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The University’s campus is alive with visitors from far and wide during the summer months, attracted by the numerous conferences and events that are hosted by MEETinLEEDS.
“Contrary to the idea that the University is quiet from late June to mid-September, it’s an incredibly busy time for us,” says Harriet Boatwright from MEETinLEEDS. “This year, the summer conference season saw over 25,000 people attend conference and events activities on campus, and an equal number of ‘bed nights’ spent on campus and Devonshire Hall.
“MEETinLEEDS are here to help our schools and faculties attract and deliver exceptional conferences, and we can offer full facilities and expert support – whatever’s needed, we’ll do our best to make sure it happens.”
This year’s events included the British Neuro-Oncology Society conference; Crystal Growth of Organic Materials 2016; the International Kansei Engineering & Emotion Research Conference; Think Ahead – the new fast-track programme for exceptional graduates to become mental health social workers; the Communication Matters National AAC Conference (CM2016); WES – the Work, Employment and Society Conference – and, of course, the International Medieval Congress (IMC). Have a peek at the short video of the “Battle of the Vikings”, which took place as part of the IMC “Making Leeds Medieval” event. A variety of educational engagement activities and summer schools also took place.
“Some of the statistics are amazing and will give people an idea of the scale of the events we have,” continues Harriet. “During the IMC we provided 4,000 breakfasts, 1,100 lunches, 940 evening meals, and drink receptions for over 1,000 people. The Teach First event – which we hosted in partnership with Leeds Beckett University and First Direct Arena – saw over 4,300 attendees visit Leeds over two days.”
The MEETinLEEDS team has one big, final conference to organise before the academic year begins. “We’ll be welcoming 800 delegates to the British Education Research Association (BERA) conference in mid-September,” says Harriet. “BERA is a member-led charity that champions the best of educational research and aims to build momentum within and beyond the field. The three-day conference attract around 1,000 national and international delegates representing a wide range of academics, policy makers and practitioners, all with a strong interest in educational research. I’m sure that some colleagues from the University will be attending.”
MEETinLEEDS are not alien to a busy September: one brimming with large residential conferences and a number of smaller events and day meetings. However, this year it has definitely been one to remember, as we hosted: 110 events, entertained 9037 day delegates and accommodated 1071 overnight delegates (including our short break guests)!
We cannot wait to say hello to our new delegates and welcome back the events that are returning next year.
Below we highlight our top 3 conferences over the period, which of our amazing array of venues they used, what people are saying about them, and information on how you can participate in these excellent events:
Communication Matters
Communication Matters works across the UK to promote the best possible communication for people with complex communication needs. The Communication Matters National AAC Conference is the UK’s leading annual AAC event, with a diverse programme of plenaries, presentations, posters and exhibition held over two and a half days.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is the term used to describe various methods of communication that can ‘add-on’ to speech and are used to get around problems with ordinary speech.
AAC includes simple systems such as pictures, gestures and pointing, as well as more complex techniques involving powerful computer technology.
Where was it?
“Great venue and facilities, staff outstanding nothing to much trouble….thanks!” — Helen Bell
- Main Plenary – Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre, Michael Sadler Building
- Parallel Sessions – Michael Sadler Building Lecture Theatres
- Exhibition and Catering – Parkinson Court
- Gala Dinner – The Refectory
- Accommodation – Storm Jameson Court
What are people saying about it?
@meetinleeds @Comm_Matters Great venue and facilities, staff outstanding nothing to much trouble….thanks!
— Helen Bell (@tech_speechpath) September 15, 2015
And every year @meetinleeds so amazing https://t.co/8rZrq6x034 — CommunicationMatters (@Comm_Matters) September 15, 2015
“Thank you so much yet again for all you have done to make the Communication Matters Conference a success. Moving the office to Leeds and making more local links has been a really positive move for us, which we would not have considered if the conference in 2012 had not been so successful.
It is exciting to see the conference growing and developing – 2016 is our 30th anniversary – we hope you feel as excited about the opportunities ahead as we do!”
Cathy Harris (Event Organiser) – Chair of Communication Matters
How can I find out more or attend the conference?
Visit the Communication Matters website, follow them on Twitter or visit the Facebook page for news and details about the 2016 conference at the University of Leeds.
QIPC 2015
QIPC aims to bring together researchers from all aspects of Quantum Information Science. The five main topics of the conference are Quantum Computing, Quantum Simulation, Quantum Communication, Quantum Metrology, and Quantum Algorithms, but they also welcome contributions concerning related areas of physics.
Where was it?
- Main Plenary – Conference Auditorium
- Parallel Sessions – Roger Stevens Building
- Exhibition and Catering – The Exhibition Centre
What are people saying about it?
“MEETinLEEDS have been supporting the conference from the start. They helped us to put a very professional conference bid together and gave us the confidence that we would succeed. During the run-up to the conference, I always felt in good hands and trusted the team to do their best to support us.
MEETinLEEDS were of great help with a large number of tasks, like processing registrations, reserving rooms in hotels and communicating with invited speakers and exhibitors. Most importantly, they kept an eye on our finances. Their work was often very discrete but assured that the participants (and the local organisers) of the QIPC felt always welcome and well looked after.”
Dr Almut Beige (Event Organiser) – Head of the Theoretical Physics Group, University of Leeds
How can I find out more or attend the conference?
Details about this year’s conference can be found on the website.
Registration for QIPC 2017 is not yet available, but you can set up a Google Alert and be the first to know when it does!
MEIbioeng15
The largest ever UK gathering of biomedical engineers and bioengineers, MEIbioeng15 brings together the former Centres of Excellence in Medical Engineering in the UK and The Bioengineering Society Annual Conference, with participants from leading academic centres and the MedTech industry.
Attendees enjoy unequalled opportunities for networking, collaboration, new partnerships, and shaping the future of this exciting and challenging field.
The Scientific Advisory Panel of nine internationally recognised scientists and research leaders welcome abstracts across nine themes, including scientific research areas, commercial translation and careers and outreach.
Where was it?
- Main Plenary – Conference Auditorium
- Parallel Sessions – Roger Stevens Building
- Exhibition and Catering – The Exhibition Centre
- VIP Meetings – University House
- Accommodation – Storm Jameson Court
What are people saying about it?
“MEETinLEEDS, thank you all so much for help, support and guidance for the MEIbioEng15 event. I absolutely cannot tell you how grateful I am for all of your efforts right from the start to being available on the day. I absolutely cannot sing your praises enough to anyone that will listen and I have no hesitation in recommending your services.”
Jane Wilcox (Event Organiser) – Medical Technologies Reporting and Information Systems Manager, University of Leeds
How can I find out more or attend the conference?
Visit the MEIbioeng website for details of this year’s event and the 2016 conference at the University of Oxford. Follow them on Twitter for updates on future events.
MEETinLEEDS are proud to welcome the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) to the University this week as they held their Annual Conference on our campus.
We’re pleased to welcome @TheEAUC to our campus today. Hope you all enjoy your stay in Leeds. #eaucconf15
— University of Leeds (@meetinleeds) March 24, 2015
Under the title ‘Challenging Connections’, the 2015 EAUC Annual Conference offers 3 separate Summits alongside the full packed main Conference Programme which is utilising our Exhibition Centre, Roger Stevens Building and Conference Auditorium to maximise their event. The Student Sustainability Summit, held the day before, was held on campus at Leeds University Union.
Our Exhibition Centre comprises of two interlinking halls providing almost 1800sqm of open plan exhibition space.
The conference is also making use of our iconic Refectory to host their Gala Dinner and our team of award-winning chefs, from Great Food at Leeds, are proud to have created a special menu that was awarded the Gold Standard Catering Mark by the Soil Association for their use of ethical and environmentally friendly food and locally sourced ingredients.
The University’s Sustainability Team has also played an active role in the event and was instrumental in helping and guiding our Events Team as they tailored the conference to suit the needs of the EAUC.
If you would like to find out more about holding an event at the University of Leeds please contact our team and we’ll be pleased to help.
PICTURED (from L to R): Toby Hewson, Communication Matters Board member; Lisa Wood, MEETinLEEDS; Emma Broadhurst, MEETinLEEDS; Angie Dean, Charles Morris Hall; Catherine Harris, CM Chair; Barry Smith, CM Board member; Nicola Hayton, CM Board member; Anthony Lowe, MEETinLEEDS
The MEETinLEEDS Conference Team at the University of Leeds has been helping one of their key clients, settle in to their new home in Leeds.
Communication Matters, the UK Chapter of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC), have hosted their annual conference at the University for the past two years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The conference is an amazing meeting place where people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC); parents, professionals, researchers and suppliers gather for seminars, workshops and networking and to experience cutting edge communication aid technology within an impressive exhibition.
Communication Matters followed their launch party with a celebration lunch and awards ceremony at University House and were very impressed with the MEETinLEEDS events team:
We look forward to hosting the Communication Matters Annual Conference again later this year.
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