CIPD ACE 2024: The highlights

We welcomed 7,000 attendees from HR, L&D, OD and the wider people profession across our two-day Annual Conference and Exhibition, which took place in the heart of Manchester on 6-7 November.

This year’s event focused on four overarching themes – leading responsibly, skills and productivity, workplace AI and boosting employee experience. These were explored in insightful presentations and thought-provoking discussions as part of our conference programme, as well as inspiring talks on our insight stages and demos on the exhibition floor.

Day 1

CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese kicked off day 1 by highlighting the crucial role the people profession plays in the creation of good work, which is especially important in a world with constant political, social and technological change.

The increasing use of AI at work is one such change organisations are getting to grips with, and our opening keynote speaker Professor Michael Wooldridge, Ashall Professor of the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford, reminded delegates of the importance of questioning AI outputs and learning how to properly formulate AI prompts to get the best results.

CIPD members were reminded of the fantastic resources and support available to help them navigate these challenges, as well as the new products and services on offer, including mentoring and career support, in a panel discussion with our senior leadership team.

Other day 1 highlights included packed sessions on how to deal with difficult people at work, how to balance AI-driven efficiency with the human touch needed to make sense of its outputs, and how to take a skills-based approach to workforce planning.

Day 2

Day 2 was packed with thought-provoking stories, including a panel discussion with the trailblazing Corinthians Ladies football club, which was formed at a time when the FA banned professional female participation in the sport, but went on to defeat teams across the world. Space scientist and television presenter Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock shared her inspiring career journey which highlighted the importance of recognising that careers aren’t always linear.

Author and workplace culture expert Bruce Daisley presented new research showing increasing pessimism among the workforce, and offered some insights into how organisations can help improve engagement and connection between colleagues.

Sessions on the CIPD stand included talks on what the UK Government’s ‘Make Work Pay’ plan means for people professionals, how to tackle socio-economic disadvantage, and member-to-member mentoring programmes.

The second day of ACE also fell on National Stress Awareness Day, and attendees were able to make use of a peaceful quiet room hosted by EventWell to take a moment to recharge and reflect on what they had learnt and discussed during the event.

Our final keynote speaker Susie Dent MBE, lexicographer and etymologist on Countdown, closed the conference programme with a reminder of the power of precise language to foster better relationships and have more influence at work.