Speakers & Content
2025 Conference Programme
The Changing Shape of Indoor Climbing
The indoor climbing industry is going through a period of change, from global economics to new technologies and evolving consumer preferences.
This year our agenda draws together insights from our national research and the expertise of industry leaders to help you nagivate this change. Together, we’ll be exploring climbing wall economics and what you need to succeed in this fast-moving market.
Scheduled sessions include:
- State of the Nation: the changing shape of the indoor climbing market
- Diversifying Revenue Streams: practical strategies for growth and customer retention
- Can Climbing Walls Make Money? A personal reflection on industry dynamics and current trends
Held over two days the event, the ABC conference is the UK’s biggest indoor climbing industry event. It offers a unique learning and networking experience featuring insightful talks, lively panel discussions, practical workshops, and innovation demos.
Meet our speakers
We are bringing you another unmissable line-up of speakers, who will be sharing their expertise and insights from all different parts of the indoor climbing industry and beyond.
Our speakers so far:
Rich Emerson
Chief Executive, The Climbing Academy
Rich started in the climbing industry in 2007 when he and his business partner started The Climbing Academy, in Bristol. He'd had a previous career running a management development consultancy and is a 'lifer' in terms of climbing. Paul and Rich always wanted to build a chain of walls, seeing climbing as a growth sector and so we opened our second wall soon after the first, in Glasgow. TCA has grown organically, through loan finance ever since. Periods of involvement with the ABC, including chairing it through Covid, gave Rich exposure to the wider sector. He now finds his walls in both Bristol and Glasgow facing competition from a new operator and a private equity backed one and is currently working his way through these challenges!
Rich Emerson
The Climbing Academy
Jack Griffiths
Director & CEO, Flashpoint Climbing Group
Jack is the Director and CEO of Flashpoint Climbing Group, a collection of five climbing walls and activity centres across the South West and South Wales.
Originally from London, Jack discovered climbing at the age of 14 through the kids’ club at The Castle Climbing Centre. Since then, he has built a lifelong career and passion in the climbing industry. He holds the Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor qualification and is a provider for the Climbing Wall Instructor and Bouldering Wall Instructor awards. Over the years, Jack has gained extensive hands-on experience across all aspects of climbing wall operations, including route setting, reception, instruction, and management.
Recently completing a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Jack is excited to combine his academic learning with his industry experience to support the ABC and help to deliver value to its members and the wider climbing community.
Jack Griffiths
Flashpoint Climbing Group
Duncan Mccallum
Founder and Fundraiser, The Ledge Gym
Duncan began climbing in the 1970s, having been introduced to the sport through a school trip as a young teenager. After discovering the world of crags and mountains, he embarked on a traditional climbing apprenticeship, mentored by more experienced climbers. By the age of 16, he was already involved in new-routing in both summer and winter in the Highlands and had begun making his first forays into the French Alps.
Duncan has been a prominent figure in the Scottish climbing scene ever since. Known for numerous first ascents and as an early adopter of sport climbing, he has also played a leading role in the development of climbing walls across the country. His climbing career was interwoven with many years working in the UK film and television industry, most notably as the cameraperson on The Edge, Face, and Wilderness productions for the BBC. He was also the lead commentator for several live BBC broadcasts, including The Great Climb.
Alongside fellow climber Rab Anderson, Duncan was a driving force behind the creation of EICA Ratho in Edinburgh. He later founded the Adventure Sports Consultancy, Adventure Concepts, and has contributed to numerous multi-sport design projects for retail and leisure developers.
After living for 12 years in the French Alps, Duncan returned to the Highlands to establish The Ledge charity and climbing wall in his hometown. He now serves as the charity’s Founder and Fundraiser, raising funds to ensure that The Ledge Gym can deliver transformative programmes for at-risk youth, as well as health and wellbeing initiatives that use climbing as a force for good for individuals facing social exclusion.
Duncan McCallum
The Ledge Gym
Antoine Paulhac
Co-Founder & CEO, Climbing District
Antoine founded Climbing District in 2020 along with his partners Henri d'Anterroches and Benjamin Bouissou. Climbing District now has eleven locations, six in Paris, four in London and one in Milan. Prior to that, Antoine used to work in the private-equity industry and carried out company acquisitions and divestments (tourism, healthcare, editing) as well as equity fund raising. Antoine graduated from ESSEC business school (Msc in Management) and from Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (Master in corporate law).
Antoine Paulhac
Climbing District
Emily Vermont
Founder & CEO, Indirock
Emily Vermont is founder and CEO of Indirock, a non-profit bouldering wall and coffee shop in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Indirock opened in Spring 2022 with three clear aims: to make bouldering accessible to as many people as possible; to provide training and work opportunities to vulnerable young people; and to be part of the regeneration of Southend City Centre. Before Indirock, Emily co-founded a prison music charity called Finding Rhythms, which she ran between 2012 and 2017, and then worked for the School for Social Entrepreneurs. In 2023 she also co-founded Big Up Southend, a monthly makers market inside Indirock's building. Emily sits on a handful of boards and this year was recognised as one of the top 100 female founders in Small Business Britain's f:entrepreneur campaign, and top 100 women in social enterprise in the WISE100.
Emily Vermont
Indirock
Jeremy Wilson
Founder and Owner, Lakeland Climbing Centres
Jeremy graduated from Cambridge with a double first in Nuclear Engineering in 1986, followed by a Masters in Production Engineering in 1987. He then spent nearly 30 years as an investment banker working for JPMorgan, working in their mergers and acquisitions department and retiring as their Chairman of the Energy Sector in 2013. During that time he worked on notable transactions such as the merger of BP and Amoco ($50 billion) and that of Exxon and Mobil ($74 billion).
He founded The Lakeland Climbing Centre in Kendal in 1995 and opened VauxWall in 2014. LCC runs 8 walls in London, 3 in the North West and recently acquired Rainbow Rocket (Cambridge), Big Rock (Milton Keynes) and Beacon (N Wales). LCC are currently building their 16th wall in Cambridge which is due to open in August. LCC’s mission is to “Get People Climbing”, based on a tri-partite ethos of Happy Customers, Happy Staff and making enough money to keep their Centres looking shiny and new.
Jeremy lives in the Lake District and is married with five children. He remains a passionate (but very average) climber. He is a partner in The Depot Group of climbing walls and sits on the Board of UKC/Rockfax.
Jeremy Wilson
Lakeland Climbing Centres
Agenda
The draft programme is below. Please note session times and titles are subject to change.
