The Benefit of Participating in the LivCom Awards
There are numerous benefits resulting from participation in the LivCom Awards including:
- The compilation of the Initial Report is a self-audit process that can provide the basis for a future plan to create a liveable community.
- During the Finals you will be able to observe Presentations that contain examples of International Best Practice applied to challenges similar to those facing your City.
- You will be able to showcase your City’s Best Practice on an International stage and influence accepted International Best Practice.
- Civic pride will be enhanced by being with ‘the leading communities in the world’
- Innovation is encouraged.
- Meeting with delegates from communities from other countries and cultures that are facing similar challenges to those faced by your community leads to the formation of partnerships to exchange information and experiences, and the arranging of exchange technical visits on an ongoing basis.
- These partnerships can extend to subjects beyond Environmental Issues.
- The exchange of information and experiences can produce accelerated technical benefits and financial savings year on year. The investment in time and finance needed to participate in the Awards is not large and can be exceeded by many times by ongoing benefits.
- Success in the Awards may be used to promote tourism and Inward Capital Investment.
- National and international publicity is enhanced.
- Joining of an international network of communities from over 50 countries with similar environmentally based objectives.
- Engagement by the community is encouraged.
- Described by many participants as “the most rewarding professional experience of their career”.
You may be sure that participation in the LivCom Awards is professionally rewarding and will potentially bring long-lasting benefits to your City.
The International Awards for Liveable Communities, (The LivCom Awards), was launched in 1997 and is now firmly established as the World’s premier event concentrating on a major issue of our time – the local environment. The LivCom Awards is, however, far more than an Awards Programme; it is also a unique learning experience.
The LivCom Awards is attracting an ever increasing number of communities from an increasing number of countries in many different cultures. Communities from over 50 countries have participated in the LivCom Awards, with at least one new country being represented each year. In both 2011 and 2012 over 500 delegates attended the Awards Ceremony on the last evening of the Finals.
The LivCom Awards is unique in that it brings together representatives of many communities, rather than arranging for Judges to travel from country to country. This coming together enables representatives of a community to attend the Best Practice presentations of other communities, both large and small, and from different cultures. Delegates learn that many communities face similar challenges to those faced by their own community, which vary in local priority on account of culture or political philosophy.
LivCom is totally non political.
This experience often leads to discussions between delegates, culminating in agreements to work together in addressing mutual challenges through the sharing of technical knowledge and experience and practical exchange visits. These arrangements, together with the understanding acquired through attending Presentations, lead to new ideas being introduced in communities, which leads to an improvement in the local quality of life and greater value for money expended.
There is no LivCom Registration Fee.
The first stage of the LivCom experience is the submission of a Report, structured in line with the LivCom Judging Criteria, following which, many communities have advised that the experience can be likened to a free self audit, at the end of which communities become more aware of the areas in which they are performing well and those where they are not. Communities have also advised that the initial LivCom Report has formed an excellent basis for the Community’s wider Strategic Plan.
There are many more benefits accruing from participation in the LivCom Awards, and several of these are detailed on the final page of the LivCom Registration Brochure.
Many parts of the world are experiencing difficult financial times and fresh ideas and policies are needed to meet rising expectations regarding quality of life issues and improve cost effective spending.
It is no longer acceptable to be aware of Best Practice in a community’s Region, country or even global region, as there is an expectation that anyone responsible for local environmental issues be informed about current global Best Practice. Participation in the LivCom Awards is the only global event where a community has the opportunity to learn of global Best Practice in addressing challenges that their own community is facing.
The LivCom Awards is truly unique and participation in the Awards is an investment in the community that can produce returns year after year, far in excess of the cost or time invested in participation in the Awards.
Following each LivCom Final delegates contact LivCom to comment that;
- “LivCom has been the highlight event of my professional career”
- “We came home with so many ideas that will save our community money and improve the quality of life”,
- “We found that we had the same challenges as other communities and have teamed up to exchange technical information”
- “We were expecting a Competition and the opportunity to learn and we were not disappointed”
- “LivCom is a fantastic, unique, steep learning curve”.
The LivCom Awards is managed by a UK Registered Company that is a UK Registered Charity. The Awards shares a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Each year the LivCom Criteria are reviewed to ensure their relevance to the changing world of Local Government. Each year, UNEP is invited to suggest matters that are being discussed within the wider United Nations that will increasingly become issues that will need to be addressed at local level and should be covered by the LivCom Judging Criteria