On the 25th of November 2024, Superhighways held an in-person conference highlighting each of our digital, data and tech workstreams.
We were generously hosted by Resource for London, and supported by WCIT Charity, Trust for London, City Bridge Foundation, and the National Lottery Community Fund.
The event featured 12 interactive workshops, a ‘Tech Tales’ charity showreel, a panel discussion, and various plenaries and quizzes throughout the day. Attendees also enjoyed a buffet-style lunch and refreshments.
The afternoon was dedicated to artificial intelligence, with the final four workshops and the panel exploring how charities can leverage AI for community benefit. We concluded the day by celebrating Superhighways 25th anniversary with themed cupcakes and giveaway prizes.
Attendees
We were joined by 98 attendees, excluding our team, from 79 organisations across London. See our ‘who’s in the room?’ map below.
Workshops and speakers
Have a look through each page for speaker bios and workshop slides.
General feedback
Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive. Attendees appreciated the opportunity to network and enjoyed the day’s activities.
Overall, 71% of attendees who provided feedback rated the event as ‘Excellent’, while 24% rated it as ‘Good’.
Some highlights of the day:
All the workshops were informative and thought-provoking, and the day was very well organised.
Getting to meet other people who work in the London charity space!
Meeting the team face-to-face at last! I enjoyed it all.
Great speakers who inspired our project planning.
Superhighways' story and small charity tech tales
Before lunch, we narrated the journey of Superhighways over the last 25 years.
We were joined on stage by three small organisations (Bromley Third Sector Enterprise, Precious Counselling and Mentoring CIC, and Streets of Growth) who explained how they applied the digital skills gained from Superhighways’ support.
It was amazing to hear about the Superhighways journey from where it began, where it is now and where it's heading. Great to hear tales of the small charities.
AI Panel
After lunch, our panel of experts (Tania Duarte, Ian McLintock, Madeleine Spinks, David Scurr, and Grace Perry) discussed topics surrounding AI and its implementation in the charity sector.
The AI panel was the highlight for me, with good insights, expert comments and engaging.
Closing remarks
We came together at the end of a special day for final thoughts, celebratory cupcakes, and giveaways.
Our winners were Kingston Carers, Richmond and Kingston ME Group, and Whittingham Gardening Club.
All in all, I thought it was an informative day, and I left the event having learnt new things we could implement in our charity.
Participants pledged to...
• look more into AI and automation to assist with workload and support productivity
• develop a company-wide AI policy
• explore the tools and resources mentioned throughout the day
• improve accessibility and user experience
• create a data strategy
• review existing and new digital, data and tech tools
• share the information gathered from the conference with colleagues
• seek more Superhighways training
Photos from the day
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