This project involved working with a committee from the LSEP, Leicester Partnership, Leicestershire Together, Leicestershire County Council and the Leicester City Council, with the aim of:
• encouraging greater use of research in developing policies
• raising awareness of local research
• identifying gaps in current research
• promoting the work of the three partnerships.

Audience:
• Research professionals, Leicester Shire and the East Midlands
• Policy professionals, Leicester Shire and the East Midlands
• Data and information analysts, Leicester Shire.
The programme for the event consisted of a series of presentations with an opportunity for delegates to discuss the issues raised during the presentations and provide instant feedback using electronic voting handsets.

This was the first time that a conference of this nature had been organised and involved:
• generating the audience
• writing the mailing letters and promotional material
• committee liaison and reporting
• dealing with the venue, speaker liaison
• managing staging and presentations
• organising an exhibition
• delegate management
• PR.

Over 200 delegates attended the event at the newly-opened Athena and it proved to be a great success.