2025 Best Practice Guide
Raising Standards

2025 Summer Best Practice Showcase 
(In-person)

Learn WHAT our award finalists are doing to continue “Raising Standards in Customer Operations”

Thursday 12th June 2025, Park Royal Hotel, Stretton, Cheshire

M56, Jct 10 
Manchester Airport, 15 mins by Taxi
Warrington Bank Quay, Mainline Station, 15 mins by Taxi

Showcasing the very 
best in the industry

This conference offers a unique chance for you to learn directly from our Awards winners. You will hear from the teams and individuals who are making a difference in their business, powerful partnerships whether that is with a technology provider or an outsource partnership. Finally, you can discover how large transformation projects have made massive changes in any business.

Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Conference Agenda

Best Practice Showcase

08:30
Registration opens
09:30
Opening Keynote & Showcase
The Forum will set out the itinerary of the day and spend time helping shape your objectives for the conference. This will be followed by a keynote from our Gold Sponsors Centrical and Capita Customer Experience who will talk around what makes a “Perfect Partnership” . Finally, hear from the overall Innovation Award winner Brightwell Pensions.
10:45
Networking
Your chance to meet with other members and spend time in the Expo area. Refreshments will be served.
11:15
Showcases
Winners of a Team and Innovation Award in this year’s programme plus the Raising Standards Award. This is a chance to understand The AA’s award story in the round and the benefits this has delivered for customers, colleagues and the company. This will be followed be another award-winning story from Trainline on how a new telephony system allows teams to focus on the customer. Each session will be followed by table discussions and questions to the award winners.
12:30
Networking Lunch
Forum Focus
Your chance to meet with other members and spend time in the Expo area. Lunch will be served.
Achieving Big Gains in Customer Experience Without Big Budgets
Join Adam Clough from FourNet as he shares the story of how a major Central Government organisation transformed its contact centre performance through strategic Workforce Optimisation—without investing in new technology or increasing headcount.
Find out more
13:30
Showcase Panel
Knowledge Sharing and Partnerships 
Firstly, we will hear from Claire Boys-Layton from NFU Mutual on their award winning Engaging Knowledge Management journey followed by Novuna & Verint bringing to life their partnership award submission around the benefits of a full WEM (Workforce Enterprise) solution. We will then bring both parties together for a panel discussion and there will be a chance for table discussion and further questions.
14:30
Networking
Your chance to meet with other members and spend time in the Expo area. Refreshments will be served.
15:00
Interactive Exercise, Panel & Discussion
The Forum will lead a brief keynote on “The Art of Storytelling” then a panel discussion where practical examples of understanding the difference you can make, and how to engage and influence others is discussed with some of this year’s judges and finalists including Graham Watson from Capita Regulated Services and Scott Budding from Calabrio. This will be followed by an exercise on making a difference and turning takeaways into learning and award submissions with playback from the audience across this session
15:45
Conference Endnote
A brief session on action planning and next steps will conclude the day along with the partner giveaway.
16:00
Conference Close
Conference Agenda

Best Practice Showcase

08:30
Registration Opens
09:30
Opening Keynote & Showcase
The Forum will set out the itinerary of the day and spend time helping shape your objectives for the conference.  This will be followed by a keynote from our Gold Sponsors Centrical who will talk around what makes a “Perfect Partnership” being award winners in 2023 & 2024. Finally, hear from the overall Innovation Award winner Brightwell Pensions.
10:45
Networking
Your chance to meet with other members and spend time in the Expo area. Refreshments will be served.
11:15
Showcases
Winners of a Team and Innovation Award in this year’s programme plus the Raising Standards Award. This is a chance to understand The AA’s award story in the round and the benefits this has delivered for customers, colleagues and the company. This will be followed be another award-winning story from Trainline on how a new telephony system allows teams to focus on the customer. Each session will be followed by table discussions and questions to the award winners.
12:30
Forum Focus
Achieving Big Gains in Customer Experience Without Big Budgets
Join Adam Clough from FourNet as he shares the story of how a major Central Government organisation transformed its contact centre performance through strategic Workforce Optimisation—without investing in new technology or increasing headcount.
12:30
Networking Lunch
Your chance to meet with other members and spend time in the Expo area. Lunch will be served.
13:30
Showcase Panel
Knowledge Sharing and Partnerships 
Firstly, we will hear from Claire Boys-Layton from NFU Mutual on their award winning Engaging Knowledge Management journey followed by Novuna & Verint bringing to life their partnership award submission around the benefits of a full WEM (Workforce Enterprise) solution. We will then bring both parties together for a panel discussion and there will be a chance for table discussion and further questions.
14:30
Networking
Your chance to meet with other members and spend time in the Expo area. Refreshments will be served.
15:00
Interactive Exercise, Panel & Discussion
The Forum will lead a brief keynote on “The Art of Storytelling” then a panel discussion where practical examples of understanding the difference you can make, and how to engage and influence others is discussed with some of this year’s judges and finalists including Graham Watson from Capita Regulated Services and Scott Budding from Calabrio. This will be followed by an exercise on making a difference and turning takeaways into learning and award submissions with playback from the audience across this session.
15:45
Conference Endnote
A brief session on action planning and next steps will conclude the day along with the partner giveaway.
16:00
Conference ends

Speakers

Phil Anderson
CEO
The Forum
Claire Boys-Layton
Knowledge Manager
NFU Mutual
Piers Brown
Sales Director
Centrical
Scott Budding
Manager Sales Engineering UK & EMEA
Calabrio
Ian Chappell
Director of Consulting (International)Centrical
Adam Clough
Practice Lead Workforce Planning and Optimisation
FourNet
Graham Collman
Head of Planning & Reporting
Brightwell Pensions
Alison Conaghan
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum
Hayley Diggens
Customer Success Manager
Centrical
Simone James
Scheduling Manager
The AA
James Lennox
Head of Technical Services
Brightwell Pensions
Stuart Noone
Real-Time Manager
The AA
Ian Robertson
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum
Patricia Rees-Stott
Director of Trading & Services
Capita Experience
Sarah Taylor
Scheduling Analyst
The AA
Margot Vanwynendaele
Operational Resource and Data Analyst
Trainline
Dave Vernon
Director of Membership &
 Best Practice
The Forum
Graham Watson
Portfolio Planning Analyst
Capita Regulated Services
Donna Whyman
Customer Operations Specialist
The Forum

Exhibitors

Venue

Park Royal Hotel
Stretton, Cheshire
WA4 4NS

Off J10 on M56
Nearest Station Warrington Bank Quay

Guests are welcome to book their bedrooms by calling our Central Reservations Team on 0330 107 1599 quoting ‘The Forum'

Prices & Booking

Places are free to members using member places in line with the level of membership. Extra places for each event can be purchased at £625 +VAT for face-to-face and £295 +VAT for virtual.

All paid for places must be settled before the conference begins.. All bookings are subject to The Forum's normal terms which can be read here. Cancellation does not automatically mean an invoice is no longer payable.

Register Now

Fill in your details to register for the 2025 Summer Best Practice Showcase conferences or email events@theforum.social.