Posted By Chris Black Joyce I feel that you might have been a little harsh on some of our colleagues, I am sure that there are some who need an ettiquette lesson but from personal experience I know that a great many people have stretched their timescales to the limit to attend and need to check messages and respond to calls at the first opportunity. I would never leave a presentation early, except for emergencies, but can undertand that others might succumb to business pressures a little more easily. Most of the presenters seemed to be work-hardened safety professionals and I am sure that, like me, they are pretty thick-skinned when it comes to witnessing the coffee break stampede from the podium. They would be more heartened by the fact tht the majority stayed to the end. Maybe it would help in future if the chair explained that the Q&A would only last for 5 minutes max and politely asked delegates to remain seated until it was finished.

Posted By Pat Hannaway Joyce, I entirely agree that it is bad manners to indicate that you will attend an event (especially where catering is involved) and then not turn up. I think perhaps that it was unrealistic to have such an early start to the specialist groups. Or it may be that hangovers accounted for many of the absentees. On a more general note, regading delegates leaving as soon as a speaker was finished, I can understand why to a certain degree, having attended on both days (although I stayed to the end of ALL of the talks that I attended). I was disappointed in some of the talks (I will not specify which ones). Some of the speakers appeared to take the opportunity to carry out a PR exercise for their organisations. They did not appear to reflect the everyday problems of health and safety advisers in a small to medium sized enterprise (you want how much to spend on manual handling aids??). During coffe breaks, when discussing some of the speeches, a number of delegates that I met expressed disappointment that little in the way of anything new or relevant to most safety advisers activities was discussed: health and safety advisers from large, successful organisations telling us that they manage safely exceptionally well (what else are they going to say?). Indeed one of the seminars that I attended had an embarrasing lengthy silence after the speaker had finished. Only after a few questions and comments from the attending IOSH representative, did a question eventually come from the floor. I think perhaps that a few of the talks were overhyped in the advertising material. The leg room in the main conference hall added to the difficulties: it was ok if you are under five foot six: very uncomfortable when you are six foot two. (Don't we still advise on DVT: get up, walk around etc.?) I attended this conference with VERY high expectations as it was my first. I came away with the feeling that I had just sat through two days of party political broadcasts. If it were not for the CPD points I would not consider attending further IOSH conferences.

Posted By Jim Walker Does Pat's final comment suggest why most people were there? Personally, I can find more interesting ways to gain my CPD. However they take more effort on my part. IOSH need to review the cost effectiveness of this jolly.

Posted By Ron Young I attended last years conference in Harrogate and Pats comments seem to reinforce my reasons for not attending this year.

Posted By Micky Jolly!!!! I don't think so. Two days off work, the cost of the conference itself, hotel bills and travel. An expensive jolly at approx £2K From the comments, thank goodness the agency employed by IOSH mucked up my application and I didn't go. Nor ever again going by the comments. Agreed Ron! A week in sunny Spain sounds much better. You're right Bob about CPD but how many will listen? Missed breakfast - I take the view if I'm paying I can choose whether I go or not. Simple. And how do we know what the individual circumstances are so how can we possibly comment? I recently went to a consultants session at the Grange and I left at the end but before the questions. Why? It's my choice. I pay, I assess the benefit of staying, and I choose when to leave. Again it's simple.