A new book, The Power of Conferences: stories of serendipity, innovation and driving social change, launched earlier this week, explores the long-term impacts of conferences through the stories of 10 prominent Australians who are synonymous with such breakthroughs.
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have joined forces to undertake this groundbreaking research, which demonstrates the vital role that conferences have played in some of the most significant global discoveries of the last 50 years.
The book includes stories from Nobel Laureates Barry Marshall and Brian Schmidt, as well as a host of other Australian luminaries.
For instance, professor Ian Frazer AC talks about the role conferences played in his discovery of the HPV vaccine, which is saving millions of women from HPV-related cancer – and may eradicate it within a generation.
Meanwhile for professor Martin Green, conferences played an integral part in helping him and his team ‘outpace’ NASA and COMSAT in the global race to create a solar cell with 20 per cent efficiency – and more recently go on to achieve an unequalled efficiency level of 40 per cent.
As well, professor Tom Calma and member of parliament Linda Burney describe how conferences have been instrumental in transforming educational opportunities and outcomes for indigenous children and young people in Australia.
Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of BESydney, pointed out the stories demonstrate exactly how important conferences are.
She said: “These stories show why it’s vital to take the long view when thinking about conferences, and the impact they have. All the individuals in this book have helped to change the face of health, science and society, and each one has used conferences in some way to do that.”
The book was authored by international experts in the value of business events, associate professors Deborah Edwards and Carmel Foley, together with writer Cheryl Malone.
The Power of Conferences is available for download from the UTS ePress website here.
