My experience on the organising committee for the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Conference 2023

The Government Statistical Service (GSS) Conference 2023 took place on Wednesday 8 November. It was a hybrid event that took place across three government sites and online. The theme was ‘Statistics and diversity: using statistics to build a more inclusive world’.

Camilla Somers blogs about her experience on the organising committee for the conference.

My role on the committee

I was part of the Keynote Speakers team for the GSS Conference 2023. My team were responsible for:

• identifying suitable speakers for this year’s conference theme
• booking keynote speakers
• answering any questions from the booked keynote speakers
• being the main point of contact for keynote speakers on the day of the conference across the three sites

My experience on the day of the conference

This was an extremely positive experience for me. I got to work with my peers across GSS and was made to feel incredibly welcome and valued. I am so proud of the fact that as a team we were able to organise and host a hybrid conference across multiple sites in a way no-one has done previously.

My highlight of being on the committee

This was my second time being on the conference committee. Both times it has felt really rewarding, but the highlight is always the people. It is a fantastic way to meet people from different departments and organisations. I myself work in Public Health Scotland, and it is invaluable to hear about what other people are doing in different fields and make connections with other members of the GSS.

The best skill or piece of knowledge I learnt from working on the committee

Practically I think I learnt more about Microsoft Teams technology than ever before! On a more serious note, many of us on the committee only met in person on the day of the conference which highlighted to me that communication and working together effectively are vital to success.