IH Directors' Conference 2023

Join us in London for the in-person IH Directors' Conference 2023

Registration is now closed. If you have any questions please contact Marta via email: marta.roblesvillarino@ihworld.com.

We are delighted that the annual IH Directors' Conference 2023 will be in London from Monday 8th to Wednesday 10th May. The timing of this conference is particularly special as International House is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2023. 

The theme of the conference will be Evolution.

Please note: the Coronation of King Charles will be on Saturday 6th May. We have postponed the conference by a couple of days specifically to avoid this very busy weekend as we anticipate that hotel prices will increase and availability will be limited. However, if you want to take the opportunity to come for this historic event, we advise you to book well in advance.

The IH Directors’ Conference gives owners and managers of International House schools time to invest in their own personal development, hear from industry experts and share knowledge with each another. It is also a time for celebrating what the IH network has achieved, and what we are planning for the future.  

>>> View the programme here >>> 

Evolution

The theme for the IH Directors' Conference 2023 is Evolution.

We will be organising the conference into sub-themes of 

• Digital Innovation
• Workforce Evolution
• Marketing
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Belonging
• Environmental Sustainability

70th anniversary

In 2023 International House celebrates its 70th Anniversary. Founded in 1953 by John and Brita Haycraft it introduced an innovative approach to language teaching, and this desire to innovate has continued over the years with developments in teacher training and more. Celebrations will take place throughout the year, and during this conference.

Venue

The first day of the conference, Monday 8th May, will take place at IH London, which is nestled behind Drury Lane in the heart of Covent Garden. The address is 16 Stukeley Street, London WC2B 5LQ.

On Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th, the conference will be held within easy walking distance of IH London in the BMA House in London's Bloomsbury district, on Tavistock Square. (The site is marked with a "Blue Plaque" as the location of Charles Dicken's house in 1851 - 1860!)

Please note that this is not a hotel, so delegates will have to book accommodation elsewhere. Some options are given here. 

Programme Overview

Sunday 7th May

18.00 Coronation Street Party-themed drinks reception at IH London

Monday 8th May

Venue: IH London

9.15 Welcome from Emma Hoyle and Mark Rendell

9.30 Leadership and Team Building Workshop

13.00 Lunch

ROOM 1

Annual Study Abroad Meeting

• 14.15 Nicoletta Pinto, from our partner guard.me International Insurance
• 14.35 Small group discussion: market trends and challenges
• 15.30 Connect and Collaborate: Study Abroad schools and IH agent schools
• 16.00 Refreshments and extended networking

16.30 Teacher Development Digitised – Delivering the IHWO Promise - Caroline Turner, Interim Director of Operations & Lawrence Jackson, Director of Sales & Marketing, IH London

ROOM 2

14.15 From Teacher Training to University Programmes - Martha Fernandez, IH Cuernavaca & Ariel Lopez, IH Mexico City

14.35 University Collaborations - EMI and CLIL Courses - Marco Faldetta, IH Palermo Language Centre

14.55 Collaboration - Erasmuz KA2 Projects: The Story So Far - Jonathan Dykes, IH Medellin & IH Belfast

15.30 Exam Centres Group Meeting - Chaired by Monica Green, Director of IH Torres Vedras

16.00 Refreshments

16.30 Green Standard Schools Accreditation – Good for the Environment and Good for Your School - Jonathan Dykes, Green Standard Schools

18.30 Foundation Raffle & Auction (The Old Bank of England.)

19.30 Drinks & Dinner (The Old Bank of England) hosted by our platinum sponsor Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Tuesday 9th May: 

Venue: BMA House

09.00 Welcome from Emma Hoyle & IHWO team

09.15 PLENARY SESSION Communicating with IMPACT – The Psychology of Effective Communication - Grant Leboff, CEO at Sticky Marketing Club

10.15 Working with Trinity - Alison Castle Kane, Head of Business Development, UK & Ireland

10.30 Refreshments

11.00 Stronger Together - Ariel Lopez, IH Mexico City & Alejandra Garcia Nieto, IH Queretaro

11.30 Opportunities from PSI with Skills for English and SELT - Andy Harrison, Senior Director, International Business Development & Recognition

11.45 PLENARY SESSION Why Learning Languages Matter - Alastair Campbell

12.45 Lunch

14.15 From Chaos Comes Order? - Shaun Wilden, IH OTTI Manager, IHWO

15.00 Digital Innovation: Q&A With Expert Panel - Discussion lead by Peter Hayes, Chairperson IHWO

Panellists:
Andy Johnson, Director of EdTech at Immerse Education
Alex Asher, CEO of LearnCube
Jo Sayers, Director at LearnJam
Mihai Laurențiu Ganj, Owner/Director at IH Bucharest
Quinn Taber, Founder & CEO at Immerse
Christian Rowe, Chief Growth Officer at Immerse

16.00 Refreshments

16.30 Bringing Education for Sustainable Development into the ELT Environment - Alex Warren, Senior ELT Academic Consultant, Cengage

17.15 IHWO Environmental Sustainability: Where Do We Go from Here? - Panel discussion led by Beccy Wigglesworth

Free evening 

Weds 10th May:

Venue: BMA House

9.00 IHWO Update

9.45 Talent and Technology, Today and Tomorrow @IHSydneyTrainingServices - Fernando Passarelli, General Manager, and Tim Eckenfels, Owner/CEO, IH Sydney Training Services

10.45 AI-Driven Language Testing and Digital Delivery from Cambridge - Ian Cawley, Product Manager, Cambridge University Press & Assessment

11.00 Refreshments

11.30 Governance & Finance

• 11.30 Finance report and IHWO corporate matters
• 11.40 IHWO AGM
• 11.50  Board member election, Business meeting / Proposals, Plaques
• 12.50  2024 Host unveiling!

13.00 Lunch

14.15 Lead the Way in English Language Testing with IELTS - Kishore Roy, IELTS Delivery Partner Relationship Manager

14.30 RULER – The Revolution We All Might Need - Mihai Laurențiu Gânj, IH Bucharest

15.00 Creating a Culture of Belonging in our Schools so that Everyone Can Thrive - Christina Furtado, MACP Wellness and Learning Initiatives by guard.meCARES and Hannah Youell, Chairperson IHWO EDIB Working Group

16.00 Refreshments

16.30 PLENARY SESSION Courageous Leadership, Diana Osagie

17.30 Conference Closing

19.00 Reception and Gala Dinner at The OXO Tower hosted by our platinum PLUS sponsor, Skills for English from PSI

Thursday 11th May

Optional trip to Cambridge organised by IH London - £75 per person - see more details and book your place here.

Speakers

External speakers include:

Alastair Campbell – Why Learning Languages Matters
Grant LeBoff – Sticky Marketing and Behavioural Psychology
Diana Osagie – Be Fearlessly and Intentionally Courageous.

Charity Auction

Back by popular demand! The Charity Auction will be on Monday 8th May, raising funds for the IH World Foundation. Please bring interesting items from your town or city – we can’t wait to auction them off! 

Environmental Sustainability

We are delighted to have the opportunity to meet our friends and colleagues for this wonderful face-to-face IH Director’s conference. At the same time we can’t ignore the negative environmental impact that travelling to and gathering in London will have.  We have chosen the BMA venue partly because it has been driving the sustainability agenda for some years. Their commitments to reducing environmental impact have seen it awarded a Green Tourism GOLD award, and Hire Space's own 'Greenest Venue' award in 2018 and 2019. 

We will be considering various other initiatives as we prepare for the conference. As delegates, you can contribute in the following ways: 

1. If you fly, consider carbon offsetting your flight. If you live close enough, consider travelling by train.
2. Please bring your own water bottle, re-useable coffee cups and pens to eliminate disposable single-use plastic waste.

Thank you

Thank you to our partners guard.me - International Insurance for their support and sponsorship. 

Thank you to our platinum plus sponsor

Thank you to our platinum sponsor

Thank you to our gold sponsors

Thank you to our silver sponsors