SPONSORED
What does it take to deliver a successful neuro conference? In 2019, the team at Elysium Neurological decided we were at a point where we would like to host a national conference to explore some themes linked to the services and pathways we provide and to network with professionals in the field of brain injury and neurological conditions. The conference finally came to fruition in November 2022 and was a great success with excellent feedback. We have taken some time to look back and reflect on what we did that made the event work so well. Firstly we needed to decide if we were going to organise the conference ourselves. We have a talented marketing team who organise internal conferences and events to a very high standard but we felt this event needed to be developed in partnership with a specialised conference organiser. We have been attending successful ABI Solutions conferences and events for years and I had previously been involved with sponsorship for the Head First conference which had opened my eyes to the possibilities of the conference scene. We approached Jason and Helen at ABI Solutions to ask if they would be prepared to work with us on our first national conference and they agreed, with some conditions…. They were very clear that there are certain things that they insist on in order to partner for an event of this type. The main things we discussed right at the beginning were music to my ears and we found an immediate synergy with our organisational values, drive and intentions. THE FIRST THINGS JASON AND HELEN SAID WERE: 1 . Content is the most important thing, linked to meaningful learning outcomes. Delegates want to go away from a conference or CPD event with new ideas that positively impact on their own practice or that they can use in reflective practice. 2 . Expert speakers are a must – people who have something new and interesting to share that promotes discussion and debate.
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3 . Attention to detail and a drive to deliver an
excellent overall conference experience for the delegates makes the process more enjoyable and ensures people go away feeling that they have been valued as a delegate. So, we chose a venue that we had used before, 1 Great George Street. It is a beautiful setting for a conference and makes people feel great as soon as they arrive. The lobby and entrance to the hotel are stunning and the conference theatre is well laid out with good acoustics to allow delegates to relax and easily engage with the content. ABI Solutions have an extensive database of neuro specific contacts to offer the conference to and they also approached a range of exhibitors to come along and provide great networking opportunities for the delegates. Irwin Mitchell agreed to sponsor the day. They were approached as we felt that they have similar values and aspirations to Elysium in relation to education and learning and we were delighted that they agreed.
We set about thinking about the content for the day and felt that it was important for the day to reflect the different service pathways Elysium Neurological offer across the country. However, these service pathways can be quite diverse and specialised (from neurobehavioural to supporting people with complex physical needs such as tracheostomy and ventilation) so we needed to find a golden thread to ensure the day made sense, had a good flow and that there was a relevance for everyone in the audience to connect with. We decided that whatever the pathway, our specialised services all support people who face significant challenges, so we plumped for an overarching theme for the day of; “Rising to the Challenge”. To describe more about what people might expect, we added the description, “Managing the diverse challenges in the field of brain injury”. This conference was not about Elysium Neurological promoting our range of services. It was intended to be a learning platform for people to share, debate, discuss and reflect on