What to expect from the CGIUKI Annual Conference

CGIUKI’s 2024 annual conference (3rd & 4th July) was my first. I really didn’t know what to expect. First impressions were reassuringly good. The Novotel London West is a spacious, bright and well-furnished hotel. Delegates have exclusive use of a carefully-designed conference space for the two-day duration. The main hall is one of the best I have ever seen; it’s laid out landscape style rather than portrait style, so nobody feels distant from the stage.

I was unsure how much “buzz” 800 governance professionals would generate. The answer is “a lot”. Energy levels were very high. My suspicion is that remote work has made conferences even more valuable and even more appreciated. It was immediately clear that delegates had brought a lot of energy and a lot of goodwill with them.

The CEO, Sara Drake, kicked off the conference with a powerful speech that ranged over the whole governance landscape; mentioning the big trends and the big issues. Yes, there are many challenges for governance professionals and for organisational leaders, but governance professionals know that their value to organisations is rising. There are lots of opportunities for influence, if people are ready to take them. The profession is stronger when we look out for one another, and pool our knowledge and experience. The speech set the bar for the conference very high; this conference was clearly not going to duck the big challenges.

Whilst it would be invidious to single out particular sessions for praise; I can testify that the calibre of the sessions across the conference was very good; I didn’t experience a single dud presentation. Like most people who work in communications I have the attention span of a gnat, yet my attention was held all the way till the refreshment breaks. The speakers seemed to lean into the high energy in the room and push for maximum engagement with the audience. The main challenge for many attendees was how to listen intently whilst also scribbling (notes) furiously.

The refreshment breaks offered useful opportunities to explore the exhibition stalls and to meet people. I found networking very easy at this conference because the delegates were so friendly. The conference seemed to create a village atmosphere for the two-day duration. Walking about the conference was more like walking in the countryside than in the city, people actually said hello to each other as they passed - did this event really take place in London?

“Networking” may have a bad name for some, but personally I look forward to it as a method of informal learning. There is no doubt that governance is quite an eclectic profession; I have found that governance professionals have considerable capacity to surprise you, by both what they do and by what they know. For me, therefore, networking was definitely a major part of the value proposition of this conference and it didn’t disappoint. Even short conversations were stimulating because delegates were so enthused and full of ideas for how they could put their new learning into practice. There was a definite “can do” spirit about the event. Many conferences are disguised social events but this conference was definitely not one of those. It was intense and highly productive. The conference attracted a very high calibre of delegate; focussed people who are committed to improvement. After the usual “how are you finding the conference?” pleasantries, many delegates quickly proceeded to core matters with great questions such as: “What are your challenges right now?” and “What new technology are you looking into at the moment?”.

The lunchtime food was good, probably too good for a conference; restaurant quality. I really felt the food needed a white tablecloth and a bottle of white wine to accompany it. When that caterer opens a restaurant, I will be first in line.

Lunchtime also allowed time for exploring the stalls and catching up with a few colleagues, swapping notes from breakout sessions we had attended. My only regret from the conference was that I couldn’t attend EVERY session. Hey ho.

The afternoon breakout sessions had a different feel to them from the main hall. They were smaller and less formal, and often highly interactive; a perfect way to fight the post-lunch slump.  At this conference, even the queues were productive because queuing for breakout rooms provided another opportunity to chat to new people. For the second breakout session the previous session was over-running, so a real crowd built up. This was definitely one of the best-natured crowds I have ever been in; governance professionals evidently score very highly for politeness.

See this blog post for an overview of learnings from the 2024 Conference: Governance 2024 ten takeaways

As the intensive learning of the first day ended, it was time for the drinks reception. The combination of fine wine and intensive learning made for a great atmosphere at the drinks reception. As this came to a close, many delegates wanted to carry on chatting, so we adjourned to the hotel’s delightful bar for a blend of governance chat and political banter (it was polling day tomorrow after all). The beer at the hotel is cheaper than at my local, so I may be coming back sooner than I planned.

Was the conference worth going to? I came away with a bunch of new contacts, a head full of new ideas and a notepad full of new plans. What more could you ask for from a conference?

In summary, Governance 2024 was one of the most energetic and thought-provoking conferences I have attended for many years and certainly the friendliest. See you in July!

The 2025 conference takes place at Novotel London West on 1 and 2 July. Book your place here: 2025 CGIUKI Annual Conference