July 2023 - University of Leeds Conferences and Events

Last week, I celebrate my one-year work anniversary at the University of Leeds and life in this vibrant city. It’s been an incredible journey since I relocated from London for the Head of Conferences and Events role. This past year has been a whirlwind of new experiences, team growth, industry events, and collaborations with valuable clients and partners.

LEEDS LEEDS LEEDS

Leeds has always held a special place in my heart. I studied Events Management at the UK Centre For Events Management (UKCEM) at Leeds Beckett University and spent four happy years as a student in this city. It was also part of the plan to return to Leeds one day, it just needed to be for the right opportunity.

Sam Glenister-Batey at university graduation

When I saw the Head of Conferences and Events position advertised at the University of Leeds, I knew it was the opportunity I had been waiting for. I was over the moon when I was offered the role. Returning to Leeds, I knew that a warm ‘Yorkshire Welcome’ would be waiting for me, and I have not been disappointed. The University and everyone I’ve met in the region has embraced me with open arms.

Let’s start from the beginning

From the very beginning, I was drawn to the vast professional opportunities of my role and the prospect of life back in Leeds. I was ready for a new challenge after spending nearly 15 years working in some of London’s leading venues, including the Science Museum, HM Tower of London and the Royal College of Music. The University’s internationally renowned reputation for excellence in delivering academic and association conferences, along with its impressive quality and quantity of rooms (over 300!) on campus, was a real draw. In addition to this, the opportunity to launch Cloth Hall Court, was a once in a career opportunity that I didn’t want to miss!

My first year

The past year has been filled with exciting projects and accomplishments. My first priority was growing my team to support the new strategy, and I’m grateful that we’re now at full strength with a team of 18 passionate and talented individuals across sales, operations, marketing, and a dedicated team based at Cloth Hall Court.

(Some of the team: Back row: Jacob, Kerry, Me, Karina, Corin. Front row: Sue, Rosie, Chelsea, Helen)

Following a review of our assets and market trends, the next priority project was rebranding from MEETinLEEDS to University of Leeds Conferences and Events, aligning our identity more closely with the wider University. This involved developing a brand-new website to showcase our extensive portfolio. After months of hard work in collaboration with our comms team, we proudly unveiled it in April at the Cloth Hall Court launch event, attended by over 300 event professionals. We’ve been overwhelmed with the feedback on the new website and branding, both internally and from the wider industry.

Better together

Collaboration has been a top priority, not only representing the University but also positioning Leeds as a world-class destination for meetings and events. In March, I had the honour to partner with Charlotte Podlewska from Conference Leeds and Helen Whittle from Communication Matters to present a panel titled ‘Meet the Future of… Communication and Accessibility’ at the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) UK and Ireland conference.

I also had the privilege of being a panellist at the Meetings Industry Association (mia) Connect Day, where we discussed the crucial topic of making venues DEI-ready. It was an interactive and well-received session, highlighting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in organisations.

Looking Back

Looking back on my first year, there have been so many highlights, but one of two come to mind as l standout, including the successful delivery of the annual Communication Matters International AAC Conference, the UK’s leading augmentative and alternative communication conference. This gathering brought together AAC users, families, professionals, researchers, and suppliers for a diverse 3-day program. It is an inspiring event that really showcased the team’s dedication to being an inclusive venue for everyone. In April, we hosted the Digital Universities UK conference for Times Higher Education. As this event typically takes place in London or another European capital city, it was an honour to bring it to Leeds and showcase our commitment to being a Communication Accessible venue and our digital innovation in higher education. The event highlighted our new digital spaces showcasing how events and learning will look moving forward.

In January, I was appointed as a board member for Academic Venue Solutions, where I support efforts to increase member engagement and support new venues joining the collective. Drawing from my previous experience on the Unique Venues of London board, I understand the value of such collaborations in raising the profile of consortiums and individual members.

If I were to identify my proudest achievement, it would undoubtedly be my team and what we have accomplished together in the past year. We’ve delivered hundreds of events and achieved record financial growth, a trend that is set to continue as demand for our venues and services increases. This income is invaluable for reinvestment in the University, which stands as one of the UK’s largest higher education institutions and a member of the Russell Group.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead to the coming year, our focus within the University’s Facilities Directorate will be on strategic ambitions for continual improvement in the services we provide to staff, visitors, and customers. We plan to streamline processes and policies, stay ahead of market trends with our in-house catering service, and enhance accessibility and sustainability measures. We are proud to have achieved Green Tourism Gold status for several of our venues and now aim for the new Green Meetings accreditation for our latest additions to our portfolio.

What a year it has been! I couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring, varied and exciting first year in a new job, which in large part in thanks to the people I get to work with, customers, colleagues and my team! Now let’s see what the next year has to bring!

If you’d like to learn more about our hosting events at the University, get in touch:

Telephone: 0113 343 6100

Email: conferences@leeds.ac.uk

Back in January, we welcomed Kerry Schofield to the team as our new Conferences and Events Operations Manager. Within a few short months, she took the lead in delivering one of our biggest events of the year – Digital Universities UK for Times Higher Education (THE). Here Kerry shares the inside scoop on how she hit the ground running in her new role by managing such a high-profile event!

Kerry Schofield - Event Manager at the University of Leeds

Kerry Schofield – Conference and Events Operations Manager

Can you tell us a little about the event?

The Digital Universities UK conference took place from 17^th – 20^th April 2023 and kicked-off with a reception in our Parkinson Court on the opening night. Bringing together higher education, industry and policy leaders, the conference explored the latest challenges and opportunities of digital-first higher education and presented cutting-edge ideas that will reshape its future.

Over the three days, delegates attended keynotes, interactive panels, live demonstrations, intimate discussions, practical workshops and networking.

Which event spaces were used?

The main plenaries and breakout sessions took place concurrently across six rooms in our brand-new Esther Simpson Building. This worked so well as there was a range of different content for each of the sessions. THE said that it was their biggest event yet in terms of simultaneous presentations and breadth of content, which was all based on the digitisation of the higher education experience.

There were PowerPoints, videos, live demonstrations of emerging digital technologies and VR experiences, among other forms of content being shared. On the last day, there was even a showcase of a digital escape room that one of our own University of Leeds professors had devised for his students during lockdown!

Everything was designed to facilitate the demonstration and debate of the many different applications for digital technologies across the higher education sector. Being our newest venue on campus, which was designed with innovation and collaboration in mind, Esther Simpson was perfectly equipped to meet THE’s technologically-advanced needs.

For registration, hospitality, networking and the all-important exhibition, The Refectory was chosen due to its central location, access to kitchens and large open floor space.

What were some of the challenges in the planning stages?

Given the size of our campus, mapping out the delegate journey was hugely important. For this area of the event, we focused on embodying creativity whilst also having sustainability in mind. We were able to draw on in-house resources to manage this effectively. This included using our student ambassadors as guides (showcasing our students), as well as branding some of our reusable (and therefore more environmentally-friendly) signage blocks to line the whole route for easy wayfinding.

In the run-up to the conference, the delegate registration numbers significantly increased. In the end we catered for 700 attendees! This meant that the floor-space and capacity in The Refectory needed to accommodate these high numbers. With this increase and as a result of moving away from a shell scheme solution, we worked closely with our approved suppliers Rounded Edge to create re-usable branded cloth backdrops on metal frames to separate the premium stands. AV & C Event Production, another of our local preferred suppliers provided draping to give The Refectory an exhibition hall aesthetic.

Was there anything else bespoke for the event?

The chefs from our in-house catering service – Great Food at Leeds designed bespoke menus as an upgrade to our day delegate offer. They consulted closely with the client to understand their requirements and theming based on events they’ve held in the past and then proposed the best options.

This included a selection of canapés for the opening night reception, as well as daily continental breakfast and hot lunch buffets, to facilitate the networking format.

What were some of the highlights for you, in running the Digital Universities UK conference as your first big event in your new role?

At the first site visit, THE told me this was their first ever major event in Leeds, as usually their events take place in London or another European capital city. So, the pressure was certainly on and I wanted to do both the University and city of Leeds proud!

I was inspired by the level of collaboration across the University’s many different departments to deliver an event of this nature. I personally haven’t worked anywhere before where so many different teams have pulled together like we do here and this made me feel extremely supported as the event manager.

In addition to the very full agenda over the three days, we also conducted a number of tours showcasing our wealth of digital experience venues on campus. These included HELIX – our brand-new creative digital facility, which features an extended reality (XR) classroom and the School of Dentistry, which has a virtual reality haptic simulator. This opened my eyes to how cutting-edge the University of Leeds is in the higher education space and made me feel very proud to work for such an innovative organisation.

What has the feedback been like?

It’s all been extremely positive. THE were delighted with how everything ran, as well as with all the comments they received about how digitally advanced the environment was, in keeping with their ethos.

We also received wonderful comments from the University of Leeds’ Vice Chancellor’s office, who were my internal clients.

So overall, I couldn’t be happier with the success of my first big event and I am excited for all the amazing events still to come in my now not so new role.

To find out more, arrange a site visit or discuss your specific requirements for your next event, contact University of Leeds Conferences and Events:

Telephone: 0113 343 6100

Email: conferences@leeds.ac.uk

Reflecting on One Year in Leeds: Transformative Growth and Success in Conferences and Events