News
Conference Committee News
21 May 2009
The final weeks before the Conference are always the busiest of the year for the Conference Committee. There is a constant stream of email traffic and telephone calls between members of the Committee, our organisers and other relevant persons within the Association. The end result - we hope - will be a successful and informative Conference in Manchester.
By the time you read this, we will have completed most of the registration process. This year we are using a new online registration facility which we hope will have assisted members in booking their place. For 2010, we are intent on working with other relevant parties within the Association to provide full online booking including an online payment facility. This facility must also work with other payment requirement for BIALL and will also form part of the new revised BIALL website.
While we are expecting reduced attendance at Manchester due to the economic climate, we are nonetheless hopeful of a very successful Conference. The Conference provides probably the most cost effective forum for information and networking relevant to the profession throughout the year. Many of our speakers are well known within our professional sector and regularly present at other conferences where the cost of attendance will be much greater than that in Manchester.
We are already planning for 2010 and beyond and will be announcing the confirmed 2010 venue at Manchester. The emphasis next year will be on facilitating day delegate attendance. We are also planning to have a senior managers element within the 2010 Conference.
Following the Manchester Conference there will be a reallocation of responsibilities within the Committee. As always, we are interested in having new members come on board. If you would like to consider membership of the Committee please feel free to contact any of the Committee members during the Manchester Conference or simply email me for further details. Going forward responsibilities within the Committee will be as follows:
- Chair - John Furlong
- Vice Chair - Gillian Watt
- Programme Coordinator - Niamh Burns working with Hannah Fogg
- Exhibition Coordinator - Catherine Kenwright working with Gillian Watt
- Venue and Grants Coordinator - Niamh Burns working with Catherine Kenwright
- Finance - Catherine Bowl working with Alden Bowers
- PR and Web Coordinator - Gillian Watt
Finally as we approach the end of the Committee year and move ever rapidly towards Manchester I look forward to meeting as many of you there as possible. I am sure that you will have a thoroughly enjoyable, informative and great networking experience during this our 40th Conference.
John Furlong, Chair, Conference Committee
