Welcome to everyone reading this newsletter, and especially the introduction! Personally, I feel as if time has raced past since I last put finger to keyboard to write the last introduction! However, looking back, we have had a productive time, and I think you will see from the newsletter that the dynamics of our industry are in continuous flux in one way or another.
In September, the ESA held its autumn meeting in Düsseldorf for the first time in many years. While the move to a virtual world continues apace, I would like to think that the participants got good value from meeting fellow colleagues in a personal environment. As with previous autumn meetings, the divisions also took the opportunity for face-to-face meetings, and the Chair or Vice Chair then presented to the Excom the financial requirements for the respective division for the next year, to cover projects or other planned work. As you would expect, this elicited some interesting conversations, with the themes of training and knowledge running like a common thread through these meetings.
We also took the opportunity to invite these participants, as well as the Technical Directors and the Excom, to a ‘Blue Sky’ thinking day, where we spent a lot of time looking at what works well and what opportunities we have to improve, how to grow and develop the ESA, but more importantly, looking ‘outside the box’. Especially what it might mean to turn the status quo on its head! If you wish to know more about this activity, please read the article in the newsletter, but for my own reflection, this was the second time we have held such an event, and this one seemed to be addressed with more vigour and enthusiasm from the participants, with many ideas generated and plenty of debate. I think we took away some very strong ideas that I look forward to being developed to their full potential. I would like to thank all the participants and Mark for organising and chairing, and for all the valuable contributions. It was truly rewarding.
John Morton
Chairman of the ESA