04 December 2023 - CISG-PCMG23 Reflections - Ann-Marie Cancemi
UCISA CISG-PCMG23 PlusOne Scheme - The application process
UCISA held their annual CISG-PCMG23 conference in November 2023.
In my new role I felt that it would be beneficial for me to attend but was aware of budget constraints and whether it would be feasible for me to attend this year.
While looking at the conference details and agenda I spotted the PlusOne Scheme and felt this would be a great way to attend the conference with limited cost to the university.
The only requirement is that you are referred by a member of the university who has already booked their place at the conference and that if accepted I would need to disseminate my experience with UCISA and within NTU.
To me it seemed a small price to pay to attend the conference!
What was I looking forward to about CISG-PCMG23?
My main reason for attending the conference was to hear about the experiences of other institutions in this fast-changing world of Higher Education. The title of the conference "Out with the old and in with the new" was what caught my attention!
- To meet like-minded colleagues doing similar roles to me at universities.
- To find out if what we are doing at NTU is the best approach.
- To visit the sponsor stands at the exhibition to see what else is out there that we are not currently using at NTU.
- To attend as many diverse sessions as I could.
CISG-PCMG23 First Impressions
The Conference was held in Birmingham, which was fairly central for most people and easy to get to. The conference venue was ideal, being attached to the hotel, so you could drop off your luggage and register at the same time. Everything was well laid out and there were lots of UCISA colleagues around to direct you to where you needed to be.
I was a little bit nervous and not sure what to expect, but everyone was very welcoming, so my nerves soon disappeared.
Main themes of the conference
- Digital Transformation
- Change
- Hype Cycle
- Partner showcases
- University showcases
Top three key takeaways from the Conference
- Digital Transformation is one of the key themes of the conference. It was great to listen to institutions talking about their journeys, the pitfalls, lessons learned and what they are doing to future proof changes.
- However long the list of requirements for any student data transformation, you won't get it all done in time.
- Attending the conference has allowed me to focus on what is happening within the sector, something that sometimes the day job gets in the way of keeping up with technology in the sector.
Why you should attend CISG-PCMG
For anyone wanting to attend the CISG-PCMG event for the first time, look at the agenda and plan what you want to attend. Some of the sessions are repeated, but for me I went to sessions that were of interest to me in my role. My role is operational, but I was also interested in Project Management as my team are being seconded into projects more and more.
You meet like minded individuals who are all wanting to hear how other institutions are coping with Change, whether that is part of a Digital transformation or adapting to the variety of courses institutions are now providing
The other key reason to attend is the networking opportunity a conference like this gives you. You are away from the day job, and it allows you the time to meet your peers and suppliers.
