After all the planning and logistics, finding exciting speakers and celebrities to join us and designing a fantastic two days to support the nursery sector, the big moment is here!

We’re excited to see the thousands of you who have your tickets at the NEC – but if you haven’t got your FREE TICKET yet, here are five reasons to do so:

1. Become a better manager 

You’re a skilled professional and you should have the opportunity to build on your skills and take pride in your career development.

Managers have told us they’d most like to improve their leadership skills, so we’ve designed a free CPD programme to help build your confidence and expertise.

Learn how to become a more confident leader, how to create a culture of neuroinclusion in your setting, and develop the skills to lead an outstanding learning walk. We also have a session on looking after the wellbeing of your staff to create a positive working environment, and a workshop on how to have difficult conversations with employees and parents alike.

2. Davina McCall

Need we say more? A queen of television, a champion of charitable causes, and most recently an ambassador for women’s health and the menopause, our fabulous host is an inspirational figure. 

Davina will be imparting her wisdom and energy from the Entertainment Stage throughout the show, including handing out awards and interviewing nursery managers.

3. Prioritise your wellbeing

Many nursery managers tell us they’re often so busy looking after everybody else – their children, their teams, and families at home – that they barely get a second for themselves.

Well, that needs to change. You deserve to prioritise your own health, happiness and wellbeing – and you can start here.

Come to our Wellbeing Theatre to learn how to make the most of your budget during the cost of living crisis and discover the impact of looking after yourself during the menopause.

Meanwhile, if you’re recently bereaved, you might find our session on how to manage grief comforting and useful. And finally, come along to our chair yoga class to stretch out and learn some easy exercises to do at your desk (no lycra required!)

4. Be inspired 

When you’ve got a million things on your to-do list, it’s not always easy to think about the bigger picture – what your nursery setting could look like in 10 years’ time, or how to make your curriculum more tailored to your children’s needs.

But it can be really valuable and energising to talk about the exciting things going on in the wider sector – big changes and big ideas.

Come to our Nursery Operational Excellence theatre for sessions on going beyond the EYFS to create a unique curriculum for your setting, embedding EDI principles to welcome children from all backgrounds, and the exciting potential of building relationships with care homes to create an intergenerational curriculum. 

You’ll also hear from Ofsted about their early-years focused strategy, and how to prepare for an inspection – straight from the horse’s mouth. 

Also check out our Technology theatre, which includes a forward-looking workshop on digital safety (children are online from an early age these days, and curricula need to evolve to reflect that) and how to reach parents and caregivers who don’t want to engage.

5. Boogie to Boyzlife

Let’s face it: you work really, really hard. So let off some steam with a good old dance to Boyzlife (for those who don’t know, Brian McFadden from Westlife and Keith Duffy from Boyzone).

Just imagine dancing to Flying without wings and Love me for a reason with thousands of your fellow nursery managers – the definition of a feel-good experience!