Bridget’s Blog: And that’s a wrap!

We’ve barely packed away the banners and lanyards and we’ve already had a team meeting to talk about the 2025 Music Mark Annual Conference… but only because we have been reflecting on what happened this year and the lessons we can learn!

It takes over a year to plan and programme this significant event in our calendar and yet the actual two days fly past in a blur of conversations, presentations and cups of tea. Indeed, afterwards I often find it hard to answer the ‘so how did it go?’ or ‘were you pleased?’ questions. We are of course really grateful for the feedback – both on evaluation forms and through conversations or emails – from those who attended, but being asked for my ‘best bits’ is actually quite hard! 

However, this year I’ve given it some thought and am delighted to say that I was right (in my November blog), and the 2024 conference was indeed the best yet. More people joined us than ever before; we had a great venue with some great food; speakers who challenged us in our thinking; breakouts that explored a variety of topics and ideas; a great exhibition across two spaces; performances by children and young people to inspire us; and yes, lots of tea!

There were so many best bits to choose from, and everyone who presented made a fantastic contribution, but I did really enjoy the provocations and discussions on environmental sustainability on Monday and Dr Kanneh-Mason’s keynote on the Tuesday afternoon. And I hope that we provided some valuable time for delegates to catch up with colleagues and meet the exhibitors. 

The success of a Music Mark conference is not only down to the content and the catering, but also – and perhaps more so – down to an amazing team! I am so proud and grateful to the Music Mark staff who pull together to make it seem to run effortlessly (when I know that they are often a fleet of swans appearing to glide whilst paddling frantically behind the scenes – which this year included managing the impact of an overnight dumping of snow!). I was particularly proud of Aimee, Emma and Yusef for being up on stage to facilitate a Q&A or a panel discussion. Perhaps I might not need to be there next year?! 

There are of course lessons to be learnt, and we are taking on board all the comments from the evaluation as we start planning for 2025. Knowing what worked and what didn’t for delegates and exhibitors means we can get better and better at providing what everyone needs in a UK Music Education Conference. If you were at the conference and haven’t told us your thoughts, do take a moment to complete your feedback form.

Planning is already underway for the 2025 conference – we’re scoping out potential venues and have a plan for a theme. We’re also talking about opening bookings – and the call for content – much earlier, so expect another blog from me looking forward to the next Music Mark Annual Conference early in the New Year! For now though, why not relive the two days by exploring the conference resources page, where you can download presentation slides, watch videos from speakers and exhibitors, and access other resources from the conference.