INNSiDE by Melia, Manchester & Woburn House, London
With a trusted reputation and over 15 years’ experience we are passionate about designing, developing and delivering events where education professionals come together to develop their skills, be empowered to embrace innovation and be inspired to lead with confidence
From Conferences and Exhibitions Inspiring Leadership Conference, Compassionate Leadership to thought leadership seminars our events are grounded in current research and practice, and focus on empowering educators to lead with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
Building on the work of Maggie Farrar on Leading with Presence, and Marie-Claire Bretherton and Steve Munby on Imperfect Leadership, we were tasked with co-designing an interactive event to help education leaders reflect on their leadership mindset and connect with their authentic selves.
The Leadership Mindset event set out to explore how to cultivate authentic presence, build emotional resilience, and embrace imperfection in leadership. Drawing on insights from the speakers’ own experiences and those of school and system leaders they’ve worked with, the event focused on how leaders can shape more humane, resilient, and learning-focused cultures within their schools, trusts, or organisations.
The Leadership Mindset events were held in Manchester and London to provide accessible locations for attendees from across the UK. To keep conversations meaningful and inclusive, attendance was limited to 30 people per event, ensuring everyone had space to share their thoughts.
Each venue featured two distinct layouts: a U-shape arrangement for collaborative sessions and cabaret-style tables for more focused, small group discussions. The event was designed to be highly interactive, utilising Learnlab, a digital platform aimed at enhancing the learning experience. A key feature of Learnlab is Colab, an interactive presentation tool that enabled participants to engage in real time using their phones or tablets, without the need for additional equipment.
Facilitators used Colab to pose live questions, with AI-generated summaries of responses displayed instantly on screens. This enabled seamless, real-time discussion and kept the energy of each session flowing.
The two events brought attendees together for shared learning and meaningful conversation. Based on the feedback gathered, our client created a leadership mindset think piece that was shared with participants after the event. This captured key insights from both events, encouraged ongoing discussion, and offered a practical framework for the attendees use in their everyday roles within their schools.
'It was a pleasure to work with the Blackberry Events Team. Not only did they provide excellent support in the planning phase, their attention to detail, diligence and welcoming presence at the events contributed significantly to the positive experience for the participants' - Maggie Farrar
