A: I’ve been attending party conferences for almost 20 years. Most of that time I’ve been working outside of academia, but often working with research and researchers on presenting evidence in ways that are as compelling as possible.
I’ve done a bit of everything, from simply attending, to organising fringe events and speaking on stages and in roundtables. I’ve found it a great way to reach Parliamentarians and engage with people across social policy, regulation, civil society and business. It can also be a great way to arrange quick catch-up meetings with a host of stakeholders because everyone is in one spot for a few days.
A: It’s what you make of it! I’m new to academia and this year with CoSS Public Affairs I’ve made a deal with Lloyds Banking Group to create a fringe event targeting backbenchers to discuss financial inclusion. We’ve lined up some great speakers including the CEO of Consumer Relationships at Lloyds, the CEO of the Association of British Insurers and the CEO of Fair4All Finance. We’ll also be inviting the Economic Secretary to the Treasury to say a few words. And I’ll be speaking about CHASM’s research.
A: Oh gosh, I’ve been to so many. Perhaps it was last year when me and my team arranged a panel event with the New Statesman on financial inclusion at the Labour Party conference. We managed to secure the Economic Secretary to the Secretary as well the Executive Director for Consumers and Competition at the Financial Conduct Authority, the CEO of the Association of British Insurers, and Deputy CEO of Fair4All Finance. A brilliant panel which debated what a new financial inclusion strategy for the UK should look like. We now have a government-led Committee on Financial Inclusion and all of the organisations represented on the panel became members – including me!
Martin Coppack, second from left, at a panel during the 2024 Labour Party conference.
A: Plan ahead and look for organisations hosting relevant events. Get in touch to express interest in joining their panels and roundtables. I’ve had success with directly pitching myself to organisations, including think tanks.
When planning your pitches for a speaking slot or planning your actual speech, keep in mind that people don’t always want to hear lots of detail. Tailor what you want to say to the audience. What will be a unifying theme that will make people pause and think about what you are arguing for? Often it is the human impact perspective – never forget the power of storytelling. Don’t expect people to be experts in your field. Break your research down into understandable chunks that people can relate to. And, if you have MPs in front of you, make it resonate by linking it to what they may be hearing from their constituents.
Also, maximise your time. Think about who is going to be there that you can arrange to have a coffee with in the ‘dead time’ in between relevant events.
A: First of all, I have learnt a lot about how to successfully engage with busy Parliamentarians – what gets them interested in attending an event, and what seems to land with them when pulling from research. I’ve also learnt a lot about how to tempt people from business, policy and regulation to engage with you.
Secondly, securing change by using research takes time. It’s also ‘messy’ and difficult to always map causation, especially when change is more likely to come about through partnering with others. However, by using research in creative ways I’ve contributed to some major wins, such as securing a new ‘have regard’ to financial inclusion remit for the financial regulator, the creation of a new government financial inclusion strategy (due out this Autumn) and the creation of a new Financial Conduct Authority market study into the poverty premium faced by consumers who cannot to afford to pay monthly for their car insurance.
Professor of Practice in Financial Inclusion and Consumer Policy (CHASM)
Martin uses research and advocacy to create change for consumers. He’s held a range of positions, all with the common objective of placing low income and vulnerable consumers at the heart of policy-making within essential services.
