We are absolutely delighted that our inaugural online annual conference ‘A Fairer Scotland, A Greener World’, which was run over 2 mornings in November, was so well received by attendees. The huge step to pivot our pre-eminent annual event to be fully digital paid off, with over 135 delegates in attendance over the 2 days.
The absence of face to face in person contact was by no means prohibitive to the enthusiasm and networking that ensued, as delegates made use of the various options available to them for networking and sharing of information.
Our conference theme, of ‘A Fairer Scotland, A Greener World’, flowed through the entire programme given we see social and environmental goals as not competing and conflicting targets to aim for, but very much the 2 sides of the same coin of sustainability.
Our host Dr Heather Reid, OBE did a superb job of compering, overseeing proceedings and inputting her own experiences from her background in physics and meteorology.
We were lucky enough to have so many high profile and specialist speakers deliver passionate and informed keynotes. A particular highlight being Doug Allan, wildlife and documentary film maker, who really inspired us with his engaging and challenging visual presentation, which completely set the tone for day 1.
Conference wouldn’t be conference without our Spotlight on Members sessions, and this year we were able to feature this element on both days. Some really impressive work taking place during some very challenging Covid times was shared via talks, presentations and short videos. CRNS was also enthused to have the support of the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham MSP. During her speech Ms Cunningham praised the work of our members, their staff and volunteers, as they rose to the challenge to continue their invaluable work during 2020.
Our conference platform also enabled a digital Market Place to be available to delegates whereby they could visit the booths to view information on a variety of organisations and services. Some booths even provided the opportunity to meet and speak with exhibitors. Breakout sessions running on both days, on diverse subjects, facilitated smaller focus groups to speak to other participants in the sessions and to contribute.
CRNS CEO Michael Cook, on closing the conference, said “Covid-19 has had and continues to have massive impact on our work and personal lives. But despite the obvious challenges, our sector has been doing great work to support their communities. YOU have been doing great work – to create a Fairer Scotland and a Greener World. Thank you!”
Michael also informed delegates that CRNS’ 2020 Impact Report “Supporting Scottish Communities During Covid-19” has just recently been published.
For those who wish to recapture any of the presentations or indeed if you missed the conference, we are able to provide this Conference Playlist which contains the main stage keynotes and Spotlight on Members sessions on both days. We would also like to share with you a few comments from delegates that attended:
“Well done for a brilliant event. Really impressive use of technology and great speakers”.
“I truly believe that the years just around the corner will see CRNS go from strength to strength as your initiatives and the mindset of you and your members become increasingly valued. Best wishes to all, and thanks for the chance to speak”.
“We had about 5 of us in attendance over the two days and we were all seriously impressed and pleased with the structure, IT and content of this year’s event, well done all. Certainly, 5 of us would have never of attended a face to face event in the central belt – so more time and cost-effective too”.
We could not have delivered an event to the high standard it was without the support of our sponsors, and we extend once more our sincere thanks to them all – our headline sponsor Zero Waste Scotland and our other event sponsors below. You can visit our sponsors’ websites by clicking on their logos.
