Mortgage Business Expo (MBE) has announced the complete line-up of speakers and panellists for its London show, as well as outlining the full seminar programme.

MBE London will once again take place at the Business Design Centre, the London venue for MBE, on 12th October 2023, which also includes the FIBA Specialist Property Finance Club seminars and exhibition sections. Registrations are currently running at over 30% up on the same time last year.

Rob Elder from the Bank of England will be opening the event and looking at the economic outlook for the UK.

Fellow keynote speaker, William Hobbs, chief investment officer at Barclays UK Wealth Management, will be addressing what the economic outlook means for the housing and mortgage sector.

A joint MBE and FIBA session – General Market Overview – chaired by Rob Barnard, Director of Intermediary Relationships at Pepper Money, will feature Martin Reynolds, FIBA and SimplyBiz Mortgages; Eloise Hall, Kensington; Matt McCullough, Aldermore and Dave Furnival, NatWest.

The MBE seminar programme is as follows:

• Let’s talk about insurance – why having the conversation matters will be discussed by Stephanie Hydon, iPipeline; Jeff Woods, L&G and Amy Wilson, TRM Network.
• Meanwhile, Addressing the challenges of the BTL sector, also chaired by Rob Barnard, will feature David Whittaker, Keystone; Mike Cook, MFS; Maeve Ward, Central & Mercantile Trust and Andy Dean, The Mortgage Works.
• In addition, the Technology session will address How tech can enable brokers to support customers during economic uncertainty, with Jodie White, Legal & General Home Finance and Dale Jannels, One Mortgage System (OMS).
• Later Life Lending, the challenges and opportunities will be delivered by Sadna Zamen, Canada Life; Peter Barton, Barton Law; Nick Birdseye, L&G and Geoff Charles, Bower Home Finance.

The FIBA Specialist Property Finance Club seminar sessions, sponsored by Market Financial Solutions (MFS), are as follows:

• Why specialist property finance is important to holistic mortgage advice, featuring Jack Coombs, Aspen; Sophie Michell-Charman, LendInvest; Imogen Williams, MFS and Andrea Glasgow, Hampshire Trust Bank.
• Consumer Duty – The role of the specialist broker, featuring Angela Norman, Recognise Bank; Ian Errington, Blacks Solicitors; Karen Rodrigues, MFS and Richard Jones, Pilot Fish.
• Where has commercial term gone, featuring Gary Leitch, Folk2Folk; Mike Davies, Yorkshire Building Society; Adam Tyler, FIBA and Neil Findlay, Atom bank.

MBE has also announced that the Mortgage Marketing Forum for marketing advice will be delivered by the Forum’s Jeff Knight and Marcus Goodyear, Anywhere Works.

In addition, there will be training sessions hosted by Google Digital Garage:

• Build your personal brand online: If you’re considering how to present yourself or your small business online, learn about branding and ways to build your online profile.
• Writing for social media: If you manage a social media channel for your business and you’re looking at ways to sharpen your copy, this session is invaluable on writing for social media. Learn ways to develop a written tone of voice and tips for creating copy for limited space online.
• Get your business visible on Google: Learn about search and how to create an online listing for your business on Google Maps.

Seminar places are on a first come basis. Visitors should register here in advance to attend. They can claim up to three CPD hours in the accredited seminars.

Martin Reynolds, CEO of SimplyBiz Mortgages and FIBA chairman, said: “We are once again delighted to team up with MBE to hold the Specialist Property Finance Summit within their London event. We have a wide panel of specialists who will be covering the key topics in our market and offering support, guidance, and ideas.

“With MFS as key sponsors and a range of other lenders taking stands there will be plenty of opportunities to network with existing contacts but just as importantly time to make new ones and learn about our markets.”

Rob Barnard, director of intermediary relationships at Pepper Money, said: “MBE provides a great opportunity for brokers to engage with lenders and learn the latest views and insights in the market. These are interesting times, as the economic environment is leading to customers with more complex circumstances, putting greater emphasis on professional advice. With the market showing more positive signs, we will discuss how brokers can recognise and make the most of the opportunity to help a wider range of customers.”

Mike Mikunda, event director for MBE, added: “We are very pleased to be offering an extremely strong programme of seminars and panel sessions at MBE London, as well as hosting a wide range of exhibitors to engage with.

“In addition, visitors will also earn valuable CPD hours toward the CII/Personal Finance Society member CPD scheme. With registration up by over a third on last year, we strongly recommend those thinking of attending to register as soon as possible.”