THE YEAR AHEAD: 2021

The end of our yearly conference always represents the end of something and the start of something new.  As the world was turned inside out this year, everyone got used to a new normal, and a virtual world took centre stage.  Although nothing can replace the face-to-face interaction that we would usually be able to foster through our courses and conferences, we believe that we can leverage technology in a way that can benefit all our members.  Therefore, in 2021 RQA are committing to the following:

Communities of Practice:
Being an RQA member means that you belong to a global community; the ways in which we can bring people from all over the world together to discuss, learn and inform are great.  We already have a discussion forum on our website, but will look to build on this to improve the user experience.  Whilst we can make something look and feel better, we cannot make people use it, so please make the most of what we have – whether that is in its current guise or any future look.  Discussion can only happen if more than one party is involved, so be empowered to ask and answer questions – your opinion matters.

We are actively looking to hold regular online sessions where we can get members into a virtual room to discuss specific issues.  As with all our events, if we can record them and store them in our vast member library for the future, we will. But not all events will be recorded, which keeps the conversation unique, allowing members to speak freely with others without concerns over confidentiality.

RQA members can also use our LinkedIn groups to discuss topics.

More Virtual Events to Suit Everyone:

We are incredibly fortunate that we have been able to move the vast majority of our face-to-face events to a virtual format.  Not only has this given us the confidence to be able to run large scale events, but our faculty have risen to the challenge to give the best experience for delegates attending our remote courses and conference.  This has also given exposure to presenters (and delegates) all over the world, and in 2021 we are looking to do more.

As well as the events mentioned above, we are looking to run full-day symposiums on more specific topics – including those that will be of interest to members who are experienced and may feel that our learning offerings are not suitable for their current role.  If you have a topic in mind, please email info@therqa.com with your suggestion.

The benefits that a virtual event can bring include not having to travel, and having access to a vastly increased pool of people willing to present (either live or pre-recorded).  With that in mind, we are proud to collaborate with our Dutch counterparts, DARQA, on the upcoming EU QA Symposium.  If you would like to present at this event, please complete this Call for Abstracts Form before the end of the year.

RQA members will receive free or discounted rates for these online events, which can make a significant difference to your development and your network of peers.  If you want to put yourself out there and facilitate or present at an event, then access to the event (no matter how big or small) will be free. We welcome presenters from around the world.

We have frozen the price of membership for the second consecutive year, and hope that our ongoing efforts to provide opportunities to network and learn is taken up by as many members as possible.