The Resilient Renewable Planet Conference

From 17 – 19 April, Imperial College London and the Electric Infrastructure Security (EIS) Council hosted a joint summit inviting leading voices in education, government and industry together to discuss threats to our critical infrastructure and the measures we can take to build resilience and mitigate their impact. The Resilient Renewable Planet (R2P) Conference 2023 took place over three days in our Sir Alexander Fleming Building and involved a series of lectures, workshops, networking sessions and an exhibition. With over 60 speakers including, Rt Hon. Lord James Arbuthnot of Edrom, former Chair of the UK House of Commons Defence Committee, U.S Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, BG Alicia Tatte-Nadeau, Director of the Illnois Emergency Management Agency, and Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng, this high-profile event attracted guests from across the world to our main campus in South Kensington. We invited Tim Gordon, Centre Administrator for Systems Engineering and Innovation, to discuss his experience hosting this event with Celesta Venues (formerly Imperial Venues).

‘Your event staff were absolutely exemplary and went above and beyond to ensure a smooth event.’

Top requirements

• Multi-functional spaces allowing for a combination of lectures, workshops, networking and an exhibition all within one location
• Prestigious venue in a central location that is recognisable to a broad international audience
• Flexibility to allow for last-minute registrations and agenda changes
• Event management and on-the-ground support

Why did you choose to host your event at Imperial College?

The R2P Conference attracted a broad audience from both the UK and internationally. Tim needed a location that was recognisable and easily accessible. ‘Imperial College and South Kensington offers a certain grandeur’ which is appealing to an international audience and has the added benefit of being close to many of London’s museums and attractions. With more than 100 delegates and an agenda that included lectures, workshops and networking, the conference had unique requirements and needed a venue that could accommodate both the number of guests and a variation of different event types. Imperial’s ‘Sir Alexander Fleming Building worked well as all events were contained within one building’. Additionally, the flexibility of having multiple venues on campus meant that a last-minute change from the City and Guilds Building to the Sir Alexander Fleming Building was possible and easily accommodated.

What services did you use and how did you find them?

As a ticketed event attracting high-profile speakers and an international audience, the R2P Conference had to deliver a certain experience and level of service for delegates. ‘With a big showcase event, it was reassuring to know that catering, equipment, and logistics are all set up on my behalf, which left time for me to focus on the marketing, agenda and delegate experience.’ Managing the needs of multiple stakeholders in the lead-up to the event presented a major challenge for Tim but having the support of Marzena, our Senior Events Executive, and the experienced Celesta Venues team was extremely helpful. Marzena ‘was a lifesaver… she was very knowledgeable about who to get in touch with about certain things and it was great to have one point of contact. She was very flexible and accommodated a lot of back and forth with logistics.’ 

The extra manpower enabled Tim to focus on delivering a successful conference and great experience for all delegates. ‘The event staff provided on the day made life a lot easier.’ 

What are your highlights from the event?

The R2P Conference was an ambitious event with the goal of bringing together likeminded individuals with an interest in natural and manmade disasters and the impact on civil infrastructure. As thought leaders in this space, having the opportunity to ‘invite the delegates to visit the facilities in the Skempton Building was a highlight… showcasing the wave machines, structure labs, PhD and post-doc student research really provided a wow factor’ for both the EIS Council and Imperial College. Feedback during the event was overwhelmingly positive and by the end ‘the speakers and guests wanted to be a part of this’ community, which marked the conference as a great success.