A programme of protection and specialist lending-focused seminars has been added to both days of the Financial Services Expo.

The sessions will be held in the Mortgage Advice Bureau seminar theatre and will cover a range of protection and specialist lending related topics designed to help advisers grow their business volumes in these areas.

These include:

• Pride in protection – David Bedlow, head of learning and development at Mortgage Advice Bureau presents hints and tips to become a successful protection adviser.
• Deadline to Breadline – Legal & General review the latest research into the consequences for families if the main breadwinner suffers a critical illness, injury or death.
• Price is what you pay, value is what you receive – Jamie Page, national account development manager at Friends Life highlights the benefits of menu-based protection providers.
• Specialist lending and its importance to the UK housing market recovery – Rob Jupp, chief executive of Brightstar, looks at the recent history of specialist lending, the present opportunities and the likely growth spots.
• Trusts and the ‘Good Parent Portfolio’ – Peter Fox of Bright Grey outlines how advisers can adopt a holistic approach to protection.

The Financial Services Expo 2013 will take place on 1-2nd October at Old Billingsgate in the City of London. FSE is also running separate mortgage and adviser-specific conference programmes, put together in conjunction with the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI), the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders’ Association (IMLA) and IFA Centre.

James Prosser, director of Financial Services Expo, said: “Both protection and specialist lending are likely to be significant growth areas for advisers over the coming months and this is why, with the support of Mortgage Advice Bureau, we have dedicated a seminar programme to these sectors.

“Our aim is to help advisers identify the potential opportunities that exist and to come away armed with information, guidance and support from some of the major players. If we have learnt anything about the last few years it is the need to diversify and to maintain that diversification even when a core market begins to re-establish itself. Clients have many differing wants and needs and it is important that advisers are able to meet as many as possible.

“We believe through these sessions that advisers will see the importance, particularly of protection, and ensure they have all the tools necessary in order to write significant business volume in these areas.”