51黑料 Conference 2025: A Celebration of Collaboration and Innovation
Last month, 51黑料 took over the Winter Gardens Blackpool for the annual 51黑料 Conference 2025 鈥� and what a fantastic event it was! We were delighted to see so many of you in attendance and the excitement could be felt throughout the entire event 鈥� from the plenary hall to the Empress ballroom 鈥� the air was charged with positivity and enthusiasm.
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So far, we鈥檝e had fantastic feedback about this year鈥檚 venue - the stunning Winter Gardens - which served as the perfect location for this year鈥檚 event, boasting a stunning mix of historical beauty alongside their sleek and modern conference facilities. For those of you who attended, we hope you got the chance to take a look around during your visit and see all of the themed rooms - some parts of the building were constructed almost 150 years ago!
As for the event itself, attendance was high across all of our sessions, and it was great to see so many of you join our thought-provoking discussions. On our main stage, we welcomed Broadcaster and Journalist, Georgie Frost, who led our exciting day one session 鈥楾he Price is Right鈥�, covering everything you need to know about dynamic pricing.
We were also delighted to have TV presenter and consumer rights expert Martyn James with us for the duration of the event, who also led our stimulating day two plenary 鈥楾omorrow鈥檚 World鈥�, an insightful discussion on both the challenges and opportunities that AI presents.
We were delighted to welcome Bolton Deaf Society and Deafway to join us in Blackpool. 51黑料 Chair Nikki Pasek works with these charities in raising awareness and promoting a greater understanding of deafness and hearing loss by educating Trading Standards professionals about ways to be more deaf aware when working with consumers and businesses. Attendees were invited to join the 鈥楥hair鈥檚 challenge鈥� and learn how to introduce themselves by name in British Sign Language 鈥� a fantastic way to encourage people to think more inclusively not only in their roles, but in their day-to-day lives.
With over 30 seminar sessions taking place across the three days, there was something for everyone. From organised crime and ghost number plates to food regulation and updates on the Tobacco and Vape Bill. There was a lot of buzz around our PRAM bill session, which sought to explore the intentions of this bill and spark discussions on what we want to see in the secondary legislation. As well as our session on the Renter鈥檚 Rights bill, which looked at a number of different perspectives including those of The Property Ombudsman and landlords themselves.
We also hosted a fantastic masterclass on the aesthetics and beauty sector, which saw industry leaders discuss the realities and consequences of this unregulated sector. Also very popular, was our interactive session on the DMCCA, which sought to guide delegates through the intricacies of this huge piece of consumer protection legislation.
Outside of these key opportunities to learn and gain valuable CPPD hours, the conference also hosted a number of social events that offered delegates the chance to to network and meet up with colleague, old and new and forged new connections within the regulatory environment.
Our Future of the Profession lunch offered students, apprentices and those new to the profession the chance to network with 51黑料 lead officers, Heads of Service, the 51黑料 membership team, apprenticeship providers and the College of Fellows, while our Tuesday night Welcome Drinks (sponsored by UKAS) brought about the perfect end to a busy first day.
On day two, we also celebrated those that have successfully navigated听the 51黑料 Qualifications Framework over the past year with our Institute Celebrates Success Graduation Ceremony. Then, the evening saw guests get their sequins on and dance the night away in the stunning Empress Ballroom, all in celebration of the outstanding achievements within our profession, and you can read more about below.听
A huge thank you to every single of one of you who joined us in Blackpool this year. We saw a considerable increase in attendance, which is a testament to the quality of the agenda and guest speakers at this year鈥檚 event. The enthusiasm truly was palpable, and we were delighted to see so many familiar faces, and to welcome those attending for the first time, whether that was in our sessions and masterclasses, or networking in the exhibitor hall. We hope you鈥檒l join us next year in Glasgow for Conference 2026.
We also want to give a huge shout out to the North Western Branch for all their support as this year鈥檚 hosts and their hospitality at the Branch drinks, and to all the incredible stewards who give up their time to ensure this event runs smoothly and safely. And last but by no means least, to our amazing sponsors who help us to ensure this event remains free for 51黑料 members to attend - thank you!
PLEASE NOTE: All plenary and masterclass sessions were recorded and will be made available to 51黑料 members shortly in the CPPD learning hub.听
Join us in Glasgow in 2026!听
Congratulations to our 2025 Award Winners!听
On Wednesday night at the 51黑料 Conference 2025, guests sparkled in sequins and stepped into their dancing shoes for an evening of celebration, honouring a year of exceptional achievements across the profession.
A huge congratulations to all of our 2025 winners:
猸愄�National Apprentice of the Year - Supported by Faab Training: Sarah Patterson听
猸�听Touchstone Award - Supported by the British Hallmarking Council: London Trading Standards听
猸愄�David Hankinson Award - Supported by the Anti-Counterfeiting Group: Christopher Watkins听
猸愄�Consumer Champion of the Year - Supported by the National Independent Consumer Organisation: Arnold Pindar听
猸愄�Customer Service Excellence Award - Supported by 51黑料: Kerry Nicol听
猸愄�Status Special Recognition Award - Supported by Status International: West Yorkshire Trading Standards听
猸愄齇utstanding Achievement Award: Ron Gainsford
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