“Carry on innovating” was the message sent out to contractors who had gathered to celebrate National Freelancers Day last week.
ContractorCalculator attended the annual event, hosted by the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE), which took place on Thursday 9 June 2016 at the Hospital Club in London’s Covent Garden.
#BeFreeToCreate was the theme for this years’ event which IPSE used to announce an exciting new membership scheme whereby contractors and freelancers can significantly reduce their administrative burden, allowing them to focus fully on their work.
“There were a lot of positives to be taken from this years’ National Freelancers Day,” comments ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin. “There was a good crop of talent nominated for the awards and we learned of some interesting new initiatives and services that could be set to benefit contractors.”
The evening was hosted by award winning comedian and actor Tom Rosenthal, known for his appearances in Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner and ITV2’s Plebs, whilst technology was at the forefront of the presentations made by the keynote speakers.
Head of emerging technologies for IT training provider QA David Walker discussed the importance of leveraging technology to gain a competitive advantage, whilst encouraging attendees to continually deviate, change and innovate.
Meanwhile, bestselling technology author and journalist Christer Holloman explained how a willingness to engage and continually educate himself about new technology and social media laid the foundations for his success.
The IT and engineering sectors were both represented amongst the award nominees. Freelance illustrator Emmeline Pidgen took home the Inspire Award for established contractors and freelancers whilst Lauren Razavi claimed the Aspire award for those aged 23 and under for her success as a journalist and freelance strategist.
Our finalists all showed incredible achievements in their fields and the judges had a tough time choosing the winners, but Emmeline and Lauren’s dedication to their work, and to helping others into freelancing, and where the most credit is due,” notes IPSE CEO Chris Bryce.
IPSE also marked the occasion by publishing new research on contracting growth trends across the EU. ‘Understanding Independent Professionals in the EU’ highlights the rapid emergence of contracting as a way of work, particularly in Western Europe, showcasing the value that contingent staff add to the economy on a larger scale.
During his closing remarks, Bryce chose to issue a reminder to less cooperative contractor clients, concluding:
“Do freelancers need subsidies? No. Do they need bailouts? No. What they need is simple. They need to be free of the albatrosses around their necks. They need to be paid on time, they need to get a fair price for the services they deliver, and they need to retain the intellectual property rights to the property they produce.”