Registration opens for the autumn conference
This year's conference takes place on 19 November 2026 in Birmingham. Expect short talks, practical workshops and an afternoon on supplier failure, late payment and contracts people can read.
Registration is open for the Academy autumn conference, which takes place on Thursday 19 November 2026 at the Foundry Court centre in Birmingham. We expect around 300 members and guests.
The programme
The morning opens with a review of what our spring research found about supplier failure. Daniel Hughes and Hannah Cartwright will then explain the changes planned for the Academy standard in 2027 and ask for comments from the floor.
After that the day splits into three tracks:
- Suppliers: case studies from two members whose suppliers went into administration, and what they would do differently.
- Payment: a session on late-payment practice, including how to read a supplier's payment history and what small firms can do about slow-paying customers.
- Contracts: a workshop on rewriting a standard clause in plain English, led by Dr Amara Okafor. Bring a clause from your own templates if you can.
The afternoon closes with a panel of four employers from the new Midlands Employers Network, who will talk about how they train and promote commercial staff.
Prices
Tickets cost £95 for members and £145 for non-members, including lunch. Senior members attend free. Students and members on the concession rate pay £45. We have 20 free places for job seekers, funded by conference sponsors.
Access
The venue has step-free access, a hearing loop in the main hall and a quiet room. Live captions will run on all main-hall sessions. If you have other access needs, tell us when you book and we will do our best to meet them.
Book through My Academy before 6 November 2026.
Academy and everyone named in this article are fictional, created for this demonstration website.