Learning from the sector – why I help organise the IWMW conference
In addition to recently joining the Prospective Student Web Content team, I have joined (for the second time) the IWMW Advisory Group. We are a group of HE representatives from across the country, who work together remotely to organise a conference for digital professionals in the sector.
About IWMW
IWMW is a yearly conference for anyone in higher education who deals with digital provisions, be it websites, social media or other outlets.
The annual conference brings together delegates from across the UK to a different host institution each year to share best practice and develop our professional networks.
IWMW 2020
The 2020 conference will be at the University of Dundee, 30 June to 2 July.
Why I got involved
I was an attendee and workshop facilitator at IWMW 2017 and 2018, and loved both my experiences at the conference.
It’s a great balance between learning new things from colleagues in the sector during the conference programme, and then actually getting to know those wonderful people through the social events.
The opportunity came up to join the IWMW 2019 Advisory Group, and I most gladly accepted.
There is a lot of value in going to a conference, but I think there is even greater value in getting involved in the behind-the-scenes work.
Not only do you get to add your input into the organisation of the conference, you get lead and introduce new changes. That’s the real strength of IWMW – it’s community-driven, and a different advisory group each year always means new ideas.
For 2019, I definitely had my fill of introducing changes. For the programme, I introduced Learn Coffee discussions; on the social end, I organised a morning run and photo scavenger hunt.
Running, photo-hunting and lightning-talking: an IWMW 2019 recap
IWMW 2020 from a new perspective
I’m really excited about attending the conference this year, as it’s my first in my new role.
For nearly 5 years, I was with the University’s Website and Communications team. We were responsible for providing and supporting EdWeb, the corporate CMS, and acting as a digital consultancy to any department at the University.
Acting as a consultancy for an entire university was quite a broad remit. Now, my focus has narrowed to prospective student content. (I say ‘narrowed’, but it’s quite a large focus!)
At previous conferences, I felt a bit removed from the chats around recruitment content as that wasn’t part of my previous role.
For 2020, I’m ready to enjoy the conference from a new perspective and soak up all the learnings and insights that will help our team and prospective student content colleagues around the University.
Call for submissions
Our call for submissions for IWMW 2020 is open until 13 December. We’re accepting session proposals for plenaries, workshops or any format you would like to introduce us to.
If you have a story to tell – or skill to share – about the work you do with websites, social media or even professional development, we would love to hear it.
