Overview

We were commissioned by the Residential Boat Owners’ Association (RBOA) to plan, manage, promote, and deliver a national open public meeting examining the recommendations made by the independent Commission reviewing the framework for boat licensing, commissioned by Canal & River Trust.

This was a complex, high-profile event about a very emotive and turbulate subject area. We needed to ensure that everything was accessible to members and non-members alike, neutral in tone, accurately framed, and professionally delivered both in person and online.

Our role extended far beyond promotion. We were responsible for shaping the structure of the meeting, managing communications across multiple channels, supporting the live event itself, and ensuring that the discussion was positioned clearly, fairly, and constructively.

The Challenge

The subject matter was both technically complex and emotionally sensitive. Boat licensing affects a wide range of waterways users, including residential boaters, leisure users, and continuous cruisers, and the event needed to encourage participation without misrepresentation, speculation, or advocacy.

We were asked to deliver an event that clearly focused on reviewing the Commission’s recommendations, rather than reopening wider licensing debates, while still creating space for open discussion and questions. At the same time, communications needed to reach a broad and diverse audience across the waterways community, through press, social media, email, and direct stakeholder engagement.

Our Approach

We took responsibility for the end-to-end delivery of the event, starting with how it was defined, described, and positioned.

We developed a consistent narrative that explained the purpose and scope of the meeting clearly and accurately, and applied this language across all channels to ensure alignment. Particular care was taken to ensure that messaging encouraged participation while remaining neutral and factual.

We designed the structure of the meeting itself, including the agenda, flow of the day, group discussion guidance, and moderation principles. This ensured the event could accommodate differing views in a respectful and productive way, both in the room and online.

Alongside this, we managed all event communications, including registration journeys, confirmation and reminder emails, tailored joining instructions for in-person and online attendees, and live “join us” messaging on the day.

Delivery

We delivered a full communications and event management package.

This included drafting and distributing press releases for national and sector-specific publications, creating adapted versions for newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms, and planning a structured social media campaign covering announcement, reminders, live participation prompts, and follow-up messaging.

We carried out direct outreach to marinas, mooring providers, and other stakeholders to help extend awareness of the event, and supported community-led sharing in relevant boating groups and networks.

For the event itself, we produced all presentation content, including welcome messaging, agenda slides, purpose and desired outcomes, group rules, and discussion flow. We advised on presentation structure and hybrid-friendly delivery to ensure a smooth experience for both in-person and online attendees.

On the day, the meeting ran as a professionally structured public forum, with strong engagement throughout and clear facilitation supporting open discussion and questions.

Outcome

The event was well attended both in person and online, with participation from across the waterways community. Discussion was constructive, informed, and respectful, supported by clear structure and consistent messaging.

Feedback highlighted the clarity of communications, the professionalism of the event delivery, and the effectiveness of the format in enabling meaningful engagement on a complex topic. The event also supported wider organisational objectives for the RBOA, including increased awareness of its new digital membership platform.

What This Demonstrates

This project demonstrates our ability to deliver complex, policy-led public engagement events from start to finish. We specialise in third-sector marketing, public consultation communications, conference delivery, and hybrid event management, where clarity, neutrality, and trust are essential.

Our approach combines strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and practical event delivery to ensure organisations can engage their audiences confidently and professionally.