Liverpool City Region Thegoodbusinessfestival.com #goodbusinessfest
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PLAY VIDEO Password: Purp@se
THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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THE WORLD IS CHANGING & BUSINESS IS RESPONDING THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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INTRODUCTION Planning for The Good Business Festival 2020 had been underway for over a year when the world turned upside down. In February 2020, before the Covid-19 crisis had fully taken hold in Europe, we wrote the following: “The Good Business Festival is an event that the world has been waiting for - it’s exactly what populations are demanding, as more and more people get switched on to the idea of conscious capitalism and purposeful business. Our world is in a state of extraordinary flux where political, social and cultural change are happening at a faster rate than at any other time in history. “The future is unpredictable, but one thing is certain: social purpose and authenticity are now being demanded by consumers, employees and legislators. This is the perfect moment to validate the UK as an ambitious, inquisitive and engaged global leader in emerging industries. “In 2020, doing good is big business.” Just a few months later, as the world reacts to a tumultuous time, our mission to explore the role of business in society has become even more pertinent. Our collective understanding of how the relationship between business, government and society can (or should) work is evolving every day. As global crises sweep through cities, countries and economies, they leave a new-found sense of solidarity in their wake. Now is surely the time for all of us to re-evaluate, re-focus and re-discover our purpose.
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WHY NOW? The Good Business Festival is determined to show leadership and continuity during this global challenge, and we understand that recovery from Covid-19 is going to be the immediate focus for many of our prospective partners and audiences. Day by day it is becoming increasingly apparent that systematic change is urgently needed. This crisis is offering a renewed foundation for the conversations we want to facilitate, strengthening the action we aim to inspire and amplifying the call for business to take the lead role in tackling global societal issues. There are now two matters at hand – continuing to drive the global movement towards good business and addressing the impact of the Covid -19 crisis. In light of this, The Good Business Festival will now take place in two acts.
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THE WORLD NEEDS TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS 5
In October 2020, The Good Business Festival
Act 1
Act 1 will be a one-day digital event focused on Covid-19 response and recovery. Can we go back to business as usual after the crisis or is this an opportunity to reset and emerge into a new purposeful world order? Expect powerful international content exploring what changes will stick, what will be temporary and what we’ve all learnt over the past few months of expedited innovation, societal upheaval and re-assessment of our priorities, and tackling what could and should happen next. Programming will cover a wider spectrum of our Centre Stage strands and topics. The October edition will be one day of heavy hitting keynote talks, panel debates and interviews supported by breakout workshops and Good Thinking sessions offering practical tools, techniques and teachings for participants to take back into their businesses. As well as the main events there’ll be social and fringe programming for a fully-formed festival experience.
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8 October 2020 THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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A CLOSER LOOK: ACT 1 - 8TH OCTOBER
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ACT 1 WILL BE A HYBRID LIVE, BROADCAST AND DIGITAL FORMAT. WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS PRODUCING SOME CONTENT IN A STUDIO SETTING IN LIVERPOOL WITH LIVE APPEARANCES AND INVITED AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION AS WELL AS DOWN-THELINE CONTRIBUTIONS, PRE RECORDED CONTENT AND OUTSIDE BROADCAST. THIS WILL ALSO BE STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE ALONGSIDE FULLY DIGITAL CONTENT, REMOTE SESSIONS AND VIRTUAL FESTIVAL CONTENT.
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CENTRE STAGE
OPEN SOURCE
Our main channel for the day with headline
Our virtual library and workspace with quality
content programmed 9am - 9pm.
content available to everyone for free all year
GOOD THINKING Live sessions from experts offering practical advice to SMEs, startups and individuals.
GOOD BUSINESS SOCIAL
round. Throughout the festival day, content will be released to support and develop the themes from Centre Stage and Good Thinking sessions. Open Source will then continue to grow between the Acts as Good Thinking sessions take place over the interim months. Head over to Open Source when a live session is over to continue your learning straight away, or take a moment to reflect and pick it up later
Activities and arts to balance out the serious
– for yourself, with colleagues or collaborators.
stuff. Try a yoga class, take us on your morning
Expect a mix of pre-recorded interviews and
run, help the kids with some colouring or visit
films, infographics, podcasts, demonstrations and
a virtual gallery.
how-to sessions, supporting documents, reports and papers and other things that we think are important to share.
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In March 2021, The Good Business Festival itself
Act 2
will take place as a multi-day, multi-venue event. One year on from lockdown, having had time to process and reset, we will gather our audience and participants in Liverpool and its surrounding boroughs and engage with our digital audience of 400k+ for our showstopper event. The smartest minds from around the world will join us to think big, galvanise our ambition and continue to drive positive change in our post-Covid-19 world. With compelling, thought-provoking and unexpected programming, the festival will prove itself to be globally relevant and culturally essential. Core content will be accompanied by social and arts activities, educational programming and fringe events across the region. The event will be a learning opportunity for everyone. This will be a place where people and companies of all sectors and sizes come together to gain practical advice on working towards better business, and in doing so forge meaningful connections as a purposeful business community. Together we’ll work to understand how business purpose can both help create stronger long-term profitable businesses and contribute to a better society.
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A CLOSER LOOK: ACT 2 - MARCH 2021
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A THREE DAY, MULTI-VENUE CITYWIDE TAKEOVER. AS WELL AS EVERYTHING FROM ACT 1, OUR FRINGE, ARTS AND SOCIAL PROGRAMMING WILL ENSURE A TRUE FESTIVAL ENVIRONMENT WITH PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO SOCIALISE AND EXPLORE THE CITY.
THE FESTIVAL HUB
GOOD BUSINESS SOCIAL
The Festival Hub:
Good Business Social:
Will be a permanent drop-in hub running
Cultural and social programming taking place
throughout the festival. This will be a large vibrant
throughout the city region to complement the
co-working style series of spaces - with areas to
main events. From early morning wellbeing
work alone or hold meetings alongside breakout
sessions to evening activities, arts programming
spaces, great food and bars.
and entertainment.
GOOD THINKING
PODCASTING
Good Thinking:
Podcasting:
Will be a mixture of ticketed, open access and
Panel sessions and interviews with live audiences,
digital programming to ensure everyone has the
as well as our own private festival studio for more
opportunity to further their knowledge, seek
intimate recordings.
advice and gain useful, relevant business skills.
FRINGE PROGRAMMING
Fringe Programming:
EXHIBITIONS
Exhibitions:
Creative platforms for alternative ideas –
Events run by selected partners to boost the
elevating the brands and businesses that have
festival reach and maximise accessibility for
positive stories to tell and offering opportunities
people across Liverpool City Region. Each of
for companies to prove commit-ment to goals
Liverpool’s brilliant boroughs will host content
beyond shareholder value.
to make this a truly region-wide event.
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WHO IS OUR AUDIENCE? Business and society are inextricably linked, so whether you work for a business, run a business or are just interested in business, The Good Business Festival is for you. The B2B audience includes: • • • • • • • • •
Global brands Industry leaders Business owners, founders and directors SMEs, startups and scale-ups Investors, VCs and funders Foundations, NGOs and charities Cultural leaders Elected officials Public sector leaders
The B2C audience includes: • • • • •
Engaged consumers Students Employees, the self-employed, freelancers Public sector workers The future workforce
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FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO HELP DRIVE THE GLOBAL GOOD BUSINESS MOVEMENT 400k + existing engaged audience A global digital reach of millions
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WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT THE PROGRAMME?
Expect programming that works for you, wherever you’re from, whatever your situation. Don’t expect a conference. Don’t expect preaching or self-congratulatory talks. Don’t expect to come away feeling like you’ve done enough already. Expect to be challenged, to feel rejuvenated, and to leave on a mission. Over the course of the festival’s two acts there will be a constant flow of people and ideas through the entire city region – making connections and catalysing progress.
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FESTIVAL TOPICS The Good Business Festival programming aims to create space for a huge variety of topics; everything from the big issues facing global societies to the niggling questions that sit at the back of our minds when we go to work every day. We recognise that there’s huge crossover in the topics covered at each of our events, so rather than running focused content streams like you may have seen before, every talk, workshop, podcast, debate, activity or exhibition will be tagged with the key topics that it covers. As a festival-goer, you can choose to explore the topics that interest you or dive into a little bit of everything. To find out more about our Centre Stage sessions and where your work can fit in, please see the Centre Stage pack.
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ECONOMICS TECH ETHICS CONSUMER TRENDS HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES SPORT BIG THINKING PLANET PLACE AND SOCIETY RETAIL FUTURE PERSONAL PURPOSE DISRUPTION
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GOOD THINKING Good Thinking sessions will complement the festival’s headline events on Centre Stage and cover the same core topics. Brands, businesses and thinkers will offer their expertise and experience so that we can develop our shared understanding of how to put good business principles into action. These sessions will take the best thinking on the important topics and turn it into useful, relevant
GOOD THINKING Practical advice for SMEs, startups and individuals.
ACT 1
OCTOBER
ACT 2
MARCH
AS WELL AS BEING A CORE PART OF BOTH ACTS OF THE FESTIVAL, GOOD THINKING SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN OCTOBER AND MARCH. THESE SESSIONS WILL ENABLE OUR GOOD BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO KEEP THE CONVERSATIONS GOING AND MAINTAIN MOMENTUM BY DEVELOPING ON FROM WHAT WE’VE LEARNT IN OCTOBER. OUR SHARED LEARNING DURING THIS TIME WILL INFORM THE PROGRAMMING FOR THE MARCH EVENT. THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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FORMATS
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THE SPOTLIGHT
Six
This is our 1-on-1 interview series, bringing
We ask contributors to present their ideas using
together big names with different views on some
only six slides and six minutes. This focus ensures
of the greatest challenges we face.
that we are able to condense arguments into
RANT OR RAVE
compelling, shareable content which will have a
The Good Rant
life far beyond the festival itself.
Five minutes. One subject. No holds barred.
Exhibitions
Performance, passion or polemic.
THE RECAP
Every session of the festival will begin with a recap
10 ON 10 Two speakers with opposing views get 10 min each to pitch their viewpoint on a specific subject. Through a quick and simple online vote, our audience decide who wins.
BLANK PAGE Blank Page is a quick talks series which asks specialist in their field not to try and fix the challenges faced by their sector, but to redesign the sector from scratch. Sometimes the best way to find a solution is to start all over again.
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SIX
The Spotlight
to establish what we already know about the topic - a summary of known facts and widely shared opinions from all sides of the debate. The Recap is our way of making sure that sessions drive conversations forward - we’re not here to go over old ground, we’re here to create positive change.
WORKSHOP
WORKshop
Hands-on learning and collaboration where hosts and attendees can learn from each other. Using visual or digital tools our workshop programming will ensure that every one of our participants can make a meaningful contribution to the festival outcomes.
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OUR VALUES The Good Business Festival aims to drive positive change. We’re not just here to talk - we mean business. We want every person in every session to come away with an action and a tangible goal. So before the end of each session, you’ll hear the Action Klaxon - our clarion call. All participants, moderators and audience members then have a chance to make a pledge - something achievable, motivating, and that will help them on the road to good business. If anyone isn’t sure where to start, we can help. Some of our participants will be able to offer a menu of recommended pledges - like working towards the UN Global Goals, starting out the process of B Corp certification or using recommendations from our partner think tanks or you can make up your own.
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THE
ACTION KLAXON
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RECOMMEND A SPEAKER The Good Business Festival is committed to discovering, promoting and broadcasting the most exciting and influential emerging global business, finance and policy leaders who are shaping contemporary business culture. We want to be blown away by outsiders, disrupters, and unlikely lasses and lads plucked from relative obscurity. So we’re doing things differently. Rather than hearing exclusively from the ‘usual suspects’ we’re asking them to participate in our event but also to recommend someone else. Who would they want to hear from? Someone brilliant,
WE WANT TO CREATE SPACE FOR VOICES FROM UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES IN BUSINESS AND TO HEAR AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE LEADERS OF THE FUTURE.
someone who’s under the radar but who’s stock is rising. They could be young or experienced; a business leader or an employee; an activist, provocateur, artist or financier. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they do as long they have character, eloquence, a clear message and a distinct point of view.
WHO SHOULD WE HEAR FROM?
We want to amplify under-heard perspectives. Who should we hear from?
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HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY Template Subheading
We need to talk about failure. Being better can be a challenge. Doing the right thing isn’t often doing the easy thing. We fall at first hurdles, hit brick walls and run out of steam. We set some bars too high and others not high enough. At The Good Business Festival we want to hear about your struggles as well as your successes. We want to hear about times you’ve come a cropper when you were trying to do better. Tell us why change is hard, what’s got in your way, and why you’ve perservered. Tell us that it was tough but it was worth it. We believe in honesty and transparency, and we know that the road to good business can be rocky. But a a problem shared is a problem halved, and with the experience and expertise of our participants and audiences, the chances are there’s someone here who can help. THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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WE AIM TO LEAD THE GLOBAL GOOD BUSINESS MOVEMENT ACHIEVING OUR LEGACY AMBITIONS RELIES ON COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS. WHAT ROLE COULD YOUR ORGANISATION PLAY?
To drive the campaign for good business forward
The festival and legacy projects work towards the
we aim to build a new community working to
same ultimate goals:
create meaningful change in business and in society, supported by digital resources and yearround programming:
• To position the UK as a good business leader and enhance positioning for Liverpool City Region specifically to lead by example as a
• The Good Business Journal – a new digital
region of good business
destination for insight and thought leadership • To democratise and diversify a subject matter • Storing all sessions in Open Source to create a
that impacts everyone
free digital edition of the festival itself • To engage with absolutely anyone in order to • Stimulating good business start-ups and education in our Liverpool City Region home • Free online resources and open source tools for good business learning and support - in
find consensus, where possible, on the global societal issues that matter • To provide learning opportunities for everyone from students to CEOs
Open Source • To enable businesses to be better, do more, go • Long-term mentoring programmes
further and faster than they thought possible
• Programme-specific follow-ons including workshops, partnerships, networking groups, webinars, coaching and knowledge sharing • Continued thought leadership - publishing our collective learning, best practice and recommended action, targets and frameworks
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The Good Business Journal is a platform to connect stories and ideas and bring them to life before, during and after the festival. The journal will be a new global digital destination for business insight and thought leadership. It combines the dual expertise of our team and partners – business and culture – to create a platform where thought-provoking articles, business stories, news, insights and interviews are beautifully presented. Business stories told with powerful photography; data communicated through creative illustration; the work of international industry experts, economists and big thinkers supported by film makers, artists and designers. Email journal@thegoodbusinessfestival.com to get involved - we welcome input from writers, thinkers, industry leaders and artists. THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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OUR VALUES To ensure that we reach our ambitious goals, The Good Business Festival will be heavily values-driven. 1. Both people and ideas 2. Not just provoking thought but action 3. Emphasising legacy and sustainability 4. We advocate for disruption and reform 5. We believe in prosperity for all 6. We will be honest about the challenges as well as the benefits of good business, and engage where others won’t
OPEN TO ALL PROACTIVE IMPACT FOCUSED QUESTIONING EQUALITY & EQUITY TRANSPARENT 1
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3
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Think of us as SXSW meets TEDx meets Boiler Room with a hint of Davos*
*minus the private jets THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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WHO’S ON BOARD? We refer to everyone that we work with - from global brands to individuals - as participants. We hope that this inclusive approach sets everyone we work with on equal footing as a voice in the debate, on the road to good business together. The global challenges that The Good Business Festival addresses are not easy to solve; these are systemic, complex and deep-rooted issues in our societies affecting millions of lives every day. It’s a big task, and we believe that we can achieve more by working together than by operating alone. In light of this, there are no predetermined restrictions on who we will or will not work with. We believe that positive change is possible. We don’t believe in judging any person or business only on their previous actions – what’s important is transparency about the past, and a focus on future ambition. This is an event built on inclusivity with the goal of creating fairer societies – that cannot happen if anyone is locked out of the conversation. At The Good Business Festival, everyone can have a seat at the table. THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
AGEING BETTER - B LAB UK - BLUEPRINT FOR BETTER BUSINESS - BRITISH COUNCIL - BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL - BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY - CENTRE FOR CITIES - CENTRE FOR PROGRESSIVE POLICY EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP ASSOCIATION - EVERTON FC - GOOD BUSINESS CHARTER - GREENPEACE - HOTEL PLANNER - IBM - ICELAND - INSTITUTE OF PROMOTIONAL MARKETING - INTERNATIONAL FASHION ACADEMY IPSOS MORI - LIVERPOOL FC - MASTERCARD - MET OFFICE - NESTA - COCA COLA - OXFAM - PROJECT EVERYONE - ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS - THE EDEN PROJECT - THE REGENDA GROUP - TORUS - INNOCENT PATAGONIA - ONTEX - ARUP 22
FESTIVAL AMBASSADORS
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Ann Cairns UK YOUTH PARLIAMENT Athian Akec FOUNDER, THE VALUABLE 500 Caroline Casey VCSE CROWN REPRESENTATIVE Claire Dove OBE FOUNDER, 56 BLACK MEN Cephas Williams DIRECTOR, EVERTON Denise Barrett-Baxendale CO-FOUNDER, HUBBUB Gavin Ellis UK AMBASSADOR FOR CREATIVE SMALL BUSINESSES Holly Tucker CO-FOUNDER, B LAB UK James Perry PRESIDENT, CBI Lord Karan Bilimora FOUNDER, IAMTHECODE Mariéme Jamme CEO, ELLA’S KITCHEN Mark Cuddigan FOUNDER, PLANET ORGANIC Renée Elliot FOUNDER, GLOBAL TECH ADVOCATES Russ Shaw FOUNDER, UNMIND Ry Morgan FOUNDERS, BRIXTON SOUP KITCHEN Solomon Smith & Mahamed Hashi EXECUTIVE CHAIR, MASTERCARD
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TIMELINE Are you looking for a global platform and an engaged audience to launch your big idea? Do you have a business problem that you need help to solve? Do you feel you’re ahead of the curve on one of the topics we’re covering and could teach us
GET INVOLVED IN THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL MILESTONES:
something about it?
24 JUNE TH
Have you been questioning your purpose - as a business leader, an employee or as an individual?
9 SEPTEMBER TH
Join us.
30 SEPTEMBER TH
1 OCTOBER ST
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PROFIT COMES FROM PURPOSE THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
CENTRE STAGE
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ACT 1 8 OCTOBER 2020 TH
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Act 1 centre stage
WTF JUST HAPPENED? We open Act 1 of the festival with a keynote session to ask ourselves - what just happened to the world as we knew it? Opening with a VT and continuing in a live debate, cultural figures and big thinkers from around the world take a moment to reflect on how Covid-19 affected their world and their business. What happened, what is their new reality and how can we all move forward in our mission to create a more purposeful world? This is a session to take stock of our shared experience, acknowledge the enormous social impact of this year’s events and hear from global communities in different stages of recovery. We’ll explore the positive learnings we can take from this shared experience, and how we can use them to build a better future for everyone.
WHAT NEXT FOR GLOBALISATION? Are we really in this together? Wealth and status inequality, the dominance of multinationals and the dispersion of global supply chains have been highlighted as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. Has Covid-19 exposed profound instability in our international systems? Will nations be more united or divided? Will international relations retract or become stronger? Are we witnessing the emergence of a new world order? Will we see a further retreat from hyper-globalisation, as citizens look to national governments to protect them? Or will we witness a boost in international co-operation, support for the UN, and a willingness to pursue dialogue rather than military and economic confrontation. Can countries with such different values (i.e. democratic, market-based economies and state-managed societies) really co-operate and how would it work?
NEVER WASTE A CRISIS Almost everything is predictable. What crises are on the horizon? How do we prepare for those that are a reality now (climate, inequality and poverty)? How can radical transformation result from a cataclysmic event? The actions taken to suppress the spread of Covid-19 have revealed what society is capable of doing when faced with a threat. Governments and business around the world, have shown swift and decisive responses to the crisis, demonstrating how quickly change can happen when humanity comes together and acts on the advice of scientists. In contrast, the global response to the climate crisis has been marked by sluggish responses to environmental commitments, political apathy and businesses continuing as normal in the face of devastating scientific predictions. Has the response to Covid-19 highlighted that business can lead collective action against climate change or will its devastating economic impact further entrench those who seem unwilling to recognise the need for urgent action?
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Act 1 centre stage
1.5% OF UK BUSINESS LEADERS ARE BLACK Black people hold just 1.5% of the almost 4 million leadership roles in UK business. This tiny representation impacts the decisions businesses make and the ability to create genuine representation. In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, businesses from across all sectors have made commitments to change. But how can we ensure that these noble words are translated into concrete action? How do we move from hand wringing and introspection to positive, tangible difference? The 2020 Parker review recommended that FTSE 100 firms should appoint at least one non-white board-level director by the end of 2021. But what else should businesses implement that goes beyond the hype? This session brings together black business leaders and change specialists to help identify how all of the good words of the last few months can translate into Good Business solutions.
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IT’S A MAN’S, MAN’S, MAN’S WORLD In 2020, the Women Count report found that companies with greater numbers of female execs bring in 10 times greater profits. But simultaneously, women are being harder hit by the Covid-19 crisis, being more likely to lose their jobs and suffer pay cuts whilst their care and domestic duties increase. Women are more vulnerable to the economic effects of any crises because of existing gender inequalities, but what’s good for gender equality is good for the economy and society too, so why aren’t we there yet? This session is presented by The WOW (Women of the World) Foundation who are building a global movement that believes a gender equal world is desirable, possible and urgently required. Together we’ll ask why Covid-19 is having a regressive effect on gender equality, how we can act right now to reverse the damage and what critical steps are needed to achieve a more equal future.
I’M GONNA LEVEL WITH YOU The UK’s regional inequalities are some of the worst in the developed world and the disparities are growing. When it comes to health, jobs, disposable income and productivity, only the US has a wider divide. In 2019, the new Conservative government committed to reduce regional divisions and bring prosperity to all parts of the country as part of their ‘Levelling Up’ agenda, recognising that public spending, institutional funding and business investment are all far higher in London and the South East than anywhere else. How can big business help to address London’s financial dominance and global standing and spread wealth to regions outside of major cities for a more balanced regional economy and reduced geographical social inequality? What needs to change? What does ‘levelling up’ mean for businesses, and how do we get there?
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Act 1 centre stage
THE THREE MARKETEERS Recent brand campaigns focus on a narrative that “we’re all in this together” - but how long will we remember that for? Going into Covid-19, data suggested that only 1 in 3 consumers trusted brands that they buy or would consider buying– and there was an increasing expectation for brands to provide real purpose beyond woke washing, a demand at the heart of the modern marketing discussion. Has Covid-19 helped provide brands and marketing with a new crucible moment – the 2020 Edelman Trust Special Report stating that the pendulum has now swung the other way – with a massive 62% of consumers saying that they didn’t think their country would make it through the crisis without brands playing a critical role in the fight against the Coronavirus. What can we learn from organisations and companies that both got it right and got it wrong? How do we define success in marketing in the new world we now inhabit?
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SOLUTIONS SALON Our take on the French renaissance salon culture which led to the Enlightenment and ultimately revolutionary thinking. The Solutions Salon is a home for cultural and intellectual debate in the 2020s – free-thinking discussion meets cross-disciplinary hackathon with the ultimate goal of solving societal problems. But we’re not just aiming to be enlightened – these sessions will focus on solutions, ingenuity and action. The group will tackle a global societal issue or a ‘super wicked problem’ and resolve specific issues that Liverpool City Region (LCR) businesses are experiencing in their ‘Build Back Better’ recovery effort. Problems will be nominated by our participants and The Good Business Festival community. The panel (made up of economists, engineers, town planners, philosophers, public servants, scientists, artists, architects, journalists, coders) will be tasked to share ideas, think big and create practical solutions to the nominates problems that Covid-19 has highlighted in our society and our businesses.
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: AUSTRALASIA AND NORTH AMERICA New Zealand and Canada have become the poster children for how to deal with crises following swift, effective and compassionate reactions not just to Covid-19 but natural disasters, terrorism and extreme weather events. Jacinda Ardern and Justin Trudeau’s styles of governing are characterised by camaraderie, empathy and transparency which aren’t the traditional pillars of leadership – but does this kind of good governing make it easier for good businesses to succeed? When we compare the business climate in these countries with their neighbours in Australia and America, who comes out on top, and what can we learn from alternative approaches? Do we have to choose between governance led by compassion or eceonomics? Does putting the lives of your citizens first, making values-led decisions and supporting social impact mean risking economic growth and global standing, or does compassionate leadership pave the way for good businesses to succeed and therefore boost not only GDP but health, happiness and national image?
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Act 1 centre stage
PROFIT COMES FROM PURPOSE: THE RISE OF CORPORATE ACTIVISM We are seeing a rising number of mission-minded organisations dedicated to achieving social and environmental outcomes through the market, rather than political or civic action, and using brand power for campaign purposes. How can business leverage their capabilities and influence to mobilise supporters towards action in support of social change? We hear form the in-house activists and social intrapreneurs who infiltrated the corporate corridors to change their companies for the better, from the inside out.
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CAPITALISM AFTER COVID Beyond the bottom line - can capitalism after Covid-19 reinvent itself? Capitalism has never been more divisive. For some, it represents everything that is wrong with the modern world. For others, it is the only way society can tackle the challenges it faces. With the emergence of patient capital, impact investing and smart green venture capital funds, and with the pandemic highlighting the instability in our global economy, are the two sides of the debate over capitalism closer than we think? Leading figures in global economics discuss key issues to help define a roadmap for capitalism.
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Act 1 centre stage
THE ENTERTAINMENT REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED Covid-19 slammed the brakes on the world of entertainment and culture, but in a matter of weeks art forms and institutions built on live experience were creating digital content and talking about new ways to attract and engage the widest possible audience. Has the last 6 months overturned the old establishments, and opened a window into the way we’ll be entertained in the future? Is the cultural life which has shaped our cities and societies for generations collapsing before our eyes? When you can now get front row seats to performances you would never usually get tickets to, why would we want to go back? Or has this enforced break actually shown us just how much we miss live experience? We ask some of the biggest names in the game - in the rush to digital, has Covid killed live entertainment, and if it has then what is going to be lost beyond traditional revenue streams?
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RAISING THE GAME The pandemic has revealed pre-existing cracks and weaknesses in sport as much as it has provided new challenges. Leaders in sport are having to work flat out to navigate the existential threats they’re facing, so Is professional sport thinking about the creation of a whole new model and organisational framework or just speed of recovery as it emerges from Covid-19? What is the role of professional sport and sports business in society and what could ‘good’ sport could look like if we put our minds to it? What has the crisis revealed about the state of play for fans, community, accessibility, environment and profit in sport? What has the #BlackLivesMatter movement taught the sporting world about systemic bias? We’ll be asking some of the leading names in global professional sport, top athletes, grassroots heroes, and disruptive thinkers from other sectors to reimagine the way that their sport is governed, funded, played and consumed.
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GOOD THINKING
In Good Company - Doing Well by Doing Good HOLLY TUCKER On Purpose - Creating Companies with Conscience MAZARS Making it Count EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP ASSOCIATION Being Employee Owned China - Good for Business, Bad for Education? How to be a Good Employer EVERTON FC Back of the Net Working Towards Racial Equality in Business Covid vs Brexit - Big Blows for Business Lessons in Creative Leadership THE MET OFFICE Pathway Out of the Climate Emergency LCR Solutions Salon Transition Towards a Circular Economy REGENDA, TORUS House Nation DAVID HIEATT
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ACT 2 MARCH 2021
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Act 2 centre stage
PLACES WITH PURPOSE As the world of work becomes more fractured and flexible, people are going to locate themselves where they want to live, not where they have to live. How can towns and cities build common purpose amongst stakeholders – citizens, communities, elected representatives, businesses – in order to reflect this change? Public sector organisations are increasingly being run like private corporations - can these sectors learn from each other to find a balance between profit and purpose? This is a full day of varied events - keynote speeches, workshops, breakout sessions exploring public sector shakeups, public-private partnerships and the impact of devolution.
THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
ALL OVER THE SHOP? THE FUTURE OF RETAIL AI and digital, or independent and personal - what’s the future of retail? Some media reports would have us believe that town centres and high streets are in terminal decline, but this is far from the case. Retail remains the single largest private sector employer in the UK - in a rapidly shifting retail landscape, will only those who challenge the existing model and offer radical thinking survive? Post-Covid: Has the lockdown / social distancing banged another nail in the coffin of our town centres? When will we feel comfortable again in large crowds and busy retail destinations or will we continue to shop even more online?
HOUSING CRISIS Is it down to big business to fix the housing crisis? Should big tech develop employee housing or is this another step further in controlling our private lives? Increasing inequality in many towns and cities is fuelling havens for the rich and ghettos for the poor. Key workers on average incomes are struggling to stay afloat but their jobs are vital to the operations and success of any place. Post-Covid: Does the lockdown highlight the impact of our home on our wellbeing? What was it like to live in small city centre apartments with no outdoor space and shared rental property during a lockdown? What will be the impact on planning, on housebuilders and the ‘products’ they build?
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DIS-CONTENT
THE ONLY WAY IS ETHICS
Free speech or a threat to freedom?
Do ethics really matter to today’s consumers?
The digital revolution has created threats to democracy no one could conceive a decade ago. Elections being hacked, algorithms tweaked to be addictive, personal data becoming a commodity. The open web was conceived as a free platform to connect the world and to drive innovation and collaboration yet its pervasiveness has been monetised by big tech. Are we too late to save the internet? Are we held hostage by Big Tech or can it still be a force for good?
Research suggests that people aren’t necessarily putting their money where their mouth is - supporting ethical consumerism in theory but not in practice. Is ethical consumerism just a middle class pursuit or does the future of business rely on doing the right thing? What’s the business case for behaving ethically, how can you do it better, and how can you talk about it to consumers?
Post-Covid: Has big tech been a force for good during Covid-19?
THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
Together we’ll explore the data on the effects of ethical company practice on consumer decision making to draw new conclusions, plus knowledge sessions to help businesses on the right track.
PURPOSE REVOLUTION There have never been more businesses launching than there are at this moment in time. What is driving this age of entrepreneurship? Is the fabric of business – from banks and lawyers to office space and legislation – keeping up with the speed of change? How do start-ups consolidate and get to the next level? This session takes the form of a networking event with a local focus that brings together a mix of Liverpool City Region startups and SMEs. Post-Covid: What kind of purposeful businesses have launched or prospered during these past months? Does this herald a new age of entrepreneurship?
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WHY WORK? What’s the purpose of work? Why do we do the work we do? However you measure your own success, a fulfilling life relies on having a personal purpose beyond financial gain. Many leaders of powerful good businesses attribute their company’s success to its alignment with their personal mission. How can you turn your passion into a purposedriven business? How can we find purpose as employees in our existing jobs? We spend upwards of 50 years of our lives working – but for what? Exepct a series of short talks to help you find your purpose, and stories of ordinary people using their purpose to change the world.
WEALTH BEFORE HEALTH
EMPLOYMENT 2050
What’s the price of life?
What jobs will still be around in 20 years?
In the wake of Covid-19 and an unprecedented collaboration amongst pharmaceutical companies, the entire concept of big pharma is under the microscope. How can it be right for companies to make extraordinary profits from the health of the most vulnerable in society?
It’s said that 65% of children entering primary school today will end up working in jobs that don’t exist yet. The nature and function of work is changing fast; traditional career paths look less and less relevant. From UBI to zero-hour contracts, the traditional ideas of ‘work’ are being tested by both workers and employers. Is the world of business doing enough to recognise and react to this change?
Is the most egregious example of profit over purpose playing out in front of our very eyes, or is the complicated relationship between publicly funded research and cutting edge development of medicines a necessary evil? Does the current model prevent real innovation and big ideas in favour of stable income? Is a future of open-source research what is needed to fasttrack the development of essential medicines?
Post-Covid: The UK Government initiatives have effectively become a trial of Universal Basic Income with mass participation - what are the results? How will Covid-19 shape the future of work? Has the pandemic accelerated workplace processes, remote working, collaboration and digitalisation?
Big names in pharma debate their purpose and justify their positions - does big pharma’s quest for profit mean risking lives, or enabling life-saving research?
THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
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A TOUGH GIG FOR THE CLIMATE
REDEFINING SUCCESS
The events industry is worth £42.3 billion to the UK economy - but comes with a huge carbon impact.
How do we measure success beyond profit and economic development beyond GDP?
The shutdown of cultural life has raised urgent debate about how to protect one of Britain’s most high-profile industries. Uplifting and unifying cultural events that bring people together in shared experience and celebration will have increasing significance in a post-Covid world. But can the industry just return to business as usual?
In a purpose-led world, we should be assessing value and describing development in nonfinancial terms. Businesses are switching to reporting on a triple bottom line, but how do we define KPIs when ESG factors can be hard to measure?
Festivals and events can encourage mass participation in arts and culture, but are they doing enough to tackle some of society’s big issues? As part of this thread, Massive Attack are partnering with researchers from Manchester University’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to map the carbon footprint of the music industry. We will host a low-carbon live concert and use the data gathered to produce a new framework for low-impact live tours and events.
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As for the global economy, are we measuring GDP in the most effective and meaningful way? Does the current method offer a true reflection on a nation’s true productivity or should we measure prosperity using equality, happiness and quality of life indices? Post-Covid: Where does the triple bottom line stand now that the priority of many businesses has switched from growth to survival?
POSITIVE ENERGY If the UK wanted to, it could be powered by 100% renewable energy in under a decade. Currently renewables account for a mere 34% of UK energy use compared to 100% for Albania and Paraguay and 98% for Costa Rica and Norway. Why is this and what can we do about it? Are the issues stopping governments and industries across the world going renewable about scale and technology or the issue of legacy relationships and global power politics? At a moment when some of the most vilified companies on the planet from the big oil sector are making bold commitments about their carbon neutral future, are we seeing a new dawn in positive energy or just greenwashing on a global scale? We’ll engage with big energy providers to enable honest discussions about the state of play and providing a platform for an informed debate about how businesses and legislators can empower themselves in this market.
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ARE WE THERE YET? Is transport investment the way to level up the UK economy, or is this a 19th century solution to a 21st century problem? Each economic boom precipitates a leap forward in public transport. From the railways of the industrial revolution to the air travel of the 50s and 60s, but fifteen years into the digital revolution we are operating with the same transport infrastructure that was moving the shoulder pads and sharp suits of the 80s. Public infrastructure is crying out for investment just to make the service fit for purpose. Is a £100bn investment into HS2, a project which won’t deliver a train to a northern city for another 20 years, really the best way to improve the economy outside of the capital? Rather than invest in trains and roads, should we be investing in broadband and digital, creativity and innovation to improve quality of life as well as reduce environmental impact?
THE GOOD BUSINESS FESTIVAL
KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY
YOUTHQUAKE
Is there a reason why some of the biggest businesses in the world are family run?
How are millennial leaders changing the world, and where will Gen Z take it?
Dell, Bosch, Ford, Clarks, Lidl, Tetra Pak, Ikea. They’re all family businesses, all hugely successful and with generally positive public perception. Does family business mean good business? Is it easier to make ethical, environmental and social decisions with no shareholders to consult? Do good business values organically develop out of family values? Why do consumers have more trust in family business?
Over half our workforce is millennial and Gen Z. As millennials take over leadership roles, how will generational values affect our business climate? It’s not just Greta Thunberg; trailblazers like Jacinda Ardern, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sanna Marin are inspiring a generation of political and business leaders fighting to prioritise environmental and social issues. Is the future in safe hands? How significant and strong is the trajectory towards good business – seismic generational change or impulsive millennial trend? In this session, young leaders take to big stages to discuss their vision for our global future, with continual youth programming in the knowledge hub focusing on work in the age of Gen Z.
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ETHICAL INVESTMENT Can responsible investing deliver strong returns as well as a better world? Today, 20 to 30 per cent of the world’s investment assets are invested with a responsible finance lens, yet carbon emissions and social inequalities are at a global all-time high. Addressing material ESG issues is increasingly being seen as good business practice and essential to a company’s long-term financial performance, so are ESG investments changing the shape of corporate behaviour or are these ratings simply being used to “greenwash” the reputations of major polluters? How can ESG data be simplified and strengthened to make measurement more meaningful? And how can we prove that ethical equals effective in terms of investment?
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REBALANCING THE FOOD CHAIN Consumers are questioning where our food comes from and how it’s produced more than ever before but negative impact on the planet, societal costs and consequences for public health are not currently measured or factored into our existing food systems. To reduce the environmental impacts of food supply chains, government and business must take the lead in tackling the issue so that global food production does not trash the planet. Is it time to reinvent the way we feed ourselves to improve both human health and the environment? Post-Covid: The pandemic has exposed the fragility of the UK food system where we only produce 53% of our own food - how do we move fast to avoid a future hunger crisis?
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