The Paraplanners Powwow was the first national 'unconference' in UK financial services history, says the organisers, an event where delegates decide the agenda.
The Powwow - held on farmland at Aynho on the Northamptonshire-Oxfordshire border - attracted 70 participants, including 60 paraplanners, who travelled from as far afield as County Durham, Bristol, Brighton and Kent.
Event chief Richard Allum, of outsourced Paraplanning business The Paraplanners, said participants at the event had 'broken the mould' for financial services conferences
Mr Allum said: "I confess it was a bit of a gamble but the energy and enthusiasm among Powwow participants led to a quality of discussion and debate that has surpassed what we'd hoped for. 'We put Powwow people in a really unusual position - inviting them to select the topics in advance and, for the most part, creating the content and direction of those sessions, there and then, for themselves."
Mr Allum said that a series of one-hour Powwow sessions covered a wide range of topics including due diligence and platforms, what goes into a good report, cashflow planning and technology.
He added that the Powwow team was particularly impressed with the success of Legal and General's (L&G) 'Campfire' session where L&G invited participants to help design and refine Paraplanner-friendly services.
Mr Allum said: "Sessions like L&G's offer proof to other event organisers that you can re-imagine traditional exhibitor-delegate relationship."
{desktop}{/desktop}{mobile}{/mobile}
Mr Allum said that he would spend the next few weeks listening to participants' thoughts about the Powwow before making a decision about whether to run another national Powwow event in the future.
He said: "Just like the Powwow itself, we'll be led by what Paraplanners want."
"What is very exciting is the way paraplanners have picked up on the organising principle of the Powwow - to create an event for paraplanners by paraplanners - and have set up at least one regional Powwow, with PowwowUpNorth, and other Powwows in the pipeline."
