By Dr Masimba Mavaza | Many people have always thought that conferences are useless. National conferences are usually so broad that not even 1% of the topics touches upon something relevant to you. Party conferences seem to be more focused on having resolutions incorporated into the conference, and eating a lot of food at night.Talks are either 1h long and long-winded, or 10 minutes pitches that don’t give you any useful information. It’s nice meeting people but that’s about it.
Whether it’s a warm glass of white wine or a curly sandwich, the delights of party conference season have never been culinary. But are party conferences, food and drink aside, worth the time and effort? Why should we bother? Do they really make a difference?

For public affairs and communications professionals, party conferences do continue to play an important role for many broad reasons.
For those who love their party it is obvious that, party conferences are the centre of politics. This is the time when parties frame their offering or set out new, or more fully formed policy positions. ZANU PF conferences are also a key formal part of the policy formulation process conference motions matter.
Again party conferences are a useful temperature test on how a party’s membership is feeling. Not something that can be viewed from TV images of conference speeches, but from attending fringe events, hearing what questions members are raising and what discussions are being made.
Often issues less important to the public at large can be a key focus for activists – issues that may later become party political priorities. At party conferences, everything is magnified – from minute policy differences, to personality clashes and perceived leadership challenges. Being there helps to understand how a party, and therefore its elected members, tick.
While some party leaders use the conference as a show off platform many party members benefit from the conference.
It should be mentioned that party conferences offer an opportunity to engage with elected members and parties more broadly. This matters at different stages of a political cycle – a new leader, a looming election, a party weakened post-election and desperate for ideas. In ZANU PF we do not choose leaders during conferences but during congress.
There are some showy Character’s who come to the conference to show off. This is normally seen when all sorts of cars are brought in a parade like manner. Some provincial leaders hold fringe events sponsoring a reception, or staffing a stand. This may be about profile, or it could be about leading and shaping a debate. Either way, party conferences offer opportunities beyond selfish endeavours.
It is a given bonus that party conferences offer a chance to increase your reach across new stakeholders and within new policy areas. Even the best laid meeting programmes are subject to the vagaries of political diaries, so for all conferences many people make friends and business partners. Sometimes a chat with a new face over a glass of wine or coffee can spark new ways of looking at things, a new coalition, more opportunities to come.
It is not a surprise that party members discuss business outside conference meetings.

It then follows that conferences help you to understand and benchmark. What organisations are operating in your space? How active are your competitors and partners? This of course feeds into another activity public affairs professionals love stakeholder mapping.

People have believed that this year’s conference is going to be explosive. Predictions in politics are hard. But party conferences will be pored over to judge three things – policies, personalities and vision. They are nit to settle scores or creating factions.
Party conferences throw up policies – the good, the bad, and the downright dangerous. Some more fully formed than others, and some with the totemic significance to move from party conference floor to the statute book.
As much as parties often like to make policies front and centre, personalities also matter. This may manifest itself as party division, as rival camps battle and potentially heal after a bruising contest.
The final judgement is around vision. It may be a fundamental discussion around what a party believes, on tax and public spending, on public ownership, on what they are for and what Zimbabwe they want to create.  

During the conference ZANU PF will vie to put forward a compelling vision of the future that only they can deliver.

Although it’s hard to predict what this conference will bring, it’s safe to say that they will be significant in shaping the politics to come. 
Those who are squeezing their hands in anticipation of fireworks will be disappointed.
The party has some people who think being divisive makes them strong.
The purpose of every party member is to consolidate the power of the president. The legacy of each and every president represents the effectiveness or lack of it of the whole party.
In ZANU PF we believe that ZANU is the people and the people are ZANU.
As we march in this year’s annual Conference we must remember that ZANU iwe neni tine basa.