In one of our recent DeHavilland Masterclasses, industry professionals Grace Clifford (Ocean Advocacy Manager, Ocean Conservation Trust) and Samantha Wilding (Public Affairs Manager, Universities Superannuation Scheme) shared practical tips to help you prepare and make your presence count at this year’s party conferences.
1. Get your logistics sorted early
Book passes, hotels and train tickets as early as possible. Accommodation fills up fast and prices get more expensive the longer you wait.
Download the conference app in advance. It gives you up to date fringe listings and venue maps.
Arrive slightly early on the first day to walk around the venue and get familiar with the space.
Book dinner reservations ahead of time too. Restaurants near the venues get booked fast.
2. Aim for realistic goals when planning
Build your goals starting from one big goal (e.g. five minutes with a minister), then build down to smaller, achievable goals if the top one doesn’t happen. Track wins across all the goals, including networking and event attendance.
Expect your plans to change. Unexpected events can happen but sometimes they end up being more valuable than what you planned. Being flexible sometimes is more helpful than sticking to a plan.
Bring senior colleagues with you. It’s easier to have someone with you that can help you rather than having to make decisions alone.
3. Adapt your approach by party
This year, parties have clearly different objectives: Reform’s tone will be shaped by recent by-election results, and Labour will be dominated by the new PM and cabinet, which will be useful for reading policy direction.
Note that LibDem and Conservative conferences are usually smaller and generally easier for securing meetings, provided you request early.
4. Build meaningful relationships when you are there
Have a short elevator pitch ready: just a couple of sentences covering who you are and what your organisation does.
Attend events where your target is speaking rather than relying on a confirmed meeting.
Polite persistence in the moment (a quiet word after a session, a moment in a queue) is often how real connection happens.
Prepare a strong question for fringe Q&As: asking it directly to a minister or panellist is a genuinely effective way to raise visibility.
Speaking with researchers and aides can help you build valuable relationships.
Select committee chairs and All-Party Parliamentary Group chairs or officers are easier to engage with and usually well informed.
5. Common challenges
The reality is that it’s impossible to attend everything so set your expectations accordingly.
Labour conference in particular is extremely busy: everyone is overbooked, stretched and often distracted or running late.
Fringe titles can be vague. If a session turns out not to be relevant, it’s fine to quietly step out. Having a backup option for each time slot also helps in these cases.
Attending alone makes decision-making harder. Lean on trade bodies and membership associations, who often run their own fringes and produce post conference write ups covering sessions you couldn’t attend.
DeHavilland’s own fringe summaries can serve the same purpose (sign up here to our Party Conference Coverage).
If you’re following one policy area across multiple fringes, be aware that ministers often repeat the same lines at each one. Focus your attention on a minister, a select committee chair and an APPG chair; this way you get the fuller picture from different perspectives.
Attendance drops off in later fringe sessions towards the end of conference, a good time to explore adjacent topics outside your core sector.
How to stay informed
The best way to stay on top of developments over this busy season is to get our DeHavilland’s free updates delivered straight to your inbox.
We are providing complimentary updates, including:
📅 Daily despatches – coverage of each day at the major party conferences
📖 End of conference briefings – full guides to what happened and what was learned at the conference
📚 Sector-specific briefings – exclusively at the Labour conference, insights broken down by industry
