It’s that time of year again. The conference and dinner season. I know people tend to have polarised views. Some see these events as a bit of a junket: Does anything ever change as a result of a conference?
Others, as an opportunity to meet with and hear from people whom they would not normally get the chance to see; to concentrate minds (the Minister will have to think about what they are going to say); hear new ideas; to ensure that the subject matter is pushed up the agenda.
Work hard to gain
I am in the latter camp. Nothing is lost by attending such events but you do have to work very hard to ensure that something tangible is gained.
It is noticeable how political party conferences have changed over the years. Once they were a forum for policy development. This was true of Labour in particular (and still is to a degree) where formal motions were passed following some, at times, lively debates.
Those in favour of this approach thought it was the epitome of how a political party should work. The media had other ideas and very quickly took to reporting any disagreements as dreadful splits within the party.
The Tories cottoned on to this fairly quickly. Their conferences felt more like a social event with a series of set-piece policy announcements and a rousing speech from the Leader at the end.
This was to gird the loins of the party workers for the campaigns ahead and show the voters that they were the party for them.
Labour has shifted towards this way of doing things, but has not gone the whole hog. Its Leader’s speech is usually early in the Conference as it is designed to set the tone for the week ahead.
Party political conferences are very different to coach/bus conferences which are about airing industry challenges and thinking of innovative ways of meeting them.
We often have people from outside our industry to offer us a different perspective. Ministers and Civil Servants sometimes attend. Not only do we hear what they have to say, they often stick around to take many of our messages back to their desks.
It is often the case that the networking around the edges of the event is as useful as the event itself. This is why putting together a relevant agenda and speaking panel is vital to the success.
Social aspect
This brings me to the CPT Dinner. Of course the speeches are important but not more so than the social aspect. Networking and enjoyment are key elements of any industry dinner worth its salt.
The most common response to my question ‘did you enjoy the CPT Dinner?’ was “it was really good; I got to speak to…”
So far nobody has mentioned the food. Quite odd really considering it was advertised as a “dinner”. I take that as a compliment, however.
