About

Home - ED&I - 2021 - 2019 - 2018 - 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2014 AWS - 2013 - ITW - Downloads - Links - About - Contact

Aim and Purpose

The aim and purpose of Connections UK is to help bring together two main audiences: People that have something to say about wargaming in order to help build / generate / broaden the community. People that want to use wargaming to help understanding in order to find out if it is appropriate for their needs. A mix of: military wargame users; military wargaming practitioners (designers and analysts); and academics. Beyond that we see selected invitees from industry and recreational wargaming. Example organisations that might be interested include: Dstl, DCDC, The Defence Academy (e.g. JSCSCS, RCDS), the Warfare Centres, various Universities, RAND, RUSI, CORDA, etc. We anticipate that, as wargame practitioners, everyone will have experiences and good practice to share; so we expect participation! We are working closely with our other professional wargaming partners all over the world (see the Links page). Please note - this is not "Officer Country" - we appreciate input on professional wargaming from all ranks and backgrounds. We aren't here to try to make money - Connections UK is a community interest company with primary social objectives, whose surpluses are reinvested in the professional wargaming community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners. Charges will be as small as possible, sufficient to cover the venue and whatever minimal administration is required. We aren't "anti-computer" as these are essential for our work, but the main aim is adversarial wargaming in order to generate insights, innovation and original thought. We feel that there are already enough events dealing mostly with computer based simulation, such as IITSEC, GDC and EGX.

Organising Committee

Graham Longley-Brown is a consultant with LBS Consultancy dedicated to successful professional wargames. Tom Mouat is a serving officer currently working at the Defence Academy of the UK where he is the DS for Simulation and Modelling. Colin Marston is a Senior Principal Analyst for the Defence Wargaming Centre at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Jim Wallman is a professional game designer with Stone Paper Scissors specialising in manual games. Kiera Bentley is an experienced professional in the Not-for-Profit Sector and is our champion for Social Responsibility and Ethics.

Advisory Committee

Phil Sabin (Retired) was Professor of Strategic Studies in the Department of War Studies formerly at King's College London. Rex Brynen is Professor of Political Science at McGill University and nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Matt Caffrey is a USAF reserve Colonel, and the guiding light behind the Connections Conference (USA). Stephen Downes-Martin is a Research Fellow at the US Naval War College.

GDPR Compliance Statement

Privacy Notice: We are committed to respecting your privacy. This notice is to explain how we will use the personal information that we collect about you. Personal Information: We maintain three sets of personal data relating to the Connections UK Conference: Personal biographic data relating to Speakers, Conference questionnaire quality feedback data, and a Mailing list for the purposes of updating people who have expressed an interest about the Connections UK Conference as to the dates and plans for the Conference. The biographic data is provided by the Speakers and published on www.professionalwargaming.co.uk website, with backups of the site retained by the web manager. The Conference questionnaire quality feedback is deliberately anonymised, but some items of personal information are collected for demographic purposes to improve future conferences. The Mailing list contains names and email addresses of those people who have provided that detail to the conference organisers, along with any additional information as to their organisation and specific conference related interests, so we can better design the conference agenda; and is maintained by the Conference coordinator. Special Categories of Personal Information:  We do not collect any special category information. Cookies:  We do not operate tracking cookies on our website. Disclosure of your Personal Information:  We do not share your personal information with Third Parties. Contacting Us:  If you have any questions concerning your personal data, please use the contact form here.

Sustainability Policy Statement

Connections UK strives to deliver sustainable events. Important Issues:   Our business faces many challenges and opportunities. Due to their direct impact on us and our stakeholders we have prioritized the following issues that need to be addressed: Climate change, water conservation, accessibility, health and safety, and financial solvency. Our Commitment & Scope:   This policy will apply to all events hosted by our organization: Our attention to environmental, social and economic responsibility includes working within the law and voluntarily exceeding legal requirements in order to be innovative and demonstrate leadership on the issues that are important to us and our stakeholders. As we design experiences, execute events and evaluate our success, we are able to choose ways how our actions and words build a better quality of life for our stakeholders and suppliers. Directors and contractors are expected to uphold objectives under this policy to the fullest extent possible within prevailing budgets; and to inform each other of financial and other barriers to achieving goals. We acknowledge we have limited influence over third parties. While we cannot control the decisions of these parties, we commit to educate them of our policy and encourage them to align operating practices with policy objectives. Objectives: Minimize environmental impact in the areas of waste, water, energy and air quality. Give back to the wargaming community by volunteering, mentoring and sharing best practices. Ensure our supply chain has responsible social and environmental practices. Create innovative approaches to minimize negative environmental impacts, improve economic bottom lines and integrate social elements in delivery. Overriding Principles:   Our approach to the delivery of our conference is guided by commitment to the following principles: Leadership, Inclusivity, Transparency, Integrity, Stewardship and Continuous Improvement. Contacting Us:  If you want to know more, please use the contact form here.

Modern Slavery Policy Statement issued persuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015

Connections UK is fundamentally opposed to slavery and human trafficking. We strive to act ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place within our organisation or our supply chains. Connections UK is a Community Interest Company dedicated to bringing together diverse groups and individuals, in order to better understand and deliver wargaming tools and techniques for conflict resolution. The primary delivery of the organisation is through an annual international conference delivered in the UK. All 5 Directors are volunteers and, while the Company is permitted to make a profit, any costs will be kept to the minimum and any surplus will be reinvested in supporting the betterment of the professional wargaming community. It is not considered that Connections UK activities are at high risk of slavery or human trafficking, but as we deal almost entirely through Third Parties, we ensure, as a policy, that we partner with responsible Academic Institutions and other agencies that are committed to the eradication of slavery or human trafficking within their supply chains, and operate in an ethical and responsible manner. Connections UK, when organising a conference, will carry out the following functions: Deliver the conference venue, supplies, catering and on-site accommodation. Hire temporary staff for the period of the event in order to deliver the necessary administration. Make recommendations for additional accomodation. Host the Connections UK Website. Connections UK, as a due diligence policy, ensures that each organisation providing products or services towards the conference, has relevant policies in place with regard to: Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy Responsible Sourcing Policy Human Rights Policy Environmental Policy Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy Whistleblowing Policy Health and Safety Policy Corporate Social Responsibility Policy Employee Code of Conduct Supplier Code of Conduct Recruitment/Agency workers policy In the case of temporary staff, we make every effort to ensure that these are taken from the student body of the partner Academic Institution, in accordance with their regulations for pay and conditions. Contacting Us:  If you want to know more, please use the contact form here.