Events by AGCAS

Stoke CON Trent stands as the premier pop culture, gaming, and media convention in Staffordshire, bringing together fans of comic books, sci-fi cinema, television, retro gaming, and cosplay. Hosted in partnership with student community hubs and popular campus facilities like Staffordshire Students' Union, this flagship event celebrates creativity, fandom, and local creative talents in a vibrant and welcoming setting. The convention features a wide array of activities tailored to fans of all ages. Attendees can look forward to exclusive guest panels and Q&A sessions with television actors, voiceover artists, and iconic comic book creators. Visitors have the unique opportunity to meet their favorite stars, secure personalized autographs, and pose for professional photographs throughout the day. For pop culture collectors, the expansive Trader Zone serves as a bustling marketplace. Dozens of independent retailers, artists, and creators offer rare merchandise, vintage comics, customized apparel, handcrafted collectibles, tabletop gaming gear, and original artwork. Whether you are searching for a missing issue to complete your collection or looking for unique fan memorabilia, the trader floor provides endless options. Cosplay forms the beating heart of Stoke CON Trent. Throughout the day, attendees are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters from movies, anime, video games, and comic books. A dedicated Cosplay Parade and Competition takes place on the main stage, giving participants the platform to showcase their craft, original designs, and character performance. Categories cater to both beginner costumers and experienced prop builders, evaluated by an expert panel of guest judges. Interactive entertainment zones keep energy high across the venue. The Retro & Modern Gaming Zone offers free-to-play console stations, competitive tournaments, and casual arcade setups. Simultaneously, creative workshops provide hands-on experience in prop making, comic illustration, and costume crafting. Designed for families, dedicated youth activity corners feature LEGO play pits, board gaming stations, and interactive treasure hunts.

The INDX Woman Show 2026 returns to Cranmore Park Conference & Event Centre in Shirley, Solihull, bringing together the UK's independent fashion retail community for three days of buying, networking, and trend discovery. Organised by Associated Independent Stores (AIS), the event has become one of the country's most respected retail buying exhibitions, offering carefully curated collections that help retailers stay competitive in an ever-changing fashion marketplace. Designed exclusively for professional buyers and retail businesses, the exhibition showcases an extensive range of womenswear, footwear, handbags, accessories, and lifestyle fashion products from established brands and emerging designers. Every exhibitor is selected to ensure visitors gain access to commercially successful collections suitable for today's independent retail sector. A Premier Buying Event Unlike traditional consumer fashion events, the INDX Woman Show focuses entirely on business-to-business retail opportunities. Buyers can review upcoming seasonal collections, negotiate directly with suppliers, compare products, and place orders in a productive environment. Retail professionals attending the exhibition will find products suited for boutiques, department stores, garden centres, fashion retailers, online stores, and multi-category independent businesses. With numerous brands displaying their latest ranges under one roof, attendees can efficiently source products while saving valuable buying time. Extensive Product Categories Visitors can expect a diverse collection of fashion-related products including: Contemporary womenswear Casual fashion Occasion wear Knitwear Outerwear Denim collections Footwear Handbags Fashion accessories Lifestyle products Boutique labels Seasonal collections This carefully balanced product mix allows retailers to build complete seasonal assortments while identifying new suppliers and emerging brands. Valuable Networking Opportunities The exhibition provides outstanding networking opportunities throughout the three-day programme. Buyers, suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, and fashion professionals can exchange ideas, discuss market developments, and establish long-term commercial partnerships. AIS has built a strong reputation for creating an environment where meaningful business conversations take place. Visitors frequently return because of the quality of exhibitors and the opportunity to meet decision-makers from across the UK and Ireland. Learn About Emerging Fashion Trends One of the strongest attractions of the INDX Woman Show is its emphasis on trend forecasting. Fashion specialists share insights into upcoming consumer preferences, colours, fabrics, silhouettes, and merchandising strategies that help retailers prepare successful seasonal collections. Understanding future buying behaviour allows retailers to make informed purchasing decisions while reducing risk and improving profitability. Why Attend? Whether you operate a boutique, department store, fashion chain, or online retail business, the exhibition offers practical commercial value. Attendees can: Source new suppliers. Compare hundreds of product lines. Build relationships with manufacturers. Discover exclusive collections. Identify emerging fashion trends. Expand buying knowledge. Improve merchandising strategies. Stay ahead of competitors. Access exclusive trade opportunities. Grow their retail business. Professional Exhibition Venue Cranmore Park Conference & Event Centre is purpose-built for professional exhibitions and provides a comfortable environment for buyers and exhibitors alike. Facilities include: Spacious exhibition halls Complimentary visitor parking On-site refreshments Modern meeting facilities Comfortable networking areas Easy motorway access Professional event management Its central location in Shirley makes it easily accessible for visitors travelling from across England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Supporting Independent Retail Associated Independent Stores has spent decades supporting independent retailers through buying services, networking opportunities, merchandising expertise, and supplier partnerships. The INDX portfolio of exhibitions reflects this commitment by creating industry-focused trade events that deliver genuine commercial value rather than simply showcasing products. Retailers attending the exhibition benefit from carefully selected exhibitors, industry expertise, and a business-focused atmosphere that encourages productive buying. The INDX Woman Show 2026 is one of the UK's leading fashion buying exhibitions for independent retailers. Combining quality exhibitors, trend-led collections, networking opportunities, and professional business support, the event offers everything fashion buyers need to prepare for upcoming retail seasons. Whether you are seeking innovative brands, exclusive products, or new supplier relationships, this AIS-organised trade exhibition provides an excellent platform for business growth and retail success.

The AGCAS Regional Careers Leadership Symposium is a premier gathering for senior higher education professionals, career service managers, and strategic policymakers dedicated to the evolution of graduate employability within the North of England. Hosted in the heart of Sheffield, this event serves as a critical platform for discussing the shifting landscape of the UK labor market and the specific challenges faced by regional institutions. As we move into the second half of 2026, the symposium will focus heavily on "The Place-Based Employability Model," exploring how universities in the Sheffield City Region can better align their curricula with local industrial needs, from advanced manufacturing to the burgeoning digital sector. Attendees will engage in high-level plenary sessions led by AGCAS executive members and guest speakers from the Department for Education. The symposium aims to bridge the gap between national career standards and local implementation. We will delve into the latest "What Do Graduates Do?" data, providing a granular look at employment trends for 2026 graduates. This is not merely a lecture series but an interactive forum where leaders can share "pain points" and successful case studies regarding student engagement in a post-AI recruitment world. Workshops will cover topics such as the integration of sustainable development goals into career coaching and the ethical implications of using predictive analytics in student placement. By attending, participants will gain a refreshed perspective on leadership within the careers sector, equipping them with the tools to lead their teams through the complexities of modern HE funding and student expectations. The event concludes with a structured networking session designed to foster cross-institutional partnerships, ensuring that the impact of the symposium extends far beyond the closing remarks.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are at the core of the AGCAS mission. The Social Mobility and Inclusion Seminar, held in the historic but technologically advanced spaces of Sheffield City Centre, addresses the systemic barriers that prevent underrepresented student groups from accessing top-tier graduate roles. In 2026, the focus is on "Intersectionality in Career Transitions," acknowledging that a student’s journey is influenced by a complex web of socioeconomic background, ethnicity, disability, and gender. The seminar will showcase the winners of the AGCAS Awards for Excellence in EDI, providing a deep dive into successful initiatives that have moved the needle on social mobility. We will host a keynote from a leading expert on "The Class Ceiling," followed by breakout sessions on topics such as: supporting refugee and asylum seeker students in HE, tailoring career advice for care-experienced youth, and dismantling bias in automated recruitment systems. Participants will be encouraged to audit their own career services during the session, using AGCAS-approved frameworks to identify gaps in their inclusivity strategies. This is a safe space for difficult conversations about institutional privilege and the role of the careers professional as an advocate for social change. By the end of the day, attendees will have a "Social Mobility Toolkit" to implement at their home institutions, ensuring that every student, regardless of background, has an equal shot at a fulfilling career.

The AGCAS Employer Engagement Forum is a specialized bridge-building event designed to bring together Higher Education careers staff and leading recruiters from the UK’s Information Technology and Engineering sectors. Based in the innovative environment of Sheffield’s Olympic Legacy Park, this forum focuses on the evolving skills required for the 2027-2030 graduate intake. As industries pivot toward specialized AI, green energy, and cybersecurity, careers services must stay ahead of the curve to prepare students for the roles of tomorrow. This event features a series of "Reverse Career Fairs" where employers pitch their future needs to university staff. Keynote speakers from Sheffield-based tech firms and national recruiters like IBM and Rolls-Royce will discuss the "Skills Gap" and how universities can adapt. A major theme of the 2026 forum is "Neurodiversity in Tech Recruitment," exploring how careers services can support neurodivergent students in navigating traditional assessment centers and coding interviews. The forum also includes a panel discussion on the rise of "micro-credentials" and how they are viewed by major tech employers compared to traditional degrees. For AGCAS members, this is a prime opportunity to build direct lines of communication with industry recruiters, facilitating smoother placement and graduate recruitment pipelines for their respective universities. The day is designed to be highly interactive, with "speed-dating" style networking sessions between employers and university employer engagement officers.

In an era where data is king, the AGCAS Research and Evidence-Based Practice Workshop provides careers professionals with the essential skills to turn raw student data into actionable insights. This intensive one-day session, held at the AGCAS headquarters in Sheffield, is designed for practitioners who wish to elevate their service delivery through rigorous academic research and statistical evidence. The workshop moves beyond basic reporting, teaching participants how to design internal research projects that can influence university-wide strategy. The morning sessions will focus on "Qualitative vs. Quantitative Methodologies in Careers Research," helping attendees understand which tools are best suited for measuring student "career readiness" and "employability capital." We will explore how to use the AGCAS Research Reports as a benchmark for local service evaluation. In the afternoon, the focus shifts to practical application: participants will work in small groups to draft a research proposal based on their own institution’s data gaps. Expert facilitators from the AGCAS Research Committee will provide one-on-one feedback, ensuring every attendee leaves with a concrete plan for a project that could potentially be published in the Phoenix Journal. Furthermore, the workshop addresses the "impact" agenda. How do we prove to university executives that career interventions work? By mastering the art of the evidence-based narrative, practitioners can better secure funding and resources for their departments. This event is a must for anyone looking to transition from a purely practitioner role to a practitioner-researcher, contributing to the wider body of knowledge in the graduate careers sector.

The AGCAS Annual Conference is the premier professional development event for Higher Education (HE) careers and employability professionals in the UK. Taking place in the vibrant city of Sheffield, this multi-day flagship event brings together leaders, practitioners, and stakeholders from across the globe to explore the most pressing challenges and opportunities in the graduate labor market. Under the theme of "Empowering Future Talent," the 2026 conference will delve into the intersection of technology, social mobility, and evolving employer needs. Attendees can expect a high-energy environment filled with thought-provoking keynote addresses from industry pioneers, interactive breakout sessions, and specialized workshops designed to sharpen professional skills. The conference serves as a critical platform for sharing evidence-based practices, discussing policy shifts, and showcasing innovative approaches to student engagement. Beyond the formal sessions, the event is renowned for its networking opportunities, allowing delegates to forge lasting partnerships within the HE community. Whether you are looking to understand the impact of AI on recruitment, enhance your service’s inclusivity, or simply reconnect with peers, the AGCAS Annual Conference 2026 offers an unparalleled professional experience in the heart of South Yorkshire.