IAP2 NA Conference– Update #9

Sept. 28-30, 2014 / Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Weeks to go
6
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The IAP2 2014 North American Conference will feature presentations and activities, all designed by P2 professionals to educate, inspire and encourage other P2 practitioners. Each week until the start of the Conference, we’ll send you updates on what you can look forward to. =====
Just one week left to get the special Conference rate at the official venue and hotel, the Radisson Winnipeg Downtown. The Radisson is holding a block of rooms for IAP2 at the special rate of Cdn $139/night, but only untilAugust 27. After that, you’re on your own — with other conferences happening in Winnipeg at that time, we’re told all other rooms are taken.
To make sure you get that special IAP2 rate, click on the photo at right and follow the instructions.
To make sure you don’t miss this annual opportunity to meet and share with others in the field — including the first-ever IAP2 Canada Core Values Awards — click here. When you register, remember that some registration types — such as IAP2 members and non-members from outside Canada, or session presenters — require a special code. Please contact info@iap2canada.ca to get that code.
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The course — given by Dialogue Partners — builds on IAP2’s course, Emotion, Outrage and Public Participation, although that is not a pre-requisite. It costs $325 for members and $360 for non-members. There is a limited number of seats, so don’t delay! Click here for more information and to register.

Three new presenters have signed up to show off their wares at our Technology Fair, which means we’ll have eight offerings for you to learn about!
PMLink 360 will show EngagEnterprise, a “simple, web-based software manages the relationship between your project and its many stakeholders. You’ll learn how EngagEnterprise can become your 24/7 conference room – your information hotline – your link to team members, stakeholders and the project.”
SustaiNet will demonstrate StakeTracker, “a single central data repository, in which geographically distributed project team members can record and share the content of their interactions and communications with stakeholders and Aboriginal communities more efficiently, and ensure that all concerns and interests are considered, mitigation measures are recorded, and commitments assigned and met.”
Vision Critical will show its Citizen Insight Community, a “cloud-hosted environment where citizens are invited to provide feedback on a variety of organizational issues. Using state-of-the-art quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus group, discussion forum) techniques, the platform captures all responses over time and provides both a short-term and long-term perspective on citizens’ reactions to policy, messaging and initiatives. Intuitive programming capabilities and a robust reporting tool make it a DIY resource for clients responsible for consultation activities.”
These three join Sunexo (IRIS), MetroQuest, Granicus (SpeakUp and eComment), PlaceSpeak3.0 and SustaiNet (EngagementHQ) as our Technology Fair presenters.
You’ll be able to talk with the developers and providers directly at the Winnipeg Conference and find out how their online engagement tools can suit your particular P2 needs.
Allowing a P2 process to get hijacked by a few opinionated opponents is frustrating for practitioners and participants alike. It can scare off people who truly want to reach a mutually agreeable conclusion; it can prevent all points of view from being heard and included in the final decisions; it can even damage the credibility of the P2 process.
One way to avoid that is through market research, and in this interactive session, Tiffany Skomro of the City of Winnipeg will share her experiences and insights into the way knowing the audience has helped ensure public concerns are addressed early-on.
This session will challenge how practitioners design their public engagement projects to look beyond techniques that tend to engage smaller audiences. You’ll also come away with some basics in market research and have an opportunity to share and hear from others on how to ensure the broadest possible range of views.
The field of patient engagement is a quickly evolving aspect of the practice of public engagement in North America — one that is developing rapidly to respond to the stresses and strains on our health care systems. The original impetus for patient engagement was a moral one – it was the right thing to do. But more and more, people are seeing a measurable impact.
In this session, Jacquie Dale of One World, Inc., will use two case studies to demonstrate how patient engagement can work. One case study shows Experience-based Co-design and the other demonstrates the use of patient panels. Both utilize the power of story-telling and raise challenging questions about empowerment and impact. You’ll hear how developmental evaluation works and have an opportunity to discuss ideas and approaches that you’ve tried or heard about to promote patient engagement.
Thank you to new supporters!
The IAP2 Wild Rose Chapter is the latest to help provide an opportunity to attend the Conference to a citizen who can’t afford to. This makes three IAP2 Canada Chapters — BC and Prairies are the other two — as well as the National Affiliate itself and other organizations that are taking part in the Sponsor-a-Citizen Bursary program.
Morin Rélations Publiques is the latest to step up to help sponsor the Conference. For a full list of our sponsors, please see the Conference website.

For history buffs, an intriguing walking tour awaits. It takes you through the Exchange District, a National Historic Site located just a few blocks away from The Radisson Downtown.
The Exchange District is founded around the Winnipeg Grain Exchange, and hearkens back to Winnipeg’s earliest days as a transition point between “established” Canada and the emerging West. The name “Exchange District” is fitting in another way: it represents the district’s heyday around the turn of the last century and the city’s transition as a cultural center. The concierge at the hotel can provide you with information packages so you can take a self-guided tour. (And if you ever go on “Jeopardy!” and see “It is reputedly the windiest intersection in the world”, the walk to the Exchange District will help you have the correct question ready: “What is Portage and Main?”)
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS – a sneak preview
On Tuesday, Sept, 30, Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, will speak on the campaign to remove inequities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in education and opportunity and the ways IAP2 Core Values could and should be applied. To hear that interview, click here.
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What’s on in town? — Lots of things are happening in and around Winnipeg during the Conference. Find some ideas from Tourism Winnipeg.
Remember: you can get Conference information any time by visiting the 2014 IAP2 North American Conference website.