Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending Ignite, the Children’s Activities Association (CAA) conference, held at the incredible Sky Studios in London. It was a fantastic day filled with inspiration, learning, networking and ideas to take back to Boogie Beat Music & Movement.
As a member of the CAA Membership Committee, I also get the opportunity to be involved behind the scenes, which is something I absolutely love. I arrived early to help get everything ready for the day, working alongside Anna from Caterpillar Music on the registration table as we welcomed everyone to the event.
And what a venue to welcome everyone to! Walking into the main studios at Sky was an experience in itself. Seeing where so much of the UK’s television content comes together, and getting a glimpse of the incredible facilities, made it a really special setting for a conference focused on growing our businesses and thinking differently.
A Fantastic Day of Learning and Networking
The day began with registration and networking at 9am, before the conference officially kicked off at 10am with opening speeches from the CAA Chairman Mike Dodd and Anne Marie Martin, CEO of the Children’s Activities Association.
One of the things I love most about Ignite is that there is so much variety in the programme. As business owners, we all have different priorities, challenges and ambitions, so being able to choose the sessions that are most relevant to your business makes the day incredibly valuable.
The Power of Collaboration
My first session explored the power of collaboration, with a panel discussion featuring voices from franchising and the British Franchise Association.
It was fascinating to hear how different businesses and organisations work together, build relationships and use collaboration to create opportunities for growth.
This is something I believe is so important within Boogie Beat. We don’t have to do everything alone, and some of the best opportunities can come from working with other businesses, sharing ideas and building relationships within our communities.
Whether that’s a local nursery, library, community organisation or another children’s activity provider, collaboration can help us reach new audiences and make a bigger impact.
It was a great reminder that success doesn’t have to be about competition. Sometimes, working together is the best way forward.
The Voice of the Children’s Activities Sector
Next up was another brilliant panel discussion, this time exploring the voice of the sector.
Representatives from the Early Years Alliance, Stagecoach, the Out of School Alliance and the School-Age Childcare Association came together to discuss how children’s activities are viewed within the wider education landscape.
This was particularly interesting because, as children’s activity providers, we have so much to offer schools, early years settings and families.
Our work supports children’s confidence, creativity, physical development, social skills and wellbeing. We provide opportunities for children to learn through play, explore their imaginations and develop skills in ways that complement their wider education.
The discussion highlighted the importance of helping educators and schools understand the value of what we do and how activity providers can be part of the bigger picture.
At Boogie Beat, we see this every day through our music, movement, storytelling and imaginative play sessions. We aren’t simply providing entertainment; we’re creating opportunities for children to develop, learn and thrive.
It was inspiring to hear how the wider sector is working to strengthen this message.
Using Television to Grow Your Business
We were then joined by Kurt Edwards from Sky, who shared insights into how businesses can use television to drive growth and build awareness.
The idea of creating fame for your business really stood out to me.
As small business owners, we often focus on the day-to-day tasks of running our businesses, but we also need to think about how we become recognised and remembered within our local areas.
How do people know who we are? What makes us stand out? How can we build a brand that people recognise and trust?
For Boogie Beat franchisees, this is so relevant. We want families, nurseries, schools and community organisations to know what we offer and understand the difference our sessions can make.
Building a strong local presence takes time, consistency and creativity, and it was great to explore different ways of approaching this.
Recharging After Lunch
After a busy morning of learning and networking, we broke for lunch, which was followed by a fantastic energiser from Amanda’s Action Club.
It was a brilliant way to get everyone moving again and remind us that, when you’re working in the children’s activities sector, a little movement and fun can go a long way!
We then moved into a session exploring how to create videos that work in today’s digital world, including how AI can support the creative process.
With video content becoming such an important part of marketing, this was a really useful session. We explored ways to make content engaging, relevant and effective, while considering how new tools can help us work more efficiently.
For a business like Boogie Beat, where music, movement, storytelling and children’s enjoyment are at the heart of what we do, video provides a brilliant opportunity to show people what makes our sessions special.
It’s also a great reminder that we don’t need to create complicated content every time. Sometimes, the simplest ideas can be the most engaging.
Building Connections Across the Sector
Another thing that makes Ignite so valuable is the opportunity to network throughout the day.
There were several breaks built into the programme, giving us time to chat to other business owners, share experiences and build relationships with people working across the children’s activities sector.
Some attendees were already members of the CAA, while others were discovering more about the association and what membership could offer their businesses.
As part of the Membership Committee, I particularly enjoy these conversations. It’s lovely to explain what being part of the CAA means to us at Boogie Beat and how the association supports activity providers.
Running a business can sometimes feel quite isolating, particularly when you’re managing everything yourself. Having a wider network of people who understand your sector, share similar challenges and want to see the industry succeed can make such a difference.
And you never know where a conversation might lead!
The Power of Play to Inspire Little Minds
We then heard from Ruth Lue-Quee, My Mummy Teacher, who explored how we can use the power of play to inspire little minds.
This was a lovely reminder of why so many of us work in this sector in the first place.
Play is fundamental to children’s development. It gives them the freedom to explore, experiment, express themselves and make sense of the world around them.
At Boogie Beat, play is at the heart of everything we do. Through traditional stories, nursery rhymes, music, movement and imaginative activities, we encourage children to develop their confidence, creativity and physical skills while having lots of fun.
It was wonderful to hear different perspectives on how we can continue to inspire children and create meaningful experiences for them.
AI Tools We Can’t Live Without
We finished the conference with another panel discussion, this time exploring the AI tools that children’s activity providers are finding most useful.
AI is becoming an increasingly important part of running a business, and it was interesting to hear how others are using it to save time, support their marketing and make everyday tasks more manageable.
For small business owners, time is precious. Finding ways to work smarter can free up more time to focus on the things that really matter: building relationships, delivering great sessions and growing our businesses.
It’s exciting to see how technology can support us, while still allowing us to bring our own personality, creativity and experience to everything we do.
Why Being Part of the CAA Matters
For me, Ignite was a brilliant reminder that the Children’s Activities Association is about so much more than membership.
Being part of the CAA demonstrates our commitment to high standards and to providing safe, trusted and quality children’s activities.
At Boogie Beat, we want families and settings to feel confident in the service we provide. We want them to know that we take our responsibilities seriously and that the safety and wellbeing of the children and families we work with are always a priority.
The CAA helps us demonstrate that commitment through its CAA Safe framework, which focuses on important areas such as:
- Safeguarding and safe recruitment.
- Health and safety.
- Data protection.
- Equal opportunities.
- Maintaining high standards across our business.
Having the CAA Safe badge helps us demonstrate our commitment to these important areas, supporting trust and confidence among the families, settings and organisations we work with.
It also gives us access to a wider community of activity providers, opportunities to learn from others and support as our business continues to develop.
As a franchisor, this is particularly important to me. I want Boogie Beat to be recognised not only for the fun and engaging sessions we deliver, but also for our professionalism, our standards and the care we take in everything we do.
Leaving Ignite Inspired and Ready for More
I came away from Ignite feeling inspired, with lots of ideas to take back to Boogie Beat and plenty to think about as we continue to grow and develop our business.
From collaboration and networking to marketing, video content, play and the role of technology, the day offered so many useful insights.
But perhaps the biggest takeaway was the value of being part of a wider community.
We all work in different ways, with different businesses, audiences and ambitions, but we share a common goal: providing fantastic experiences and opportunities for children.
When we come together, share our knowledge and support one another, we can help raise standards across the sector and create even more opportunities for the children and families we serve.
A huge thank you to Anne Marie Martin and the CAA team for organising such a brilliant event, to all the speakers and panellists for sharing their knowledge, and to everyone I had the pleasure of chatting with throughout the day.
And, of course, thank you to Sky for hosting us in such an incredible venue!
Would I recommend Ignite and being part of the CAA to other children’s activity providers? Absolutely.
If you’re running a children’s activity business and want to feel more connected to the sector, access valuable support and learning, and demonstrate your commitment to high standards, I’d highly recommend finding out more about the Children’s Activities Association.
At Boogie Beat, we’re proud to be part of this community and look forward to continuing to learn, collaborate and grow.
Because when we work together, we can achieve so much more.
Find out more at Home | The Children’s Activities Association (CAA)