Judy Wickens, Adviser, Union of International Association, UIA Social legacy. Your meeting is over – and people in the place you visited are smiling when they remember you; wouldn't that be good? A legacy is something you leave for others when you've gone, and a social legacy is a lasting benefit to the local community. The UIA Associate Members Meeting will focus on social legacy on 17 October, with workshops and discussions on extending such valuable and greatly appreciated initiatives. The element People in the three Ps of CSR is an increasing consideration, and with wit and imagination a wide range of possibilities can be achieved. Associations possess an abundance of creativity and moral generosity which can be used to the advantage of the population in the part of the world where meetings are held. Community benefits which enhance conference participants' awareness of local circumstances are good for everyone. In its daily work, too, an association can contribute to its local community, by applying thought and effort. Organisations of many kinds are conscious of the necessity of Corporate Social Responsibility, with People Planet Profit as the three P's at its heart, and want to interact with others beyond their own structure. As electronic meetings and virtual conferences become more numerous and effective, they work even better when people involved know each other personally. Then again, certain meetings are legal requirements and have to be attended in person. Catering with regional food contributes to local commerce as well as lightening environmental impact, and your use of a hotel or meeting hall employs people from nearby to provide services, but thoughtful liaison between local knowledge and the visitors can go further, much further. An imaginative project or activity which fits in with your association's own mission is an ideal. However, it should not tread on the toes of established organisations, so dovetailing your activity with existing efforts by consulting your DMC or convention bureau is advisable, indeed the local conference experts may take the initiative to suggest community partners which a meeting organiser could consider. Your legacy doesn't have to be an Olympic Stadium or worth thousands of dollars to be valued, it could be a park bench, a coat of paint, a cleaner playground. The nature and scale of your contribution can be tailored to the type and length of your programme. Speakers can be asked to share their specialist expertise for an hour or two – a senior doctor, for example, could give a training session at a nearby hospital, or a business guru could offer a seminar on developing trade. Participants could be asked to bring with them to the congress a book or toy, or an item to be sold in a charity shop; crates set out in the registration area for collection would fill rapidly, promoting good will all round. Instead of games as a team-building exercise, substituting the construction of shelves for a children's library is more useful and productive, with a result at least as good in unifying your team, probably better. A sporting or social event is a traditional part of your programme? This could be an opportunity for participants to make a donation to a local charity instead of receiving a prize. Although we all try to avoid waste nowadays, at the end of an event there remain some items on our hands: look again at unused goods, or things used briefly but by no means worn out, and think of sending them to schools rather than binning them or paying for return transport. Planning and forethought are required, certainly, but conference organisers and associations excel in both qualities. Creativity is to the fore, large funds and staff numbers are not vital. Inspired? Intrigued? Come to the UIA meeting for a wealth of ideas, and you'll end your next conference not only with a smile on your own face but also leaving a smile on the faces of those you've left behind you. | ||||||