The Personal Finance Society (PFS) is to consolidate its four national conferences into one major event next year.

This is part of its strategy to vary its professional development programme to meet the ongoing needs of a broader membership base of 37,000 financial advice professionals.

The PFS says its 2016 National Financial Planning Symposiums already constitute the biggest gathering of advice professionals, with the 2017 single event expected to become the biggest conference hosted by the PFS in its history.

Plans are under way to host more than 3,000 delegates and 150 exhibitors at the festival of personal finance and financial planning, to be held at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on 7-8 November 2017.

The first details of the event were revealed to PFS members in Newport, at the first of four National Financial Planning Symposiums to be hosted by the professional body this month.

PFS chief executive Keith Richards said next year’s event would offer an insightful and tailorable programme of workshops, panel discussions and keynote speakers, catering to the interests of the full cross-section of the advice profession.

“Next year’s festival will be the Personal Finance Society’s biggest ever event, and the biggest conference in the financial services calendar,” he said.

“The event will offer members across the country an opportunity to come together in one place to network, share ideas and hear from experts across a range of sectors and areas of specialisation.”

More than 2,000 delegates are registered to attend four Symposiums being held this month in Edinburgh, London, Birmingham and Newport. More than 400 delegates are in attendance at the first Symposium in Newport today, hearing from the PFS’s chief executive and president, a range of subject matter experts, as well as award winning actor, business coach and keynote speaker Ian Hughes, who will drew on the Shakespearean theme by explaining the power of storytelling.

Mandy Hickson will close the day by delivering a presentation on the importance of teamwork, based on her experience serving with the Royal Air Force in Iraq.

The next Symposium will be held in Edinburgh on 16th November, followed by London (Wembley Stadium) on 24 November and finally Birmingham on 29th November.