Paediatric conference brings connection and cultural impact to Christchurch

Paediatric emergency medicine meets community-focused healthcare

Marking the first New Zealand edition of the global paediatric conference, Don’t Forget the Bubbles 2024 offered an opportunity for healthcare professionals to network and interact with colleagues from around the globe, while learning from industry leaders in paediatric medicine and healthcare.

Founded in 2013 by four paediatric specialists from the UK and Australia who wanted to deliver high-quality online and face-to-face education and content in a different way, DFTB 2024 in Christchurch was the sixth iteration of the conference and the very first in New Zealand.

Co-founder, Tessa Davis is a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at the Royal London Hospital and a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. She says the idea for the event name came about because sometimes things in paediatrics can be solved with simple approaches.

“Bubbles are a great distraction and play therapy technique in paediatrics can help calm down a very distressed child which makes a massive difference for them, their families and us,” she said.

“DFTB is about connection, enjoyment, and putting the enthusiasm back into our professional lives. We believe, and must always remember, that it’s okay to have some fun and find the joy in the difficult work we do.”

Expert clinicians from several fields of paediatric and emergency medicine shared ideas to assist improving the quality of care for many children.

Papers were presented as ‘Bubble Wrap’ on the subjects of neonates, general paediatrics, paediatric emergency medicine and adolescent medicine.

How did DFTB 2024 strengthen paediatric medicine in Canterbury?

DFTB 2024 contributed greatly to the local health sector knowledge economy, helping to grow and strengthen the community of paediatric medicine in the Canterbury region and New Zealand.

“We brought together our community of paediatric clinicians in Christchurch, for the first time outside of the United Kingdom and Australia. We knew it was really important to get the Christchurch professional community and local community involved in connecting and networking with our community. We used local speakers from Christchurch and around New Zealand and local suppliers,” Davis said.

“The first part of our programme was devoted to Indigenous health sessions, looking at the power of family in healthcare, and an example of an early start project developed in Christchurch.

“It is so important to have these Indigenous sessions to make sure that we really value the people of the land where we are running the conference.”

Founded 23 years ago, Early Start was the first long-term (up to five years) home visitation programme in New Zealand to use a modular intervention approach to support whānau (family) facing high levels of adversity. Development of a local consortium of providers brings together key stakeholders (clinical groups, researchers, Māori, community, business, public service) to provide an entirely free, voluntary service.

A special cultural activation was set up at the DFTB exhibition hall for three days of the conference. Staffed by three generations (mother, daughter, grandmother) to gift pepeha (a life story) to each delegate, explaining the meaning of its symbolic importance in Māori culture, its etymology, and its legacy. Each pepeha was stamped with the delegate’s place of origin and given to them as a keepsake.

“Our learning sessions with Māori professional iwi and families set the scene and the tone for all the people at the DFTB conference – not just for locals, but for people who had come from Australia and the United Kingdom. It made a massive difference and everyone was talking about how amazing it was,” Dr Davis said.

How does DFTB deliver inclusive conferences?

Tessa Davis says DFTB is very specific about making its community a safe and welcoming space for all, in keeping with the conference theme ‘We belong’.

“When we run our conferences we make sure we have representation across our speakers and our delegates, so there is gender balance and ethnic and cultural diversity.”

“Working with our PCO, ICSMA, we do our best to make sure we meet all the speaker and all the delegate needs. We work hard to make sure everyone gets what they need and that they feel they can ask for what they need.

“In particular we are very family-friendly so there were a lot of babies at the conference, and they got all their DFTB onesies. The families all felt they were made to be very welcome.”

DFTB 2024 also prioritised sessions specifically for trainees, giving them an opportunity to speak.

“We helped speakers coach them so they delivered a talk they felt proud of and comfortable with. We also included some of our early-career clinicians on the organising committee. And there were a couple of very young babies involved too – so we were starting early to mould the clinicians of the future!

What were the sustainability efforts DFTB focused on?

Davis says, “We are proud to have hosted the conference at the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, a venue dedicated to sustainability. Over the years we always tried to ensure we are sustainable and not wasteful, and Te Pae Christchurch’s status as Toitū net carbonzero venue was a strong reason to conference here.”

Fun facts about the DFTB 2024 Conference sustainability efforts:

• All conference collateral was responsibly recycled
• All leftover collateral was donated to Ronald McDonald House children’s charities
• All merchandise ordered was made out of organic materials
• All puzzle pieces from the stage set were recycled and repurposed for future conferences
• All food waste was processed by Te Pae Christchurch in their on-site GAIA dehydrator

How did delegates connect during DFTB 2024 in Christchurch?

Fun social connections and networking get-togethers were a key part of the conference success.

“We sang and danced together, we shared stories together. Being given the chance to roam the dining options at Riverside Market one evening was a fabulous way to unwind and get a feel for the city,” Davis said.

Before the conference started, a storytelling session at a local pub enabled people to bring their personal stories to help build connection. People shared about their family, some from other cultures shared their experiences.

“This helped us to understand each other and the community to start making connections at that early stage in the event.”

Welcoming first-time visitors to Christchurch and New Zealand

For many of the delegates, including co-founder Tessa Davis, this was their first time in New Zealand.

“It was fabulous. We were really pleased half of our attendees were from New Zealand, which was a new audience for us, really pleased they embraced it, and half of our speakers were from New Zealand too.

“Christchurch was so beautiful. We were lucky to have a walking tour and we got a feel for it and to hear about the history. It was very special, and so accessible – everything was so close. Te Pae Convention Centre was wonderful, and the winter weather was amazing,” she said.

CEO of Professional Conference Organiser ICMS Australasia, Emma Bowyer, said that one of the drivers for opening an office in Christchurch was to help convince its clients to host their meetings at Te Pae. This proved to be the case for DFTB 24 and it was no surprise to her that the feedback has been extraordinary.

 “The opportunities for this client in New Zealand, as well as the attractiveness of the city of Christchurch, helped in their decision and they certainly achieved their goals.  We’re already working with three long-term clients to create the same winning formula.”