With the goal of providing world-class professional learning for a middle years focused thriving educational community, a collaborative and strategic planning process provided the guardrails for conference design and development.

To roll out an annual conference and annual leadership retreat, a strategic planning process began with a comprehensive meeting in January, where the team established clear roles and set the tone for the year. February was dedicated to financial finalization and reflective learning from the previous conference. Virtual meetings in March kept the team connected and aligned on strategic objectives. In May, forward planning included selecting future conference sites and finalizing key contracts.

The summer months provided focus on content creation and marketing processes, engaging the team in creative work and ownership-driven tasks. As the Autumn leadership retreat and January conference dates approached, the team shifted to operational execution, ensuring every detail was in place. Full focus was on final preparations and continuous learning, where the team consistently strived for high quality execution, to roll out the highly regarded world-class conference.

It is thanks to a strong foundation and continuing collective work that this team and project continues to thrive and have positive impacts across Europe and beyond.

At the project’s heart is a dedicated team of international educators, supported by committed schools. Driven by a shared purpose and clear goals, it is the strong relationships, inclusive and focused meetings, mutual appreciation, and supportive accountability structures that are key to driving continued success.