Conference Details
PI: Conferences inaugural conference, the Information Professional Learning Conference (IPLC), was held on the 29th and 30th June at The Grove Hotel, Hertfordshire.

The conference was a huge success and gauging from feedback received from the 59 delegates present, it provided a valuable learning forum for information professionals, where high quality speakers and facilitators voiced new approaches and ideas on how to manage the information function for greater productivity.

This event could not have achieved its goals without the help of our following sponsors: LexisNexis, Alacra, FT Corporate Solutions, Euromonitor, Intelligent Resources, Standard & Poor. s, OneSource, ISI Emerging Markets and First People Solutions.

Conference Success Rating
We decided to invite the delegates to provide us with feedback at the end of the conference, so we could assess how useful they thought the event was and to see if there were any changes they wanted to make that perhaps we could incorporate into future events. The 59 delegates came from 47 companies, predominantly from law firms, consultancies and investment banks.

On the whole, the feedback was very positive. Most delegates said they found it useful to have a wide range of industries present, since it increased networking opportunities, provided a wider perspective and also proved that some issues were not limited to one sector only.

Feedback highlights

• Almost all feedback forms revealed that the main attractions of the IPLC were the agenda, the networking opportunities and the speakers.
• Most speakers were given a high evaluation, ranging between 3 and 5 (3=Good; 5=Excellent, 1 being the poorest ranking). The most popular speakers were Eva Pascoe and Dave Snowden, due to the content and style of their presentations.
• The panel discussion on the second day also received a high ranking: attendees enjoyed both the format and the debate.

Breakout Sessions
Feedback from the breakout sessions was generally very positive. In general, most of the delegates enjoyed the structure of the conference, which entailed following up the presentations with more practical and interactive breakout sessions. However, some commented that the breakout sessions could be improved if they lasted longer (1. 5 hours or more). Furthermore, a few believed that the facilitators were not experienced enough to run the session.

Exhibition Suite
The general consensus on the exhibition suite was that it was small and not entirely necessary. However, it was said on a few occasions that the staff on the stands were very professional and gave interesting demos of their products to those who asked for them.

Conference logistics

• The hotel received very high ratings for the service, the venue itself and the location.
• The booking/administration, the overall conference, the organisation and the programme content received on the whole a . 4=very good. ranking.
• The papers/documentations provided obtained a . good. ranking.

Evening Dinner
The evening dinner received a very warm welcome from the delegates, who enjoyed the more informal approach and found it a great opportunity to network and catch up with old friends. Many commented that this event brought all the delegates on a level with each other, so they felt they could converse openly and gain further value from this more personal interaction.

Future conferences

• From all the feedback forms received, only 1 person said they were . not sure. if they would come back to the IPLC next year, and only 1 person said they were . not entirely. satisfied with their experience at the conference. All other comments revealed that they would recommend their company attends next time and that they were satisfied with their experience of the IPLC.
• Nearly all delegates said they would like the future IPLC conferences to take place once a year, for 2-3 days, based outside of London, and during the month of May or June.
• Topics suggested for future conferences include: vendor convergence, content management, risk, managing change whilst maintaining quality, and benchmarking.

Here are some of the comments delegates made at the end of the feedback form:

• It was a very good conference. Thanks!
• The mix of the whole group sessions and breakouts was very good.
• Excellent content and organisation.
• Fabulous venue and the mix of presentations and breakout sessions on highly topical issues made for a thoroughly useful and enjoyable experience.