Looking Back, Going Forward: MEETinLEEDS celebrate a successful year

Over the past 12 months, all of the team here at MEETinLEEDS have been working hard to make sure that we’re delivering our very best with every single conference, and going above and beyond meeting the needs of our customers.

As 2019 draws to an end, we reflect over some of our most unique and busiest conferences, that have not only made huge impacts within their respective industries, but have also offered pivotal learning opportunities for team to learn and develop from.

Students focus on Sustainability

Kicking off 2019 with a positive start, we were delighted to support an event that saw students unite over the Leeds Student Sustainability Research Conference. Welcoming over 200 attendees, the conference showcased the latest research in cross-disciplinary sustainability studies, as well as offering the opportunity for like-minded students to network and discuss.

Not only was this conference a wonderful opportunity for students to get involved with sustainability research, but the event also perfectly aligns with the University of Leeds’ ongoing strategic commitment to sustainability.

Taking a step back in time with the International Medieval Congress

As the largest humanities congress held across the EU and the largest in medieval studies all over the world, we thoroughly enjoyed welcoming the International Medieval Congress (IMC) onto campus for its 26th year. By working closely with academics within the University of Leeds, we welcomed over 2,000 delegates from across 66 different countries, and brought together medieval experts for a series of discussions, demonstrations and debates. The public were also invited to get involved on its final day, which saw a medieval market serving historically inspired street food, a full medieval craft fair and medieval demonstrations taking place.

5 July 2018. Thursday at the IMC, University of Leeds.

Summer school for teachers with Teach First Summer Institute

Marking its sixth time in the city, Teach First Summer Institute was a wonderful conference which welcomed over 1,700 trainee teachers, who were all due to start training in schools serving disadvantaged communities across England and Wales. Not only was the conference a fantastic chance for teachers to get together and kickstart the two-year Teach First Training programme, but it also offered a great opportunity for us to work as part of a city-wide collaboration. This involved working closely with our partnership organisers including First Direct Arena and Leeds Beckett University, as well as collaborating with wider stakeholders including LeedsBID, Conference Leeds, Leeds City Council, and many university accommodation providers, to enhance a city-wide approach to the event.

Communication Matters

As the University of Leeds’ Positive Impact Partner, we were delighted to support Communication Matters with the UK’s leading annual Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Conference for the seventh year. Welcoming over 430 delegates from 19 countries, including as far as Japan, the USA and Denmark, the AAC offered a unique forum for representatives to meet and exchange information, including AAC users, parents, personal assistants, professionals and more.

This conference also presented our team with the perfect opportunity to go one step further in the preparation process, by undertaking important face-to-face training with the aim of helping trainees identify ‘good communication’. This event was a perfect demonstration of how we’re able to work in partnership with our conference organisers, whilst providing the best customer experience possible.

We were also extremely proud to support Communication Matters’ very first AAC awards ceremony, which was an evening dedicated to celebrating those within the AAC sector who have made honourable and inspiring contributions to the industry.

Internal successes and celebrations

Conferences and events are what makes us tick, but we wouldn’t have had such a successful year without our incredible team behind us. This year, we were delighted to welcome multiple new starters onto our team who will be enhancing our expertise in digitalisation, internationalisation and sales. This not only extends our offering, but also means that we’re able to further meet the needs of our organisers to the highest possible standard.

Here’s to looking back on 2019 and going forward to an even more successful 2020!