Sheffield Social Enterprise Conference Set to Be City’s Largest Ever Celebration of Social Enterprise
The upcoming Sheffield Social Enterprise Conference on Thursday 26th February, curated by the Sheffield Social Enterprise Network (SSEN), is set to be the largest celebration of social enterprise the city has ever hosted, delivered with support from Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University, alongside wider programme support from Sheffield City Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF)and targeted innovation support via the South Yorkshire Innovation Programme (SYIP).
Hosted at Sheffield Business School, the conference will be headlined by keynote speaker Rob Hopkins, founder of the global Transition movement and a leading voice on community-led responses to social, economic and environmental change. Drawing on ideas from his latest book, How to Fall in Love with the Future, Rob’s keynote will explore how social enterprises can move beyond delivery and survival to actively shape compelling visions of a flourishing future.
The event builds on strong demand from Social Entrepreneurs already enrolled on the Social Enterprise Growth Accelerator (SEGA) programme, which forms part of Sheffield City Council’s wider business support offer. Thanks to the conference sponsorship from the Sheffield Business School, SSEN is now able to extend free participation beyond the SEGA cohort, opening the conference to a broader audience of Social Entrepreneurs, Academics, Sustainability professionals and others interested in a more social enterprising approach to economic and social change.
A central feature of the programme will be a dedicated workshop on the challenge of mission drift, facilitated by academics from Sheffield Business School and funded through the South Yorkshire Innovation Programme The session will combine academic research with real-world insight, supporting social enterprises to navigate growth while remaining anchored in their social purpose.
Bringing together social enterprises, researchers and system leaders from across South Yorkshire, the conference will provide a space to learn, connect and celebrate the contribution of social enterprise to Sheffield’s economy and communities. Its scale and ambition reflect both the maturity of the city’s impact economy ecosystem and the value of partnership in making inclusive, high-quality learning opportunities possible.
Further programme details will be released in the coming weeks and registration information can be found through the link below.