Iriss was delighted to host the in-person ASPire conference on the 22nd of February 2024 on behalf of the National Adult Support and Protection Coordinator and the Learning and Development Network. 100 of you lovelies gathered at The Barracks Conference Centre in Stirling to learn and chat about Sextortion, Undue Pressure and Learning Reviews.
We all know a conference is a great work day out (especially when the venue and food is as lovely as it is at The Barracks) but it’s easy to overlook all the work that goes in to make the day interesting and run smoothly. After the theme had been picked, Brenda went about convincing (note we didn’t say bribing….) people to be presenters and deliver workshops and Holly started working on the logistics. The months before an event are spent planning the venue, inviting guests, getting dietary requirements, printing materials, checking presenters have completed slides, lining up workshops and fielding guest (and presenter, and Iriss) questions.
We are lucky to have a great wee team at Iriss that are always happy to get stuck in with delivering workshops, designing programmes, recording the event and coming along to help on the day. It takes a village and we are so grateful to our colleagues for lending a hand.
In addition to many helping hands, there are certain requirements to keep the conference running smoothly on the day - plenty of coffee, prepared presenters, 5 minute left signs to be held up, engaged guests, someone with a loud shouty voice to direct people, good food, plenty of signage, post its and sharpies galore, and excellent venue staff.
There is inevitably a glitch with any conference, you just might not notice it. Those early to the event will have seen all the slides just decide to delete themselves and our stoic faces as we try our best not to panic; luckily the IT crowd recommended solution of a reboot solves almost any tech issue and the presenters didn’t have to act out their slides.
We were thrilled with all the positive feedback for the day and want to thank Brenda, Elaine, the presenters, the venue staff, the wider Iriss team and all the super engaged guests for making it such an excellent day!
Head over to Brenda's blog to read her thoughts on it!
See you at the next ASPire event,
Holly and Sam!
