What to expect from Louder than Words — the B Corp Festival
The largest-ever gathering of UK B Corps is happening in September, Jacqueline Gunn, head of community at B Lab UK shares more.
All of us in the UK are living through a period of seismic change. On the one hand, the election of a new Government and a redrawing of the electoral map presents an opportunity for business to work in partnership to address the challenges faced by our nation and our planet. On the other, those challenges are becoming ever more acute.
Closer to home, change is also on the horizon. B Lab is now beginning to implement the next evolution of the standards that underpin B Corp Certification, reflecting the feedback from thousands of stakeholders over multiple years.
There are cautious reasons for optimism, but leadership has never been more important. That’s why it feels like the right moment for us to bring UK B Corps and aspiring B Corps together, alongside allies and critical friends, to demonstrate what is possible and learn from one another.
Now, together
Every business has a role to play to create the world we need, and the contribution of every business is important. We’ve put together the agenda for Louder than Words to reflect that diversity, with sessions ranging from those aimed at the very smallest organisations to those aimed at those at the very largest; from service-based to FMCG, from those newest to our community to those who have been deeply embedded since the very beginning. This is an event for everyone, taking place across 12 venues in Oxford.
Announcing the headliners
Our keynote speaker is Mary Portas, OBE. Mary will take to the stage at Louder than Words to address how businesses can galvanise change at scale, leaving the audience inspired to take action on what matters most.
For our mornings on the main stage we are focusing on the things that matter to us all as businesses aspiring to be a force for good:
- Diving into the future of the global B Corp movement with Clay Brown, Judy Rodrigues and Rosalind Holley. This is your chance to ask questions of the team leading the standards, growing the movement across the world and making the difficult decisions to help B Corp Certification remain a guiding framework that leads business towards the change we know is needed.
- We’ll hear stories of individual and collective impact from members of the B Corp Community, bringing to life the change that this movement is making on a daily basis.
- And we’ll debate some of the big questions about the best routes to systemic change, with the aim of leaving everyone better informed and prepared for the choices that lie ahead.
Afternoons across the city
Our fringe festival programme gives everyone freedom to go where the energy is. There’s a huge variety available with over 57 sessions taking place across the festival, from intimate seminars to large scale workshops. A small flavour of the sessions on offer include:
- After the general election: putting ‘business for good’ at the heart of our politics
- How do you nurture healthy conflict in a committed community?
- Beyond carbon: how to engage your business with the nature agenda
- Climate Scenario Analysis: What is it and how can it help us think differently about the impact of climate change on business?
The B Lab UK team have come up with a few of the things they’re looking forward to:
Kyle Soo, Product & Partnerships Manager, says: “I’m really excited that this will be the first time we’ve brought the B Leader community together in person! I also think the international dimension is great. Having multiple representatives from the B Lab Global Network from as far as Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand bringing their experience will be really powerful. And I’m looking forward to B Lab UK sharing more about our longer-term strategy and goals.”
Annie Olivier, Head of Growth, “I think there’s loads at the festival for companies thinking about joining the movement. This is a great chance for them to learn more about the movement and meet the current B Corps.”
Ellie Passingham, Team Administrator, “I'm really looking forward to seeing the scale of the movement in person. I'm excited for the connections and relationships it will create, inspire and strengthen further!”
What else can you expect
Without giving too much away, alongside the festival programme, we are already seeing B Corp led social meet ups, roundtable discussions and wellbeing activities.
The B Lab team will be hosting a Hub throughout the day on Tuesday, with opportunities to meet the team and provide feedback and insight into our work for 2025 and beyond.
There will be a chance to experience the evolution of standards in a whole new way at Walk the Talk, a walk through learning experience with expert Q and As and support to guide you through.
Of course it wouldn’t be a B Corp community event without a B Social, too!
The B Corp ethos is woven through this event; ensuring that we invest in the local economy by championing local businesses, offering opportunities to volunteer in local schools during the festival; launching a Young Hosts Academy upskilling young presenters (you’ll see them hosting throughout the festival) and ensuring that we are considering our impact throughout. For example, signage and decorations will either be recycled or repurposed through local schools and community centres after the event.
Why this matters...
We have seen incredible growth over the past few years, and now we have the opportunity to be together — to learn, challenge and explore ideas and concepts which will further the movement of people using business as a force for good. I am so excited to see the ripples of action and impact that this will create.
We’re so passionate about making this an event to remember — we look forward to seeing you there.
