On 9 July, researchers left the University of Strathclyde's Technology & Innovation Centre and headed into the city centre for The Relationship Café, a public engagement event hosted at Glasgow social enterprise and homelessness charity Social Bite.

Organised by IARR in partnership with relationship research charity OnePlusOne, the event welcomed around 40 people for an evening of informal, quick-fire talks exploring topics including communication, health, co-parenting and online dating.

The Café gave members of the public the opportunity to hear directly from international researchers, ask questions and explore how relationship science relates to everyday life.

For Dr Shannon Hirst, Senior Research Lead at OnePlusOne, taking research beyond the traditional conference setting was an important part of the initiative.

"The Relationship Café was a perfect example of how we can do that in person, meeting people where they are and sharing the research we do, with the hope they can use that to get on better in their relationships.

"It was such an incredible evening, and the perfect collaboration between three organisations with relationships at their core, International Association for Relationship Research, Social Bite, and OnePlusOne. I have high hopes that it's something we can continue."

The choice of Social Bite was also central to the event. IARR had identified social justice as a priority from the beginning of its Glasgow conference planning and wanted its public outreach activity to benefit the host community while supporting a purpose-driven local organisation.

Conference organiser Dr Susan Boon said: "When we started planning the Glasgow conference, right from the start we wanted to do something for the people of Glasgow that supported social justice. That's why we chose Social Bite as the venue for our public outreach event."

The Relationship Café is the latest example of Glasgow's approach to supporting conferences to create positive impact beyond their economic contribution, connecting visiting expertise with local organisations and communities.

Following the response to the event, IARR and OnePlusOne are keen to explore how the Relationship Café concept could be incorporated into future conferences, extending an idea that began in Glasgow to new communities.

Glasgow Convention Bureau was delighted to support the initiative alongside IARR, OnePlusOne, Social Bite and the University of Strathclyde's Technology & Innovation Centre.