Celebrant Conference 2023 is an opportunity for our 550-strong network of Humanist Ceremonies celebrants to come together in person – a fantastic opportunity to learn from experienced celebrants and other experts, and to strengthen the bonds of our community. It took place on 14-15 October, at Conference Aston.
Video of opening showreel (with thanks to Obitus!)
Saturday 14 October
– Sunday 15 October 2023
Conference Aston
Aston St
Birmingham
B4 7ET
| Start time | End time | Session |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | 13:30 | Registration and buffet lunch |
| 13:00 | 13:30 | Reception for new celebrants (optional) |
| 13:30 | 14:30 | Welcome to Conference, and staff update on Humanist Ceremonies Ann-Michelle Burton, Ginny Collins, Andrew Copson, and Deborah Hooper |
| 14:40 | 15:40 | Workshop 1 |
| 16:00 | 17:00 | Workshop 2 |
| 17:20 | 18:10 | Plenary 2 – Making a drama out of being a celebrant Julia Bolden and Leigh Chambers |
| 19:00 | 19:45 | Drinks in bar |
| 19:45 | 21:30 | Dinner (included with Residential Ticket) |
| 21:30 | 00:00 | Disco |
| Start time | End time | Session |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | 10:00 | Breakfast (included with Residential Ticket) |
| 09:30 | 10:20 | Workshop 3 |
| 10:30 | 11:20 | Workshop 4 |
| 11:50 | 12:20 | Plenary 4 – Fighting for apostates Terri O’Sullivan |
| 12:20 | 12:50 | Closing plenary Ann-Michelle Burton, Ginny Collins, Deborah Hooper |
| 13:00 | 14:00 | Buffet lunch (included in Sunday Day Ticket and Non-Residential Ticket; otherwise subject to optional ticket add-on) |
Workshop 1 – Saturday 14 October, 14:40
| Session | Room | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 1A – Can you hear me at the back? A practical guide to voice projection | Meeting Room 123 | Anne Molloy |
| 1B – The story of Living with Death without God | Meeting Room 144 | Valerie Jack |
| 1C – Weaving creativity and art into your wedding ceremonies | Conference Room 3 | Martin Alexander-Drake |
| 1D – Have your professional head shot photograph taken | Meeting Room 127 | Andrew West |
Workshop 2 – Saturday 14 October, 16:00
| Session | Room | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 2A – Using Canva to create content for your social channels | Conference Room 3 | Tracy Staskevich, Lucy Dulieu, Deborah Hooper |
| 2B – The unacknowledged grief of losing a baby: learning empathy from an expert through experience | Meeting Room 144 | Caroline Jones |
| 2C – Could a humanist wedding celebrant help a couple to sustain their love beyond their big day? | Meeting Room 123 | Martin Alexander-Drake |
| 2D – Have your professional head shot photograph taken | Meeting Room 127 | Andrew West |
Workshop 3 – Sunday 15 October, 09:30
| Session | Room | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 3A – Namings: predicting the predictable and navigating the unexpected | Meeting Room 123 | Julia Bolden |
| 3B – After the event (Memorials) | Conference Room 3 | Felicity Harvest |
| 3C – Using iPads and tablets in ceremonies and family meetings – an efficient, time-saving, green alternative | Meeting Room 127 | Dave Gordon-Shute |
| 3D – Ceremonies for kith and kin | Meeting Room 144 | Maggie Platts |
Workshop 4 – Sunday 29 October, 10:30
4B – Mistakes I made as a new (wedding) celebrant, and how to avoid themConference Room 3Louise Gather
| Session | Room | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 4C – Fragments of a life… (in words)… | Meeting Room 144 | Karen Partridge |
| 4D – Celebrant Annual Survey – Themes and highlights | Meeting Room 123 | Ann-Michelle Burton |
Julia
Bolden
Leigh
Chambers
Ann-Michelle
Burton
Terri
O’Sullivan
Ginny
Collins
Deborah
Hooper
Andrew
Copson
Anne
Molloy
Valerie
Jack
Martin
Alexander-Drake
Tracy
Staskevich
Lucy
Dulieu
Caroline
Jones
Felicity
Harvest
Dave
Gordon-Shute
Maggie
Platts
Louise
Gather
Karen
Partridge
and
more
Aston
For Celebrant Conference 2023 we return to at Conference Aston, in leafy green grounds even with its city-centre location. With the advantage of Birmingham’s excellent transport links, Celebrant Conference 2023 will once again be the easiest Celebrant Conference to reach from across the country.
Our venue
Our plenary space is a large and comfortable room that can accommodate us all comfortably, with two large projector screens to allow all attendees perfect vision of what’s being discusse, while all breakout sessions take place in four rooms on the first floor. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the venue.
All sessions take place in the same building as the dinner and hotel – for those with Residential Tickets – meaning it’s quick and easy to get around and make the most of your time.
Transport
Conference Aston is within 10 minutes’ walk of each of Birmingham’s three mainline railway stations (New Street, Moor Street, and Snow Hill).
On-site car-parking is available for a flat rate of £7.95 per 24 hours (00:00–23:59), but must be booked in advance. Accessible parking is subject to availability and must be booked by emailing Conference Aston directly.
Conference Aston will always have the most up-to-date information about venue facilities.
Please also be aware of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone: if your vehicle doesn’t meet emissions criteria, you will need to pay a charge (or face a fine). Details are available at Brum Breathes.
Cancellations
Bookings may be cancelled free of charge until 15 August 2023. Bookings cancelled after 15 August but by 14 September, inclusive will incur a 50% charge of the full price of the ticket. Cancellations made after 14 September will not be refunded, but may, at the discretion of Humanists UK and not after 1 October, be transferred to another eligible individual. Any refunds for ticket cancellations will be processed within two months.
Speakers
All appearances are subject to speakers’ work and other commitments.
Photography, video, and audio recording
Humanists UK reserves the right to photograph and record video and audio of all public sections of the Convention and to make public the footage as it sees appropriate. Please be aware that by attending Celebrant Conference 2023, you consent to your voice, name, and/or likeness being used, without compensation, in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity, and you release Humanists UK, its successors, assigns, and licensees from any liability whatsoever of any nature. If you would like to ensure that you are not captured in any media, please contact ceremonies@humanists.uk and we will do our best to accommodate you.
