Upcoming Events
Our Business Model is designed to cover our costs. Our approach is collaborative. We work with Sponsors for venues. We interact with Members and our own network in finding Speakers. From time to time, our Sponsors help with sourcing special Speakers. Members and/or Sponsors often work with us by inviting their own colleagues and/or clients. taking a table (mostly for ten).
Working Together with Working Free produces new Members/ Contacts for us; for Working Free, Devonshire House provides superb opportunities for them to get to know their clients better.
2022 was a write-off in terms of Live – Face-to-Face Events
The Covid years have seen online Panel Events prevail over other formats – for a variety of reasons. Where Events are created around individuals, it is fair to say that attendees need to have multi motivations to get them tuning in. But when live, Events created around high profile Individuals are very well received. Live Events thrive on congenial venues, food that feeds without interrupting conversations and a glass of whatever – all in a relaxed and companiable environment of about three hours – rather than the 60 minutes of a zoom Event. Also, no-one pays to join a zoom!
Our chosen topics for 2023 are all created around our Product Mission: –
Do Individuals make the Organisation or do Organisations make the Individual? Both ways – is the Devonshire House Product mission!
Here are the themes that we plan to adopt and deliver in 2023.
Firstly and Importantly – we encourage our Members and Contacts to bring great ideas and introductions to us – and we can build a story and a plan around the ideas. Whilst, they may have their own Events capability, we will have a different Constituency to approach.
What makes a great Communicator?
Is this question relevant? Is it important? To what extent is the erosion of authority and its shift to persuasion make a difference? How does all this relate to the Message/Messenger mix. How relevant are major “dramatic” happenings? Have all the best speeches gone? What makes oratory effective? What about technology and social media? Does the media decide what is great Communication? Does image and branding have an impact. How does honesty fit into all this?
The UK is the second biggest exporter in the world – of services. How can we exploit this in the new world order?
This online Panel Discussion – organised by Devonshire House and collaborating with The Institute of Export and International Trade and with BDO on 8.7.20 – covered much valuable ground – and can be revisited at www.ExportofServices.co.uk. Much has changed since then – maybe also to the positioning of the UK in world rankings (GDP recently gone to 6th after India). All of this must be seen as a vital part of the Global Britain Vision. Our approach – again – is to find out exactly where are – and assess the changes. We plan to revive and update this theme in 2023 – delivered LIVE.
Reconciling Global Britain Ambitions with Foreigners buying our best Businesses. Ownership – and our Brexit newly won (assumed) national right to business self-determination – means that you own the assets, the valuable IP, the Research and the profits. And you make the decisions. Is responding to ESG drivers – and variable levels of Government involvement preferable to overseas owners working to their own agendas? Does being foreign owned stop you being global and impact on jobs? Is it little more than being about jobs?
What has happened to Brexit’s three big fudges? Financial Services; Fishing and Northern Ireland. All unfinished business/work-in-progress. Are we winning or losing here? Why does it matter? Who ought to be doing what? (Maybe more than one Panel Discussion? Maybe none at all! Maybe not in tune with our Mission.)
Free Speech. Fact, Fiction, Fairness, Fashion or Fad. (Would declaring an amnesty for 60 minutes actually work?) So important and so relevem.t But maybe too toxic to touch!
Business Models. Winners and losers. If the UK is genuinely looking at heightened and more flexible entrepreneurial activity, the pursuit of new technologies and with global Britain exporting more services to more foreigners how will the supporting and delivering organisations – primarily as regards people – be structured?
All about Directors! This highly successful Sr Donald Brydon Event on 8.11.22 points a clear way to the need for more on this topic. Devonshire House is UP for this fundamental aspect of Governance..