Collaboration, Community and the Power of ASRA 2026

By Jordan Meates • 23 February 2026

The ASRA Conference is more than a date in the diary, it is one of the few moments each year when the accommodation sector comes together to reflect, reconnect and refocus.

In a landscape that is constantly evolving, ASRA 2026 offers a vital space to share honest conversations, practical solutions and a renewed commitment to supporting students and the communities they call home.

Diana O'Toole

Accommodation Officer

Diana O'Toole

Accommodation Officer

University of Birmingham

Sandy Csizmadiova

Accommodation Officer

Sandy Csizmadiova

Accommodation Officer

University of Birmingham

Why is this conference important to the sector?

Sandy

ASRA is one of the few times everyone in accommodation comes together in the same room, and that alone makes a huge difference. We all deal with similar challenges, but we rarely get the chance to share what is actually happening on the ground. The conference gives us space to talk honestly, learn from each other, and pick up ideas we can take back to our own teams. It also helps us keep up with what students need right now, which is changing fast. Overall, it is about staying connected as a sector and making sure we are moving in the right direction for our students.

If you’ve attended ASRA before, what were your key takeaways?

Diana

I’ve been to ASRA a few times over the years, and every time I’ve gone, I’ve taken something valuable away. Because I haven’t attended every year, I really notice the difference each time I come back — the sector moves quickly, and ASRA is one of the best places to catch up with what’s changed.

My biggest takeaway is always how much you learn simply by talking to people who understand the same pressures and challenges. The sessions are great, but the conversations in between are just as important. You get honest insights, practical ideas, and a reminder that you’re not dealing with things in isolation. I always leave feeling more connected to the wider sector and with a few new approaches I can take back to my team.

Can you give us a brief overview of your session for ASRA 2026?

Diana

Our session focuses on the Selly Oak Move Out project — a cross‑sector initiative led by the University of Birmingham in partnership with Student Living, Communications and Representation, the Guild of Students, and Birmingham City Council. Selly Oak is a unique neighbourhood with a huge student population, which means move‑out season can create real challenges for waste, safety, and the local community.

In our talk, we’ll walk through how the project brought different teams and agencies together to create a cleaner, safer, and more coordinated move‑out period. We’ll share what worked, what we learned, and how a collaborative approach helped us support both students and permanent residents. The aim is to give delegates practical insight into tackling community‑based issues that sit beyond the usual accommodation remit — and show how much impact you can have when everyone pulls in the same direction.

What’s the key message or takeaway you hope to share?

Sandy

The main message we want people to take away is that projects like this only succeed when everyone works together. Selly Oak has challenges that no single team can fix on their own, so the impact came from real collaboration — the University, the Guild, the Council, and local residents all pulling in the same direction.

We also want to show that small, practical changes can make a big difference for students and the wider community. By planning early, communicating clearly, and sharing responsibility, we were able to create a safer and cleaner move‑out period. The takeaway is that community‑focused work does not need to be complicated, it just needs genuine partnership and consistency.

What’s one thing you never travel to a conference without?

Diana

My pillow!

Sandy

My Kindle!

If you could invite any historical figure to the ASRA Conference, who would it be and why?

Diana

I would invite Margery Fry and Rose Sidgwick — the enduring love story of Margery Fry and Rose Sidgwick - two of the University’s early feminist pioneers.

Rose came to Birmingham in 1905 and was the University’s first female history lecturer. She is remembered for her support of women in university education and, in addition to her lecturing work, she worked alongside Margery running Birmingham’s first women’s hall of residence in University House, now part of the Business School.

Like Rose, Margery was also an accomplished academic and passionate about social reform. She later became one of the first women magistrates in Britain and campaigned for penal reform.

The couple lived and worked together at Birmingham in the early 1900s. Margery commission a birdbath, which stands in the grounds of the Business school, dedicated to Rose, to mark their relationship cut short by war and enormous bad luck.

Their partnership, both personal and professional, showed how much impact you can have when you care deeply about students and about building a community. I think they would have had a lot to say about the challenges we face today, especially around inclusion, welfare, and the wider role our accommodation plays in shaping student experience. And symbolically, bringing their voices into ASRA would be a meaningful way to honour LGBTQ+ History Month and recognise the foundations they helped lay for our sector.

Sandy

I would invite Jane Addams. She spent her life creating safe, supportive living environments for young people and communities, long before “student accommodation” even existed as we know it. Her work at Hull House was all about bringing people together, improving neighbourhoods, and making sure everyone had access to the basics they needed to live well. I think she would have some brilliant insights on how to build stronger relationships between universities, local councils, and residents, and how small steps can make a big difference to a neighbourhood.

At Conference 2026, Diana and Sandy will bring this spirit of partnership to life as they deliver their session on the Selly Oak Move Out Project. Sharing practical insights, honest reflections, and the lessons learned from cross-sector collaboration, their session will highlight how universities, students’ unions and local authorities can work together to create safer, cleaner, and more positive neighbourhood experiences. It is a powerful example of what can be achieved when the sector moves forward together.