Investing In You
Learn, connect and celebrate - two unmissable events for driving instructors
Driving instructors across the UK have two major professional development events to choose from each year, both organised by Intelligent Instructor:
The ADINJC & Intelligent Instructor Driving Instructor Convention – 22nd March, Milton Keynes.
The ADINJC & Intelligent Instructor National Conference & Expo – 27th September, Solihull.
While both events share the same aim of supporting the driver training profession, they differ significantly in size, format and the type of experience they offer.
Driving dedication
The ADI Convention is designed as a more focused, premium learning environment.
Attendance is limited to around 250–300 delegates, creating an intimate setting that encourages deeper engagement with speakers and fellow instructors.
Unlike larger conferences, the Convention follows a fixed agenda, with all delegates attending the same sessions throughout the day, and could be seen as analysing topics in depth.
This structured format ensures a shared learning experience, with each presentation carefully selected to deliver practical insights and industry expertise.
In total, the programme typically provides around five hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), allowing ADIs to build on general professional knowledge and enhance their skills and wider understanding in a concentrated setting.
This is also a paid event, reflecting its curated nature and the premium, all-inclusive experience offered to delegates.
Catering is included throughout the day, beginning with breakfast and continuing with mid-morning refreshments, a hot buffet lunch and afternoon snacks.
Organisers describe the event as immersive and content-rich, designed to inspire instructors while providing clear takeaways for their teaching and business practices.
Building business
In contrast, the National Conference & Expo offers a much larger and more dynamic environment.
The free-to-attend event attracts over 2,000 instructors and industry professionals, making it the largest and most significant professional gathering in the driver training calendar.
Rather than following a single structured programme, the Expo is designed to be flexible and self-directed.
Visitors can choose which speaker sessions to attend, moving between themed areas throughout the day and selecting topics that pique their professional interest.
Multiple presentation zones cover key topics from training techniques and business development to industry innovation and professional health and welfare.
For example, recent years have included the Live Stage, Training Zone, Innovation Zone, and PDI Zone, each hosting presentations and discussions relevant to different aspects of the profession.
It’s a format that allows attendees to tailor their experience according to their interests, whether that is improving teaching methods, learning about new technology or exploring opportunities for trainee instructors.
The Expo also features a large exhibition area where suppliers, training providers and technology companies showcase products and services designed specifically for driving instructors.
Visitors can move freely between the exhibition floor and the speaker sessions, arriving and leaving at times that suit their schedules, allowing delegates to network and celebrate the work they do.
The atmosphere at the Expo is often described as energetic and fast-paced, reflecting the scale of the event and the number of activities taking place simultaneously.
Uniting our industry
Both events ultimately serve complementary roles within the instructor community.
The ADI Convention offers a smaller, highly structured day dedicated to in-depth learning and networking with a limited group of peers.
Meanwhile, the National Conference & Expo, by comparison, provides a large-scale industry gathering where instructors can explore new ideas, meet suppliers and engage with a wide variety of speakers.
Together, the two events provide professional development opportunities for instructors at different stages of their careers and with different learning preferences, supporting ongoing standards and innovation within the driver training industry and celebrating the essential service they provide to local and national communities.
