Nicki Browne
I met different people at every session and there was a great atmosphere; before every session started the room was filled with the buzz of people getting to know each other and sharing information.
”AUA Annual Conference at University of Warwick, 29 - 31 March 2010.
"On receiving the conference information I was amazed by the amount of sessions to choose from, so narrowing it down to just 5 was pretty difficult; there were loads that I wanted to attend. I eventually made my choices, which were a mixture of four themes: administration and management in higher education, the learning experience, higher education in society and personal and professional development."
"My first impression on arriving at Warwick University was the size of the campus. When the first sign you see is for Car Park 16, you know that it's going to be on the large side. After checking into my room I headed off to my first session with much-needed map in one hand and brolly in the other. A couple of wrong turns later I found the room, grabbed a seat and quickly got chatting to those around me. Everyone was keen to find out about each other and their roles within their institutions. A good start."
"That evening was quiz night, so the Derby team met up for dinner and then headed off to compete and with Bev at the helm it was going to be serious. We didn't win; we didn't do too badly either but the less said about the lovely white tablecloth the better!"
"As this was my first AUA conference I really didn't know what to expect but the thing that struck me throughout the whole event was how friendly everyone was. I met different people at every session and there was a great atmosphere; before every session started the room was filled with the buzz of people getting to know each other and sharing information."
"Day two was packed with more interesting working sessions and key note speeches, followed by the Gala Dinner in the evening. At dinner I sat with people from Salford, Bournemouth, Belfast, Nigeria and the West Indies. It was a great mix and the conversation (and wine) flowed all evening, plus I got myself an invite to Salford University to see their Student Life area, which I'm hoping to take them up on soon."
"On the last day, which seemed to come round very quickly, there were two final sessions to attend. The first one, called 'Mind the Gap', was probably my favourite of the conference and although people were feeling a little tired and fragile from the night before, the speaker had everyone hooked. The session was about the different generations and their values. It was presented in an entertaining way with lots of anecdotes that we could all relate to, but there was a serious message too about seeing life through someone else's eyes and empathy and how this can benefit teams that are made up of different generations."
"Before I knew it, it was all over and we were on our way back home. I have great memories of the conference; I picked up some really useful information from the workshops and key note speeches, but I think one of the most valuable aspects of the event was the networking. I mean, where else would you meet so many university administrators in one place?"
