icomply interviewed Bernadette Duncan, Chief Operating Officer at Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO), about why this year’s conference and exhibition at Durham University was such a success.

“The feedback I’ve received about the conference has all been very positive, though it’s a shame we couldn’t produce any sunshine!  The sessions were all good and the delegates appreciated the input from all the presenters, especially Roger Weber from Laval University who came all the way from Quebec to give a very interesting presentation on a major fire they had at Laval University.

We all took something away from that session and I guess we were all hoping that it never happens at our own institutions.

It was good to hear from the IACLEA President, Anne Glavin, who is facing difficult discussions on the gun laws in the USA. Gary Dedden from Coventry University gave a positive reflection on how they have managed and improved the training of their security team at the university and on the same theme we heard from Paul Lawton-Jones from Mercury Training about developing people in the security industry.

Many delegates commented highly on the personal view of leadership and management given by ACC Dave Orford of Durham Constabulary. Peter French of SSR gave a useful presentation on mentoring.  Another very useful session was given by Claire Croft of Durham University, on social media for security managers. A very topical subject and much appreciated.

On the networking side, we had three fantastic evenings to socialise with other delegates and all the exhibitors. Our appreciation to our sponsors can never be over emphasised as without them our conference would be much duller! The final gala dinner in Durham Castle was excellent and we were all amazed to hear the citations read out for the security officer of the year awards. All the nominees were amazing but the winners and the runner up were very deserved.

A final thanks to our hosts at Durham University, and ‘Event Durham’ who organised the venue and catering were excellent.  Our tireless, convivial host Phil Coxill, deserves a special thank you too!   Next year we’re at Roehampton University in SW London. See you there!”

Read icomply’s highlights of AUCSO 2013 at Durham University.