With the 2025 Labour Party conference just around the corner, Agenda co-directors Becky Slack and Vic Barlow share their experiences of running party conference panels and roundtables.
How do they prepare, what’s the best way to manage panellists and members of the audience, and what if things don’t quite go to plan on the day?
Q: What is Agenda’s role at party conferences?
Becky:
We moderate panel discussions and roundtables and our role is to draw out insightful, engaging commentary from speakers. Such conversations are part of the democratic process and an opportunity for ordinary people to come and grill their MPs and political leaders, and to hold business leaders to account. It’s also an opportunity for businesses and social impact organisations to influence and lobby the government or a political party, whether they're in government or not.
Vic:
I’ve attended conferences for decades, the majority of the time from the client side running or sponsoring fringes. In fact, the first time that Becky and I met was at a Labour Party conference in Manchester as she was chairing one of my panels when I was at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. It’s a prime opportunity to network, shape policy conversations and connect with decision-makers.
Q: How do you prepare for running panels and roundtables?
Becky:
As a former journalist, I’m used to quickly grasping new topics. I research the speakers, anticipate curveballs and stay on top of current news to avoid missing anything topical. It’s about knowing enough to challenge but not so much that you lose objectivity. It helps that I'm a massive geek and I really like learning about new stuff too!
Vic:
We work closely with the New Statesman and sponsors to understand the topics and goals. At Agenda we work with a wide range of charities, trade unions, membership and civil society organisations, and this means we can make recommendations from our clients about who might be a suitable panellist or roundtable member.
Even if we’re unfamiliar with a subject, we immerse ourselves enough to ask relevant, timely questions without overcomplicating things. We need to know who's sponsoring the panel and the matters they care about, the issues they want to raise, and what a successful event looks like for them.
Q: How do you manage senior leaders and politicians to ensure the panel runs smoothly and their expectations are managed?
Vic:
In the weeks running up to the event, we meet with the sponsors and give them an overview of what the event's going to feel like, where they're going to sit, and the running order. When they’re making the case to the politicians, we encourage them to tell stories that give examples of where they have achieved something for a community, improved a service or made a positive change, say, for the environment.
Becky:
We balance the needs of four groups: the New Statesman, the client, the politician and the audience. We always try to meet speakers for 15 minutes before they go on stage to understand their priorities and whether anything has changed they want to pick up on.
For the panel members, they each have a reason to be there – and sometimes this can mean they talk for too long. I give speakers cues to wrap up if they go over time and remind the audience to keep questions brief and relevant.
Q: If the audience is quiet during a panel, how do you try and get the questions flowing?
Becky:
Before we go to questions, I warm the audience up by asking for a show of hands for who wants to ask a question, so I can see how many I’m dealing with but also to encourage participation. I also make sure I have some questions up my sleeve in case it’s quiet. Once a few people speak, others usually follow.
There have been times when there's been no questions whatsoever. In those instances, I try and keep the client's objective in mind, which is to build a relationship with the MP. I might ask the client to add some more information or explain their key challenge for the Minister, to try and bring out a bit more of a conversation between the panellists.
Vic:
Because the subjects we cover can be quite far-ranging, I try to group questions thematically. I tell the audience I’m looking for questions around a particular aspect, then I might take three questions at once and direct them to specific panellists. Smaller panels and even smaller audiences allow for more dialogue between the panellists themselves, and even with the audience, which can be really engaging and authentic.
Q: Have you ever had to deal with unruly audiences or protests during a panel?
Becky:
Yes! Once, a heated debate broke out in the audience between organic food advocates and pesticide industry reps. Another time, climate protesters disrupted a session with banners and chants. While I support the right to protest, it’s frustrating when it derails meaningful dialogue.
What would work better in those situations is for the protesters to have a word with the panel chair in advance, explain their concerns and ask if any questions will be asked about that topic. Then there’s the opportunity for the panellists to be grilled, instead of the disruption overthrowing the running of the panel.
Vic:
Panels are already spaces for open discussion. Like Becky, I support the right to protest, but disruption often wastes time – we only have 50 minutes – and diminishes others’ opportunity to engage. I think a better tactic for protesters would be for them to raise their concerns directly during the Q&A section of a panel. I don’t mind if they bring a banner or distribute leaflets but I’d really like some difficult questions that hold the panellists to account in an open forum.
Q: Finally, as former journalists and comms strategists, what unique experience do you think you bring to a party conference panel?
Vic:
Our journalism background helps us tell balanced, compelling stories as well as asking sharp questions and holding people to account. Our comms knowledge ensures we think about what the panellists want to achieve, what a good audience experience would be like, and how to keep everyone engaged and participating.
Becky:
We walk the tightrope between editorial independence and commercial interests. Our day jobs keep us plugged into public mood, government thinking and industry trends, making us better facilitators and advisors, while also keeping an eye on meeting the needs of the panel sponsor and the audience.
If you’re new to attending party conferences, check out Agenda’s previous blogs about how to prepare before the big event and make the most of your time at conference.
To find out more about the New Statesman panel discussions that Agenda are hosting, visit their website.
