Over the 27th, 28th and 29th June 2023, Convene sponsored the Unlock Net Zero stage at the Housing 2023 conference, Europe's largest housing festival and annual conference. We’d like to thank the Chartered Institute of Housing for setting up an incredibly engaging and collaborative event, as well as all our fellow attendees for making it such a memorable conference.
The conference provided us the chance to learn about, engage with and keep ahead of industry trends, as well as the opportunity to collaborate and converse with many people within the sector.
This year the conference looked to explore governance, risk, tenant voice, changing and resetting business plans, the importance of social care, health and housing integration, professionalism, reputation, the cost of living crisis amongst many other topics over the three days.
On day one, talks and exhibitions discussed tenant’s voices and how to create community and a tenant-centric culture. There was a focus specifically on dealing with issues of dampness, mould and disrepair, as symbolic of larger issues. There was also emphasis placed on the importance of diversity and inclusion, and how housing can better help those with accessibility requirements.
Day one also featured talks on new technology and possible AI innovation within the sector and industry, as well as data privacy and cybersecurity.
There was also an emphasis placed on sustainability and decarbonisation, and how housing can work to achieve the best ESG practices possible and create greener spaces.
Convene’s own Arturo Dell, Associate Director and ESG consultant, spoke during a talk on decarbonisation, about how it can be funded within the sector and what can be done to ensure that meeting net zero targets stays on top of the agenda.
Arturo discussed the importance of gathering ESG data and the Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS) for housing, and how Convene ESG was developed to help the sector with this.
Convene ESG is an end-to-end ESG report building tool that simplifies and automates much of the reporting process, so you can focus on developing your sustainability strategies.
Through data collection, peer comparison, and report generation, you are able to monitor your progress, achieve your targets and exhibit your success - ensuring you meet regulatory requirements, industry standards and shareholder expectations with your ESG practices.
On day two of the conference, there was a continued focus on tenant’s voices, and there was also more emphasis placed on the importance of investing in ESG and how to better help our planet for the future.
The importance of addressing issues of diversity within the sector was explored further on the second day, and there was renewed focus on what housing can do to help resolve and prevent homelessness. There was also emphasis placed on providing better housing options for both young people and older people alike.
On the final day of the conference, there was more exploration on how to tackle inequalities within the sector, specifically focusing on the stigma surrounding marginalised groups, such as traveller communities, within the housing industry.
There were talks on planning for the future, about what should be on the agenda and what housing as a sector might need from the next government.
There was also renewed attention on ESG, decarbonisation and achieving net zero, and how housing needs to adapt in the future.
Arturo Dell spoke during a talk about how ESG is unlocking new investment in the social housing sector, and how organisations can balance achieving ESG standards with wider business changes.
Arturo spoke more about Convene ESG, and how it can help housing providers prepare for mandatory financial disclosures under the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, as Convene ESG has the TCFD set up as a framework so you can make an ESG report for your specific housing needs.
You can learn more about how Convene ESG can help your organisation in achieving net zero targets by simplifying the ESG reporting process here, and book a free demo today.
Thank you again to the Chartered Institute of Housing for allowing Convene ESG the opportunity to sponsor the Housing 2023 conference, and thank you to all those in attendance for your participation in how to improve the housing sector to make a better future.
