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Welcome to the IDR Pay Planning conference page. For the last 11 years IDR has been at the forefront of supporting businesses in planning for their annual pay reviews by providing market-leading research into future pay intentions. Each year IDR delivers a forward-looking programme cycle that delivers key market intelligence to help organisations plan their next pay review.

On this page we explore the pay planning cycle, provide key milestones, share options for businesses to participate in the cycle and share the previous year’s conference agenda to provide an overview of how the event is typically structured.

For a summary of the latest output from the pay planning cycle read our article Steady outlook for pay in 2026. For additional articles relating to the pay planning cycle (including press mentions) view our Insights Resource Library or Press Releases Resource Library.

To register your interest in presenting at a future conference please use the 'Contact us' button below.

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Pay Intentions Programme

As we move through the year IDR will once again be running our forward-looking Pay Intentions Programme. The key stages of the programme are detailed below.

🗓️ June/July – IDR’s Annual Pay Planning Survey goes live. Participants receive a free summary & a 40% discount on tickets for our pay planning conference in September. Subscribers receive a free summary & complimentary conference tickets for participating in the survey.

🗓️ August/September – IDR’s Pay Planning Analysis. Detailed analysis of the data, key trends & themes.

🗓️ September – Pay Climate. IDR’s quarterly bulletin containing detailed pay planning analysis. Subscribe now or find out more Pay Climate.

🗓️ September – IDR’s Annual Pay Planning Conference. A chance to hear from senior IDR experts in a comprehensive overview of the analysis/results.

🗓️ November/December  – IDR’s Pay Intentions Poll. A temperature check to continue to build the picture on pay.

🗓️ January  – IDR’s Pay Intentions Seminar. An updated pay intentions dataset & analysis before new pay rounds commence. Participants receive a free summary report, while our Pay Climate subscribers receive an exclusive article & additional resources in relation to pay planning through the IDR subscriber zone.

Existing subscriber? Here’s how you can engage with the pay planning cycle

If you already subscribe to one of IDR’s market-leading services Pay Climate or Pay Benchmarker, there are multiple ways to interact with the pay planning cycle. Where possible we always recommend completing the pay planning survey to secure your summary and complimentary conference tickets.

IDR Pay Planning Conference

Existing subscribers who participate in the Pay Planning survey

£0 Complimentary

  • Complimentary tickets to IDR’s Pay Planning Conference, worth up to £1,500
  • Advanced, exclusive access to Pay Planning survey output, only as part of the Pay Climate & Insights subscription
  • A complimentary participant summary of survey results
  • Exclusive access to Pay Planning resources via the IDR subscriber zone
Subscriber zone

IDR Pay Planning Conference

Existing subscribers who do not participate in the Pay Planning survey

£100 + vat

  • 60% discount on tickets for IDR’s Pay Planning Conference, worth up to £600
  • Advanced, exclusive access to Pay Planning survey output, only as part of the Pay Climate & Insights subscription
  • Exclusive access to Pay Planning resources via the IDR subscriber zone
Subscriber zone

Non-subscriber options

If you don’t yet subscribe to one of IDR’s market-leading services as outlined above, then don’t worry there are still multiple ways to participate in the pay planning cycle. Where possible we recommend a Pay Climate subscription to extract maximum value from the cycle, but as a secondary option you can complete the survey to secure your summary and discounted tickets.

IDR Pay Planning Conference

Non-subscribers who participate in the Pay Planning survey

£150 + vat

  • 40% discount on tickets for IDR’s Pay Planning Conference
  • A complimentary participant summary of survey results
  • Option to upgrade to a Pay Climate & Insights subscription
Explore Pay Climate & Insights

IDR Pay Planning Conference

Non-subscribers who do not participate in the Pay Planning survey

£250 + vat

  • IDR’s Pay Planning Conference ticket
  • Option to upgrade to a Pay Climate & Insights subscription
Explore Pay Climate & Insights

Pay Climate & Insights subscription

Upgrade to an annual subscription today

£785

  • Complimentary/discounted tickets to IDR’s Pay Planning Conference
  • Advanced, exclusive access to Pay Planning survey output, only as part of the Pay Climate & Insights subscription
  • A complimentary participant summary of survey results
  • Exclusive access to Pay Planning resources via the IDR subscriber zone
  • Access to all must-have subscription benefits
Subscribe

To speak to a member of the IDR team about subscribing email sales@incomesdataresearch.com or call +44(0)1702 669549.

IDR's Annual Pay Planning Conference Agenda

Details regarding the agenda for this September’s annual pay planning conference will be shared shortly. In the meantime, please refer to last year’s agenda below for an overview of how the day is typically structured.

Discover plans and implications for reward in 2026

What might be the outlook for reward decisions in 2026? Find out at our forthcoming annual online conference. Speakers will present findings from our survey of employers’ pay intentions and discuss the economic and labour market backdrop.

With the Employment Rights Bill making its way through parliament, you’ll also hear about the changing legal and industrial relations context for pay-setting. There’ll be case study speakers, something on the value of collaboration, and we will examine the dos and don’ts of pay clubs and transparency. 

Join us via Teams on Thursday, 11 September 2025, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Our panel of IDR and guest speakers will broadcast live, and there will be ample opportunities to ask questions and share challenges with peers. Don't miss out on enhancing your knowledge and preparing for 2026 – book your place now!

Conference Agenda

09.50 Welcome slides

10.00 Chair’s opening remarks (Nicola Allison, Office of the Pay Review Bodies)

10.05 Findings from IDR survey of employers’ plans for reward in 2026 (Zoe Woolacott, IDR)

10.40 The economic and labour market context for reward decisions (Ken Mulkearn, IDR)

11.15 10-minute break

11.25 Avoiding wage fixing and other anti-competitive employment practices

12.00 The benefits of collaboration when it comes to reward (Angela da Silva, independent consultant)

12.35 Lunch break (30 minutes)

13.05 Pay benchmarking, transparency and industrial relations (Steve Walsh, Gatwick Airport)

13.40 Communicating variable pay increases and dealing with gender pay gaps (Toni Smith, Ricoh)

14.15 The Government’s new employment rights legislation – what it will mean for reward (Darren Newman, Darren Newman Employment Law Ltd)

15.00 Chair’s closing remarks 

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