Fond memories from AMA conferences

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HdK are off to the AMA conference again this summer in Brighton. This year, our Senior Project Manager, Antonia Johnston will be sharing a platform with Phil Lofthouse from Arts Council England to talk about the All In project. Don’t miss it at 2.15 on Friday 5th June

Also for the first time, HdK will have its own exhibition stand – so come and say hello. We’ll really like that. It’s a chance to meet new team members – such as Zoe and Bella and some more established team members like Jannick and Antonia and myself. We’ll have some cold brew coffees to enjoy for anyone who comes over for a chat.

I’ve been going to the AMA conferences for more than twenty years. My first one was in Cardiff. I was so excited to be there and I made new contacts that are still part of my ‘work support and sanity check unit’ to this very day.

I remember an AMA conference in Glasgow, where my boss and I arrived at Stansted airport without our passports following recent security tightening. My tenacious boss tried to convince them who she was with every plastic card in her bag – including a Sainsbury’s reward card. She was never one to give up on anything but faced with missing the conference all together, we had to race home, get our passports and race back again to catch a later plane. But we made it for the champagne reception later that morning.

I will never forget being at the Barbican for one AMA conference and the news of the London bombing spreading from person to person during the breaks – that was eerie.

During the more recent lockdown, HdK had a chance to give something back to the AMA by becoming a sponsor for the first time and presenting one of the online sessions. This, along with a similar opportunity, led us to establish our own HdK webinar programme which we’ve committed to for another year ahead. We’ve continued to show our support to the AMA every year since.

To me, the AMA conference is one of those things, like getting the chance to go to university. It’s so much more than what you learn from the amazing speakers. It’s a chance to network, it’s a chance to define and refine your professional persona, it’s a chance to make a difference.

Hope to see you there.

Hans de Kretser - Director