Our Ideas

Social entrepreneurs and change agents of all stripes gathered in Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands on May 11 and 12 for the annual Social Venture Network Europe (SVN Europe) conference.  Building on last year’s event, this year’s theme was Get on the Dance Floor: Part Two. The theme is about accelerating change to a sustainable and social world by “showing your moves, inspiring others and being inspired!”

This might be your first clue that an SVN Conference is not your average ‘stuffed suits and rubber chicken dinner’ affair. Yes, there are plenary speakers, parallel sessions and workshops like other conferences. But it is also about exchanging business ideas to create a better world, reflecting on one’s role in positive change, meeting old friends and new, and having a good time.

This year’s SVN featured some inspiring speakers who shared insights on the world’s sustainability challenges, the role of social entrepreneurs in addressing them and lessons learned about propelling the movement.  Some of the most thought-provoking speakers included Gary Hirshberg (CEO of Stonyfield Farms), Gunter Pauli (former CEO of Ecover) and Daniel Erasmus, a pioneer in scenario thinking.

Junxion’s Peter ter Weeme, co-presented on Day Two with Lesley Williams, Founder of the Hub Johannesburg, in a session called Creators of a Trusted Network.  Together they looked at the growing impact of Asia on world sustainability and community‐driven approaches to job creation in South Africa.

Check out this brief video retrospective on the event for highlights of SVN Europe. Junxion Strategy principal, Peter ter Weeme, is one of the featured interviews. For more information on the conference program, click here.

See you there next year.