Last Thursday, 17th June, Convene went to the 2021 virtual NHF Conference. Given the great experiences we’ve had at the conference in the past, we were excited by another chance to learn, share and network. It certainly lived up to our expectations!
The conference was held via an online platform where attendees could access a wide variety of talks. This also offered the chance to access virtual networking and a helpful video library. As with all industries, this is an important time in the housing sector. Speakers took a look back at the past year and considered what we could learn from it.
One of the key themes of the conference was flexibility. The pandemic has shown the importance of adapting to sudden change. Remote working was a challenge at first, but it has quickly become the new normal. In fact, many have discovered unexpected advantages of working from home. Some have even found they are more productive!
Moving forward, many of the talks discussed how organisations should prepare for new challenges. This includes every part of business: from structural changes to diversity and accessibility. Not everything is predictable, flexibility and agility are very achievable if organisations keep their core values in mind.
We sponsored a great panel on 'Creating Effective Hybrid Work Environments'. Our Head of Customer Success - Gemma Walford - and Aileen Evans of Grand Union Housing Group talked about the practical side of hybrid meetings. When half your staff are in the office, and the other half are working from home, business can seem like a challenge. Both addressed how software could introduce flexibility into the workplace.
We have numerous clients in the housing sector, so the future of the industry is extremely important to us. Thank you to everyone involved in the conference, we hope to see you again next year!
Convene is an all-in-one board portal designed to streamline meetings. Please don’t hesitate to contact us and see what Convene can do for your housing association!
