“Coffee Shop Conferences”, made in Glasgow, provides creative solutions for public health engagement and knowledge exchange, by leveraging existing relationships with city partners, researchers, academics and leading medical experts at the forefront of healthcare in the UK and Internationally, over a cappuccino.
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) has pioneered a new initiative that will enable conference organisers to reach out to the general public in an informal and relaxed environment with the launch of “Coffee Shop Conferences”, a fresh twist on satellite symposia.
Medical and scientific associations are looking for ways to engage with the general public to create a significant and lasting impact on people’s everyday lives. In response to this demand, “Coffee Shop Conferences”, made in Glasgow, provides creative solutions for public health engagement and knowledge exchange, by leveraging existing relationships with city partners, researchers, academics and leading medical experts at the forefront of healthcare in the UK and Internationally, over a cappuccino.
The launch of “Coffee Shop Conferences” took place at Offshore coffee shop, in Glasgow’s West End on the 6 June, in partnership with the 6th Europaediatric conference, taking place 5-8 June, at the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre. Offshore provided the ideal environment to host the first “Coffee Shop Conference”, allowing parents the opportunity to discuss child health issues and gain advice from a leading expert in the field of child health.
Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, Director, Centre for Child Health, Behaviour and Development, Seattle Children’s Hospital, said: “It was really brilliant, I say that because I give many talks to parents and the usual approach is bring the audience to the speaker. What I enjoyed about the whole approach is bring the Professor to the audience, so instead of them having to come to a place that was inconvenient or some ways unnatural, I saw them in a place that they were very comfortable, and very happy to be, so it was fun”.
The success of the launch at Offshore has generated demand from establishments across the city to host a “Coffee Shop Conference”, including; Starbucks, Byres Road, Cup, Renfield Street, the Willow Tearooms, Buchanan Street, and the Butterfly and the Pig, Bath Street.
Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions at Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “In Glasgow we’re helping to develop conversations, the bedrock of conferences. Coffee Shop Conferences offers our conference organisers something special; the ability to take current research from the conference room to the public in a relaxed, familiar and welcoming environment. Coffee Shop Conferences gives the city’s prestigious scientific and medical meetings an opportunity to connect with the public, on their terms, and make a real difference in the lives of the people who live in the city.”
Photo caption: Professor Christakis, Director, Centre for Child Health, Behaviour and Development, Seattle Children’s Hospital, helped launch “Coffee Shop Conferences” at Offshore Coffee Shop, in Glasgow’s West End.
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