Toowoomba Regional Council endorsed its Green Infrastructure Strategy in late 2019 and formed a group to oversee the strategy implementation and embed these principles into Business as Usual for Council.
"Struber are professional, friendly and leaders in the field of delivering virtual workshops and engagement. The use of technology and innovative tools ensured the two virtual workshops were a success."
Elizabeth Reed
Environmental Planner
Relying on an entirely virtual setting, Struber’s approach was to focus on developing initial documents and plans that could be tested and discussed in break-out room settings via Zoom.
Drawing on previous expertise, Struber held an initial inception workshop with key representatives to understand the purpose of the working group, and developed a recommended outline Terms of Reference and an initial implementation plan outline. A ‘rules of engagement’ for the virtual workshop and tips on access were provided ahead of the virtual workshop.
- The virtual workshop included a mixture of all-group and break-out rooms to maintain focus and encourage more detailed discussions as required
- The all-group discussion utilised live survey tools to identify which Terms of Reference should be included or challenged
- The breakout rooms utilised shared screens so smaller groups could work together through pre-populated implementation plans
- The virtual setting improved focus and productivity, with participants remaining highly engaged throughout the process
- Across the two-hour virtual workshops held three days apart, Struber finalised and achieved group consensus for the Terms of Reference
- The group completed first drafts of the implementation plans for each focus area, including actions, timing and priorities – far exceeding the initial scope to provide a recommended approach
