It's Great up North: maximising the learning and development opportunities provided by organising and attending a regional event

Abstract

In 2019 Health Education England supported health care library knowledge service staff in the Northern region to organise a two-day event to share knowledge and expertise, and to develop their networks. The article describes how the event was organised, emphasising the advance planning and development opportunities provided for participants, such as webinars, and randomised coffee trial meetings between participants. Of the 100 participants, 60 delivered a poster, workshop or presentation. Reflective evaluation of the event by the organising committee indicated that networking was actively encouraged, and that a higher proportion of library assistants participated than usual. Concludes that the virtual aspects of the event worked well, and that future events could include a mix of face to face and virtual sessions. D.I.