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11 – 12 June 2025  |  Manchester Central

Confed

11 – 12 June 2025  |  Manchester Central

Speaker guidance

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NHS ConfedExpo

A guide to confirming your speakers

While the content of your session may be interesting, the way it is delivered and by whom is equally important, as it will set the tone for the conference.

A key mission for NHS ConfedExpo is to engage, excite and inspire our audiences, with thought-provoking content, case studies of best practice, international perspectives and an opportunity to hear from some of the most influential figures from across the health and care sector. As a session lead, it is your responsibility to ensure that the speakers you invite, fit with the Conference values and objectives.

Things to consider

How will you ensure your session has balance?

When developing your session, it is essential that you consider the diversity of your speakers. Diversity, in this case, takes on many different forms. We are looking for sessions that are designed to speak to all audiences and truly reflect society. Delegates need to identify with what is being discussed and who is discussing it.

As a session lead, you need to ensure that you have representation from across the system, with the most appropriate speakers selected for your slot. You should be looking at speakers outside of the traditional NHS Confed or NHS England / Improvement roster and take into consideration age, sex, sexuality, race or disability, to ensure fair representation and balance in your session.

Have you considered the patient voice?

Patients are at the heart of everything that the NHS does. NHS England and NHS Improvement are committed to co-designing services with patients and the public – it’s the only way they can be sure services deliver the right care in the right way. Therefore, the patient voice should also be amplified in our main stage sessions.

As a session lead, if you can see an opportunity to involve the patient perspective within your session, be it as a panel member, of through patient focused case studies, then it is strongly recommended that you work this in. As described above, your session design should reflect all of society, and adding the patient voice would underpin this goal.

Inviting your speakers

Having decided on the format, content and audience for your session, you are now well equipped to start inviting speakers. As the session lead, it is your responsibility to get invitations out to speakers, but it does not necessarily mean that the invitation must come from you.

A personal approach is the most appropriate way to invite speakers to NHS ConfedExpo. As you are trying to attract speakers of the highest calibre, it may be appropriate to ask a colleague to assist with an introduction, if they have a personal connection to the speaker(s) you are looking to invite.

Please note, when you have submitted your final session proposal, including invited speakers, the NHS ConfedExpo programme management team reserves the right to adapt your session, or make suggestions for speakers or organisations to include. This is intended to further enhance your session and to ensure the right balance of speakers has been included.

Sample emails

Inviting speakers

Dear xxxxx

As you may be aware NHS ConfedExpo is taking place on 12 and 13 June in Manchester. ConfedExpo brings together people working across health and care.

I would like to invite you to speak at a session on [insert topic]. The session will focus on [session specifics]. Further details on the session are outlined below, including the date and time of the session.

I would be happy to discuss the session further – I need to confirm speakers by 10 April so I would be grateful if you could let me know if you are available to speak at the session.

Title:

Date:
Start time:
Duration:
Location:

Best wishes, 

zzzz

Confirming speakers

Dear xxxxxx

Thank you for confirming your availability to speak at ConfedExpo.

Our team will be in touch to request a headshot and biography for inclusion on our website and marketing materials. You will be sent a link to upload this information to our speaker management platform. If you have any queries relating to your participation, you can email our team at sessions@nhsconfed.org. 

You will also be invited to register your place at the conference, and it is important that you complete your registration info so that we can have a name badge ready for you to collect on site. 

Best wishes,

zzzz

Session guidance - Main programme

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