A Day of Insight, Innovation, and Connection
The Property Institute (TPI) hosted its highly anticipated Annual Conference on Thursday, 24th October, marking the first Conference under its unified TPI brand (formerly ARMA and IRPM).
The event gathered over 480 property managers, sponsors, speakers, partners, and special guests at Convene, 133 Houndsditch in London. Attendees from government, housing associations, trade associations, industry suppliers, and media joined to explore the latest insights in Property Management.
Featuring six breakout sessions, four keynote addresses, and a total of 22 speakers, the conference offered an exceptional platform for knowledge-sharing and industry networking.
With 32 exhibitor stands, delegates had ample opportunity to discover innovations, learn from experts, and discuss pressing industry challenges and legislation.
This year’s event, the 27th in TPI’s history, covered a broad range of timely topics – from artificial intelligence to insurance premiums, and even included engaging activities like mini-golf and exclusive giveaways. It was a day of thought-provoking dialogue, with keynote sessions focusing on the latest in Building Assessment Certificate (BAC) applications, legal complexities, and the importance of Psychological Safety in the workplace.
Keynote Highlights:
Alan Walker, Distribution Consultant at Freedom Asset Management Limited, kicked off the day, setting the stage for an impactful conference. Andrew Bulmer, CEO of TPI, followed with a welcome address featuring an engaging video that highlighted TPI’s recent achievements, including advancements in member benefits, training, and AI-enhanced qualifications supported by a new host of course avatars.
Key takeaways included updates on TPI’s policy initiatives, notably the 2024 Policy Manifesto presented at the recent Labour Party Conference. The manifesto calls for crucial reforms, including the regulation of managing agents, transparency for leaseholders, the completion of essential building safety measures, and support for decarbonising blocks of flats to achieve net-zero goals. TPI’s newly appointed Chair, Baroness Dianne Hayter,followed with an address underscoring the organisation's continued commitment to sector advancement.
Tim Galloway, Deputy Director at the Building Safety Regulator, delivered an informative session on Building Assessment Certificates (BACs), guiding attendees through the essentials of safety case reports and application best practices. His talk highlighted potential pitfalls to avoid, reflected on key take-outs from the Grenfell Report, and covered other critical aspects of building safety management.
The ‘Law Meets Practice: Common and Complex Scenarios’ session, led by Cassandra Zanelli of Property Management Legal Services and Justin Bates KC from Landmark Chambers, explored complex issues around building safety and insurance, presenting live examples and practical insights for property managers.
Breakout Session Highlights:
The conference also offered an array of insightful breakout sessions. These included:
• Insurance Premiums: Trends and Impacts, with Rob Mayo from Insurety
• Fire Safety Regulations: Then and Now, presented by Mark Field of Cardinus
• Maximising Wellbeing – Strategies for a Thriving Workplace, led by Shelley Jacobs, Michael Laurie Magar, and Emily Gray of Burns Hamilton.
The afternoon breakout sessions focused on relevant and helpful guidance for industry professionals:
• Navigating TPI’s Compliance Review with TPI’s Glenys Diebelius and Waqas Mahmood
• AI: From Concept to Competitive Advantage with Colin Stokes and Tom Shrive from Adiuvo
• Lone Working Guidance for Property Managers, led by Jodie Fraser of Fraser Allen Estate Management.
Jonathan Peach from Art of Brilliance concluded the conference with an inspiring session on Psychological Safety in the Workplace. This session focused on building effective teams, presenting findings from a two-year Google study, and emphasising the benefits of psychological safety, including improved physical health, enhanced problem-solving, and a more focused work environment.
Thank You to All Attendees
The TPI team would like to thank all delegates, speakers, sponsors, and partners for making our first Annual Conference under the TPI brand a resounding success. Positive feedback has shown that the event provided attendees with a valuable and thought-provoking experience, and planning for the 2025 event is already underway. Further details will be shared soon.
All presentation slides from the Conference are available on TPI website. View speaker slides here and explore moments of the day captured in the TPI 2024 Conference photo gallery here.
