As a boy, Bryan Steel was uninterested in school, and not very athletic. Then he discovered a talent, cycling. This gave him an outlet and a passion.

He joined cycling clubs, and made it to the British cycling team, which at the time was not a team recognised for excellence. Bryan participated in a revolutionary change management programme that catapulted the team to the world stage. he competed in four Olympic Games, winning Bronze in the Team pursuit in 2000 and Silver in 2004.

From scrawny schoolboy to World Class athlete, Bryan now shares the secrets of success through his own development programme Winning Mindset. The formula for success is as applicable to the board room and business environment as it is to the playing field.

Bryan has worked with various organisations including Sport England, The Youth Sport Trust, Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust and DARE UK to deliver, design and manage mentoring schemes.

He is a Board Member of England Netball, a director of charity Sporting Hearts, Patron of the Thomley Activity Centre, Oxfordshire, Anti-drug Ambassador for UK Sport for the 100% Me Campaign, a Sporting Hero for the East Midlands Advocates Project a Sport England Sporting Champion and a member of the British Olympic Association Planning for Success scheme.

Bryan’s Sporting Achievements:

2000 Olympics: Bronze, Team Pursuit

2000 World Championships: Silver, Team Pursuit

2001 World Championships: Silver, Team Pursuit

2002 World Championships: Bronze, Team Pursuit

2003 World Championships: Silver, Team Pursuit

2004 World Championships: Silver, Team Pursuit

2004 Olympics: Silver, Team Pursuit

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Bryan Steel will be delivering an inspirational speech at 10.30am, entitled: Inspiration: From Good to Great. What does it really take to become an Olympian? 

Annie Page is a coach, trainer and author who works with passion, energy and flexibility ‘developing the potential within’. Annie’s qualifications include being an Accredited NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) Trainer, an NLP Master Practitioner and Coaching Master, who also holds a Level 2 qualification with UK Athletics for Endurance Running.

Annie has worked with Athletes in a range of sports at both senior and junior level using cerebral sports coaching to focus on getting results and train their brain to peak performance.

Working with businesses in both the Public and Private sector, delivering a range of coaching and training programmes that uses the parallels between her sports coaching and business coaching to great advantage with her clients. Through the techniques that Annie uses she can enable sustainable change for individuals and teams in both sport and business by supporting Leaders, Coaches and Managers to make positive changes that will be long lasting and effective.

Annie is a volunteer with The Princes Trust as both a Progression Mentor and Business Mentor and is Author of the book ‘How to get off the sofa and start running’.

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Annie Page will be delivering the following  Coaching Workshop:

3.45pm – 4.45pm
Life after championship sport, what happens next? 

In 2009, Sports Illustrated ran an article which reported that ‘by the time they have been retired for two years, 78 per cent of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce. Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60 per cent of former NBA players are broke!’

Shocking statistics. However, some former sports professionals begin a career in coaching in order to give something back the sport. Others like to utilise their skills, knowledge, experience, discipline and values in other areas, such as commercial business, motivational speaking, television or media. It may sound very glamorous, but this journey is full of twists and turns, financial risks, anxiety, doubt, which can often lead to a lack of confidence, self esteem, and belief if they do not have clear objectives or a structured pathway to help them on track. In addition, any sports person making a transition into business has to have a good understanding of their own identity, skills set, knowledge, value and worth. Without this, their journey will be tough, lonely, demoralising and extremely long.

This workshop is a perfect introduction to how professional championship athletes and players can make the transition from elite sportsman or woman to becoming successful in other industry sectors.

Nadeem Shaikh is the Managing Director of SMART Way Forward, a specialist sales management, CPD and training consultancy working within the sport, leisure, health and fitness industry.

Nadeem has a wealth of knowledge and experience, having been involved in sport for over 25 years. Nadeem is qualified sales and management trainer, a UK Athletics Level 3 Performance Endurance coach and a coach on the National Coach Development Programme with England Athletics. Over the years, Nadeem has worked with a number of sport’s National Governing Bodies (NGBs), County Sports Partnerships (CSPs), Local Authorities and a number of corporate companies around the UK.

Prior to SMART Way Forward, Nadeem held senior management positions with companies such as Disney, Reed Elsevier, Leisure Media, Sports Management and The Nichem Group. Nadeem has designed and implemented many successful development programmes, bid proposals, training seminars and workshops, along with many sales and management strategies within a variety of organisations.

Nadeem is passionate about sport, especially athletics, having represented his club, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers at County, Region and International level. He now coaches some of the best young endurance athletes in the UK, some of whom have already represented Team GB.

Nadeem is also the Vice President for Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers and sits on a number of sports committees, including those which organise, train and coordinate marshals at events such as the London Marathon, London Mini Marathon, Bupa 10k and the Adidas Women’s 5K road race. Nadeem was also a very proud London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games Maker, who worked on the men’s, women’s and Paralympics marathon and road cycling events.

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Nadeem will be delivering the following workshops:

11.30am – 12.30pm (Business Workshop)
Corporate Image and Public Perception – Making your Marketing and Advertising work for you! 
With Tim Purvis, Managing Director of Bentley Holland & Partners Limited

Making sure your organisation is sending out the right message in the right way, in the right format is often a lot harder to organise than you think. You need to make sure your strategy not only gets the correct message across – but there is also a healthy return on your investment (ROI). Regardless of whether you are working in the Private or Public sector, you need to make sure that you position yourself properly and ensure you are perceived professionally throughout.

Whether it is a new product launch, community programme, complete corporate image change, advertisement design or simply identifying a new strategy to help you penetrate a new industry sector, you must invest the time, resources and budget to ensure you message hits the mark. Marketing and Advertising does not have to cost the Earth. Striking the balance between budget, resources and time management is vital if you are going to deliver a successful campaign. However, it is all in the preparation. Remember, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!

This workshop will help you understand the key elements of a successful marketing and advertising strategy, when your budgets are tight and your resources are slim.

1.30pm – 2.30pm (Sports Coaching Workshop)
Getting the best out of your athletes or players when delivering a coaching session

A successful sports coach or team manager must have excellent communication skills in order to get the best of his / her athletes or players – otherwise the whole process becomes extremely difficult. Athletes, players and coaches must be open and honest with one another, if they are to build mutual trust, respect and form a healthy working partnership.

Recognising what makes your athletes tick, or how to make them respond in a certain way can be crucial. If you can recognise the different characteristics adopted by each athlete and player before, during and after training or when in competition, then you will always know exactly what to say, how to say it and when to say it to provoke the right reaction.

Coaches must be able to relay instructions clearly and express urgency in a calm controlled focused manner. Coaches and managers must be able to communicate effectively to groups, as well as engage with athletes and players on a one‐to-one basis.

This workshop will give you a brief overview on how to use verbal, visual and written communication effectively. It will also highlight the importance of being aware of your own body language and perception on and off the sport pitch.

3.45pm – 4.45pm (Business Workshop)
Using the right communication at the right to help you generate amazing results!

Building strong relationships with customers is vital if you want to maintain a healthy partnership and a successful business. Therefore, using the correct manner in which to communicate your message is of paramount importance, especially in business.

Technology is there to help us, but it should not mask the fact the ‘people buy from people’.

Why do some people send an email when the situation requires a telephone conversation or meeting?  Alternatively, why to some people give lots of complex information over the phone and expect the other person to remember everything in matter of seconds?

Using the right communication at the right time, with the right level of detail can make a huge difference to the final outcome. The way in which you and your team communicate with customers over the phone, email or face to face, can have a huge bearing on how your company ethics are perceived. After all, we all want to experience a successful outcome rather than a steep learning curve of disappointment!

This workshop will provide some handy hints and tips to ensure you always relay your messages correctly and communicate in the right way, so that you and your business is perceived correctly in the marketplace.

Tim Purvis is the owner and Managing Director of Bentley Holland, an experienced and well established creative design and communications agency based in Docklands, London, where they work with both private and public sector companies. Their portfolio of clients includes a number of high profile, blue chip organisations such as; University College London (UCL), ACCA, General Medical, Equivital (heart rate monitors), Tate and Lyle, The Department for Transport, The Department for Education, The Food Standards Agency, Ofsted and The Home Office, to name but a few.

Tim personally holds MCSD & MISTD qualifications in Graphic Design, together with D&AD accreditation for identity and packaging. A Chartered Designer with over 30 years’ experience, Tim now oversees the design and production of communications materials at Bentley Holland – balancing his love of creative simplicity and typography with the practical requirements of managing each brand.

He is a very hands-on director, upholding the company’s overall design standards, ISO 9001:2008 quality control and client brand philosophies on myriad, through-the-line collateral ranging from corporate, consumer and internal communications through to policy documents and annual reports. A Cranfield University alumnus with an impressive awards pedigree, Tim is furthermore responsible for business planning and managing company growth.

In his spare time, Tim enjoys playing a variety of sports and riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In addition, he also holds a purple belt in Lau Gar (an ancient form of Kung Fu).

For more information, please visit www.bentleyholland.co.uk

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Tim Purvis will be delivering the following workshops:

11.30am – 12.30pm (Business Workshop)
Corporate Image and Public Perception – Making your Marketing and Advertising work for you!  
With Nadeem Shaikh, Managing Director of SMART Way Forward

Making sure your organisation is sending out the right message in the right way, in the right format is often a lot harder to organise than you think. You need to make sure your strategy not only gets the correct message across – but there is also a healthy return on your investment (ROI). Regardless of whether you are working in the Private or Public sector, you need to make sure that you position yourself properly and ensure you are perceived professionally throughout.

Whether it is a new product launch, community programme, complete corporate image change, advertisement design or simply identifying a new strategy to help you penetrate a new industry sector, you must invest the time, resources and budget to ensure you message hits the mark. Marketing and Advertising does not have to cost the Earth. Striking the balance between budget, resources and time management is vital if you are going to deliver a successful campaign. However, it is all in the preparation. Remember, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!

This workshop will help you understand the key elements of a successful marketing and advertising strategy, when your budgets are tight and your resources are slim.

Dr. Matt Long is an independent athletics coach who has worked with middle distance and endurance athletes from a range of Midlands based clubs.

He has worked for UK Athletics in coach education since 2010 and has delivered work at the national high performance centre at Loughborough University. In 2011 he was shortlisted by the Brtish Milers Club for the prestigious Frank Horwill Scholarship as part of his ongoing research into multi-tier training.

He has written for three national magazines and a coaching website and is a regular coaching contributor to Athletics Weekly magazine. With Dr.Ross Lorimer of the Universitry of Abertay, he has produced groundbreaking research into the impact of cyberspace and mediated technologies on coaching.

With David Lowes (Coaching Editor ‘Athletics Weekly’ magazine), he has just completed research into mental states and sporting performance with the co-operation of former Olympic champion and vice chair of the British Olympic Association, David Hemery.

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Dr Matt Long will be delivering the following workshops:

11.30am – 12.30pm (Coaching Workshop)
Coaching Skills – recognising potential and nurturing talent effectively 

We all want our athletes and players to be as successful as possible within the sporting disciplines. No sports person is ever born as the complete package – although some parents may tell us different! Every athlete and player has to train consistently, learn the skills of their sporting discipline and develop according to their chronological and biological nature. However, how does a coach, teacher or tutor identify this potential at an early age? Is it nature or nurture? The key is to spot the signs early on so you can nurture that talent from grassroots development right through to elite / championship performance. It is not easy, we all hear stories of how so many young athletes and players showed so much potential at an early age but never followed through when they became teenagers or youths.

This workshop will share genuine examples of how some of the most experienced sports coaches have recognised potential at an early age and how they have nurtured this to international championship success.

Dave Wright is the CEO of CFM/MYZONE, a global company with over 300 staff that have served the international fitness community for over 23 years; focusing on either getting new members and/or keeping existing ones.

Dave is also the owner of 11 health clubs across two continents, a board director of ukactive, founder of IOU (Independent Operators Unite), an IHRSA presenter and the creator of MYZONE.

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Dave Wright will be delivering the following Business Workshop:

2.30pm – 3.30pm
How to attract new members and customers to your club
New business is the lifeblood of any organisation. Whether it is bringing in new customers, targeting new clients or simply attracting more new members to your sport or health club – without new business, your organisation will struggle to generate healthy revenue, meet forecasts or exceed targets!

The key is to recognise what you have to offer and how it can meets the needs of your customers and markets. The sport, leisure, health and fitness industry is very competitive, with many organisations and clubs openly competing against one another. So how can you stand out from the crowd and make yourself more attractive to your target audience?

However, one you have attracted that new customer, what can you do to make sure they keep coming up, using your facilities or buying your products and services?

In this workshop, Dave will share his experience and strategy of how the company has successfully managed to proactively source a steady stream of new customers with healthy retention.

Ian Wakefield was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk and is proud of his Norfolk roots, he began his interest in sport through athletics, competed for a variety of clubs at regional and national level, reaching nationally ranked status in 1992. Shortly after this due to a back injury Ian had to retire from the sport and subsequently took up Mountain Biking, a sport which he still competes in regularly today as a ‘Veteran’ (over 40 age group) competing in the Eiger Race in 2010 and finishing in the top 300 at the Trans Germany 4 day stage race in 2011.

Ian’s career began in the late 1980’s when he began working on the sports and entertainment staff at a private holiday park, over the last 20 years he has progressed through a series of management positions working for leading companies such as Living Well, Center Parcs and Marriott Hotels. More recently he was employed by ISRM and IMSPA/CIMSPA as Head of Business Development.

He was awarded a ‘Fellowship’ of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), and is in his 4th year as a ‘Chartered Marketer’ with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He has a unique insight into both the ‘Marketing’ and ‘Sport & Recreation’ sectors.

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Ian Wakefield will be delivering the following Business Workshop:

1.30pm – 2.30pm
How to use social media effectively within sport and business

Every day, more and more Social Media networking websites provide people, sports clubs and businesses with the means to interact in real-time. Social media marketing offers a two-way relationship between your business and potential customers – it is much more personal than traditional forms of marketing and can provide instant feedback.

The secret to making the most of social media marketing is to produce interesting and engaging content in order to engage and interact with your potential customers. Ian will highlight the features and benefits of social media websites such as Face book, Twitter and LinkedIn along with how easy it is to plan an effective social media strategy.

Social media does not have to be a daunting. Simple everyday marketing and general administration can ensure that you offer your customers another form of interactive communication. You can then either share information or simply tell potential customers about you, your products & services or future plans.

This workshop is a must for anyone wishes to raise their profile or engage with more people and businesses using websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

John Birch is Assistant Director, Parkland & Venues for Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. He joined the Authority in 1999 and is responsible for the operation of the Parkland & Venues section with particular emphasis on safety, management and adherence to statutory requirements. He deputises for the Corporate Director of Parkland and Venues providing support in the strategic management and development of the department and support for the operational team in relation to performance and contract management. John was part of the project team which helped deliver the £16m Lee Valley Athletics centre which opened in 2006.

Over the last nine years John has worked closely with the Olympic Delivery Authority, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, the Government Olympic Executive and National Governing bodies to deliver the Lee valley White Water Centre, the Lee Valley VeloPark and the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis centre all used for the 2012 Olympic Games. John is now working on the delivering a lasting legacy for these iconic venues.

John previously worked as an Estates and Operations Manager for the Millennium Commission in Yorkshire, as the Operations Manager for Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City and Manager at Picketts Lock. John is graduated from Lancaster University in 1985 and achieved his MBA in 1995.

He enjoys his rugby and all watersports and balances his time between the UK and Greece where he has recently built a house.

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, John Birch will be delivering the following keynote address:

10.00am – 10.30am
How Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is continuing to develop sport and business within the Region

Sport in Lee Valley is all about inclusion. The idea of involving the greatest number of people in sport in our region is what drives the Regional Park Authority’s Sports Development team.

So whether it’s supporting excellence at the highest Olympic level or simply encouraging fun sport for families, Lee Valley is 100% dedicated to making it happen.

As Lee Valley is home to several world class sports venues, sports linked to these centres of excellence have been given particular priority. Several outreach projects and London 2012 legacy programmes are in place, to both support high achievement and encourage increased physical activity for all. These priority sports include:

Athletics
Cycling
Equestrian
Golf
Hockey
Ice sports
Paddle sports
Tennis

And given the total commitment to inclusion, there’s an ongoing drive to promote disability sport, education and lifelong learning, quality assurance through the QUEST framework and the distribution of sports development grants.

Local authorities in London, Herts and Essex, county sports partnerships, national governing bodies, sport clubs – there’s an effectively joined-up effort between many partners driving sport development in Lee Valley. Sport England is particularly involved, with several Lottery Funding Agreements in action, linked to the region’s London 2012 venues.

The ambition to promote opportunities for people to get active also extends to Lee Valley Regional Park’s countryside and open spaces. In every corner of the park’s 10,000 acres, there’s a sustained effort to maximize sports options to the widest possible audience.

Rob Hardwick joined Herts Sports Partnership six years ago, to work on workforce development in the sports and leisure sector. Getting paid to work in sport was a refreshing novelty, as Rob spent around 30 years as a volunteer in community sport and had proved to be sufficiently talentless to ensure that he was not plucked from the amateur ranks as a player!

During that time, Rob gained an invaluable grassroots view of the world of governing bodies, and of both community and representative sport. His day job involved training design and delivery, working for a range of public and private sector organisations. If asked, he would suggest that his commercial experience, along with his time spent working with civil servants, has provided him with insights that have proved invaluable in his current role.

As Coaching Development Manager at Herts Sports Partnership, Rob has been instrumental in developing the Partnership’s coaching ‘offer’. Their coach education programme includes Herts Coach Education Week (‘largest event of its kind in Europe’), workshops, coaching breakfasts, lectures, etc., and the CoachMark registration scheme for coaches is attracting national attention. Critically, coaching is seen as an integral part of Herts Sports Partnership’s programmes, ranging from Active Students for university students to Active Together, targeting the over 50s.

At the SMART Way Forward CPD Business and Coaching Conference 2013, Rob Hardwick, Coach Development Manager at Herts Sports Partnership, will deliver the following workshop:

2.30pm – 3.30pm
The role of a County Sports Partnership (CSP)

There are 49 County Sports Partnership (CSPs) located within England. They all play a major part in helping to deliver the strategies which have been laid out by Sport England to help the development and infrastructure of community sport. County Sports Partnerships or CSP’s as they are commonly known, have to show that they are consistently delivering a core set of services against programmes endorsed by Sport England and the National Sports Governing Bodies (NGBs). All of which are then measured and audited by Sport England on a regular basis. These core set of services include areas such as sports club development, coaching, coach education, volunteering, grassroots sports development, PE and Sport for young people within schools, facility provision, investment and funding programmes (including applications for lottery funding). There are a number of ways County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) can help you and your sports club, as they also form very good network links with schools, colleges, universities and local businesses.

This workshop will help you understand the role of a County Sports Partnership and share examples of how their services can you in yours sports club, Association or organisation.