A Day (and a half) at the CAA Ignite! Conference with Personnel Checks

11 Nov

Hi everyone!

I’m Erin and I’m the Graphic Designer and Events Manager at Personnel Checks. Some colleagues and I recently attended the Children’s Activity Association’s (CAA) Ignite! Conference. It was an action-packed day at the stunning Royal Armouries in Leeds and I’m going to take you through what that looked like from behind the scenes!

The Night Before

Myself, and my colleagues Maria (Technical Projects Coordinator) and Hayley (Customer Success Manager) made our way down to Leeds separately and met up at the hotel. Which couldn’t have been more conveniently placed being located just across the square from the Leeds Royal Armouries, where the event would be held.

That evening, we headed over to a networking event hosted by the CAA. It was the perfect way to kick off the event, allowing us to meet other exhibitors and attendees in a relaxed atmosphere.

But we didn’t want to get too relaxed as we knew there was an early start in the morning. So, we made our way back to the hotel before anything got out of hand.

6:30 AM – An Early Start (and Lots of Coffee!)

Fast forward to the morning of the event, and it’s a fairly early start but with being so close to the venue, there was no need to rush.

After fueling up with coffee (essential), and the compulsory hotel fry-up buffet I did a quick check of everything we’d need: flyers, banners, and a Halloween-themed stash of sweets to draw people to our stand.

The fun with the Ignite! conference is that the content is all aimed around children’s activities, which means we can have a bit more fun with the stand. As Halloween was just around the corner, we were prepared to be the spookiest stand at the event!

8:00 AM – Setting Up at the Royal Armouries

We arrived at the Royal Armouries to set up our stand.

The venue was definitely not your typical conference hall but I tried not to get distracted by all the weapons on display.

(I made a note to make a proper visit the next time I’m in Leeds)

We found our stand location and set about building the banners. As we arranged our flyers, Halloween sweets, and some novelty “slime” for a fun touch, we chatted with other exhibitors setting up nearby.

It was a great chance to connect and get into the spirit of the day.

9:00 AM – Breakfast Talk with Morton Michel

The event kicked off with a breakfast talk from Morton Michel, who shared the story behind their business and highlighted why events like this are so valuable for connecting and growing.

Listening to their journey and seeing their passion was a fantastic motivator.

I felt like we were ready to bring our best energy to the day!

10:00 AM – The Stand with the Sweets (and Slime!)

As soon as the breakfast wrapped up, we headed back to our stand, and it didn’t take long for the Halloween sweets to work their magic!

People loved the Halloween vibe and kept stopping by to grab some treats (and yes, some even asked if the slime was edible!).

We officially became known as “the stand with the sweets,” and it was a fun way to start conversations with so many interesting people.

11:00 AM – Opening Speeches and a Surprise Dance Session

Time for the opening speeches!

Mike, the chairman of the CAA, gave a welcome address, followed by our CEO, Jack Mellor and our friends at Think Smart Solutions. But then things took an unexpected twist when Amanda Frolich from Amanda’s Action Club took the stage.

She had everyone up on their feet, dancing to one of her songs from her children’s activity classes.

Watching our MD, Jack Mellor, join in on the dancing? Priceless! It’s safe to say none of us will forget that moment anytime soon.

(It was almost as enjoyable as his karaoke at last year’s Christmas do)

12:00 PM – Networking Rock-Paper-Scissors Style

Next, we jumped into a round of networking with a twist.

We had to find someone new, play a quick game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who would start the conversation, and then ask each other icebreaker questions. I

t was a hilarious and relaxed way to meet people, and I ended up learning so much about the other attendees.

1:00 PM – Lunch Break (Much-Needed Fuel)

After a busy morning, lunch was the perfect chance to relax, refuel, and catch up with the team.

We swapped stories about our favorite conversations so far and shared a laugh about Jack’s dance performance from earlier!

2:00 PM – Afternoon Workshops

After lunch, we split up to attend workshops.

Jack and I joined a session on safeguarding led by Ann Marie, focused on the needs of new business owners in the children’s activities sector. It was incredibly informative and we even discussed how to handle difficult scenarios in the workplace.

Meanwhile, Hayley and Maria attended a workshop on SEND inclusivity, which they said really useful and definitely eye-opening.

4:00 PM – Wrapping Up a Fantastic Day

By the end of the day, we’d met so many inspiring people, shared laughs, and learned valuable lessons to take back with us. The whole thing absolutely flew by like a bit of a whirlwind and as we packed up the stand it felt too soon!

Overall though, we had a great time, big thank you to the CAA for putting on such a brilliant event, I can’t wait for the next one!

James Parkinson