The CTSI Symposium is now over for another year. It was a fantastic event with representatives from the profession and from a host of organisations that help and support it in all sorts of ways. Over the next few weeks we will be publishing our video coverage of the event. Check back soon to view.
Paul Evans, Editor
With a renewed focus on the UK’s trading standards framework, the profession is in a unique position to drive positive change. At the forefront of this push is the CTSI Symposium 2018, an event that aims to give the trading standards world a new look and feel to fit what modern society needs it to be.
Karin Layton, Senior Events Executive at CTSI, says: “It always seems impossible until the work is done but the key to this event is planning, planning, planning! I am really looking forward to seeing colleagues old and new in Nottingham; for me the annual event is a fantastic opportunity to meet up with people who I correspond with throughout the year.
“We are going to be at an exciting new venue with a refined structure, this is a trial for 2018 and we will be seeking the feedback of our members to determine the structure for 2019. so please take five minutes to complete the survey that will be available at Symposium.”
The Symposium takes place on 4-6 June, and will be held at the East Midlands Conference Centre – a purpose-built event space set among the lush greenery of the Nottingham University campus. The venue is located just two miles from Nottingham city centre, and is very close to the M1, allowing easy access by road or rail. A range of residential and non-residential delegate packages is available, with discounted rates for CTSI members.
Andrew Griffiths, MP
The focal point of the three days will undoubtedly be the first day’s plenary, delivered by Andrew Griffiths MP, the government’s new Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility (see our interview with the Minister here).
The Symposium’s keynote address, this session will focus on the crucial task of influencing decision makers in seeing the impact of trading standards work – an important stepping stone to increasing public understanding of the profession’s value and importance. Griffiths will specifically look at how trading standards officers can demonstrate to local councils the impact they have on economic growth, providing a crucial link that should help consumer protection professionals attract a greater share of local authority funds.
CTSI Best Practice
The following day’s plenary, which promises to be no less enlightening, will see CTSI launch its new guide, The Value of Trading Standards.
A showcase of exemplary practice, the guide will be targeted at councillors, helping those decision-makers to see and understand the vital role that their own trading standards services play in safeguarding communities and boosting local businesses. The final plenary session, held on the Wednesday, will follow on from this, with selected submissions highlighting successful work and projects in 20-minute presentations, under the theme ‘the value of trading standards’.
Masterclasses
These plenaries will set the positive, forward-looking tone of the Symposium, but they will not be the only sessions available for delegates.
Each day will also feature a number of talks and networking sessions, and will be capped by a masterclass focusing on the legal and technical side of the profession.
The first of these will explore the Ivey v Genting Casinos [2017] case that overturned the 35-year-old legal test for criminal dishonesty, and which has significant repercussions for trading standards law. Other masterclasses will examine the impact of landmark trading standards cases, and how officers can increase their understanding of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to maximise their chances of legal success.
Skills and influence
The CTSI Symposium 2018 is the leading event for the trading standards profession and the key force for consumer protection.
Education, networking, knowledge sharing and engagement with decision-makers will give trading standards officers the vitals skills and influence needed to represent consumers, and maintain the UK’s high quality of business in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory landscape.
So – if you’re not already booked – register now to play your part in mapping out the trading standards environment of the future.
