They say that travel broadens the mind and Emma’s experiences have proved this to be true time and time again.

“ It's connected to trust - being willing to meet people face to face, support them directly, and have honest conversations that go beyond formal meetings. ”

Emma went to Turkey in 2025 for the IWCF Annual Members Conference and spoke about AI, Integrity and Assessments as part of a distinguished panel. Despite an 11-hour flight delay, she put her best foot forward and participated in the conference with gusto. As well as giving her own talk, Emma was able to sit and listen to all the other speakers at the conference and this gave her a really good insight into how participating as a guest can be an important exercise in listening and learning. There were networking periods and Emma recalls that during those, if she placed herself next to a platter of food, she could speak to all sorts of people she might not have done otherwise! This ingenious move turned out to be a really good one because she was able to have organic conversations about everyday things and form connections.

Similarly, in 2024 Emma and Ryan Smith travelled to the Netherlands to work with a client to run through end to end testing their product ahead of a launch to ensure the system was fit for purpose and providing a strong user experience. Being able to sit with the client and workshop with them in real time proved to be invaluable in terms of their problem-solving needs; and the informal chats over coffee and lunch created a bond of trust which was greatly appreciated by all involved.

The eCom journey through the years: Emma presenting and attending a panel discussion at the 2025 IWCF Annual Members Conference in Istanbul. Copyright 2025 by IWCF.