Welcome and registration

Opening remarks

Doing more without doing more: Creating capacity without working longer hours

Accountants and bookkeepers are being asked to do more than ever - more compliance, more communication, more advisory support and more value for clients. Yet for many firms, the challenge isn’t capability; it’s capacity. This session explores where time is really being lost across the modern firm and how leading practices are rethinking the way work gets done. From reducing manual effort and simplifying workflows to considering the role of automation and AI, discover how firms are creating capacity without simply working longer hours. Attendees will leave with fresh perspectives, ideas and approaches to help rethink how time and effort are spent across their firm.

Host

• Chris Downing, Director of Product Management for Accountants and Bookkeepers - Sage

Pricing for Profit - The end to Price Competition

In this session Will Farnell will discuss the two choices every firm faces - you are the cheapest or you are different. What does difference mean and how does this need to be presented to ensure you no longer need to compete on price. The session will consider the challenges firms face in pricing and consider different approaches pricing - output based pricing v time based billing, how to systemise pricing in your firm, recognising the value of what you do and how to ensure you can avoid having to focus on price to win new work. You will leave with clarity on why you need to understand what you really do, how to tell stories to give clarity about your proposition. Why you need to price based on outputs and not inputs as well as tips on systems designed to help you price efficiently and effectively.

Host

• Will Farnell, Founder - TC Farnell Clarke

Break and networking

From Reactive Referrals to Repeatable Growth: Build the Foundation, Create Momentum, Scale with Confidence

Many accountancy firms still rely on reactive referrals and inconsistent new business. It works, until it doesn’t. This session is for directors, partners and leaders who want to build growth on stronger foundations. To create clear positioning, confident commercial conversations, and systems that create momentum rather than pressure. Using the R.E.P.R.E.S.E.N.T. framework, we’ll explore how to build a client-first growth system that moves your firm from sporadic wins to repeatable results. You’ll learn how to strengthen your firm’s visibility, sharpen relevance in conversations, use evidence to accelerate trust, and turn interest into engaged, right-fit clients. The focus is not on aggressive selling. It’s on professionalism, clarity, and creating an environment where clients choose to move forward. You’ll leave with practical steps to build the foundation, generate momentum, and scale growth with confidence.

Host

• James Sundin, James Sundin - Co-founder and Chief Evangelist at R.E.P.R.E.S.E.N.T

Lunch, networking and Practice Hub

AI in Accountancy Practice: Perspectives from the Profession

AI is already reshaping accountancy practices, but what does that look like in reality for firms of different sizes and at different stages of adoption? This panel will explore how practices are using AI today both for the firm and to serve clients. Bringing together a range of perspectives, the session will offer a practical view of where AI is delivering value now and what the near future may hold.

Host

• Richard Sergeant, Founder and Managing Director - Principle Point Ltd

Speakers

• Melissa Fogwill, Chief Technology Officer - Henderson Loggie

• Ian Mackie CA, Director - Hall Morrice LLP

• Kirsty Yuill, Johnston Carmichael - Director

AI Won't Save a Messy Firm: How to Build the Foundations That Makes AI Actually Work

Everyone's talking about AI. But most of the advice boils down to "just play with it," which isn't a strategy. In this interactive session, Alexis Kingsbury — serial entrepreneur, host of the De-stress Your Business podcast, and creator of the Accrual Intentions experiment (the world's first 100% AI accountancy firm) — shares what he's learned from pushing AI to its limits in the profession. The conclusion? AI is already good enough that firms should be taking note. But the firms that will fall behind first are the messy ones — those without documented processes, clear roles, or a defined strategy. Without that clarity, neither your people nor your AI can get you where you want to go. This session cuts through the hype to show you what AI can actually do today, what's coming next, and (most importantly) the practical steps you can take now to prepare your firm. We'll also explore the ethical leadership questions the profession must get right: how we look after our people as the career ladder changes, and how we show up transparently for clients in an AI-augmented world. Expect to leave with a clear action plan, and the chance to see what a 100% AI accountancy firm can (and can't) do!

Host

• Alexis Kingsbury, Entrepreneur and Co-founder - Ukoru

Break and networking

How to use AI to turn client conversations into additional service & revenue opportunities

Most accounting firms already have regular client conversations. What they're missing is a consistent way to capture, review, and act on what clients are telling them. In this session, we'll walk through how you can use AI to help surface unmet client needs hiding in your client conversations, so you can identify the right services to offer, at the right time, without adding more to your plate. Whether you're doing annual accounts check-ins, cashflow calls, or strategy sessions, you'll leave with a practical approach to making every client conversation work harder for your firm.

Host

• Jordan Vickery, Co-founder - Vinyl

Closing remarks 

Networking drinks