We recently attended the LARAC (the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee) conference organised by Environment Media. The whole experience was really positive and brought home the importance of being able to meet face to face, something we have all missed over the last couple of years.
The breakout sessions worked very well, and it was great to see some of our existing clients outside the structure of our usual meetings. These less ‘formal’ conversations meant we discussed topics we might not ordinarily cover and gave us the opportunity to meet members of their wider teams. It was equally good to be able to meet representatives from councils who we don’t currently work with. They are all in different stages of their journey from paper-based systems to those using other systems but potentially looking to upgrade or update.
The conference provided delegates with access to a wide range of high-quality content, and this then prompted discussions in the breakout sessions. Topics we discussed included how technology can support the provision of free food waste collections as well as the benefits of unitary and non-unitary authorities and how waste systems can work in both environments.
From a broader technology perspective, a lot of focus was being placed on the ‘customer journey’ so portals, apps and the ability to self-serve information were popular talking points. The use of real-time accurate data to improve communication and engagement is an area where we expect to see significant growth as many councils have now done a lot of work on the operational and back-office side of things. It was useful to be able to demonstrate our solutions there and then so visitors to the stand could experience them first-hand.
We’d like to thank everyone who came to see us on the stand as well as LARAC and Environment Media for delivering such a well organised event.