Speakers & Content
2023 Speakers & Content
The Association of British Climbing Walls’ annual conference is the biggest UK event discussing challenges and opportunities within the indoor climbing industry. We connect wall owners and indoor climbing professionals with the latest insights, ideas, and opportunities to drive the industry forward.
Held over two days the event offers a unique learning and networking experience featuring insightful talks, lively panel discussions, practical workshops, and innovation demos.
This year’s conference program focuses on growth, equipping attendees with a better understanding of what a successful climbing wall looks like in 2023 and the future of industry trends. Topics will include winning in the current labour market, attracting more people and making indoor climbing diverse and inclusive from all angles, and mitigating safety risks.
We are delighted to welcome both local contributors and speakers from Europe whose travel-generated carbon footprint has been offset via donations to programs of their choice.
Table of Contents
An evening with international climber…
Siebe Vanhee
Develop your climbing, develop yourself: A journey with "the climbing philosopher"
Meet our special guest, Siebe Vanhee, a climber and social worker who views climbing as a school of life. A free climber and a globetrotter, Siebe’s passion for climbing started at an indoor camp in Belgium when he was only 10 years old. From indoors to outdoors, climbing took him to higher peaks and higher education, having graduated from the Social School Heverlee (SSH) as a social worker.
With a love for all aspects of climbing, including sport climbing and big wall expeditions, Siebe uses his experiences to show young climbers and youth, in general, the possibilities for personal development and how the richness of climbing experiences can lead to greater comfort within society. He will share his experiences from the Social Big Wall Project in Mexico, where he brought the climbing spirit to young people from deprived communities in Monterrey.
Siebe believes that climbing is a simple game of going up, but the rules you set for yourself or those dictated by local climbing culture can make it more challenging, and valuable, and offer opportunities for personal growth. In this talk, he will open up about his own development process as a climber and a human being, sharing insights from his experiences on and off the wall. Get ready to be inspired and reflect on what climbing means to you.
Scaling up: the opportunities, pitfalls and future growth of indoor climbing businesses
PANEL DISCUSSION
Climbing is a rapidly growing sport and industry, but the rising costs associated with it have made it increasingly challenging for wall owners to expand and diversify their market. To address these issues, our panel of entrepreneurs and experts, chaired by Ged MacDomhnaill, Founder and CEO of The Climbing Hangar – the chain that has recently brought its blend of climbing, coffee and community into its ninth site in Edinburgh – will discuss various financing options for walls, expansion strategies, and the balance between growth and stability.
Amanda Burke, the owner of an independent wall in Cambridgeshire, will provide insight into business funding and growing a vibrant climbing community in a town where one did not previously exist. Everyone Active’s indoor climbing lead, Michael Hindmarsh, will share his views on the current and future development of indoor climbing as part of the general leisure market.
Join this session to learn what success looks like for indoor climbing walls in 2023 and how we get the next ten years right.
Born in Northern Ireland during a troubled time, Ged moved to England in 1985 and was privileged to be immersed in a mixed heritage family which, along with climbing, has played the biggest role in shaping his life and outlook.
Ged was introduced to climbing at age 18 and was hooked by the physics of sticking to slabs and the Bristol climbing scene broadened his horizons infinitely and put him on a life course most of us would recognise as ‘the climbing life’.
The first Climbing Hangar opened in 2011 - “the ride was a roller coaster of climbing, warehouse parties and general madness” - followed by the acquisition of a failing site in London and the building of TCH Plymouth in 2018. Having taken on £11m of investment TCH is now the second biggest bouldering chain in the UK.
“I hope to build another 40 Hangars before handing over the CEO role to someone interested in going international.”
Ged MacDomhnaill
The Climbing Hangar
"I started bouldering in 2017 whilst I was working as a self employed sports massage and aromatherapist at Fenrock.
I soon discovered what a postive impact climbing can have on general wellbeing, not only from a physical aspect but also in a mental health capacity. Like most who enjoy the sport, it became a lifestyle choice and one that I have never looked back on.
When the opportunity to reopen my home wall became available, the only option was to get the doors open and get people climbing again."
Amanda Burke
Fenrock
As Strategic Lead for Sports and Activities Michael is responsible for leading on the Sports and Activities Strategy across Everyone Active facilities. Michael has 20 years’ experience working within the sports and leisure industry with a background in community sport and engaging with hard-to-reach groups getting people more active. Michael’s role within Climbing for Everyone Active is to work with the Climbing Managers on site to make Climbing accessible for all.
Michael Hindmarsh
Everyone Active
Gregoire de Belmont - arkose&co
STANDALONE PRESENTATION
Join us for an exciting presentation by Grégoire De Belmont, one of the four co-founders of arkose&co, as he shares the fascinating ecosystem they have built. From bouldering and rock climbing to local beer production and equipment and clothing manufacturing, arkose&co has redefined what it means to be a climbing gym. By putting people at the heart of their business and taking on environmental and social responsibility, they have created an inclusive and engaging climbing experience that attracts customers across 16 locations in France and 1 in Belgium and makes arkose&co one of the leading indoor climbing chains in Europe. Hear from Grégoire as he shares his insights on how they put their focus on community and sustainability into practice and what’s ahead for the indoor climbing industry in Europe.
Customers: how do we attract more people to indoor climbing
PANEL DISCUSSION
Every wall is an opportunity to draw more people to take up indoor climbing, believe the participants of this panel.
Bouldering has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years, but how can we attract even more people and make indoor climbing diverse and inclusive from all angles?
Chaired by Katya Creed, who helped to build the customer base and culture across eight sites at London Climbing Centre, this session will feature the award-winning ‘UK’s top small business’ Indirock with their expertise in attracting diverse groups and maximising footfall at the shopping centre and the bouldering giant The Climbing Hangar with their innovative marketing campaigns and deep knowledge of customers for whom climbing has become a lifestyle.
You’ll hear the views from Siddrah Aslam, the founder of Muslim women’s climbing group ClimbMuz, and the passionate industry innovator Minerva Rivas, about how the walls can improve the climbing experience to connect with the customers more authentically and build highly engaged and loyal communities. Discover the strategies to bring in new customers, retain existing ones after their taster sessions, and make indoor climbing more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Katya joined the climbing industry back in 2011 and has worked in a variety of roles within climbing gyms across the country. She has been with London Climbing Centres since 2015 and has helped to build their customer base & culture, in part, through producing their extensive events programme.
Alongside work at LCC, Katya supported the establishment & development of the coaching company Catalyst Climbing back in 2017.
Katya Creed
Lakeland Climbing Centres
Emily founded Indirock with her husband Gordon in 2019 and after a turbulent three years, finally opened its doors in spring 2022. They established Indirock as a not-for-profit with three clear aims: to bring the joy of bouldering to as many people as possible in Southend; to be part of the revitalisation of Southend high street; to create training opportunities for vulnerable young people in Southend.
Emily leads the business day-to-day, drawing on her experience having started and grown the successful prison charity, Finding Rhythms, and her work with the training organisation, School for Social Entrepreneurs.
Emily sits on boards or steering groups for Incredible Brilliant Youth; SELEP; Mercers' Company; Platform Places; and Southend Council's Engineroom.
Emily Vermont
Indirock
Nicky joined The Climbing Hangar as a non-climber 2 years ago. Completely new to the sport and business she has been able to provide an alternative perspective on how to bring new people in and make the sport accessible for a wider group.
She has 20 years digital media experience, specialising in building grassroots communities through content creation, social media, and platform partnerships.
Nicky Clarke
The Climbing Hangar
Siddrah (Founder of ClimbMuz) was introduced to climbing in her early twenties by a friend. She quickly realised that she had a fear of falling and spent many years trying to send a V0 and celebrates every small win!
She founded ClimbMuz in 2021 after being inspired and having lots of conversations with people about representation and how that impacts people accessing certain sports. This changed her perspective on how she viewed being a minority in the climbing world. Her aim was to create a safe space for Muslim women, ethnic minorities and POC to experience the wonderful world of climbing. To also highlight that the Muslim women are on a spectrum and that we are not all the same.
ClimbMuz has reached almost 300 predominantly Muslim women with consistent regular members turning up to each session and the impact that setting up ClimbMuz has had on the community has highlighted the importance of having this space.
Siddrah Hussain
ClimbMuz
Coming soon...
Minerva Rivas
Parthian Climbing, London
Marie is a core team member of United We Climb, an organisation which works in partnership with Climbing and Outdoors companies and organisations to develop new experiences and opportunities designed specifically for those who are currently underrepresented and under-served in the climbing community. Marie is passionate about female empowerment, diversity and representation in the outdoors.
Marie is simply in love with trad climbing and now mentors other people at the start of their climbing journeys.
Marie Uri
United We Climb
Anoushé Husain
STANDALONE PRESENTATION
Anoushé is a champion for all those experiencing barriers and self-limiting beliefs.
She was born missing her right arm below the elbow, lives with multiple health conditions, is a cancer survivor, a Muslim and comes from an ethnic minority. Anoushé has never let what society or culture thinks she should do limit her or dictate the direction of her life.
A civil servant by day, Anoushé is a paraclimber for team Luxembourg and also works with various paraclimbing charities in the UK, including Paraclimbing London and the Grit&Rock Foundation.
Join Anoushé to hear about Growth through her eyes, from a personal perspective, and a community perspective. Drawing on her own experience she will be talking about progress, development and growth within paraclimbing, and by extension the growth of inclusive climbing and inclusive communities in the indoor and outdoor spaces – we may even get a sneak peak of projects to come!
Gert van der Veen - Bjoeks Climbing Centre, home of the Excalibur tower
IN CONVERSATION WITH…
“I could have bought myself a Ferrari,” says Gert van der Veen, “but I prefer to see myself happy as a climber.” In this on-stage conversation, Gert, the owner of Bjoeks Climbing Center in Groningen, Netherlands, will take us on a journey exploring the creation of iconic structures in indoor climbing. Born in Groningen, 500 km away from any natural rock formations, Gert had to move mountains to satisfy his climbing ambitions and created Excalibur – the world’s tallest freestanding climbing tower. Serving as the centrepiece of Bjoeks Climbing Centre, this 37-meter outdoor wall is a challenge even for the most experienced climbers. During the interview, Gert will delve into the cost of creating such an iconic piece and how to make it profitable. He will also discuss how many people climb on it and whether it attracts visitors to the centre overall. Join us for this fascinating conversation with a unique owner whose climbing tower is as remarkable as he is.
“Born in Groningen, The Netherlands I started climbing as a student, initially mostly Alpine. As sport climbing took off in the 80’s, this progressed into numerous pilgrimages to all the classic crags. Then, I got my degree and discovered that I was unfit as a ‘salaryman’ – climbing does that to you.
Having failed fairly miserably in several office jobs, a friend of mine asked me if I would start a climbing centre with him In Groningen. We had visited the first ‘salle d’escalade’ in Brussels and he was very much taken by the idea of a pub where you could climb! Building climbing walls for money made the dream real and in 1996 we started Bjoeks (yes, that is ‘Buoux’ phonetically in Dutch).
For me however, something was lacking from what my own idea of climbing was: adventure, exposure and commitment. The concrete boulders and the Excalibur-tower were in 2006 the product of that desire.”
Safety: Risks to mitigate as the industry expands
PANEL DISCUSSION
Join the experts on safety Rich Emerson, Laura Sweet, Joby Maw Davis, Paolo Fubini and Daniel Crossdale as they delve deeper into the issue of auto belays, which is a risk area that could impact the growth of the indoor climbing industry.
Lastly, we will touch on the current trends in insurance and areas of risk even beyond the walls of climbing facilities. This discussion will shed light on the risks associated with indoor climbing and how the industry can work together to make it a safer and more enjoyable activity for everyone involved.
Rich is the CEO of The Climbing Academy Group Ltd. With 5 busy walls they're no stranger to accidents and the management of them and they were the first wall group to bring to the ABCs attention the difference in accident rates between females and males - this has been backed up by other walls now. Rich has been running climbing gyms for almost 15 years and has been on the board of the ABC for over 6 years now.
Rich Emerson
The Climbing Academy
Rich is the CEO of The Climbing Academy Group Ltd. With 5 busy walls they're no stranger to accidents and the management of them and they were the first wall group to bring to the ABCs attention the difference in accident rates between females and males - this has been backed up by other walls now. Rich has been running climbing gyms for almost 15 years and has been on the board of the ABC for over 6 years now.
Laura Sweet
Partners&
Joby is a Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and Development Coach based in the Midlands. He specialises in providing Technical Advice and support to Artificial Climbing centres in the UK and overseas. Joby works with the leading indoor facilities in the Country and is also Technical Expert to the ABC Training Trust, and a member of the NICAS Coach Development Team, as well as undertaking legal work relating to climbing related claims. As a Mountain Training Course provider for the majority of their awards, including the Coaching Scheme, Joby was also heavily involved in developing COVID Secure guidelines in the current pandemic, along with the current Auto Belay guidelines. He is a contributor to publications such as Rock climbing, The Professional Mountaineer and numerous current industry texts.
Joby Maw Davis
TA, MT Course Provider, Coach & NICAS Technical Expert
Paolo has been advising since 1991 and, in 2001 founded Arrampica, now one of the leading Technical Advice, Training and Support Companies to the climbing, auto-belay park, ropes course and adventure park industries. Paolo has been involved in the analysis of near misses and accidents, reviewing procedures and updating risk assessments and control measures across a wide variety of clients. Paolo is a keen climber, mountain runner and alpinist and can often be found in the mountains with his girlfriend and two children. Paolo has a reputation for combining unusual foods on the same plate, often by accident, but his favourite food is eggs.
Paolo Fubini
Arrampica
Dan has been running the Depot Climbing group gyms for the last 14 years and has overall responsibility for all 7 Depot sites. Depot Climbing has consistently pushed to evaluate and modernise safety across both bouldering and lead climbing policy and practices. Since becoming General Manager Dan has overseen all safety developments for lead climbing, auto belay, bouldering and route setting procedure, with the newest Depot at the forefront of innovation in these areas. Throughout his career Dan has represented Depot Climbing with the ABC.
Dan Crossdale
Yorkshire Climbing Company
Staff: winning in the current labour market
PANEL DISCUSSION
With the increasing costs of doing business and challenges posed by the current cost of living crisis and post-Brexit and post-COVID environment, recruiting and retaining staff has become even more challenging for customer-facing businesses such as indoor climbing walls.
As customers’ spending declines and costs rise, businesses face the challenge of raising salaries to attract quality staff. However, this comes at a cost, and our panel – from Volume 1 in West Sussex to Mile End Climbing Wall in London – will explore how the climbing walls businesses can balance these competing demands. How are the staff expectations changing, and what are the ways to adapt to them?
This discussion will provide valuable insights into how the indoor climbing industry can succeed in the current labour market.
Emma Perera is an employment lawyer who is passionate about climbing and supporting the ABC with its aim of promoting the professionalism, health and growth of indoor climbing.
Emma joined the ABC as a Legal Non-Executive Director in 2021 to provide support and guidance to the ABC both in relation to its own operations and its work within the climbing community. When she is not climbing at the walls in East London she likes to run away to the hills for long days out hiking.
Emma Perera
Non-Executive Board Director, Association of British Climbing Walls
Co-Owner and Director of Volume 1 Climbing. I primarily take care of our HR and staff wellbeing, while also managing the café and keeping the business aligned to our founding values. Before working in the climbing industry, I qualified and worked as an Integrative Counsellor. I have found this to be an excellent foundation to inform how we aim to create an inclusive environment for our team and customers. Outside of climbing, I love Home Educating my two children and “researching new products” (eating) for the café.
Katie Read
Volume 1 Climbing
"I’m the CEO of Development Through Challenge, the charity that operates Mile End Climbing Wall. I started working at the wall in 2004 on the reception counter, and in 2021 I was appointed as CEO of the charity. I’ve been climbing for around 25 years, and I’ve worked in the charity sector for over 30 years. I’m a youth worker by trade, and the development of young people has been my focus for longer than I care to remember. I’m also a trustee of NICAS, something I’ve been a big supporter of, right form its beginnings."
Dean Straw
Development Through Challenge
Becky is the HR Manager for Lakeland Climbing Centres, covering 11 climbing walls (8 in London and 3 in northwest England) and over 160 employees.
Her varied role includes staff recruitment and development, HR support across the business, as well as hands on work as a Duty Manager at the Kendal centre, where she has been for 7 years.
Previous roles have included teaching Secondary Geography and work supporting students
with additional learning needs in Higher education.
She lives in the Lake District with her family and border collie dog and enjoys climbing, swimming, and hiking.
Rebecca Holland
Lakeland Climbing Centres
