ULI UK recently piloted a new form of public policy engagement: political party conferences.  Through its Midlands committee, ULI organised six fringe events during the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.  The conference took place from October 7th to 10th and included numerous events from non-profits and companies seeking to raise awareness of the issues in their field.

ULI ran three sets of events, each composed of a breakfast panel and dinner discussion, on the topics of transport, housing, and the knowledge economy.  While ULI is a non-lobbying organisation, greater engagement with political conferences is hoped to raise ULI’s profile within the policy community.  The success of this experiment should also pave the way for engaging with more party conferences next year.