AFA 2012 Conference Wrap

Over 820 delegates have attended the 2012 AFA National Conference, held on the Gold Coast this week.

Presented to advisers under the theme of Pathways to Excellence, the Conference covered a broad range of topics that included all of the key issues presently impacting financial advisers and their advice practices.

The Conference comprised plenary sessions over three days, interspersed by break-out session streams that offered a choice of presentations on key issues based around:

• GenXt topics
• Licensee issues
• Life Insurance
• Investments
• Corporate Superannuation
• Business Leaders

Complementing the session streams were a series of smaller ‘meet the expert’ sessions, where delegates had the opportunity to access dozens of industry professionals, all experts in their field, who shared their views and advice in relation to their specific area of expertise.

The Conference offered numerous additional  opportunities for delegates to listen and learn by way of masterclass sessions and various breakfast session presentations.

Keynote speakers included regulators, politicians, industry thought leaders, sporting champions, front-line soldiers, expert panels and individuals who had their own inspirational stories to share.

Industry peers were recognised in a number of different ways, and key adviser awards were announced:

• AFA Names Female Excellence in Advice Award Winner
• 2012 AFA Excellence in Education Award Winner
• AFA Announces Next Rising Star

During the Conference, the AFA, in association with Zurich, released landmark consumer research that is to be made available to all AFA members.  This research presents in detail, for the first time, exactly what makes successful advice practices successful, and shares with advisers the key findings about how consumers perceive advisers and financial advice.

Newly-appointed AFA National President, Michael Nowak, neatly summarised much of what the 2012 AFA Conference represented.  He spoke of the growing confidence within the financial adviser community that the ‘Pathways to Excellence’ were very much achievable in terms of higher education standards for advisers across the board, the growing influence of the next generation of financial advisers entering the industry and the impact this will have on the journey to professionalism and the eventual perception within the community of financial advisers as professionals.