Social Enterprise World Forum (Edinburgh)

The Social Enterprise World Forum emerged from national social enterprise support agencies seeking a means to collaborate to advance social enterprise development throughout the world.

After consultation with a range of partners, CEiS has been encouraged and supported to organise the inaugural Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh, Scotland from September 2nd to 5th 2008. The event is being delivered in partnership with The Scottish Government, The Social Enterprise Alliance (USA), Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Social Ventures Australia, Scottish Enterprise, The Social Enterprise Coalition, Office of the Third Sector (UK), Enterprising Non-Profits (Canada), the Department for International Development, Social Investment Scotland and a range of international and local partners, sponsors and supporters.

The Forum will be the first international gathering of practitioners and support agencies dealing exclusively with social enterprise and will bring together social enterprise leaders and champions from all continents to collaborate, share best practice and plan future developments. This collaboration will raise awareness of social enterprise as an expanding global mechanism for social change and will explore the merit of ongoing collaboration for key stakeholders.

Our use of Crystal Interactive Technology will facilitate interaction between delegates and presenters, allowing questions to be posed electronically in real time, so that presenters address the priorities identified by Forum participants. This facility will result in highly interactive sessions and will enable the Social Enterprise World Forum to produce a comprehensive Conference Report and Action Plan. Presentations will generally be of 20 minutes duration followed by extensive discussion facilitated by a Chair and a Crystal Technology moderator.

Theme

Participants will examine the conditions needed for social enterprises to thrive, highlighting outstanding examples of innovation and best practice from around the world. Participants will engage with representatives of governments that are actively supporting and promoting social enterprise and will analyse the challenges of changing world and local markets, Social Enterprises and Support Agencies will emerge with shared actions to improve sustainability and increase social and economic impact.

The theme of working together for a sustainable future runs through the entire Social Enterprise World Forum. We will examine how and when social enterprises thrive as well as engaging delegates in action planning to meet common challenges and opportunities.

Participation

CEiS is promoting the Social Enterprise World Forum at a number of international and local events as well as to a world wide audience through partner organisations, government agencies and membership networks. The enthusiasm for the event has been extremely encouraging and reflects the expanding interest in the social enterprise business model throughout the world.

The Expressions of Interest received to date indicate that the event will be fully booked well in advance of the closing date. Delegates are encouraged not to make flight or accommodation arrangements until confirmation of a delegates place has been received from the CEiS Events Team.

To have a truly international World Forum there are territorial and organisational limits to ensure social enterprises and support agencies are prioritised.

To avoid disappointment we strongly encourage you to book early.

Outcomes

The anticipated outcomes of the World Forum are:

• increased collaboration between leading agencies promoting and supporting social enterprise throughout the world.
  
• the establishment of an annual Social Enterprise World Forum to be held in Australia in 2009 and the USA in 2010 and in other continents thereafter.
  
• enhanced delegate knowledge and increased social impact, from networking and collaboration with practitioners and agencies from around the world.
  
• heightened awareness of the potential of social enterprise to build sustainable communities in urban and rural settings.
  
• an increased understanding of where the market opportunities for social enterprise lie in the medium to long term.
  
• an appreciation of the potential of philanthropy as a means of supporting social enterprise in the shift “from grant to investment”.
  
• participants will acquire transferable strategies, systems and models with a view to directly influencing social enterprise development on a worldwide basis.