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Online only events


Adrian Clarke
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Is it time for the LI to lift its restriction on 'in-person' events? 

Back in June it was announced by the Board of Trustees that LI activity (including branch events) would remain online until the end of March 2022. I understand this decision was to be reviewed recently but as yet there has been no update.

I’m curious to know what other members think about attending ‘in-person’ events?

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I'm really interested in others views on this as well. I have worked in engagement and events for many years and since the pandemic began there have been many mixed views. A lot of professionals enjoy and rely on the networking opportunities that face to face events gives them, but they also like that with digital events there is no travel time so they get to spend more time at home with their families, they don't have to worry about public transport (tubes or buses) and they enjoy their evenings, as well as benefiting from the learning / networking experience of digital events. 

The other side of this is that venues are charging more for reduced spaces / capacities due to their loses last year and safety measures they have in place (even though these are no longer mandatory) which means the cost to attendees is higher. 

I think it really is a catch 22 type situation as there are many different opinions on this matter. Really looking forward to seeing this thread develop. Thank you for kicking it off @Adrian Clarke

 

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Hi @Abi Palmer-Greenwood

Thanks for getting involved in the discussion. I hope others will contribute too. I'm coming at this whole question from the perspective of a committee member for the North East (England) Branch. The benefits of online are considerable - as you say. But it seems to me that a reasonable approach (for the branches) would be to lift the current restrictions and allow branches to make their own choices about programming events. There will be a mix of approaches taken no doubt but I suspect that most will continue to hold at least some events online. There is also the opportunity to stream 'in-person' events as well although the branches would need support in this. In my experience most branch events incur minimal costs, so the worries around organising large scale events (such as the LI Conference) don't, I think, apply at the local level. There may be COVID-related guidance which needs to be adhered to, but I'm sure branches are capable of managing this.

 

 

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Hi Adrian

I'm really pleased to see that more events are coming through. I think @Antonella Adamus is best placed to give the official guidance from an LI perspective but as I mentioned before, I have seen a really mixed reaction to events. I know some areas have even been doing CPD online, and then meeting in a local pub for some networking afterwards. I think there is a huge benefit in face to face networking which we will hopefully see a lot more of over the coming months. 

Many thanks again for starting this conversation.

Abi 

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