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Co-operators around the world are being invited to take part in the biggest closing event for the International Year of Co-operatives.
Co-operatives United, the three day event in Manchester, UK, (29 October-2 November) will host the ICA General Assembly on 31 October and is set to attract 10,000 people to mark the culmination of the International Year. The ICA Board is meeting on 29 October, while the ICA Leadership event (by invite only) will be held on 30 October.
International delegates are being encouraged to engage with the event by putting ideas forward to host workshops, sponsoring smaller co-operatives to attend or by showcasing products in a life-size co-operative village.
As a world festival, Co-operatives United will include opportunities for co-operatives to deliver fringe events or workshops for delegates. During the event there will be five days of fringe activity across Manchester, while 150 workshops will take place in the Manchester Central venue. To submit ideas, visit the 'Get Involved' section on the official website.
The Co-operative Living exhibition will give visitors the chance to see what it would be like to live in a co-operative world. The exhibition is a unique and interactive village that shows the flow of co-operation from farming to retailing to education to finance.
Mark Robinson-Field, from co-host the Co-operative Group, who is responsible for Co-operative Living, said: "This is an exhibition to showcase the amazing contribution co-operatives make to the world. We thought that if it is a showcase of co-operation we needed to show this in a live environment, bringing a range of co-operatives together for participants to explore.
"The space has been designed to involve lots of co-operatives. No matter how big or small; or what your co-operative produces; there is a space for all co-operatives to take part in this festival to showcase what they do."
Participants are also being encouraged to help smaller co-operatives from the developing world to attend the ICAEXPO through sponsorship. Already, two Ugandan co-operatives have been given the opportunity to join the ICAEXPO with the support of Dutch Agricultural agency Agriterra. Twigebwa Rural Producer Organisation and Gumutindo Coffee Cooperative Enterprise will be attending the event thanks to sponsorship.
The sponsored co-operatives will receive commercial development, increased exposure, access to the latest professional trends and technologies, and new business opportunities at the international business-to-business trade fair.
• For more details on ICAEXPO sponsorship opportunities, email Christina DeCastro. To take part in the Co-operative Living exhibition contact Joseph Walker.
