By Louise Darby, Communications Business Partner, Public Health, Sunderland City Council
I took lots away from LGcomms academy 2024 – and the statement about it being where you meet your people really stuck with me.
It was an answer to a question I posed to a panel of comms colleagues about whether it was lonely the further you advance in your career – and it really struck a chord.
At comms academy you’re surround by like-minded people. If you’re grappling with a sticky issue, there’s a good chance there’s someone in the room who’s been there, done that and can share the learning.
One of the best parts of the two days was undoubtedly the ‘un conference’ style session on day two. I must admit to being apprehensive about what the next hour and 15 minutes would hold but it soon became apparent that it’s whatever you need it to be. Carving out some time on the agenda to help each other work through some of the hot topics we all have in common was a definite plus.
Local government communications is a great place to work with great people and over the two days we saw presentations on everything from hosting Taylor Swift to using AI.
Surprisingly, the 30 minutes of mindfulness at lunchtime on day one wasn’t as uncomfortable as I would have thought – and went some way to calming the nerves before getting on stage for the Future Leaders graduation segment!
Overall, it was a fantastic two days, with all of the learning that comes with getting local government comms people in a room together.
When it comes down to it, comms is all about relationships and comms academy really delivers.
Even if my kids did question whether I was actually working when they saw a picture of me with the DeLorean!