The Meetings Industry Association (MIA) has announced details of its 2025 annual
conference, taking place on Thursday 6 November at The Belfry Hotel & Resort.
The conference theme is Equipped to Excel, with the event dedicated
to creating practical solutions for two of the most critical drivers of
organisational success –
people and performance. The conference will aim to empower attendees to co-create innovative responses to evolving
employee expectations, prioritise actions for long-term success and align
individual purpose with business goals to build resilient, sustainable
and future-ready organisations.
The opening keynote, centred on People, will be
delivered by former RAF combat helicopter pilot Sarah Furness. While leading Special Forces missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Furness discovered that
resilience and performance are not instinctive, but they can be learned. Her
insights will help attendees unlock the potential of teams to thrive under
pressure.
On Performance, Olympic gold medal rower Ben Hunt-Davis MBE will share the game-changing
mindset that took the GB Men's Eight rowing team from years of
underachievement to gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Anchored by one
transformative question – ‘Will
it make the boat go faster?’ - Ben’s approach challenges teams to
cut through noise and focus on what truly matters to achieve sustainable,
results-driven success in any organisation.
On being future-ready, closing the day, TV
presenter, author and three-time Speaker of the Year Dr Jaz
Ampaw-Farr will weave humour and lived experience into an energising session on
‘re-storying’ our personal and professional journeys, empowering every delegate
to leave 10% braver and ready to drive real change.
Chief executive of the MIA, Shonali Devereaux, said: “Equipped to Excel is about more than
inspiration, it’s about action. This year’s conference is designed to spark the
thinking, insights and leadership needed to develop tangible strategies that
address our most pressing people and performance challenges. When our industry
collaborates on real solutions, we not only excel today, but we also ensure
sustainable success for tomorrow.”
The full MIA 2025 Conference programme is
available here. The event will take place from 9.30am to 4:15pm on Thursday 6 November at The Belfry Hotel & Resort, ahead of
the miaList awards that evening.
