We’re really pleased to announce that Sam Tonks and Chris Wormwell will host the Paraplanners’ Assembly’s Big Day Out 2024 later this year.
Sam and Chris – along with a team of volunteer group hosts – will welcome as many as 100 participants to our annual gathering on 12 September 2024 at FarmED near Chipping Norton.
This will be Sam’s second time hosting the retreat-like event where paraplanners of all ages and experience are able to learn, fix and share together in rolling countryside under open skies.
Sam, who is a paraplanner trainer at Succession Wealth, hosted last year’s Big Day Out with Sarah Lees from Mazars.
A leading light of the UK’s paraplanning community, Sam is a former Money Marketing best paraplanner of the year award winner and has been working in and around paraplanning since 2005.
In contrast, Chris’s journey to The Big Day Out 2024 began just two years ago when, after a 25 year career in university marketing, he decided to take the plunge to retrain and work in financial services. (Chris recently joined Wesleyan Financial Services as a paraplanner.)
In fact the Assembly featured in Chris’s early steps into paraplanning. To familiarise himself with the role he contacted us to ask if he could drop into one of our online coffee mornings hosted by Caroline Stuart during lockdown.
Of course we said ‘Yes’ and now look at what’s happened.
Continuing an established tradition
Chris’s debut continues the tradition of inviting paraplanners with the desire to do so, the chance to host Assembly events.
That practice started in 2017 when Caroline Stuart hosted the – then – national Powwow in Aynho, Northamptonshire.
Between 2013 and 2016, Assembly co-founder, Richard Allum, had hosted all four national events.
Becca Tuck put in a virtuoso performance as the solo host in 2019 and, in 2020, Becca was joined on the beach at Paraplanners Paradise by Jonny Stubbs for the Big Day Out (In). The following year – so that’s 2021 – Jonny and Caroline Singleton landed on Paraplanet for the Big Day Out of this World. Jonny returned to Earth in September 2022 to co-host the Big Day Out with Sarah Lees.
One of a kind since 2013
We’re pretty confident in claiming that the vibe of The Big Day Out remains as unique and distinctive in the world of wealth management today as it did when it first gathered in 2013.
That’s because The Big Day Out is an informal gathering for paraplanners to exchange views, learn things, fix things and share things with one another.
Its agenda is built around suggestions, feedback and votes of participants in all kinds of Assembly gatherings over the previous year.
And even though the Big Day Out is only possible thanks to our family of supporters, there are no tell-and-sell sessions or exhibition areas. Instead experts from our supporters listen, learn and contribute expertise and insight that’s directly relevant to paraplanners’ conversations.
For paraplanners, you’ll feel you belong at an Assembly because the Assembly belongs to you.
Don’t leave it too late to grab your ticket!
Secure your ticket NOW for THE BIG DAY OUT 2024 on 12 September 2024 and, if you’d like to join us, the BIG NIGHT IN BBQ from 7pm on 11 September.
THE BIG DAY OUT 2024 costs £40. Tickets for THE BIG NIGHT IN BBQ cost £20. For full event details and to grab your ticket visit
Want to get involved in hosting or supporting Assembly events?
Then take a look at our pages on hosting an event, organising a local Assembly and volunteering. If you fancy a go, get in touch!
