The 2011 LAHC conference was held in Lima, Peru this year and was a great success. There were over 300 delegates and 17 exhibitors from as far away as Australia to the USA and Europe. The guest speakers from Harvard in Boston were fantastic and helped draw in a greater then ever number of delegates. The event was held at the Sonesta Hotel in a lovely part of Lima, San Isidro, and not too far from the more well known Miraflores. There are more than 7 international schools in Lima alone and delegates came from all over Latin America to learn, share and network, as well as have the opportunity to come and talk to us.



This is a relatively small conference so we had a simple table with a few leaflets and brochures as well as a few nice gifts to give away from Friends Provident International and Lloyds TSB Offshore. We had a number of meetings with delegates that will lead to new opportunities as well as having the chance to catch up with some friends, existing clients and school heads that we know well.

Overall it was a great event and looking forward to LAHC 2012 in Santiago, Chile.

Warwick Mann International recently attended the annual BSME conference in Abu Dhabi between 1st and 5th February.

Andrew Seward and Craig Blyth represented the company at this years event, the 10th BSME we have attended, and met with many existing clients and new contacts throughout the course of the event. The event was well attended and was opened by His Excellency, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.  

In partnership with Andrew Wigford from TIC recruitment, Warwick-Mann sponsored a very successful and enjoyable gold tournament for the delegates. Twenty delegates played in the event on the tough but stunning Saadiyat Beach golf course. The event was won by Rob Kent from Fujairah Private Academy with Bruce Gamwell from The British International School Jeddah a close runner up. Other prizes included Derek Jones from Dukhan English School winning the longest drive and our own Craig Blyth picking up the nearest the pin prize!

We would like to thank all those who organised and attended the event for a very enjoyable and productive conference and look forward to continuing our relationships throughout the year.

At Warwick Mann International we pride ourselves in trying to give the best possible service to our clients around the world. This involves trying to visit as many as we can each year in some locations that can be off the beaten track.

Here is a summary of one such visit recently done by Phill Ridgway:

"The Latin American Heads Conference is an annual gathering of all the senior staff at all the (mainly) British international schools in the region.  We attend each year and meet a lot of school heads, one of which has been Brian Allen who heads up the British School in Caracas.  So, in November 2010 we scheduled a visit to the school with the blessing of Brian and Deputy head Keith Bailey both of whom, so it turns out, have been vigorously recommending our services to their staff whenever they have been seeking help or advice.

I think it must be said that the help which I received in organizing the trip from Steve Parrott and Erika Lazarro was second to none.  From organizing an after-school talk through to my airport pick-up and drop-off as well as daily collection to and from school in order to ensure my safety and security and to make me feel like a very welcome guest, which I was!  Everyone made me feel so very, very welcome and it is also great to get to see a new city and country but from all I read Caracas was not perhaps the first choice on most people's holiday destination list.  Well, the school organized my hotel, which I might add was also very nice and in a very safe part of the city along with the school which is at the edge of the city next to some beautiful mountains and scenery.

Time at the school was 4 days and in that time I have never, ever had my calendar so full so I started to ask why.  Staff tell me that no-one has been there for, some say, 10 to 12 years in order to provide access to quality financial advice.  These staff are unable to access the traditional advice they get at home so offshore financial planning as an expatriate is what most of them need and we were able to help.  We provided advice from retirement planning to travel insurance and from investments and savings solutions right through to National Insurance and UK general tax guidance.  

It is always humbling when I can be of so much help to so many people.  We always ensure that we visit the schools we work with on an annual basis so as to provide continuity and face to face meeting for our clients.  The rest of the year everything is done electronically which works extremely well in this modern day age of the internet, and yes, even the odd fax is still transmitted.  So, overall, it was a wonderful experience with top class hospitality that any guest would be more than pleased with.  Our relationship will build from here and we have a lot of very happy new clients who now have a goto person and company. for all their financial planning needs."

AISA
Educators’ Conference & Business Managers’ Institute Programme
Safari Park Hotel - Nairobi, Kenya: October 17 – 20, 2010
Craig Blyth and David Simpson represented Warwick-Mann International at the annual AISA conference held in Nairobi Kenya. The conference was well attended by over 500 delegates from all over the African international schools community.