|

This year the Public Affairs Team embarked on its most ambitious party conference programme yet. The RIBA hosted or took part in 16 events across three weeks, up from four events in total at last year's conferences. The aim was clear: to give the RIBA a pro-active presence as the voice of a profession with many of the answers to the pressing challenge of climate change.

At each conference we ran successful receptions in partnership with the Institution of Civil Engineers. These provided platforms to draw attention to what the RIBA is doing to develop skills among architects to meet increasingly demanding environmental regulation and more climate-conscious clients. At Labour our guest of honour was  Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears: Shadow Environment Minister Greg Barker spoke at our Conservative event and Shadow Environment Secretary Chris Huhne was our main guest at the Lib Dem event.   

Brand new to the 2007 RIBA conference tour were 'Ask an Architect' sessions where RIBA members offered their time and knowledge to confererence delegates  on environmentally-sustainable building design. We were pleased by the response and also to happy to see an interesting mix of both architects and 'clients', while the sessions gave the RIBA Public Affairs team an excellent chance to work with enthusiastic architects around the country to get the RIBA's messages on climate change across.  

The final part of the conference package was the widespread use of new RIBA President Sunand Prasad at other events on the conference fringe. In all, an incredibly busy but hugely rewarding season. The follow-up work starts now – as well as the planning for another good season in 2008.