Our new AHSS Commercialisation Community of Practice Coordinator, Arnie King, contemplates on his first time attending the annual PraxisAuril Conference
As the newly appointed coordinator of the PraxisAuril AHSS Social Venture Building and Commercialisation CoP, here are some reflections of my experience as a #PrAConf first-timer.
Networking 
The networking that happens through PraxisAuril is such a vital benefit, not only for the membership, but for members of the team too. Having only started my role a few days before conference I was wary of a risk of overwhelm ahead of attending, but it was so nice meeting everyone and there was so much to get involved in that it actually became the best (if still a little intense) onboarding I could have asked for.
Exhibitors
Around the doughnut circuit of exhibitor stalls I met the full range of academic, policy and commercial stakeholders that represent the KE & Innovation sector, and beyond. Also, all the stallholders had plenty to say about the growing topic of support for AHSS Social Venture Building and Innovation. This being my wheelhouse specifically it was incredible to see this clear interest reflected again and again over the whole event.
Parallel Sessions
Having created a long list of post-conference follow ups very quickly it was a genuine treat to enjoy serious and social chats with so many of the delegates that were attending. The parallel sessions were accessible yet useful and very fruitful explorations of a wide range of topics. I stuck mainly to those related to AHSS, Social Enterprise and KE outreach, where I particularly enjoyed Chris Fellingham’s breakdown of where commercialisation of AHSS stands today, and Jaci Barnett’s fascinating talk about historically ignored spinouts including those with a social value focus.
AHSS
There was a huge amount of interest as well as a packed, diverse programme dedicated to the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Social Enterprise and Impact/Mission linked Innovation at this year’s conference. Engagement also came from across the board in our membership, so these were hugely encouraging things to see as a coordinator of our work in this area.
AHSS Community of Practice
If you are interested in being a part of our new AHSS Community of Practice, there will be a set of practical workshops in Autumn that you can help to co-produce, and our forum is going to become a hub for some great resources and discussions. Click here to join.
You can also find out more from our dedicated press releases on the project here
Alternatively, get in touch via email to: Arnie.king@praxisauril.org.uk
Location, Location, Location
Nottingham provided a fantastic setting for the conference. The city itself, the cultural quarter and so much place-based innovation that is connecting and celebrating the area in partnership across the Universities there made it a particularly interesting backdrop to our sessions. Not to mention the green spaces and woods literally in and around the conference centre allowing for some great moments of respite.
All in all, it was something I genuinely feel very pleased to have got to enjoy, and cannot wait for next year!