A year is a long time in planning

This year’s Financial Planning Association conference marks the ninth year that advisers have gathered together on an annual basis for the largest event of its kind in the industry.

Ever since the conferences began in Hobart in 1992, numbers have been climbing steadily to the point where close to 3000 attendees pack auditorums, cocktail receptions and dinner venues.

Last year the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre in Sydney played host to some big names. Federal Treasurer Peter Costello opened the conference and CFP board chair Harold Evensky co-chaired the opening plenary session.

In the following days, attendees had the choice of listening to the likes of well known US planners Bill Bacharach and Deena Katz and Zurich chief economist David Hale.

Local industry representatives included Grant Abbott from the Strategist Group, Peeyush Gupta from iPac, Robert Keavney from ISG and BT's resident television commercial star Melinda Howes.

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The changing face of the industry was brought out in the sessions as planners were encouraged to see the industry in new ways in terms of using technology, building relationships and outsourcing non-core business activities.

While the sessions were well attended and copious amounts of notes taken, the social functions were just as well attended. Needless to say the copious consumption at these revolved around food and drink and a good dose of merriment.

Taronga Zoo served as an appropriate venue for the Thursday night cocktail session with lights of Sydney looking on while the wildlife turned in and the industry came out for the night.

Music played, wine flowed and many people enjoyed the night to the fullest potential. And for those who thought they may have been able to avoid the effects until the next morning forgot that the walk back to the buses was up hill all the way.

The success of the night was self evident the next day with session attendances down somewhat and coffee machines running at earnest for much of the morning.

If none of this sounds familiar, even to those who were there, the conference of 1999 should remain a stand out for one simple factor, the shaving of Wes McMaster.

McMaster volunteered to lose his crop if sufficient funds were donated for charity, and with that shy figure of the industry Kevin Bailey as the spruiker the dollars flowed in. Good to his word McMaster went under the scissors and blade, coming away with a shining pate. The figure raised was $30,000 making it the most expensive coiffure in FPA history.

However the climatic event of every conference is the dinner and in 1999 it was held at the Sydney Superdome inside Olympic Park.

Whisked out to the park on high speed trains attendees were treated to a 1920s style dance complete with gangsters, molls and jazz band.

After the jazz wrapped up attendees were brought back to the present, almost, when '80s rockers Mental as Anything took to the stage. A number of industry figures were seen cutting the rug - whether they should have been dancing is another point.