may also be asked to present a 60 minute follow up session later on Monday afternoon. This slot would give you the opportunity to talk about lessons learned and observations made in the main seminar, and gives conference delegates the opportunity to benefit from topics covered in a seminar that they did not attend, perhaps following discussion with other delegates after the main session. Details of the follow up session will be discussed with the chosen seminar presenters.
(See the note at the end concerning the selection process for seminars in 2010).
On Tuesday 6th July there are 10 best practice sessions.
These are one hour long and repeated (either side of lunch). Audiences vary between 20 and 50 people and the sessions should address specific issues in detail. A variety of formats is suggested — master classes, case studies, workshops and managed group discussions.
The planning team is keen to see more sessions that set out to specifically interact with the audience — in other words sessions that get the delegates contributing! Past experience also shows that delegates are keen on workshops which deliver practical tips that they can take away and consider in their business.
Proposals must indicate which format is being proposed and the agreed format must then be adhered to if the proposal is accepted. We particularly welcome original work rather than proposals to repeat presentations that have been undertaken elsewhere. Please indicate in your proposal if it has been used previously, providing details of when and where the presentation took place.
The AGR conference attracts delegates with very little to considerable experience. We would like to give some indication in the programme as to what level, if any, the presentation is aimed at:
*inexperienced practitioner
*experienced practitioner
*senior manager
In the past, the following formats have proved popular:
Master classes — using examples of best practice in a specific activity usually consisting of a presentation and allowing time for questions and discussion. Employer inputs to master classes are highly desirable and we would encourage employers to put proposals forward!
Case studies — a focus on a particular aspect of graduate recruitment or development, a complete programme or a comparison of different approaches. Case studies must demonstrate processes and experiences — why, how, who, what was achieved, lessons learnt etc. Again, employer inputs are considered essential for credibility purposes.
Workshops — distinguished by the intention to directly involve the delegates in hands-on activity in an aspect of professional practice or personal development - could be skills or training centred.
Managed group discussion — focusing on a specific issue, perhaps what constitutes best practice or a hot topic discussion, consisting of prepared input followed by a directed discussion. (We have had very few of these sessions in recent years and we are keen to encourage more).
Showcases and Structured Networking Sessions
A small number of showcases and networking opportunities are offered on Monday morning (08.30 — 09.30) and Monday afternoon (17.00 — 18.00). They can take any format and differ from seminars and workshops in that they are more informal in nature and not normally chaired by AGR Board members. In essence presenters are left more to their own devices although they have to agree to an agreed format in the same way as other proposals have to.
Numbers attending these sessions vary from a dozen up to, last year, sixty or seventy. While they are more informal in nature, they are part of the main attraction and as such should be as professionally handled as the seminars and workshops. Previous examples include group discussions, benchmarking exercises, networking, market research and testing out new ideas and ways of working. We are particularly keen to see more networking type events this year so if you (could be more than one person) want to meet with a group of likeminded individuals, or start a debate on a relevant theme with others who share the same interest, feel free to put a proposal forward.
Top Tips — to secure a slot and to obtain positive feedback
The conference planning team’s prime responsibility is to ensure that the quality of sessions at conference is of world class standard. To help them distinguish between one proposal and another, a standard format is to be used.
*Decisions on which proposals to accept will be based on the relevance of the subject topic and content detail. This means that submissions should provide as much relevant information as possible and follow the format outlined below.
*Please do not put forward a proposal because you think it is expected of you. Only do so if you have something important to contribute and you have a carefully worked out plan.
*If you are proposing a session based on a planned piece of research, you must provide details of the scale of the research and the implementation timescale.
*Please do not include names of presenters unless you are certain that they are available and have agreed to participate. The organisers reserve the right to cancel agreements if accepted proposals are changed in any substantial way and changes in personalities would count as a major change.
*If you are interested in putting on a structured networking session, you might find it easier to work in partnership with a couple of other people. Clearly it will not be as easy to prepare a carefully planned session but you should aim, in your proposal, to provide information on what your objectives are and how you propose to go about achieving them.
*Once agreed and accepted, proposals cannot be changed in any way without the express permission of the organisers who reserve the right to cancel the session if the agreement is broken. This extends to changing named speakers.
Format for proposals:
1. Presenters (Name, title, Organisation, Contact details)
2. Presentation Title and Type (Seminar or Best Practice Session)
3. Aims and Objectives (Bullet Points)
4. Methodology (Presentation with Q&A, Debate, Master Class, Case Study, Training Workshop, Managed Group Discussion)
5. Presentation Outline and Plan (Including time-table and style of delivery)
6. Level (Is the session aimed at a particular level of experience )
7. Speakers’ Biographies (75 words maximum each)
8. Audio-Visual Requirements
9. Costs (It is not our practice to pay a fee or pay expenses. If you attendance is dependent on this, please indicate an estimate of costs).
Please note that presentations are not vehicles to market services or products. Despite the best efforts of the conference organisers every year a minority of presenters use the slots to try to promote a specific service. Previous feedback from numerous delegates repeatedly demonstrates the damage that this does to the presenter’s reputation. The organisers reserve the right to withdraw a session from the programme if they believe that a session is marketing orientated.
Selection Process
The conference planning team comprises:
Carl Gilleard — AGR
Christina Kerr — PwC
Claire Adams — Nestlé
Ella Wilkinson — JP Morgan
Helen Bostock — Bostock Consulting
Jayne Cullen — TMP
Jillian Burton — Lloyd’s Register
Karen Martin — RBS
Miranda Davies — Thales
Nicola Fair — NHS
Tim Lotherington — EuroRSCGRiley
Tracy Shah — Venture Marketing Group
Yvonne Crew — Centrica
Once a proposal has been approved and included in the programme, a member of the planning team will make contact to monitor progress towards the delivery at conference. Their role is to provide you with support, ensure that the session is prepared in advance and deliver what the programme says it will deliver and to trouble-shoot if you are experiencing any problems.
In the final run-up to the event, members of the AGR Board will be appointed to chair seminars and workshops and they will liaise with you over the arrangements on the day.
Applications must be submitted by midday on Monday 22nd February 2010. The planning team will meet immediately after to consider the proposals and decisions will be announced in March.
PLEASE NOTE: In certain cases the conference planning team may invite those who submit proposals to meet with them to discuss it in more detail before reaching a final decision.
Proposals should be sent in an electronic format to Andrea Soukup at the AGR office: Email: andrea@agr.org.uk
Finally:
All conference presenters agree to:
• Waive a fee or reimbursement of expenses (unless previously agreed.).
• Cooperate with the conference organisers and comply with ALL deadlines.
• Refrain from making substantial changes in content or format without prior approval of AGR.
• Permit AGR disseminate handout materials in print, online, or CD-ROM formats.
• Refrain from using the session as a forum for promoting a business, product, or service.
• Affirm that you are the sole creator of your materials and have any and all permissions necessary relating to copyrights
• Accept that the press may be present during their session (unless an agreement not to allow them to attend is reached with AGR personnel beforehand)