A Comissioned Blog

“A Conference worth reading about…

 

 I went to my first ADI conference about five years ago and I loved it.  I loved meeting other ADIs, I loved the energy of the Speakers and I loved feeling part of a Profession.
After that I was hooked….
Working part time I have had to rein in my spending on Conferences and Courses and so had to become more picky as there are such a range of opportunities available…and not all of them good value. Some are even putting out the same presentation they did a few years ago….!
I heard about Fresh Start 13 around November 2012,  I looked at the line up, the timetable and the organisers and decided that this event seemed a bit different to the others but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
There was a great list of speakers, some of whom I have heard before and would definitely be interested in seeing again.  There were Breakout groups ,smaller more interactive sessions, where the delegates were given a (difficult) choice of sessions.
The main name that I recognised, however, was Marc Ford. I had met Marc Briefly a few times and heard him speak and respected his integrity and genuine drive to develop the Driver Training industry with a view to improving Road safety, it’s public perception and a better deal for the people that work so hard within it.
The other names I am vaguely aware of but don’t actually know but I am looking forward to what promises to be a Fresh and different ADI conference.
The nearer it got…the buzz seemed to grow. This was new and no-one knew what to expect!

The Night Before…

 

 After booking my Fresh Start 13 ticket I followed the Event Page on Facebook and found out that a lot of ADIs who were going were names that I had already met, were friends with on Facebook or were familiar with which was good because I was coming on my own.
Having found out that a fair number of delegates had arranged to stay at the same hotel, just across the road, we organised to all meet in the pub opposite in the afternoon t have a catch up before the next day.
The organisers, saw these messages and decided that, as we were meeting up anyway, it would be good if local ADIs or ones from other hotels also got together and so he arranged for a function room at a local pub nearby and provided a live band.
This was a fantastic idea.  Around 80 people turned up and had a wonderful night of chatting laughing and dancing.  It was great to see Julia Malkin getting up and dancing and having such a good time.
A few ADIs didn’t know anyone else and a those of us who had formed groups introduced ourselves welcomed them in with a promise of someone to sit wit the following day.  We all remembered our first big event where we hoped for a familiar face to break the ice.
Because of this inspired idea of an informal Social Get Together before the formal event the following day we are all relaxed and looking forward to the day ahead without that initial fear of not knowing anybody and so feeling left out.

Conference Day…

After meeting friends for breakfast we arrived at the conference in a group, so much nicer than the usual frantic search for familiar faces.  There was the usual ice breaker coffee session and a definite buzz of activity going on in the background.
Marc and the team admitted to being as scared as a bridegroom at a wedding and worried that it would all go wrong but everything flowed really well and the timings were the tightest I have seen so we things only ran fractionally late.  I don’t think these types of events have ever run to time.
David Holland was the first speaker and his motivating talk about how we should be taking back this industry from the “Cheap Offers” merchants and respecting ourselves for the professional job that we do was really inspiring.
The breakout sessions were very difficult to choose between but were all excellent.  Smaller and less formal groups made it easier to interact with the presenters and ask questions thereby tailoring the sessions more to what the delegates want to know.
This was such an energetic and motivational conference that I came away from with my head buzzing with ideas but the most important decision I have made at this point is to put up my prices to show my pupils that I value my work and so should they.

Results MATTER! Time invested vs. Things Achieved…

 

 It’s all individual I appreciate BUT…I gave all my pupils a months notice that their lesson prices would be going up to £21 but any new pupils or referrals would be charged £22.  This made them feel that they were getting a good deal and I didn’t receive a single complaint.  I printed out little leaflets and ticked off against their name when they were given it so there was no communication problem.
I have also produced information sheets to give to pupils about drink driving, legal or illegal drugs and other factors that can effect their decisions.  These help me to cover the higher levels of the GDE matrix which I have been convinced is the key to greater driver responsibility on the roads.

Fresh Start 14 

 

As soon as I got home from Fresh Start 13 I decided that I would definitely be attending the Fresh Insight Conference in August and Fresh Start 14.  In fact these are the only conference I will definitely be attending on a regular basis as I feel there is a real integrity in what they are trying to do for the Driver Training Profession.
What I have taken from them is that there is a genuine aim to improve the profile of the Driver Trainer.
There also is a will and a passion to help us become more valued by the public and to encourage them to appreciate the quality of what we do in trying to teach pupils more than just how to drive a car but also how to be a responsible and skilled driver.
The overall ethos of those from the “Fresh” events seem to be to improve skills, the training we provide, make our businesses solid and growing whilst raising the quality, standard and responsibility of new drivers in order to improve Road Safety and reduce Death and Injury in the roads.
Once again the organisers have recognised the importance of the social aspect of the event and so, once again, there is a social the night before the conference.
The new idea for this year, are  the ”Golden L” Awards which is aimed to recognise those in our industry who have added “value”.  A Fresh idea which allowed us as ADIs to nominate and vote for people we thought stood out.  This will surely become a regular fixture as there are so many unrecognised trainers that go that extra mile and who deserve a round of applause.
I am left wondering what pearls of wisdom and gems of ideas I will come home with this time…”

Thanks BloggerMB!