Conference Review

CONFERENCE REVIEW

In 2017 NACLC commissioned a comprehensive and independent review of the National CLCs Conference to identify opportunities to improve the experience for conference delegates and the way the conference is delivered.

Key issues considered by the review included:

  • The strategic purpose of the National Conference
  • The optimal frequency of the conference
  • Conference delivery including the length and format of the conference program
  • Governance and decision making, as well as the financial model for delivery of the conference
  • Evaluation and continuous improvement

The review involved extensive consultation across the CLC sector, including with the NACLC Board and Advisory Council, delegates at the 2017 conference, CLC staff who did not attend the 2017 conference, as well as participants across a range of national CLC networks. A total of 284 stakeholders contributed to the review through various survey and consultation process, including 60 participants in group and individual consultations held at the 2017 Conference.

As detailed in the final report and summarised in the Executive Summary (available to members only) four overarching findings emerged from the sector’s feedback:

  • The sector is strongly committed to the National CLC Conference and its continuation
  • There is a strong appetite across the sector to ‘refresh’ the conference format
  • There is almost universal support for trialling new approaches to conference
  • The sector has a sound appreciation of the amount of work required to organise the conference and the organisational workload involved in organising the conference.

In this context the review report makes a broad range of recommendations in relation to the strategic purpose of the conference, conference governance, coordination and administration, conference financial model, conference delivery and evaluation and continuous improvement.

NACLC is developing the plan to implement the review recommendations as part of the 2018, and future, conferences. As the first step in this process, in October 2017 the NACLC Advisory Council endorsed the revised strategic purpose for the National Conference to help guide decision making in relation to conference delivery and administration.

Inquiries

For all inquiries in relation to the conference review please contact John Macmillan, Director Sector Sustainability at john_macmillan@clc.net.au