BSAC Diving Conference to go biennial

We have decided to make the Diving Conference a biennial event, with the next conference planned for Autumn 2019. This move to hold the conference every other year means that BSAC can invest in new initiatives to support BSAC clubs more widely.

We appreciate that an annual conference has long been part of BSAC tradition and is a great opportunity to meet and share our passion for BSAC and club diving.  In reality, only 2% of our members attend the conference so it is essential we balance this with investment in other areas that will have a wider impact. Holding the conference every other year gives us the right balance and ensures it remains an event we can all be proud of – and look forward to.

We are clear as an organisation what we want to achieve.  BSAC’s mission is to grow the UK’s love of scuba diving and our strategic priority – in 2018 and beyond - is to support all our clubs in recruiting and retaining members.

As part of this plan, last year BSAC delivered a refreshed look for the organisation, updated (and will continue to update) core training and launched a brand new website. The next part of the plan, to be carried out in 2018, is to concentrate on recruitment with initiatives such as…

• Harnessing the power of digital media to grow the number of new member leads for clubs
• Regional face-to-face membership growth workshops with clubs
• Practical support to improve clubs’ online presence
• Improve the value of membership
• Fight for divers’ interests as the UK National Governing Body

BSAC’s increased digital capability now means that we can directly update and support our instructors, clubs and members and gain feedback in real time.  The biennial BSAC Diving Conference will complement and support this, while taking the additional pressure off the BSAC team to deliver a yearly event.  

The date for the 2019 BSAC Diving Conference will be confirmed later in the year. In the meantime, BSAC will be at the Birmingham Dive Show on 27-28 October 2018 and we look forward to seeing you there.

Alex (Woz) Warzynski
BSAC Chair

Email Woz