Stratford-Upon-Avon played host to this year’s AFS Annual Conference which took place at the Holiday Inn Hotel from October 4 to October 6. Friendly societies and exhibitors came together in this annual event to share experiences, discuss common issues and look to the future.

The past year has seen a time of change for the AFS and while some may have watched and waited to see what 2006 would bring, those attending the conference were left with no doubt that the future for the Association is strong and the mood optimistic.

A welcome dinner on the Wednesday evening allowed all those attending the chance to socialise and to meet both old and new friends before the business of the conference began the following day. As is always the case when members come together, there seemed precious little time to speak to everyone in the evening but the structure of the following two days would prove to provide plenty more opportunity to network.

It was an efficient start for the AFS Executive who met at 9am the following day for its Committee Meeting while delegates were afforded a leisurely breakfast and time to visit the numerous, high-profile exhibitors.

At 11am the conference began in earnest with a representative from Legal and General addressing the floor on Investment Strategy and Asset Allocation and providing a vital overview of Legal and General’s view on future performance.

Mark Johnson from Swiss Re presented a fascinating insight to the income protection gap in the UK. His presentation outlined the trends of the modern consumer and just how well placed mutuals are to meet the very real needs of the modern generation; if they are prepared to rise to the challenge. Key issues that were highlighted included the lack of consumer trust, the non-payment of claims and the confusion in the mind of the customer over the products available. Some startling figures were revealed, amongst them a £2.3trillion Life Assurance Protection gap and the fact that 80% of consumers feel that they had adequate protection when most only had 17 days of living expenses covered. The presentation concluded with the steps needed for the Income Protection market; the need to move from selling on price, the need to promote the benefits of Income Protection including services like rehabilitation and counselling, the need to reduce dependence on the mortgage market and to ‘switch on’ the distribution channels to Income Protection.

A short break was followed by two, further presentations from Mark Hoban, Shadow Economic Secretary and Jane Southwell, the Head of the Australian Association of Friendly Societies who gave participants the ‘lowdown’ from ‘down under’. The afternoon activities afforded a welcome opportunity for delegates to break into smaller groups and engage in a choice of workshops to close the day. . ‘Leadership in Turbulent Times’ was run by Peter Denheen, HR Director at Royal Liver while KPMG played host to ‘Treating Customers Fairly’.

Business continued that evening in rather smarter attire with the traditional black tie gala dinner taking place at 8pm.

Always a sparkling event in both decoration and atmosphere, this year’s event which had been organised by Police Mutual and Scottish Friendly, bought some rather unexpected yet outstanding entertainment. Tenors Incognito, initially masquerading as the hotel’s waiting staff, revealed themselves to be classically trained singers and proceeded to burst into an eclectic mix of classic and not so classic tunes. Treating the audience to everything from Pavarotti to Queen, they certainly captured the mood of the evening.