At iNetwork the vision is clear, we look to support local public service organisations to “collaborate to innovate” to provide effective support for their communities. iNetwork facilitates this by hosting a range of events and conversations that create much needed space to share best practice and cross sector expertise.
In this article we take a look at some of the key events delivered in the last financial year and some of the events we have lined up for the coming year.
Delivery of Events 2021 – 2022
In 2021-22 we held over 50 virtual events and meetings that were attended by over 1500 delegates. We have hosted virtual events across all programme areas and that have resulted in engaging and inspiring conversations amongst delegates. Here is a quick look at some of the highlights in last year’s event calendar:
‘Mitigating Risks Down the Supply Chain’ (January 2022).This combined EISS and CPC programme event was chaired by Peter Schofield, Head of Procurement at Manchester City Council and focused on the ever evolving risks faced by Procurement and IT professionals and provided an opportunity to consider how these can be identified and ameliorated. You can read the full blog here that highlights the key topics from the speakers and the discussion.
‘Building Inclusive Economies through Public Procurement’ (November 2021). Hannah Gains the Stakeholder Engagement Manager hosted her first Connected Procurement and Commissioning event. This event looked at promoting social value within communities through the utilisation of the power of procurement and the benefits and impact of the Real Living Wage. The session highlighted how the promotion of social value is a key topic for procurement and commissioning professionals and our NLG members. You can read the full blog here for the highlights from the event.
‘iNetwork’s 16th Annual Conference: Driving with Data: People, Place & Prosperity’ (November 2021). The conference was the highlight of the iNetwork calendar and was hosted virtually. Over 30 speakers were invited to share their service innovation stories and resources in practice from all levels, including community leaders, practitioners and local enterprises. The conference provided delegates with the opportunity to be inspired by ground-breaking projects which delivered value for people and communities and showcased place-based working. You can read the full blog here which provides an overview of the day and seminars.
‘Northern WARP Conference’ (July 2021). We hosted over 170 delegates in collaboration with Yorkshire & Humber WARP & ISNorthEast (North East Government WARP) at the Northern WARP Conference: Security, Governance and Management. The conference provided delegates with an exciting opportunity to hear from government, industry and peers speak about a range of topics related to cyber/information security, information governance and information management.
‘Attracting and Retaining Public Sector Skills’. Delivery for 2021-22 started with a launch of a series of events launched by the Transforming and Innovating Public Services (TIPS) programme. This series supported the iNetwork membership to identify issues, barriers, and opportunities to understand and respond to the needs and interests of target talent groups. The ‘Attracting and Retaining a Talented Diverse Workforce’ and ‘Going Above and Beyond in Diverse Public Service Recruitment’ sessions explored various strategies and initiatives such as; apprenticeship schemes, grow your own scheme, professional development and accreditation and diverse employment schemes.
‘Returning to the Workplace: Employee Wellbeing’ (July 2021). The TIPS programme focused on the transition back to the office after lockdowns eased. This event shared tips and techniques to support those returning to the workplace and covered topics such as; changing work patterns, home working burnout, feelings of isolation and anxiety over social distancing. You can read the full blog here for the key learning points from this session.
Delivery of Events 2022 – 2023
After a successful year, we are now looking forward to delivering an array of informed and topical events for 2022-23. This year, we are looking to return to in person events after hosting virtual events since the pandemic. We held our first in person event the ‘Innovation Awards 2021 Dinner and Ceremony on 19th May at the Lowry Hotel, Manchester. It was a night of celebration and recognition for the public sector. You can view a selection of the images from the night here and explore the projects that won each of our awards on the night.
“A huge thank you to you all and well done on delivering another fabulous iNetwork event. You have delivered great online sessions over the past two years, but it was so lovely to catch up with everybody face to face, and especially to meet the new members of the team. I know that an incredible amount of hard work goes on behind the scenes so just wanted to say thank you and your efforts are really appreciated.”
After the Innovation Awards Dinner and Ceremony we delivered the third Innovation Awards Showcase: Celebrate, Learn and Share on 26th May. This was a virtual event that highlighted a number of the innovative projects nominated for an award. If you registered for a ticket, throughout accelevents, don’t forget that you can view all the projects from the day for up to 30 days after the event.
Furthermore, we have scheduled a range of key events in 2022-23, these upcoming events have been inspired by Network Leadership Group members and will look to further explore key themes, topics and discussions that will highlight innovation and transformation across the local public sector. Stay up to date with all the latest information from iNetwork by signing up to the mailing list and take a look below at some of the upcoming events in this year’s event calendar:
– Hybrid Working – Building on Lessons from the Pandemic (Tuesday 21st June 2022). Book tickets here.
– The Levelling Up Agenda for the Local Public Sector (Wednesday 29th June 2022). Book tickets here.
– Exploring the Role of the Technology Industry in Place (Thursday 14th July 2022). Book tickets here.
– Northern WARP Conference: Security in an Evolving World (Friday 15th July 2022). Save the date to your calendar.
– Go ON Digital Inclusion Partnership Meeting (Tuesday 19th July 2022). Book tickets here.
– Innovation Awards 2022, Nominations will open in September 2022.
– iNetwork Annual Conference (Thursday 17th November 2022). Get in touch to find out more.
We look forward to seeing you either virtually or in person in the coming year. At iNetwork, we are always keen to provide our membership with timely information and updates. We will continue to listen to our membership to ensure we are responding to the most pressing issues and challenges affecting public sector delivery. If you have anything you would like to share with us, please do get in touch.