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It's very exciting to be able to welcome you to Step Up! IFA Conference 2009.
We are living in interesting times and we are probably all finding that it is hard to keep up with everything that is happening at the moment. But it is in times like these that the need to invest time in our professional development becomes more pressing than ever.
Congratulations to all of you who have decided to take the time away from the office to attend what we are certain will be among the best two and a half days you've ever spent on your own development.
This year we're trying something different in terms of format. Because we are confident that our programme is so interesting that it will be attractive to members of professions other than ours, Thursday is now effectively a conference within a conference. For the same price as members of the IFA pay for two and a half days, non-members can now attend the Thursday Business Development Day.
This is a great opportunity for us to mix with other professionals and foster further understanding among them of the value that professional financial advisers add to their clients' lives. It will also be an opportunity for all of us to enjoy and learn from presenters like Tom Potter on "The Competition Want You Dead - What are you going to do about it?" or Belinda Yabsley on "Fostering a Culture of Entrepreneurship".
The business sessions scheduled for this year are really robust in terms of content and the presenters are all excellent. Each Special Interest Group is represented in terms of the content of these sessions and the problem you are going to have will be in deciding which session to attend.
You know that you've had a great conference when you finish up exhausted from taking in new information, best practice ideas, networking and having fun but buzzing with excitement at taking all this back to your practice and your clients. We know that this will be the case with Step Up! 2009.
Thank you to everyone involved in organising this year's event - the volunteer organising committee, The Conference Team, the National Office team, exhibitors, sponsors and everyone. You've done a wonderful job and we can't wait to get started.
But most of all thank you to all of you who have had the foresight to commit yourselves to attending this year. Make the most of every opportunity to learn and grow and meet new people but most of all enjoy!!
Lyn McMorran
President
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