The School for Social Entrepreneurs

SSEs recruit, SSE Fellows win awards, SSE recruits...

Just a brief Friday SSE news update to point out that:

- Our Liverpool SSE is recruiting social entrepreneurs (see Activities and News), and our Hampshire, Devon and Yorkshire and Humber SSEs will soon. Keep your eyes peeled. Overseas, our Australia SSE is recruiting for its block programme in Sydney to start in September. Get in touch with the local/regional SSE in question for more info in each case via the links above.

- SSE Fellow Chris Dabbs's organisation, Unlimited Potential, has become the first organisation (and I believe the first SSE Fellow) in the North-West to win the Social Enterprise Mark. See the full news story. Unlimited Potential provides innovative health and wellbeing services, and was given the award by Social Enterprise Ambassador Daniel Heery (who's been blogging like a demon of late)

- Congratulations also to SSE Fellow Ros Spearing, whose organisation Ebony Horse Club won the Beyond Sport London Legacy Award this week. Which means not only recognition at a prestigious global event, and a presentation from Mayor Boris Johnson, but also £60,000 over 3 years

- Finally, SSE is currently recruiting 3 posts at its centre in the UK. So please check out the adverts and job specifications via the newspage

More on Beyond Sport, the new Social Enterprise Live website, the Social Earth video page and much more soon.....

Social media for social impact (for social entrepreneurs)

A new handbook was released yesterday called Social By Social which is a great and practical guide to using new technologies to deliver social impact. I'd thoroughly recommend having a look at the book online, or ordering a copy for you own use. Check out especially the Pioneers section, which includes two SSE Fellows, Nathalie McDermott (SavvyChavvy) and Paul Hodgkin (Patient Opinion), and the essential tools, resources, and what this means for you sections. Congratulations to all involved, especially SSE Fellow Andy Gibson and supporter David Wilcox: I think it's a great and useful resource.

In the latter, I've written the "what this means for social entrepreneurs" section. I've posted this before, but thought I would re-post again to celebrate the launch, to celebrate its use of a creative commons license, and for the various new followers / subscribers of late. Enjoy....all thoughts + links + comments most welcome.

Social media for social entrepreneurs

"While entrepreneurs in the business sector identify untapped commercial markets, and gather together the resources to break into those markets for profit, social entrepreneurs use the same skills to different effect. For social entrepreneurs, untapped markets are people or communities in need, who haven't been reached by other initiatives. But while they may read from a different (triple) bottom line, social and business entrepreneurs have a lot in common. They build something out of nothing. They are ambitious to achieve. They marshal resources to meet their needs. They are constantly creative. And they are not afraid to make mistakes.

The marshalling of resources is particularly important in this context, as start-up and fledgling social entrepreneurs often have little spare money (or money at all) for key parts of their work, namely marketing, promotions, communications, fundraising, events organisation, and community-outreach. This is where the development of web 2.0-type tools is playing such a significant role; where two or three years ago, we would get the question “do you know someone cheap who designs good websites?”, the questions now tend to be “what’s a blog and how do I start one?” or “should I pay for this or is the free version OK?”. The costs of podcasting, blogging, uploading video, starting an online network, promoting your project on Facebook or specialised networks like UnLtdWorld, fundraising online etc have fallen so far as to completely democratise it: for social entrepreneurs now, the big question is no longer “what can we afford?” but “what should we use?” and “how do you use it best?” In some cases, SSE Fellows (like Nathalie McDermott of OnRoadMedia or Jude Habib of SoundDelivery) take this a step further and make it their mission to empower communities / other organisations to speak up or better achieve using new tech.

Our message to them is a simple one: work out what you want to achieve and then work out whether technology can play a part in helping do it. It can be all too tempting amidst a rash of “twitter is the cure to all ills” headlines to leap in, waste time and lose focus. But if building a community of like-minded people who support and engage with their idea is important to moving it forward (and those people can be found online), then fire away using Facebook groups, twitter, blogs and whatever is most appropriate. Such tools are often a cost-effective means to an important end: building a following around an idea or a new enterprise. Tools such as blogs and twitter also allow for a more direct form of communication that, when done with consistency and authenticity, will better engage and inform that following. That builds trust, credibility and loyalty to an organisation in the medium to long term.

What is particularly interesting for social entrepreneurs in this space is that tools like Twitter and Facebook have blurred the line between the personal and the organisational, between the life and the work. But this is already the case for social entrepreneurs in many cases, so fits naturally with the way they are and the way they operate. Alongside the fact that networking is key to their success (particularly when they can feel isolated and disillusioned on their journey), it’s clear why such tools can be not only useful organisationally (for communications, community-building etc) but also individually (to make contacts, build relationships, find support, bookmark sites of interest etc).

However, whilst not wishing to end in Luddite fashion, it’s important that we also remember that many social entrepreneurs work in real, geographical communities that can’t be reached online; that e-mail remains the primary communication tool for the vast majority; that ‘slacktivism’ will tend to reinforce the idea that people can solve problems with a click of a mouse (and keep a healthy distance from all that nasty poverty and disadvantage); that online approaches need to be measured for their social impact if resources are put into them that could go elsewhere; that Facebook status updates aren’t a substitute for meeting people face-to-face; and that doing things is more important than talking about doing things.

Ultimately, social media tools provide amazing opportunities and resources to facilitate change, to network effectively, to communicate directly, to fundraise innovatively, and to build communities swiftly. But in all but a very small minority of cases for social entrepreneurs, they are means to an end, not the end in themselves."

Consumerism gone mad

Recently, after coming back to SSE as an intern for a few months (info at the bottom), I came across The Story of Stuff, a 20 minute web documentary hosted by "American critic of excessive consumerism" Annie Leonard. In the video Leonard goes through the process of consumption in five steps from extraction, production, distribution, consumption and then disposal. Though the video at times seems meant for younger age groups, perhaps a straightforward approach is what we all need; mixed in between the jaw dropping statistics Annie's message is clear and obvious: ever-growing consumption has become a dangerous force in human society.

As Leonard explains, this didn't just happen. In the 1955, economist Victor Lebow prophesied a version similar to our contemporary environment: "Our enormously productive economy ... demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption.... we need things consumed, burned up, replaced, and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate."

What does this have to do with social entrepreneurship and our current financial environment?
As Leonard amply points out, environmentalism affects us all, in all sectors. It is a timely reminder that while 'going green' has become a fad of its own, there is still much to be done. Here SSE Fellows like Becky Barrett at Love Eco and Dave Miller at Bikeworks play crucial roles. That being said, they are continuously dependent on you, the consumer, to purchase products strategically. It is no longer about finding the cheapest price, but rather the locally produced, environmentally friendly, and sustainable product.

That's easier said than done, particularly with the economy down the tank. Thus, we must not only buy smart, but also defy Victor Lebow and his theory of an ever-accelerating rate. Here is where the economic crisis may help us all, by forcibly slowing down our rate of purchasing. However, as we have seen such a change will lead to a slow-down in production, higher unemployment, higher prices. So what do we do? Leonard is brilliant in her analysis, but not so much in her aim. Next time I would like to see a video where she debates and convinces a parent who is fighting to keep his or her job, to shop more sustainably. Until then I won't hold my breath for a new type of consumerism.

Thor Steinhovden currently interns with the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Bethnal Green, London. He recently finished a BA in Political Science and History at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. This fall he will embark on a MSc in Comparative Politics (Nationalism and Ethnicity) at the London School of Economics.

   

The transparency of social entrepreneurship

A little while back, I blogged about why the (increasingly tedious) political expenses scandal in the UK was relevant to the realm of social entrepreneurship [see What the expenses scandal means for social entrepreneurs]. My point, largely, was about the importance of trust and legitimacy to the work of social entrepreneurs, and the associated importance of honesty and transparency to achieving and maintaining that trust.

I think the same applies to the agencies operating in the sector to support social entrepreneurs and social enterprises as well, though. If we spin, overegg, over-heroicise and overplay the success of the people we work with, there is a risk of not giving the full picture. Particularly when, particularly in the start-up space, success can look very different for different people. Indeed, my stock answer when we are asked the question "What is success for SSE?" is to say exactly that: success looks different for different people coming through the programme. For some, the journey is primarily a personal one in which, it could be argued, the project or organisation forms a vehicle for learning and development; for others, the organisation flies and grows; still more thrive in the months immediately following the programme, whilst others find new employment or civic roles they wouldn't have accessed before.

[Or as NEF put it in their evaluation of our work, “For some, the SSE acts as a [place for] fine-tuning, giving them the ability to move forward with their project in a variety of ways and to create a greater impact than they would have otherwise. For others, the SSE is nothing less than the difference between existence and non-existence of their organisation and profound change within their own lives"]

But we have to be open that there are myriad and multiple outcomes, few of which can be "guaranteed" for each social entrepreneur. Not all create jobs and not all establish organisations, and some decide, ultimately, that this world is not for them. Others find they prefer to use their new skills + networks to work in (more secure) employment. Others fall out of contact or self-select out of being communicated with about where they are at. And the more honest and open we are about those in our communications and measurement work, the more people will trust the positives and successes we also talk about. That needs to be done sensitively, of course, but it's crucial to not set unrealistic expectations with the students, our funders and supporters and, indeed, ourselves. That's something I'm emphasising as we look forward to forthcoming research and evaluation projects.

We can get better at this, no doubt, and so can others. I attended a social entrepreneurship seminar at London Business School the other evening, hosted by Professor Michael Hay, and organised by Teach First for their ambassadors (I got a few SSE students a free place). It was an interesting case study, in the MBA style, of a South African organisation called CIDA, which I remembered from the Skoll Awards a few years back. Professor Hay was involved personally in the organisation, and (what turned out to be) the turnaround of it, so had great knowledge and insight of what had happened.

I think, largely, he doesn't want all the details spread around / broadcast widely and I want to honour that, but suffice to say that the original founder of CIDA is no longer with the organisation, and is now running the Maharishi Invincibility School of Management, and that the new board / executive team of CIDA has now developed personal development programmes for students that don't relate to transcendental meditation, consciousness-based education (tm) and so on. Draw your own conclusions etc...

What surprised me is that I hadn't heard about this at all. Whilst acknowledging that this is a very high profile initiative (particularly in South Africa), there is an enormous amount of learning to be had frmo this example. Ironically, enough, transparency is a massive part of it (it wasn't clear what lay behind / what the ultimate motivations were), as is a blurring of the social entrepreneur with the organisation. The people present the other evening felt that this was forgivable in the early stages (when the social entrepreneur, after all, pretty much is the organisation), but that there needed to be proper governance, management processes, structures for stakeholder involvement etc when the organisation grew. Perhaps there are reasons why the full story can't be openly shared (I don't know), but the learning for the sector could be significant.

What a great session this would make at an event or conference, from one of the funders or support agencies who backed CIDA in its previous incarnation. It's now back on the rails on its original mission and is set, by all accounts, to continue to thrive....but would be fascinating to hear about a 'failure', be that a failure of due diligence, of governance, of blurring of individual with organisation, or of something different. After all, there's entrepreneurship in social entrepreneurship, so there's risk...and it's about being risk-aware, not risk-averse. But that awareness only comes from a willingness to be open and share examples, not through a head-in-the-sand approach.

Thursday round-up: inclusivity, iPhone, impact investing

OK, round-up of recent news + links of interest time....

- Couple of great posts on PopTech about the inclusivity (or lack of) and MBA-focused shape of social entrepreneurship, particularly in the US. See Who's in the Social Entrepreneurship Club, and who isn't? and the following post, Coaxing ghost social entrepreneurs out of the woodwork. The posts were partly in response to Business Week's "Bull market for social entrepreneurs" piece, which was very MBA-centric, and led to a further piece on Philanthropy.com called Can Social Entrepreneur Groups be more inclusive?

Worth reading them all (and comments), and good to see that this debate is making it to the US, where our long-tail approach has often seemed anathema.

- Beyond Sport is an interesting initiative connecting sport and social entrepreneurs. You can vote for the London Legacy award, and we would strongly recommend a vote for SSE Fellow Ros Spearing's organisation, Ebony Horse Club

- Government-wise, there's a new central funding website called...er...Funding Central which will be an important place, given that it aggregates lots of funding opportunities. The Modernisation Fund is also open to bursaries of £1k and grants of £10k for small charities / orgs that need it most.There's also a new Cabinet committee on third sector:public service delivery which is important policy-wise....Did I mention we have a new minister as well?

- I met Linda Butcher, the great CEO of Sheila McKechnie Foundation at a meeting this week, and she was discussing both their new website CampaignCentral, and the fact that the deadline for the awards is the end of June. If you're a campaigner, check out the details and apply!

- We're beavering away on a re-brand / re-design of the Ambassadors. In the meantime, there's some good new blog posts up from Matt Stevenson-Dodd (75% want definition) and Daniel Heery (Digital Britain + Social Enterprise NW conference) which are well worth checking out.

- The CIC consultation about dividends and caps has ended: most people seem to think there will be changes, as this article recommends .More on this soon, no doubt.

- Social Edge has done a list of the top Tweeps (that's people who Twitter) in Social Entrepreneurship to follow. Delighted to find that yours truly (@SchSocEnt) is not only included but is essential. *blushes* etc. Great place to start if you're interested in this world and are thinking of entering the Twitter-verse, or whatever it's called.

- While we're in tech-ville, interesting fundraising app has come out on the iPhone that encourages you to Givabit

- The shortlist for the Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneur Awards is announced. Winner finds out tonight. List best described as eclectic....

- Good q&a on impact investing with Kevin Jones

- Echoing Green announced their 2009 Fellows. The best round-up of this was probably on Change.org, so check out Nat's post on the Fellows, which includes several videos of the winners

- Alan Sugar as enterprise Tsar; too many jokes etc...Rob Greenland dissects what this means for us all on the Guardian blog

- Couple of decent recent podcasts on Social Innovation Conversations: Premal Shah of Kiva and Jacqueline Novogratz of Acumen Fund.

That's all for now; will leave you with the video of my favourite from thenew  Echoing Green Fellows, Dhruv Lakra of Mirakle Couriers:

International social entrepreneurship

Our focus of late at SSE has been pretty relentlessly on our existing and planned activities in the UK; following the government investment in the national network back in February, our Network team have been working hard with our regional partners to get everything in place for the expanded delivery: staff and student recruitment, match funding, agreements with partners, marketing materials, etc etc And the fruits of those labours can be seen in the list of regional schools down the side of the website, which now features Devon, Hampshire and Yorkshire (NB - so new, they don't all have full details up yet!). Hugely exciting and even more so as we recruit students and start the programmes later in the year.

And that UK work and track record over the last decade and more has given us a robust replicable package to work with and created a great deal of interest in the methodology abroad. As regular blog readers will know, our SSE programme in Sydney is our first international pilot, and it has been very rewarding for all over here to see significant time and effort pay off with the first group of Antipodean social entrepreneurs gaining support and development. And to get practically involved: I'm Skype-ing the programme manager over there about an evaluation session tomorrow morning, for example. And we have learned a lot this side in the process, both for our ongoing, current UK work, and for any further international SSEs.

One thing I think is most interesting about our franchise system (I never thought I'd start a sentence with that) is that it is rigorous enough to deliver consistency / quality assurance, but also has enough flexibility to be tailored to different local, regional or national contexts. So what excites us here is learning and adopting new innovations and improvements from our international (and UK) partners, and sharing them back round the franchise. In this way, I hope that, whilst gaining maximum impact from our central expertise and experience, we are not doing so in a neo-colonial type way (UK knows best etc), but in a mutually-beneficial one. Then we can avoid the worst of what Rod Schwartz has been highlighting in his Social Edge debate: Are the only innovations in social entrepreneurship Anglo-Saxon?

And it's exciting to see how social entrepreneurship is spreading into different contexts and more mainstream institutions. Take today's announcement of the British Council planning to boost 10,000 social entrepreneurs worldwide, focusing particularly on East Asia, China and south-east Europe. I'm delighted because we've been working with BC in various guises, including helping on the design of a pilot skills for social entrepreneurs programme in Beijing, and they've now got buy-in centrally to push the work on. Which can only be good news for those of us who think that social entrepreneurship is part of the solution, regardless of your background or which country you're in.

Thursday round-up: CEOs, Clore, Kevin and Kiva

It's been a little while since the last round-up, so here goes:

- First up the big, breaking news is that Jonathan Bland is stepping down as CEO of the Social Enterprise Coalition, moving to Finland with his (Finnish) wife. Whilst, inevitably, there have been disagreements and criticisms of the Coalition in the last 6 years, as with all membership bodies, it (and social enterprise) are certainly in a markedly different place to where they were starting out. Needless to say, there is much buzz and e-mails about who is likely to succeed him.

- The Clore Social Leadership Programme has launched; it's an interesting (if slightly unclear because very bespoke) offering, modelled on the Clore Cultural Leadership Programme...aimed primarily at potential leaders in the third sector, with 5 years experience of some sort...but that can include trustees, employees of existing orgs, volunteers etc. SSE endorses the approach (action learning sets, mentoring, duration etc), and will watch with interest...

- Great article in the Sydney Morning Herald about a current SSE Australia student's project: congrats on the feature Jenni; and congrats to the other SSE students (Frances Jamieson  and Kristina Karasulas) featured in the photo top left, meeting PM Kevin Rudd and pitching their projects to him.

- In other SSE-related news, Intelligent Giving (started by SSE Fellow Dave Pitchford) has appointed a new man in charge, Richard Marsh, formerly of the Impact Coalition. A good appointment, methinks. Speaking of which, check out the posts we're recruiting for on our homepage

- One of the many highlights of Shine 09 was meeting up with Charlotte from La Ruche, a Paris-based organisation that we've been working with on another project. Check out the site: it's a Hub-type initiative, but with the added bonus of being in the French capital....

- New ideas have to create value, otherwise it's unnovation not innovation; so says the neologising Umair Haque

- Enjoyed these 5 myths of entrepreneurship

- There's a new Guinness Philanthropy Fund for social entrepreneurs in Ireland, who will be ably assisted by our good friends over at Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. I'll drink to that, etc.

- Great round-up of social enterprise and social finance organisations in Canada by the amazing Tonya Surman.

- 38degrees wants to be the UK's MoveOn. The right people are involved to make it happen....

- Nat@Change.org has a great post about Kiva which links to an article discussing their decisions about which legal structure to choose (amongst other interesting stuff); for comparison, check out this more critical view of Kiva's work (and micro-lending more generally) on Social Edge

- I can't remember if I linked to this before, but Paul Light is required (academic) reading on social entrepreneurship; check out his latest piece, Social Entrepreneurship revisited

- I should also have mentioned this already: much hyped and buzzed on twitter and the like, the Social Entrepreneur API mashes up the databases of Skoll, Ashoka and Civic Ventures and the like. Again, Nat has the best overview. I think it's a really interesting idea, although I worry that this (again) will channel more resources (of all types) to those who need it less. Wonder what a mashed-up UnLtd/SSE/Ashoka/CAN database API might look like over here (and what it would actually be used for....)?

Till next time......

Passion is important for social entrepreneurs, but what sort of passion?

One of the things people talk about social entrepreneurs needing is passion. Although it's never entirely clear what is meant by that: something to do with being able to see it through the hard times (can't give it up because you feel so strongly about it), something to do with how you communicate what you do (and why it's needed), something about it coming from personal experience (sometimes), something about loving it....etc.etc

Stanford Social Innovation Review points to a forthcoming research article about understanding 'passion' a bit more in the entrepreneurial context. It differentiates between 'affective' passion (surface passion: facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice), 'cognitive passion' (revealed in your preparation, thoughtfulness, logic etc) and 'behavioral passion' (how have you demonstrated your commitment: investing own money, time; taken personal risk / responsibility etc). Their take on it is that 'affective passion' is not particularly successful at attracting funding and investment or gaining support. Rather it is the 'cognitive' and 'behavioral' passions which are more likely to do so.

Now the cynics may say that this is just a jazzy way of saying: you should really do your preparation and analysis and/or (in the case of the behavioral stuff) we want to see your commitment demonstrated. But I think there's something interesting here for social entrepreneurs, in that passion is not just about rousing, inspiring speeches...or moving people with the intensity of their story. It's also about turning up on time to meetings, preparing thoroughly, consistent commitment, being rigorous in approach to measurement and analysis, and so on. Indeed, for many, these are things they find difficult, so will only do if they are really passionate (in all the above meanings) about the organisation they are establishing and leading.

Benjamin Franklin said that "If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins"; what this research might say in addition, is that passion can be shown through rational thought and actions, not just emotional ones.

What the expenses scandal means for social entrepreneurs

It was interesting to read today that the CEO of Barnardo's is going to publish his (and his senior management team's) expenses, on the back of the MP's expenses scandal. [NB - if you're an international / non-UK reader and this hasn't made your news, check out Wikipedia's current take (or any UK newspaper's website, frankly)] It's interesting, because it's the first I've read of the scandal having a direct impact in this sector. But there are real implications (and lessons), positive and negative, for social entrepreneurs and the broader third sector.

Firstly, it is about legitimacy, which is at the core of the social entrepreneur's journey, particularly in the earlier stages. They are not appointed to a job, nor elected to one, so have to earn (and learn) their legitimacy through their actions, through involving their community (+ stakeholders), and through learning and recognition from others. Like MPs, they are trusted to spend money and make decisions on how that money is spent, so transparency and value for money are also absolutely key. This row has only served to underline how important transparency and value for money are in the modern age (and especially the current climate); and it's shown how swiflty legitimacy can be lost through inappropriate actions.

What has also become clear from the MPs expenses row is that a set of rules are not enough to hardwire an ethical approach into being.The MPs soon realised that operating "within the rules" was not enough, and that it was also about operating in the "spirit" of those rules that was important. And, no matter how improved they are made, and how less flawed, and how much more scrutiny there is, a true change will also require a true change in the spirit of how the MPs approach their expenses. In the public and third sector alike, rules and regulations are important, as are transparency and measurement (value), but so is the spirit and motivation that drives the way in which things are done. What it boils down to, again, is that rules and regulations and legal boundaries only take you so far: it is the people, and their motivations and skills, which make it a success or a failure. This is as true in the social enterprise and charity world as in the world of politics.

Finally, it's interesting to note that, despite what Barnardo's has to do, scrutiny and accountability-wise, for its funders and regulators (eg. Charity Commission) and trustees, its CEO still identifies the need to do more. And I think what that signifies, after the collapse of trust in one set of institutions (our financial ones) and now the collapse of trust in another (the political world), is that the bar is effectively raised for all organisations in terms of transparency and honesty. But this is especially the case for organisations in the third sector, including those started and run by social entrepreneurs...where trust and legitimacy is so crucial to their work being effective and impactful.

Brief reflection on Shine 09

Just wanted to capture some quick reflections on the two days of Shine 09. Am sure there will be more over the next few days, + more photos and videos to be uploaded. Overall, as one of the co-founders and organisers (SSE), I'm pretty delighted with how it went. Massive congrats and thanks to Sam, Lizzie and all at Germination for all their hard work in making the event a reality, and one that ran pretty smoothly. And all on a shoestring budget.

The four partners started the event because they felt there was a need for an accessible, affordable, practical, well-networked, dynamic event that was less about long powerpoints and plenary speeches, and more about one-to-one support and moving your business on. I really think Shine 09 delivered on that concept, and, overall, it felt like more 'business' was being done at the event than last year. Or, as Cliff Prior (UnLtd CEO) summarised to me, Shine 08 was about inspiration, Shine 09 was about perspiration...or about implementation. I saw a couple of SSE Fellows walking out at the end of Friday and they were listing the work they'd got, the contacts made, and the practical advice they'd received...which was very much music to my ears.

Highlights for me on the Friday were the 1:1 areas, where organisations like Lovells, Futurebuilders, UnLtd, Ashoka and ourselves got little respite from social entrepreneurs thirsty for advice and information. Some of the workshop sessions were a little more mixed, going on anecdotal feedback, but I heard positive things about the Mind MOT session and Jackie Westlake's DCLG session(s) in particular.

On Saturday, the vibe was relaxed and enjoyable, and What If gave a load of bespoke consultancy to those who were there (and booked in). The Social Collaboration game was great, and its hypothetical MP expenses endowment fund almost became a Twitter hoax, before being stopped in its tracks. Finally, the pitching session was great, with four excellent projects, and the judging panel giving supportive and constructive feedback (though I say so myself). Martin Sherrard won the popular vote, and an UnLtd Level 1 Award, for his walled kitchen garden project.

 As ever, we will learn from this year and the things that went well and that didn't. The balance between structured and unstructured felt good this year, and the Kings Place and the Hub Kings Cross were stellar venues. The only challenge with Kings Place was the split levels (which meant it felt slightly less of "one event" together) and lack of natural light in the downstairs rooms, but it's a great and well-resourced place to have an event. The Hub has a great vibe and, as at Kings Place, the staff and team there could not have been more helpful and accommodating.

Final big thanks to all who made it possible: Germination as I mentioned above, the funders and sponsors (Lovells, Futurebuilders, CCLA, DCLG, OTS et al), the media partners, the founding partners (especially Ben@Ashoka, Jonathan@theHub, Cliff and Nic@UnLtd), all the volunteer UnConsultants and helpers, David Wilcox for this site, and to all the social reporters and twitterers who helped make the event one that others could be involved in even from miles away.

Till next year then... ;0) and check out the Shine Social Reporter site for all the posts, videos, tweets from this weekend.