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Hi
This is a really good question. There are a number of issues you have raised . Here are my thoughts about the event , please bear in mind this was the first submit and I am also coming at it from a Scottsh Practice point of view.
I thought this event was excellent and very worth while going to to but there were areas that I did not feel I benefited from as much as others . Please do not take anything as a negative as there were none really , this is just my thoughts for feedback for the ICB as well.
My feeling was there were two extremes . The heavy learning and absorbing the new knowkledge and then the general wider discussions. My decission to go was for the heavy learning.
James is absolutly right that there were parts suited to been in practice more. I believe the feed back was that some of areas were too detailed and some members felt is was difficult.
It is hard to please everyone, but I do feel the students are well catered for as well as new members joining. The Fellows and more experienced members need to have something that is new and challenging otherwise for me it would not warrant the cost.
I hope this does not sound unfriendly but for me in justifying the time to go to the summit and enduring the costs. The networking was not a big part for me. It was lovely to meet the members from everywhere , but I really would have liked if their had been more Scottish members there, so I could have linked up with them when we got back to Scotland.
In the submit there were areas that did not cover Scottish law and while the seminar on Solictors Accounts was excellent for all members , unfortunately the laws are diffferent in Scotland so I felt a little disappointed. Please do not take this as a reflection on the speaker as he was really good. It was just my view , as my main point of been there is to learn and use the information for my practice. The ICB are now working hard on this area for Scottish members and it is very much appreciated , hence my comment bear in mind it was the first submit.
I had hoped the members panel would have had a wider and more experienced range from all parts of the UK. I felt this because again business law is different in Scotland and there was no one on the members panel available to ask . I stand to be corrected but that was my memory from 2009 . I am getting older and maybe the memory not what it should be. Again the ICB are working hard on this.
I confess to missing part of the members panel the second day at the House of Parliament, because of the night before , over excitement and tiredness as I had been shotlisted for best practice which I was really chuffed about.
That night for me was the best because as I had the pleasure of sitting beside an extremely nice Chartered Accountant and it was real boost to be able to have a such a great conversation at the dinner . This gave me a real boost about learning new things and how I viewed the world of accountancy and bookkeeping. I felt very inspired going home.
For me I was less interested in the general discussions. I don,t mean that in a bad way .
It is just that for me there were five outstanding speakers one of them been our own Fellow Stuart Morris , he was a highlight for me, as his knowledge and clear understanding was extremely interesting a good to learn from.
The Companies House Speakers . The Pension DWP speaker and the speaker from the Institute of Payroll were all outstanding and made it justify the costs.
I hope this review helps in making anyone decide if the summit is worth while to go to. I look forward to meeting everyone that I have had really good discussions with on the forum.
Here's to a great submit in November
Edited at 05 Oct 2011 10:20 PM GMT
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