FAQs

About SOC23

About GO Lab

Sign up to attend in-person

Sign up to attend online

What are the dates for SOC23?

The Social Outcomes Conference 2023 will take place 14-15 September in Oxford, UK and online. For this year we’ll explore themes of Relationships and Trust, Disrupting Voices, Power and Ethics, System Change, and Innovations.

Who’s coming and speaking at SOC23?

We are thrilled to be joined by speakers from around the world. Preview our curated programme here. Connect via our Linkedin and Twitter to keep up to date with the wider community attending SOC.

Is there an online component this year?

Our team is proud to offer a highly interactive online attendance, where you can watch live streams of our sessions. Attending online is free and open to everyone. Please share the registration page with your friends and colleagues.

Are there registration deadlines for SOC23?

No. However, we sell out of in-person places due to limited availability. So to ensure you get a place, please register early if you are planning to attend the Conference in Oxford.

Are there fees for attending?

Yes, delegate fees for Oxford attendance are structured in a way to run the conference affordably and sustainably. Delegate fees are usual practice for academic conferences, and we have the privilege of costing our tickets are the lower end of scale for conference fees.

To ensure accessibility and to accommodate individuals who may have limited funding or face travel challenges, we are pleased to offer the opportunity to participate in the sessions online at no cost.

We are able to offer a small number of free in-person tickets to UK public sector officials thanks to our partnership with the UK Government. Requests for these free tickets will need to include information on why the person wishes to attend the conference in person, and how attendance will benefit them and their them. This should be sent to golab@bsg.ox.ac.uk.

How do I plan for attending SOC23 in Oxford?

Please review our delegate information or contact us at golab@bsg.ox.ac.uk with any questions. We recommend arriving on Wednesday 13 September and departing on Saturday 16 September to allow for meeting fellow delegates beforehand at our annual Pub Quiz and attending our Closing Celebration & Remarks.

Will there be supplementary events?

We are excited to announce that for the first time we will be providing a programme of supplementary events alongside our Deep Dives, Big Picture sessions, and Keynote Talk.

Wednesday 13th September

• Pub Quiz: If you are attending in person, join us on the evening of Wednesday 13th for our annual pre-conference Pub Quiz. This is the perfect chance to have a taste of our well-loved British pub culture and what could be more 'Oxford' than doing a quiz for fun! Whether you've been before or it's your first time, this is a great chance to meet (& compete with) fellow attendees & our GO Lab team. All are welcome! The Pub Quiz will be at 7.30 pm at The Jericho Tavern (very close to BSG). Sign up here.

Thursday 14th September

• Book Launch & Networking Dinner: Alongside a Networking Dinner in the Inamori Forum, at 6pm we will mark the publishing of Social Economy Science by Oxford University Press. Edited by Gorgi Krlev, Dominika Wruk, Giulio Pasi, and Marika Bernhard, the book brings together cutting-edge research on a suite of important questions such as: How can social entrepreneurship and social innovation play an essential role in addressing persistent societal problems, including the challenge of creating more democratic, equitable and participatory forms of organising? How can impact investing and social outcomes contracting by governments change the ways in which we think about funding the common good? The book includes contributions from leading scholars and practitioners in the field, including Geoff Mulgan, Julie Battilana, Mario Calderini, and GO Lab’s own Eleanor Carter.

Friday 15th September

• Oxford Landmarks Morning Run: Stay active during the conference and discover some of Oxford's most iconic landmark by joining us on an easy morning run. We will be starting the run at the Radcliffe Camera, in the very heart of Oxford. This will start at 7am (sharp) and be for half an hour, led by our very own Executive Director.
• Poster Lunch: We recognise that there is so much exciting and meaningful work all of our different speakers and their organisations are doing which can’t be fit into the limited speaking slots. As such, we are excited to host a new opportunity at the Social Outcomes Conference 2023. Speakers and organisations are invited to share a poster at the conference. This poster will be on display physically in the Inamori Forum at the Blavatnik School alongside a lunch at 12:45 on the Friday. They will also feature virtually on the SOC23 webpage. We will be displaying posters both virtually and physically so that all attendees, both online and in-person can view the posters.This is open to both academics and practitioners. If you would like to share a poster please email golab@bsg.ox.ac.uk with one sentence saying what your poster will be on by 28th July. Once confirmed by the GO Lab team, a digital version of the poster will be required by 28th August.
• Public Talk: Our prestigious closing talk is open to all, making it a fantastic opportunity for the wider community to attend - please share the details with your friends and colleagues. This year, Professor Carolyn Heinrich (George Eastman Visiting Professor 2022-23, University of Oxford and University Distinguished Professor, Vanderbilt University), will be hosting a discussion with Dame Margaret Hodge, who has over 5 decades of experience in public service. This public talk is a timely discussion, aimed at helping reconcile collaboration and accountability in a way that can inform better practice. This will be taking place at 5:30pm at the Blavatnik School of Government and online.
• Closing Celebration: A new feature of our programme, we are excited to announce a celebratory ending and closing remarks with moments of community, insights, and connection. Join us for drinks, nibbles, music, and reflections for this final celebration in our beautiful venue. Join us 6:45pm-9:00pm for the end of SOC23.

Other

• Networking: On top of this programme of supplementary events, wider networking opportunities will be available across SOC23, including times of structured and unstructured networking throughout the Conference days.

When should I arrive in Oxford for the Conference?

For delegates traveling to the UK, we suggest arriving on Wednesday, 13 September and departing on Saturday 16 September. Please note:

• Registration to receive your delegate badge opens on Thursday 8:30am at the Blavatnik School of Government. We offer the optional activity on Wednesday evening of our annual Pub Quiz, a great opportunity to network and meet/re-connect with our team and fellow delegates. The Pub Quiz will be at 7.30 pm at The Jericho Tavern (very close to BSG).
• We encourage you to remain in Oxford through Friday evening, April 15 to participate in the Friday night festivities. The Closing Remarks are at 6:45pm, after the Closing Talk, this will then flow into our Closing Celebration

How do I travel to Oxford and where should I stay?

This delegate information page contains details about traveling to and around Oxford and our recommendations for lodging. There are a variety of hotels and rentals in Oxford that we suggest booking as soon as possible.

What kind of meals are served at the Conference?

Several meals are included in the delegate fee for in-person tickets including lunch on Thursday and Friday, dinner on Thursday and a drinks reception and nibbles on Friday evening.

In most cases, we will also offer dairy free, gluten free, nut-free, and vegan options. Menu ingredients and allergens will be listed whenever possible.

In the spirit of the SOC, we hope you understand that while most dietary preferences will be addressed, there may be occasions where you will want to supplement your own meals. There are many wonderful pubs, restaurants, cafés, and well-stocked grocery stores throughout Oxford where you can purchase additional food supplies.

For any additional questions, who can I contact?

For media inquiries or additional questions please contact golab@bsg.ox.ac.uk.

What are the dates for SOC23?

The Social Outcomes Conference 2023 will take place 14-15 September in Oxford, UK and online. For this year we’ll explore themes of Relationships and Trust, Disrupting Voices, Power and Ethics, System Change, and Innovations.

What is the virtual experience at SOC23?

Our team is proud to have the full conference in hybrid mode, as we did for the previous Social Outcomes Conference (SOC22). The conference will involve streaming the sessions online.

For SOC22, we were able to ensure that both online and offline audiences enjoyed meaningful engagement and, as such, we curate a highly interactive programme. As well as receiving Professor Julie Battilana as keynote speaker, at SOC22 we hosted over 115 speakers from 22 countries, and we welcomed over a hundred of additional participants who joined us online and in-person at Oxford. We were blown away by the excellent quality of discussions over the two days.
If you are joining us online, you will receive the passcode to reveal the Zoom credentials in due course through registration on our Eventbrite page.

Who’s speaking at SOC23?

We are thrilled to be joined by speakers from around the world. Preview our curated programme here. Connect via our Linkedin and Twitter to keep up to date with the wider community attending SOC.

Are there registration deadlines for SOC23?

No. However, we sell out of in-person places due to limited availability.

What kind of technology do I need to participate?

For the best experience, we recommend making sure your laptop is compatible with Zoom. All of our sessions are run on through the Zoom platform.

Are there fees for attending?

Attending online is free and open to everyone. Please share this registration page with your friends and colleagues dedicated to social progress. If you are joining us online, you will receive the passcode to reveal the Zoom credentials in due course through registration on our Eventbrite page.

For any additional questions, who can I contact?

For media inquiries or additional questions please contact golab@bsg.ox.ac.uk.