As I drove on the M6 towards our venue, I reflected on the many events we have ran and how many face-to-face events we have organised and hosted. I worked out that this was our ninth in-person event, our second in Birmingham City Centre and our fourth in the Midlands.

Being in the heart of Birmingham’s Chinatown with the Hippodrome around the corner and overlooking the the Arcadian really showed the importance of connection – the hustle and bustle by the time we left was totally different to the calm and quiet as we arrived – often mirroring the toughts of school leaders.

This was our smallest face-to-face event of the year, which allowed for an intimate and closer connection between the delegates. As we set up with our packed marketplace made up of Aluna Behaviour Consultancy, Boundless Learning, Infinity Learning and the Step Up Network, the connection and collaboration between the people at the event started as soon as people entered the room.

As always with Step Up events, we were so fortunate with the amazing speakers we had.

After our Step Up welcome, we kicked off with Adrian McLean. A fantastic educator with a portfolio of experience and projects on the go who is a fantastic connector. His talk allowed us to tune into some key thoughts and feelings we often experience as educational leaders.

Following on from Adrian’s strong start we moved onto Step Up’s longest serving volunteer, Adam Brett-Aguirre who spoke about the hard lessons of (pastoral) leadership. Adam talked us through his own journey vulnerably and authentically picking out the key trends of the day.

Following a break where our connection was deepened, we moved onto Hiral Kelly who also spoke about her journey but gave some fantastic tips and reflections for how we support and invest in others.

Finally, Rachael Jackson-Royal, who couldn’t be in-person so triumphantly recorded a presentation which she shared with us on evidence-based and research-informed leadership.

A new element of our face-to-face events has been to include a coaching and feedback circle at the end of each face-to-face event. This event’s circle was co-facilitated by Julia Hancock and Hiral. Using Lego as a way in as well as reflective questioning and paired coaching.

Finally we gained feedback as well as our compere and volunteer, the newly promoted Azuraye Williams picking out the golden threads of our event.

Another event, we are now on for tenth face-to-face event, celebrating our third birthday in London – which is already a sell out.