Britannia Walk was buzzing with energy and engaged conversation, a reminder of the continued importance of meeting and sharing experiences face-to-face. I started my time with the CIHT as part of what is now the South West Region and so hearing the reflections of the current Chair – Nik Bowyer – on the region’s activities and experiences brought back many happy memories.

The lifeblood of a region is its activities in support of the membership and so it was great to hear the perspective from the West Midlands (Laura Menendez Gonzalez) and Scotland (Pamela Gidney): both contributions prompted a flurry of questions, a further reminder of the benefit of sharing experience amongst the regions.

An aspect of the CIHT that has been strengthened in recent months is our capability to use the data we hold more effectively in shaping our message to existing and prospective members. Earlier in the year the Regional Panel had a briefing from Graham Murphy (Membership Marketing Adviser) on what is possible: today he provided an update on the results of the most recent member survey (by the way, if you’ve not yet responded to this there is still time to do).

The insight that we’re starting to develop is going to be really helpful in terms of ensuring our offer to members keeps us relevant moving forward.

Dipping into the workshops during the afternoon I was struck by the way the energy levels remained high throughout the day – a good sign for the future.

In drawing the conference to a close it was my pleasure to present the South West with the Recruitment Award and Scotland with the Events Award: overall the winner of the day though was the CIHT and its regions. The work that the volunteers, whilst juggling professional and personal commitments makes all the difference in ensuring CIHT is there to support its wider membership. Congratulations to one and all and thank you.