Development Conferences
Our Development Conferences contain webinars and workshops around the key Strategic Plan themes of: Changing perceptions, Creating Engaging Experiences, Strengthening Lifelong Pathways, and Providing Foundations for Success.
2025 Development Conference
Development Conference 2025: Sessions have been announced!
Our successful Development Conference is back for 2025! With sessions starting from 9th January, you can look forward to a range of webinars and workshops around the key Strategic Plan themes of: Changing perceptions, Creating Engaging Experiences, Strengthening Lifelong Pathways, and Providing Foundations for Success.
Session 1 - What it takes to be an Elite Orienteer
Date: 9/1/2035
Time: 7pm
Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/437c39e3-a73c-4209-8583-fec360b75e0f@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
Join Pippa Archer, British Orienteering’s Head of Performance for an in-depth look at the journey to becoming an elite orienteer. This session will explore the essential components of success, including technical, physical, and mental training, managing time and financial commitments, balancing work and life, injury prevention and management, and maintaining a performance-focused diet.
Whether you're aspiring to compete at the highest level or simply curious about the dedication required, this webinar offers valuable insights from the world of elite orienteering.
Session2 - Building the future of your club using innovative marketing techniques
Date: 13/1/2025
Time: 7pm
Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d6dc70f3-1b7d-405d-be53-92c1cea54d9d@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
Alex Welch (Marketing and Communications Lead at BOF) will deliver this webinar which will outline details of our new year marketing campaign and how members, clubs and associations can support this. We will also be discussing how to schedule your social media content in advance and share some details of a new social media platform we will be launching in the new year! Come along to learn more on how to expand awareness of the sport and your clubs in order to attract more newcomers.
Session 3 -Environmental Risk Assessments - Workshop
Date: 16/1/2025
Time 7pm
Registration link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ff7c71d2-b581-4ea7-bb45-57991d70fe9c@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
Join British Orienteering's Access & Environments Officer, Emma Monkman, in this Workshop session discussing all things Access, Environment, and focusing on the importance of Environmental Risk Assessments.
Taking care of the environment we live and orienteer in is more important than ever, and together we can keep building a brighter future for all.
Session 4 - The impact of Come & Try It Events on your local community (including good practice)
Date: 21/1/2025
Time: 7pm
Registration link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cc64364d-5cba-4e0c-baa3-f12212a404a8@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
In this session, British Orienteering’s Partnerships Manager Kay Hawke, will discuss how to increase your outreach in your local community and make activities easy to understand and attend for newcomers.
Session 5 - Current app development and possible work steps before exporting print PDF's Date: 23/1/2025
Time: 7pm-8:30pm
Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/926cdf09-7699-4bcc-b297-fae8869aa842@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
Presented by our friends at OCAD, the first part of this webinar will see OCAD sharing an update on the current app development. In the second part, we will take a look at possible work steps before the preparation of print PDF's, like checking the map legibility, optimize the file size or creating layouts.
Session 6 - Soft skills for effective coaches
Date: 27/1/2025
Time: 7pm
Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bec4a6d1-32f3-443a-8b5c-1a07fd58bffa@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
In the world of sports coaching, technical proficiency and tactical acumen have long been the focal points of success. Coaches were primarily judged by their ability to fine-tune athletes’ skills and devise winning strategies. However, the paradigm is shifting, and a growing realisation is emerging that softer skills play a critical role in creating better athletes.
Session 7 - Find Your Way – Project Review
Date: 28/1/2025
Time: 7pm
Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/492100eb-b17f-451b-bd89-0c0427b0fcff@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
In this session, British Orienteering’s Kay Hawke will provide a summary of the recently ended three-year Find Your Way project and discuss the understandings and learnings we can take from this successful project to drive our sport forward.
Session 8 - British Orienteering Insurance Policy
Date: 30/1/2025
Time: 7pm
Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/96f2abb3-fd3b-496c-94f6-132186939504@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
This session will provide an overview of the insurance cover in place and answer questions from club members to support their understanding of what is covered.
The session will be delivered by Amanda Wynne-Jones DipCII AMInstLM, Associate Director, Sport and Entertainment at Howden Insurance Brokers Limited who provide the British Orienteering Insurance cover.
This session is appropriate for any British Orienteering Club official, mapper or member who is interested in the personal and club insurance cover provided – or any member who is interested in safety within our Sport
Session 9 - 2025 Safeguarding Update – NSPCC
Date: TBC
Time: 7pm
Registration Link: TBC
This is an opportunity for clubs to look at this area of their governance to ensure there is a sure foundation for the club to be a safe place for its members, presented by the NSPCC.
Session 10 - British Orienteering Recognised Delivery Partner Scheme – supporting orienteering in schools
Date: 6/2/2025
Time: 7pm – 9pm
Register here:
The Recognised Delivery Partner Scheme aims to provide assurances to the school’s sector that the orienteering provision being offered is of good quality and safe, and that the organisations promote the sport positively to work in the best interests of the sport.
Find out how our 4 pilot Delivery Partners operate and the products that they use support Schools. Each of our pilot Delivery Partners will deliver a presentation followed by a short Q & A session
Cross-Curricular Orienteering
Enrich Education
The Orienteering Company
The Outdoor Classroom
Session 11 - Menopause – Embracing Life’s Transitions Your Way” (by Revive Active)
Date: 7/2/2025
Time: 7pm
Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/04b5ae02-a797-4d35-8ee8-ecb2d9f59160@088d084e-2c2e-4be7-8451-35779a2d267c
20% of the UK’s population are menopausal at any one time. So, you’d think we’d know more about this transitional time of life. Learn more about the meno journey and how to embrace it with positivity - YOUR WAY - with Nicola Sainty from Revive Active.
Find out how British Orienteering Members have got on with supportive supplementation, why retailers are sitting up and paying attention and why the conversation still needs be normalised. Be part of the conversation and have your say… and fellas, this webinar is for you too, so come along and join in.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you all to the sessions, if you have any questions about the 2025 Development Conference then please get in touch with our Club Support Officer Joe Fermor-Worrell via email at jfermorworrell@britishorienteering.org.uk
If you missed out on last year's Conference, you can still catch up on all the content that was shared throughout this year's event below, or check out our video playlist via YouTube.
Previous Conferences
Making Orienteering Work for Schools
Monday 8 January
Find out through the lived experience of how schools have changed and why schools choose Orienteering, how Orienteering can support the Ofsted inspection framework and how clubs can best embrace a Primary and Secondary school.
Developing Stakeholder Relationships
Thursday 11 January
This session will be led by Caroline Barcham (FYW Project Officer) and Andrew Evans (DFOK) with input from Connor Smith (FYW Yorkshire).
Find out more about how the Find Your Way project has developed over the past two years and what has been learned about the development of relationships with landowners, community groups and others that is bringing wider benefits than initially envisaged to clubs involved in the project. This session is expected to be of value to all clubs, be it Find Your Way participants or others.
Promote your club
Monday 15 January
This session will be delivered by Alex Welch from British Orienteering. It’s an opportunity for clubs to learn more on:
- How to promote your events and highlight your achievements via social media.
- Writing great news articles or blogs that will engage both members and prospective members.
- Creating a bank of marketing materials that can help increase reach and grow your membership.
- Ways to track your social media statistics and used paid Ads to increase awareness and reach.
How to Engage Newcomers - and get them hooked!
Tuesday 16 January
This session, delivered by Hilary Palmer will take you through the successful delivery of NOC ‘s MapActive courses for newcomers and discuss how your club could adapt it to suit your needs.
OCAD – What’s new for you?
Thursday 18 January
OCAD Inc. Operates in the business field of software development for the production of maps. It sells its software application OCAD in various editions worldwide, adapting customer requests and offers technical support, training and consulting.
This webinar will provide an update into mapping, and the technology we use to produce the maps that make our sport tick. Part of what makes OCAD’s approach to mapping work is the feedback, technical support and consulting with all users, and opportunities like this webinar are a key part of the work we can all do to support orienteering in every aspect.
OCAD is an independent corporation owned by individuals and founded in 2005 after the sudden death of the founder of OCAD, Hans Steinegger. There are 6 employees working at OCAD Inc. located in Baar, Switzerland. The webinar will be presented by the Team at OCAD.
The Facts about our Impact on Nature
Friday 19 January
Environmental protection is frequently featuring in access negotiations. We regularly hear this from members and in response we commissioned an Ecological Assessment. Miranda Cowan completed the assessment around the middle distance event of the JK in April 2023. We now have the findings and Miranda will be sharing these with us.
Safeguarding
Monday 22 January
This is an opportunity for clubs to look at this area of their governance to ensure there is a sure foundation for the club to be a safe place for its members.
Liza Ware from the CPSU will be talking about our orienteering events and safeguarding considers to support making them as safe as possible. There will also be updates provided by Peter Brooke, Lead Safeguarding Officer.
Is a paid Development Officer appropriate for your club?
Tuesday 23rd January
Session presenters are Roger Scrutton (ESOC and Trustee of The Orienteering Foundation) and Kerina Lake (CDO at SBOC)
The first Club Development Officer (CDO) part funded by The Orienteering Foundation was over three years ago.. This session shares the most up to date information about the opportunity, the potential benefits, the costs and the challenges experienced. It will also cover how grant funding can be made available to clubs. The aim is to help clubs to answer the questions “Can a CDO increase the number of club members and hence the number of volunteers we have?’ and "Could it be a good use of some of our club funds?".
Creating a thriving club for young people
Thursday 25 January
Find out what it takes to develop a Thriving club for Young People, with a clear purpose and vision for the future, underpinned by an equitable support structure that enables it young members to grow their passion for Orienteering and unlock their potential.
Coaching - What it Takes to Perform
Tuesday 30 January
The aim of this session is to provide an understanding of what it takes to build a well-rounded athlete. British Orienteering's Tom Bray will discuss:
- How to identify and deliver the key steps and building blocks to unlock potential.
- What it takes to run fast and navigate accurately to produce consistent performances to be proud of.
| Development Conference 2022 | Session Overview |
|---|---|
Engaging and retaining young people Presenter: Fran Loots, Scottish Orienteering Association Monday 10 January | The workshop will explore the various pathways that can be used to engage and retain juniors and young people including: Non-performance-based approaches such as club coaching, STAR awards, area teams, juniors planning and organising workshops and opportunities, Young Leaders Award. Attendee discussion ideas can be found in the files attached: |
Development Conference | Session Overview |
|---|---|
Agenda | |
| Setting the scene | |
Club Matters - Volunteer | |
Club presentations | Pendle Forest Orienteers conference powerpoint.pdf |
Communication and | |
| Youth Focus | British Orienteering Development Conference 2020 Youth Focus.pdf |