The 2008 Annual School in Guildford, Surrey examined the management of spaces, context and settings. Whilst we all acknowledge the importance of protecting and managing historic buildings, what about the bits in between? The appreciation and understanding of spaces and settings that provide the context for historic structures is vital to the proper management of the historic environment.

Guildford School Report - Context Issue 106, September 2009
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• A well organised, great weekend through which I met some lovely people and learned a lot, thank you!!
• I thought that the whole thing was excellent – very professional.
• A good experience. Well-organised programme. Well controlled.

Delegates were also asked to rate their general view on the quality of the presentations, classes and tours at the School. Over 60% of delegates rated the various aspects of the School as good or excellent.

Delegates were asked to rate the organisation of the conference and the booking arrangements. 88% of delegates rated the organisation and aspects of the School as good or excellent.

• The Annual School was a well-organised and an enjoyable event.
• Extremely well organised 1 day event. Timely relevant and focused.
• Another very good Annual school. The organisers had obviously worked very hard but produced a smooth and seamless series of events.

Delegates rated the overall experience they had at the conference and its usefulness very highly with 82% rating it as good or excellent. They were also very keen to point out that aside from the formal training obtained from the Annual School one of the key benefits for them were the networking opportunities.

• It was useful to have the opportunity to network with other colleagues in the profession.
• The networking opportunities are fantastic and the social events add greatly to this.
• As with all such events, there was a positive benefit in interacting with peers and learning from the experience of others.

• As an introduction to the needs of and challenges faced by conservation professionals (particularly conservation officers) it was very useful.
• I found much of interest and much to learn
• So much packed into the Day School
• In particular it brought me up to date with current issues

• Keeping up with the latest changes
• Good to see schemes of excellence, learning from best practice.
• Its useful that these annual schools always tackle different subjects ensuring variety

• Useful to hear talks, but also to discuss with other delegates on an informal basis.
• The discussions and exchange of experience and views with peer professionals is also a very valuable element in the conference experience.