 Hi everyone, it's MJ the fellow Actree and in this video I want to talk about a virtual summit that is happening on the 23rd to the 25th of June 2021 Now it's called the growth Actree and it's preparing Actrees for future growth and transformation And it is a hundred percent free to attend But I thought who better than to introduce this conference than the people behind it So I'm gonna be asking Mark and Suzanne to tell us a little bit more about the growth Actree And what are going to be some of the major themes in the summit this year? Hi Michael Good to see you. Hi Michael. Thanks for having us. Yeah, I know it's great to be here Michael And really appreciate you asking us to be on on your very famous YouTube channel So so much appreciated But yeah in terms of your question. So so yeah, this this growth Actree Event what's it all about? Well, it's a three-day event and it was it was busy born out of the idea that that Actree is now Need to embrace growth and transformation. Okay, so we're moving into this digital future And you know the world is changing. It's becoming more complex We're obviously relying a lot more on technology and you know along with that comes the need to develop new skills new techniques and Really importantly in our point of view is new ways of thinking as well So we need to grow as a profession But also I believe this is kind of a proactory belief I think as well and that we need to to grow as individuals as well Basically to make sure that we are future ready. So it's a growth is our overall theme for the event and We've kind of broken that down into different categories that whole idea of growth. So one of our main Categories is growth and the wider field. So for example actors that maybe want to learn more about Data science, of course, which is a big thing increasingly these days Also insured tech actors that want to get into insured tech or climate change We've got you know talks and that sort of growth in the wider fields there We've got lots of other categories as well. So yeah, so we have categories and for example Core actuarial skills. So we've talks on people skills for analytical thinkers and productivity communication writing and even sales skills for actuaries and So, yeah, we also put category on mindset and personal development where we have talks It's sort of dive deep into the mindset which is required for optimal personal and professional development In a changing world that we are facing So within this overarching theme of growth There are talks in lots of different categories with the aim of catering to a range of interests and learning needs I think it's it's a real holistic sort of conference looking at it from from lots of different angles really so These virtual summits are a great way for associate and fellow members to get CPD points But mark, I want to ask you if there's any benefit for the student members We know that their time is quite tight with exams So is the summit going to be beneficial to them? And if so, what are some of the speakers that you highly recommend that they go and check out? Yeah, that's a that's a good question Michael on you. You're totally right qualified actuaries associate actuaries can obviously benefit from CPD, you know, if you've got a developing need And that you've identified, you know, there's going to be sessions out there more than likely in this event That will will help to meet that that need and of course You can self certify for for CPD purposes But for actual trainees and university students, you're right. We're all busy The conference is free. You don't have to pay us anything But, you know, you still have to give up your time and of course times are most valuable resource So, you know, you should be very careful about what you give up your time for But we believe this summit is definitely worthy of giving up your time And it's it's extremely beneficial and our point of view for for trainee actuaries and students as well. So, you know, for example Just hear some of the reasons why I made that statement So there's a big focus on the moment at the moment about being more than just a technical actually, I guess You know that we need to go beyond Just our technical skills There's an increasing focus now in all these other sort of non technical skills That are really increasing in importance for for new actors entering the workforce and and training actuaries as well that want to basically progress in their career You know, we're talking about core skills. I hate the word soft skills I much prefer the word core skills, by the way But core skills such as our ability to adapt well And be able to learn very, very quickly You know, as the world is changing so quickly around us And we need to be able to adapt with that change And that's becoming increasingly important Also our social and emotional skills and just generally how we I guess how we deal with people and how we make good judgments Do we communicate effectively and, you know, even build our brand Which is there's a little bit of a scary thing these days But, you know, it's all around this idea of being future ready And the word, as we mentioned, it's changing so rapidly That I think we all need to be proactive and thinking about What skills do I need to develop now to make sure that I am future ready And obviously this conference can help students to be in a great position as well If you're if you're going for your first actual job or you're changing jobs You know, this is one way you can be proactive and develop your skills and your knowledge From some of the very best actors and business professionals from around the world For free in your own office or sitting up on your your your couch or whatever at home But, you know, they're giving away their insights for free So it's a great, great opportunity, I think Yeah, definitely. And like there are lots of talks that actual students will find Not only insightful but valuable There are a few in particular that we think will be particularly relevant And beneficial to students in the audience And these include, for example, Alex is talking about career tips How to transition from actual grad to CEO So that should be particularly interesting Also, Carlo is talking about the top six early career strategies for actuaries And I think definitely there's not only important lessons for career growth Within this summit, but there are also some key lessons for for life really We have Jawad's talk on rationality is overrated And that's particularly insightful in terms of key lessons for life As an actuary who has stepped out of a traditional role And we really do strongly feel that, you know, the students will particularly love The the diversity of the speakers and the real eclectic mix of topics on offer There really is so much choice, which ensures that there is something for everyone Yeah, absolutely. It's, yeah, what do we have? Is it 20? 20 talks in total? And yeah, so you obviously don't have to attend every single one People did last year, people did attend every single one, some of the hardcore people But yeah, we're all busy so you can pick and choose whatever one's, you know, paid the most a year, whether you're interested in data science and sugar tech Climate change or, you know, you just want the more sort of career type tips or whatever So it's kind of like the Netflix with this idea of calling it the Netflix of Actual education, which kind of you can dip into whatever whatever really picks your interest And we've made talks available for free as well for 24 hours So if you can't make the live version, the replay will be available for 24 hours You know, we do appreciate that, you know, the basically last year we had I think it was 67 countries, I think were represented So there's obviously people from different time zones and again, as you mentioned, people are studying and doing their day job as well So we want to make sure that everybody gets a chance to watch the talks So yeah, they're available for 24 hours, we're trying to be flexible But yeah, it's a great opportunity And finally, I want to know what motivated you to do this Because I know you started it last year and it was a big success And I was surprised to see, okay, we're doing it again So is this going to become an annual thing? Because I can imagine it requires quite a lot of work So yeah, tell us, what was the motivation behind this? Yeah, what motivated us to do this? No, I think we're asking Michael I actually thought about doing this, would you believe, four years ago Way before COVID, obviously I'd kind of been writing on proactory, which started out as a blog probably about four years ago So I've been writing about things like the need for actors to embrace technology Go with mindset and all that sort of stuff So it just kind of been blogging away there And I'd also been connecting with, or started connecting with All these sort of amazing actress and other business professionals Just all from around the world, mainly on LinkedIn Which is a fantastic place, if you're not on LinkedIn, really You should be just for the sake of connecting with great actress worldwide But I've been kind of developed my own learning and insights From lots of other actresses around me And I've kind of seen these virtual events Which were a thing, believe it or not, three or four years ago And a lot of people only think they came about just with COVID But they had been around even back then But I kind of thought this would be a great thing to do For the actual profession To try and bring all these insights together Into one place So all these kind of inspiring actresses Could come together on a global sort of basis And relay their insights and thoughts But then of course life got in the way The idea was kind of just kind of sitting there And kind of thinking about it But we never really acted on it And I guess to be honest as well There was probably a bit of fear You kind of mentioned there about the The amount of organization that goes into this And I think a lot of people just do not realize Just how much goes into this It's a serious, serious undertaking There's so many moving pieces And it's a big expense as well obviously But so we kind of parked the idea But then we just decided You know what, we just need to do this There's no perfect time And that's kind of a big lesson I see as well That generally life there's no perfect time For anything or rarely there is I know we just decided right, just go for it So last September obviously We had the Digital Actory Virtual Summit And that was obviously a phenomenally successful We had 4,257 global attendees 67 countries in total And we got great, great feedback So many personal messages after So many people gave testimonials So we kind of just really highlighted to us The need for actors out there to engage In this sort of ongoing learning In this sort of very entertaining format as well And via these sort of virtual summit events So yeah, that's where it kind of wiped from So yeah, will it be an annual event? And what do you think, Suzanne? Well, we would love that obviously Obviously it's just the two of us So yeah, there's a lot of time and organization That goes into this But we do love the process And we get to meet amazing people And interact with them And develop those connections So that's brilliant, we love that So yeah, I mean, hopefully There will be a lot more from Proactory In the events case in the future, yeah Yeah, absolutely We'll see what happens What's the space? Sorry, the final thing I wanted to mention as well there That I didn't mention earlier was It's a great opportunity as well to network So we've got this social lines that's available So you can come in at any point And network and talk to actresses From all around the world Actual students Trainee activities Qualified activities, etc, etc So that's a great And a big part of this event as well Just that social lines that we have So we have these sort of virtual networking tables And also speed networking So you can talk one-to-one With actresses throughout the world There's a live events as well A couple of live events We've got a fireside chat with Don who's a great actor over here in the UK And then we've got a panel debate as well On the end of day one Actual versus machine So you're more than welcome to come in And ask questions And you can come up on stage as well Which should be fun So yeah, that's going to be good fun But yeah, hopefully we'll see you there On the live sessions as well, Michael And hopefully some of you guys over there That are watching this as well So yeah, we're looking forward to it Yeah, it's good to see you there Michael, thank you so much for having us Yeah, no, it's been great, Michael Thanks for getting in touch And having us on today I'll speak to you soon Thank you, Mark and Susan, for taking your time To answer these questions I know I'm definitely going to be registering So just come here, type in your email Click register And I think it's as simple as that So yeah, 23rd to the 25th of June 2021 I'll put a link in the description below And make sure you register for this awesome conference