Conference 2017 in review

Posted 04/07/17

Monday began Conference week with a number of mini-theatre sessions including two Lead Officer sessions from Stephanie Young and David Templeton. These were followed by our increasingly more popular welcome drinks reception, the exhibition hall that evening was lively and buzzing in preparation to the busy week ahead. The Yorkshire and the Humber branch then hosted their branch drinks at the Fat Badger.

Tuesday was our first full Conference day. The first plenary; Is trading standards performing other agencies’ roles? was well received and attendees took time to celebrate those who had won Heroes Awards. There were  17 mini-theatre sessions throughout the day, a business meeting from BEIS Regulatory Delivery and time to celebrate our newly admitted Fellows and Students in the Institute Celebrates Success session, the session also featured the annual lecture which this year was given by Wendy Martin. To finish the day, guests attended the CTSI/Status International Awards dinner which was held in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Hall, there they enjoyed a sparkling drinks reception, enjoyable dinner and entertainment from Paul Hand. The master of ceremonies for the evening was Alexander Michaels.

Wednesday saw demonstrations from Wagtail and trueCall in the exhibition hall, a further 17 mini-theatre sessions, a large session from 5 Paper Buildings and an ADR reception. Amongst this line up, delegates had the opportunity to visit the exhibition, the atmosphere in the hall can only be described as buzzing and positive throughout Conference. The plenary, What will responsible business look like in 2025? once again saw attendees congratulate more Heroes Award winners. The day ended with what I can only describe as the 'Best Party Night Ever'.

Thursday presented a mix of emotions, firstly delight at such a fantastic week and secondly sadness that it was nearly all over. We had mini Chocolate Orange Fat Rascals from Betty's by way of farewell from the branch. Thursday offered the opportunity to hear from CTSI in terms of Commercialisation, the Qualifications Review and our take on Brexit from a policy  perspective.

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