Brought to you by US Practice Lead, Amanda Nagl of Bang the Table.
As 2020 is quickly approaching, we can’t help but reflect on the incredible year we have seen for our clients and Bang the Table family in the digital engagement and consultation world. 2019 was a year of growth and tremendous progress in the realm of online engagement in the United States and we are proud to have been a part of it. We are excited to share online community engagement highlights with our friends at ELGL, as well as touch on all that’s new and coming to EngagementHQ and our practice support EngagementIQ.
Don’t feel like reading anymore? That’s okay, just register for our December 5 webinar to hear it all!
Last month our CEO, Matt Crozier, outlined a roadmap based on the trends we are seeing in digital engagement. His article dives into how the industry has evolved tremendously in the 12 years Bang the Table has been on the scene and acknowledges there is more progress to be made. There is more we can offer our clients and those interested in developing meaningful interactions with community members in the online space. Now with an energized focus on product development, the possibilities are abundant for the future of our platform. Organizations and governments will see a cleaner, more versatile space to access consultations, create and view reports, as well as bring all that meaningful feedback to life.
Progress is being made across the globe, let’s take a quick look at what our neighbors are up to…
- Our team in the United Kingdom has been exploring and developing a buildout that replicates the engagement practices required by the UK Gunning Principles of Consultation. Did you know that in the UK public bodies can be taken to court by the public and their representatives and held to account by the Judiciary?
- In Canada, our team has been focusing on creating a body of best practices focused on creating meaningful relationships through EngagementHQ and the language used in project/policy consultations and follow-ups.
- Our teams in Australia and New Zealand have moved into a deeper level of community engagement with Community Activism and research around Council Advocacy Campaigns which raise awareness of issues relevant in the community.
From a global perspective, 2019 has been a year of expanding our understanding of digital engagement in different parts of the world and developing a path forward for EngagementHQ to meet these growing and varying demands.
In the United States, an emerging focus on digital engagement best practice is spreading rapidly across the country. The International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) is becoming more of a focal point for municipalities. We are seeing cities like Longmont, Colorado, and Stillwater, Oklahoma integrate the IAP2 engagement spectrum into EngagementHQ to maintain transparency on how the community can impact discussion and decisions. Learn how to bring these principles into your online engagement with this webinar.
In Edina, MN they focused on publishing findings at every phase in their 58th Street Project and we have watched the city make commitments based on community input at every turn. In Olympia, WA we saw a community discussion around homelessness take place and transform how many in the area view the issue and interact with city employees working to solve the issue.
This year, we were also thrilled to have worked with the City of Boulder, CO who won IAP2’s Organization of the Year Award for creating a meaningful and inclusive culture of public participation. As one of our earliest adopters, the City of Boulder has been leading the way in this space for several years. Their success only reinforces our feeling about the future of online community engagement.
Looking back, 2019 has been an exciting year… They say hindsight is 20/20, but in the year 2020, we are about to see how the overwhelming benefits of incorporating online engagement and consultation into your organization’s practice will make community planning foresight 20/20 as well. Understanding your community and stakeholder interests takes the guesswork out of new development outcomes and public reactions for city planners. In our busy world, it can be difficult to make it to important Town Hall meetings where planning discussions take place, consequently, residents may not know what is going on until the project is over. Online community engagement creates an easy path for everyone to participate and provide feedback at their convenience. Let’s make your 2020 community vision, 20/20!
Join us for our webinar on December 5 to learn how the organizations mentioned above made an impact in their communities with digital engagement in 2019. You will also get a sneak peek at what’s to come with our EngagementHQ platform in 2020! Come with us as we celebrate 2019 and generate new ideas for your team in 2020!
US Practice Lead at Bang the Table
Amanda has worked extensively in community organizing and engagement for more than 17 years; across the local government spectrum, including police services, community development, neighborhood services and the City Manager’s office. She has refined the craft of solving problems through community-based solutions and is driven by the opportunity to help local governments build and repair trust with their communities. Amanda is an expert at developing training and curriculum which helps organizations develop their community engagement capacity. When she’s not hard at work solving America’s engagement crisis, she’s likely at the local band room adding the necessary “zing” to her upbeat outlook on life.