Brokers reveal their priorities for the Biba Conference 2026

With this year’s Manchester-based Biba Conference fast approaching, Insurance Times conducted a poll of nearly 250 brokers to see how they are planning to make the most of the event, held across 13 and 14 May at Manchester Central.

To start, Insurance Times asked scheduled attendees what their key priority was for the event. Conducting business with insurers and MGAs proved the most popular response, garnering 45% of the vote, followed by attending networking events and after parties, as voted for by 42%.

This year, educational sessions seem to have taken a back seat, with just 13% of brokers saying attending them was their top priority.

Insurance Times also asked attendees of the upcoming conference which of the guest speakers they were most keen to see – presenter Davina McCall, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, former footballer Peter Crouch or cricketer Ben Stokes.

Fan favourite Crouchy romped to first place, with an overwhelming majority – some 46% of those polled – rating him as the speaker they wanted to see most.

Ben Stokes proved the second most popular speaker, with 22% of brokers keen to catch him. Andy Burnham and Davina McCall, meanwhile, finished just behind with 18% and 14% of the vote respectively.