In its 20th year, APSCo has seen some pretty big changes in the recruitment sector. In this opening keynote address, Ann will give an overview of today’s recruitment market looking at the top trends that are shaping today’s  - and tomorrow’s staffing sector. She will also look at changing customer needs and the new workforce ecosystem, and how recruitment firms’ future growth strategies could look very different.

Good Service is a given, and great service gets talked about, but outstanding and amazing service is something your customers will shout about. Being the best at what you do is no longer good enough. In a world where your competition is literally a click away, you need to be the only one people talk about, the only one people recommend. In this thought provoking session, you will discover the power of delight that comes from thoughtful personalisation, and excellent service, as well as gaining practical examples that have instant application in business. This speech delivers immediately actionable outcomes and the opportunity for long term positive change. Perfect for any business looking to dramatically improve their referral, service and conversion rates. You can't be just one. You have to be the only one!

Join Nick as he takes you on a journey from desktop recruiting to digital community recruitment. He will discuss his experience of running a recruitment business: the challenges and perils, the wins and the ups and the downs in between. Adding in an inspired view and context to today's recruitment landscape, Nick will demonstrate what technology can do to help you grow and scale your business, and why you need to embrace it to ensure your consultants are effective, and efficient.

If you want a sales explosion then there are no easy or quick wins. A plan, hard work, effort and discipline will be what get you there. In this talk Alex will give you the plan - a blueprint for achieving a sales explosion in your business. Alex will help you understand how to map to your perfect market, select your ideal clients, get more from candidate relationships and build a flow of vacancies that allows you to choose who you work with.

At its core, recruitment is a numbers game. Candidates, jobs, CVs, interviews, placements and revenue are critical to success. But do your teams see them in the same light? A younger, tech-savvy workforce have changing needs and keeping them engaged with your goals is more important than ever. Equally, you need to get the most out of the resources you have. Namely, the data in your CRM. In this presentation, you'll learn how high-performing recruitment businesses are driving a culture of success and performance with the data they already have available to them, as well as how gamification can play a huge role in motivating the modern workforce.

Wendy refuses to take cold calls, and she's not alone. So, why as an industry are we still wasting valuable resources making our recruiters battle with gatekeepers every day? Wendy presents research that shows that decision-makers need an average of 12 reference points of your company and/or recruiters before they’ll even accept a call from them. In fact, most clients have already made up their mind whether they want to work with you or not before they speak to your recruiters. It’s time to start thinking about how to be smarter with your recruiters’ business development time and turn those calls into warm calls that get accepted first time, every time.

Competition has never been bigger. Candidates want to deal directly with organisations. Job Boards are targeting their outbound sales efforts to find direct employers more and more. Your clients want to reduce agency spend and they are actively investing in employer branding, referral schemes and building in-house teams. And in 3-5 years time, Google won't want your jobs. What can you do about it? Join Darren to find out what you can do now to step above the competition.

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You may have a great content strategy, but how are you using your content to win new business? And have you considered how PR can fit into that strategy, and make you money? In this session, Tracey will outline how to make the most of your content and PR, and how to ensure its delivers tangible leads and revenue. Too often PR and marketing is seen as nothing more than a vanity project when actually it needs to be seen – and executed – as a business development activity which delivers ROI. Only then will you be able to monetise and measure the value of your PR and marketing strategies.

Paul will bring you up to date with recent legislative changes and developments in case law, to make sure you don’t fall foul of the rules that encompass the recruitment process and running a successful agency. You'll have access to the latest legal and compliance content so you can spend your time more effectively growing your business.

In this eye opening and thought provoking presentation, Joanne takes a look at culture to understand the diversity and inclusion challenges you face as a recruitment leader. She will take you on a journey to help you to develop an awareness of the principle of diversity, inclusion and belonging with a focus on supporting the needs of individuals. Leave with the insight and framework to be able to build and implement sustainable corporate inclusion strategies that delivery measurable results.

In the current skills-short climate, companies and agencies are fighting for access to the best candidates. Beyond record levels of high employment there’s the impact of immigration issues resulting from Brexit, an ageing population, STEM shortages and an increasing array of alternative employment opportunities afforded by the gig economy. So what winning strategies can you adopt to make yourself more visible and “sticky” to gain competitive advantage?

The landscape is changing in recruitment with more automation tools from recruitment bots to self service platforms, potentially putting the traditional recruitment consultants role at risk. In this talk, we will look at what the future may look like in the recruitment industry as it faces digital transformation.

Everybody has deals that drop, clients that pay late or not at all and then there's the host of clients that attempt to dodge fees through the backdoor. Tough spot, particularly if it's a fee with a client you want to keep working with! Join recruiter-turned solicitor Barry Cullen for his must-hear top plays on something every recruiter needs to know: HOW TO GET PAID!

This is a very different type of presentation. Simon delivers a refreshing view of how to create a point of difference in an industry where everyone is the same. This session is based on observations and real life success stories. Simon will take you through what really constitutes a leader's mindset. How you need to give to receive, when it comes to your team and how branding adds value, making your business different, and so much better than the rest.

Recruiting recruiters is the no.1 barrier to success and profitable growth of most recruitment agencies today. The war on talent is fierce, everyone wants the ready-made, fee-generating recruiter but there is a severe shortage. So how do you make your employer brand dominate? How do you draw recruiters to you instead of chasing and repelling them? How do you get the best talent to fall in love with your company? This presentation will give you an 8 point plan to totally transform your direct hiring techniques and hire those high-performing recruiters your business so desperately needs.

A guide to reading, understanding and benchmarking your financial information. Recruitment businesses don't teach their staff how to run a business - why would they?! So it's no surprise that a lot of recruitment owners either don't understand their accounts or know how to get the most out of them. How can they achieve the growth they desire without understanding the financials? Where do you go for this information and training? Join Paul for an informative and interactive presentation, as he guides you through financial statements, and provides data to benchmark your numbers against the competition.

An insight into the ideal structure and strategy for fast-growth recruitment organisations to capitalise on the current markets. Using real-life case studies and insights into some of the most successful recruitment organisations in the UK, this session will outline the key components of success for today's recruitment businesses, giving attendees free access to a best in class model and toolkit.

In an unprecedented time of lightning fast technological and economic change, leading people within a recruitment business has never been more challenging and exacting. Time has never been a friend, and mastering the art of transformative staff management, strategic planning, creative thinking, effective decision making, and intelligent time management in a global 24/7 culture is a non-negotiable. Paul will provide you with stimulating and practical methods that will guide you to become a stand-out inspirational leader, and will assist you to propel your business to heightened levels of performance.

There has never been a more challenging time to attract the candidate you and your client needs; with global skill shortages, huge uncertainty around Brexit and low unemployment. However we've never had so much access to millions of candidates. In this presentation, Dave provides an updated, pragmatic and honest view on the industry - cutting through the waffle and noise to provide a clear strategy on how to attract more talent.

The industry has moved through 360 degrees and we are now in a world digitally driven by personalisation, relationships and trust. Those that focus on transactions will not survive in this new era. That said, recruiters are spending up to 80% of their time on manual processes. Join Nazma as she provides a roadmap to automation success and effective recruitment that will help you grow and scale your business.

Have you been struggling to build an audience on your LinkedIn company page? In this session, we'll discuss how LinkedIn Company pages have, at last, been given a voice. We'll share proven strategies to help you maximise on these changes, all of which will be aimed at fuelling the growth of your LinkedIn Company page, allowing you to engage with new audiences using your brand.

87% of the UK workforce is disengaged. They lack the motivation to excel in their current role. We all know when we're not motivated, but as a concept, it's difficult for us to get our heads around. We don't have the language to describe it, or the framework to measure it. In a work context, especially within recruitment - motivation is essential. It's the fuel that powers capability and drives performance, and it plays a critical role in employee engagement and staff retention. Simon illustrates the vital role motivation plays in consultants' performance, at an individual and team level. Leave with a framework for measuring and enhancing consultants' motivation - to enhance their engagement, improve their performance and increase their billings.