We would like to thank everyone who attended the PMAS 2023 annual conference with an extra special thank you being extended towards our fantastic sponsors and speakers without whom the event would not be able to take place. It certainly was an interesting, informative, and helpful day with a plethora of new ideas and knowledge being shared across many sectors. We hope that everyone was able to take something important away from each speaker session and take advantage of the many networking opportunities with our sponsors and other delegates.

Now, we will round-up the day with a few words on each speaker session and some of our favourite photos from the day so far.

Thank you to Our Host

A huge thank you to our wonderful host, Jennifer Reoch, whose award-winning presenting experience helped to make the conference such a successful event. Jennifer provided a fun and friendly energy, and a positive attitude towards each session. Her ability to adapt her presenting style to the topic of each speaker session, knowing which sessions should carry a more serious tone, where to evoke her witty sense of humour, and the encouraging of audience participation was a contributing factor to the success of the day.

Thank you to Our Sponsors

We would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors for their invaluable support in making the conference a resounding success. Thank you to our wonderful title sponsor, Indigo Swan, for their unwavering support of the conference over the last 9 years and for their commitment to this year’s event as title sponsor. The event would not have been possible without the partnership between PMAS, Indigo Swan, and our associate, lunch, and coffee break sponsors who have all been instrumental in creating a memorable and enriching experience for each of our delegates.

Session 1- Everyone Can Help to Tackle Debt

Our first session focused on the important matter of tackling debt and was led by chartered accountant and insolvency practitioner, Christine Convy. Christine has over 25 years’ experience in business services and debt recovery and is the director of Dunedin Advisory, providing services to individuals, sole traders, partnerships, directors, and limited companies. Christine’s session provided key information for both those who have financial issues they wish to resolve and for creditors seeking to recover funds due. While Christine discussed a serious matter that many find difficulty in facing, she approached the subject with a positive attitude, her presentation was brimming with valuable advice, and the main take-away from the session was that by working together, we can reduce the overall burden of debt on both individuals and communities.

Session 2 – Insurance

Our second section tackled the topic of insurance with Dean Kressinger from Gallagher and Alistair Halley from Sedgwick – both powerhouses in the insurance world. Dean has specialised in property and commercial insurance, looking after small businesses and property owners. Alistair has over 40 years adjusting experience and has been nominated by insurers to handle major losses on a global basis. This session was a “Q & A” style session where the panel were asked important pre-prepared questions about the insurance industry and our delegates had a chance to ask any burning questions they may have had on the day. Dean and Alistair were able to share their knowledge, expertise and opinion on new legislation and updates from the UK insurance industry, encouraging further thought and consideration of upcoming activity affecting the sector.

Session 3 – Cladding Updates

Next, we welcomed Past President of PMAS and CEO of James Gibb Residential Factors, David Reid and Amy Stuart, Head of Cladding Remediation Policy and Legislation at the Scottish Government, who joined us via video link. Both speakers provided key information on cladding with a focus on the protection of human life since the harrowing events of Grenfell in 2017. They first recounted the changes made in cladding remediation from 2017 to 2020 then discussed the updates from the industry from 2020 to present day in 2023. They also provided a forecast on what Factors can expect to come in the future with regards to cladding remediation and legislation.

Session 4 – The Joy of Reading Deeds

We then welcomed Aaron Kane, Senior Solicitor and Lucy Dunlop, Solicitor, both from BTO Solicitors to discuss with us the joy of reading title deeds. Both work in BTO’s Commercial Dispute Resolution department with Aaron having extensive experience in assisting BTO’s property factor clients. The session provided important information on how to understand and interpret title deeds and invited delegates to get involved in an exercise outlining a sample burden dealing with insurance apportionment which encouraged teamwork among the delegate tables.

Session 5 – The Way of The Productivity Ninja

Next, we had ‘Productivity Ninja’ Lyndsey Segal from Think Productive to talk to us about positivity, well-being, and productivity in both our working and personal lives. Lyndsey’s focus for her session was to help us improve the way we work and learn and empower us to work more effectively and productively so that we have more time in our day to enjoy the things that matter. Lyndsey’s session was extremely emotive and got delegates thinking about their attitudes towards work with Lyndsey encouraging several group discussions on the matter and always offering ways to improve these attitudes.

Session 6 – Repairs

Our sixth session of the day welcomed Stewart Hamilton, Director of Allied Surveyors Scotland, to discuss how to approach large repairs to properties. Stewart’s session covered everything from tools used to identify a repair, the benefits of project management, missing shares, and financial eligibility for government grant assistance. Stewart also highlighted the common pitfalls and issues with receiving grant assistance from local authorities. Overall, Stewart’s session provided key information to our property factors and fully outlined the necessary criteria to successfully apply for grant assistance or missing shares which is extremely helpful information for property factors.

Session 7 – EV Charging

Next, we welcomed two experts in the EV charging industry – Duncan Lead from Pod Point and Gordon McGregor from Energy Saving Trust. Duncan has worked in the industry for 4 years and is well-versed in the issues that property factors face while implementing solutions for EV charging in their developments. Gordon has over 10 years transport industry experience and manages the electric vehicle infrastructure grant fund. Duncan’s session provided important information on the EV charging market including a background on the industry, how it is set to grow, and outlined different types of charge points and how and when customers are using these. Gordon’s session focused on how we can use electric vehicles to make smarter and greener choices in our everyday lives, also mentioning renewable energy, home energy efficiency, and community energy. The presentation highlighted Scotland’s commitment to a greener future by providing interesting statistics and information on factor-specific funding for EV charge points in developments.

Session 8 – How to Deal with Negative Feedback

Finally, we welcomed Andrew Pain who is a TEDx speaker specialising in mental health, burnout, imposter syndrome, and many more important topics. Andrew’s session was heavily focused on something we have all experienced – receiving and dealing with negative feedback. His session provided important and helpful advice to delegates surrounding receiving negative feedback and turning it into a positive experience. Andrew’s session was poignant and very relatable to our delegates. He was able to take a difficult subject and present it with a positive attitude and in a way that was simple for everyone to understand. This session was the perfect way to conclude a successful day of networking and information-sharing.

To all of our delegates, a survey has been distributed to everyone and we would appreciate it if this could be completed as it helps us when planning future events. We will continue to post conference content over the next few weeks with lots of interesting talking points from the day to cover, interviews with sponsors and speakers, and more. So, please keep an eye on our social media and your email inbox for this in the coming weeks.