From the Board with Allen Rodwell
One of the biggest changes I have noticed within our organisation over the past six to twelve months, has been the reinvigoration of the local area networks throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Just last week the Board attended a breakfast event where we heard from community members about their views on community engagement and whether ‘trust’ still exists between the community and project proponents.
The speakers were fantastic and provided some great insights on how we as an industry can work with communities to deliver better project outcomes. However, the highlight for me was seeing more than 100 members in attendance and engaging in meaningful discussions, so early on a rainy Friday morning. Along with other recent member events, there has been a genuine buzz in the room, which I think demonstrates the progress being made against one of the key pillars from our Strategic Plan – Strengthening Engagement Networks.
During consultation around the Strategic Plan, we heard loud and clear that members want more opportunities for networking and to share lessons learned with their peers. Supporting our members working in local area networks to organise and deliver these types of events has become a priority for both the Board and the Management team. The success of these events really depends on a small group of volunteers to organise venues, speakers and catering. As a Board, we really encourage any members who have an idea for an event or are interested in getting more involved in their local network, to get in touch with us or contact our fantastic IAP2A staff.
With the rollout of our Strategic Plan including the upcoming launch of our Young Professionals programme and the proposed changes being made at an international level, IAP2 is working hard to place our members at the heart of everything we do.
On a personal note, I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at our 2018 conference: Shake It Up! on the Gold Coast in October. This year’s program has a lot of variety and the organising committee have done a great job of ensuring that there will be sessions that cover off the interests of all who attend.
See you there!