Voice09, the fifth annual landmark conference for social enterprise organised by the Social Enterprise Coalition, was newsworthy, lively, topical, and we think the best one yet.
With the UK now officially in recession, the conference struck an optimistic note in the face of the economic downturn and asked how social enterprise can help rebuild an economy that has social and environmental values at its forefront. The conference focused on both the challenges and opportunities for social enterprise to help drive the nation's recovery and spur growth and investment in the movement.
1,000 delegates descended on the Birmingham International Convention Centre over two days to listen to plenary speeches and debates, participate in seminars and engage in valuable networking opportunities. The city and the venue proved a great place for people to meet, greet, learn, debate and enjoy themselves.
An
opening address from David Cameron on the first afternoon of the
conference generated a buzz of energy and considerable media
attention. 
In his speech, he told the audience: "If
we want to make capitalism a success again, we need to make it popular
again. We need the spirit that drives each social enterprise in this
room - not just to create wealth but to do good at the same time - to
extend across our whole economy."
His address generated debate and discussion within the conference and outside of it, much of which is still ongoing.
To read the whole speech visit the Conservative Party website Cameron's address was followed by an afternoon plenary debating the international context for social enterprise.
The networking could then begin in earnest at a drinks reception
sponsored by Unity Bank. The Birmingham Symphony Choir provided a
musical backdrop to the reception which took place amongst the
exhibitors in the exhibition hall. 
Liam
Byrne, the Minister for the Cabinet Office made news the next day by
beginning proceedings with a speech announcing a number of new
commitments including a drive to create 25,000 new jobs in social
enterprise and a social enterprise summit to be co-hosted by Peter
Mandelson.
Byrne also praised the values and principles of social enterprise saying: "In
the future, markets will need more morals like yours. Frankly, if
people in business thought more about the benefit to the public of
their work, than their work for a personal bonus then our country could
have avoided a great deal of pain...If we want to rebalance Britain's
economy in the years to come, then your role should expand. We will
bring together the brightest minds, and the most progressive thinkers
to join us in this task." 
Jonathan
Bland, chief executive of the Coalition, responded to Byrne's
announcement by saying "A social enterprise summit between BERR and
the Office of the Third Sector is a really important step in placing
social enterprise closer to the heart of the business agenda, and we
welcome it fully." To read the whole of Byrne's speech visit the Cabinet Office website.
The
morning's plenary session discussed how social enterprise can be a
vehicle for inspiring change and the afternoon's focused on how social
enterprise works to anchor wealth in communities. The rest of the day
was full of a variety of thought-provoking seminar sessions organised
by the policy team at SEC. These grappled with some of the most urgent
issues facing the sector and featured contributions from expert
speakers including Nigel Kershaw, David Freud and Jeremy Nicholls.
Participation
in the seminars was active and engaging, and when delegates weren't in
a seminar or taking a tour of the interactive exhibition, they had the
chance to ‘make a meeting' about a topic they wanted to discuss with
others, and there was live entertainment throughout the day. 
The final event of the conference was a debate chaired by Patrick Butler, Head of Society, Health & Education at The Guardian & The Observer
and featured a panel of social enterprise leaders including Claire
Dove, Sophi Tranchell and Matthew Thomson, as well as Peter Ibbetson,
Chairman of Business Banking at RBS. The debate was lively and
discussed what role social enterprise has in rebuilding the economy and
shaping a trust in business.
The Coalition would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came and participated, and all our sponsors who helped bring Voice to Birmingham, in particular Advantage West Midlands. We hope those of you who came had a valuable and enjoyable experience, and we hope we will see even more of you at Voice10.
