Money Advice Scotland is a major charity that focuses its efforts on assisting those who need advice with their finances. Established in 1989 by the Scottish Consumer Council, which is now known as Consumer Focus Scotland, Money Advice Scotland has helped many people resolve issues with their debt by giving expert advice on the best practices to do so. The biggest event in Money Advice Scotland’s calendar is its annual conference whereby people from all over are invited to attend, to network and to listen in on seminars to learn first-hand about financial issues. Money Advice Scotland’s conferences typically run for two days, giving attendees plenty of time to get to know one another and learn from each other. Not only are individuals invited but there are many large financial companies that attend the conference, both debt recovery agencies and their clients, the big UK lenders.

The Money Advice Scotland conference also gives the charity an opportunity to raise the funds it needs to continue operating. While most of the charity’s funding comes from the Scottish Government and the Money Advice Trust, the conferences and seminars that the charity produces throughout the year provide big boosts to their income. One of the latest sponsors to join the fold for the conference budget is Wescot Credit Services, one of the biggest debt recovery companies in the UK who employ 650 people in three different locations in Scotland and England. A further advantage to gaining sponsorship from large companies such as Wescot is that Money Advice Scotland conferences will undoubtedly attract larger and larger crowds, ensuring that their information is passed on to more people.

Over the course of the two days of the conference, there are lectures from keynote speakers, often experts within the financial sector that share their knowledge with the audience on latest developments in the industry. This is in addition to seminars and workshops that encourage people to network further and engage themselves in important issues such as bankruptcy, income tax and regulation reform. At the end of the first day, there is a gala dinner provided by Money Advice Scotland and the events sponsors with further opportunity for companies to open new business relationship and enjoy their time at the conference. Finally, the dinner closes with a charity auction to raise further income for the good work that Money Advice Scotland performs.