The Emergencies Partnership is hosting its first ever all partner, in-person event, EP: LIVE!
The countdown is on. As we get closer to the event, we are down to our final release tickets. Don't miss out! Get your ticket today.
EP: LIVE will bring together partners from across resilience, climate, volunteering and community leadership sectors to strengthen connections, share learning and showcase the powerful impact of community-led resilience.
Attendees can expect the same quality they value from our online spaces, and much more. Take a look at the full programme and session details below.
As well as a packed agenda, we're also proud to be showcasing Spotlight Posters from across the Partnership, highlighting reports, research, case studies and best practice. If you've got a piece of work you'd like to add to the presentations, find out more here.
Agenda
Our creative and inspiring programme caters to the breadth of the partners we represent, so whether you are a specialist in resilience or an expert in communities, EP: LIVE will serve up something for everyone and, crucially, create the spaces for these different worlds to collaborate.
If you need an accessible version of the programme, please contact info@vcsep.org.uk
Meet our Speakers
Generation Next: How Young People See Risk, Resilience and Response
A Youth Council created specifically for EP:LIVE will play a central role throughout the day, leading three interactive sessions. In The Next Generation of Risk, council members will share their perspective on risk and resilience. Making Resilience Matter will see them put their questions to the panel of policymakers, practitioners and community leaders, exploring how younger generations can influence the decisions, risks and challenges they will inherit. The day will conclude with Reflections for Our Onward Journey, where the Youth Council will share key takeaways and questions we should all be taking home.
Packed and Prepared: Building your 'Crisis Comms Go Bag'
When emergencies happen, clear and trusted comms can make all the difference - but only if you’re ready. Explore how to cut through noise, respond to mis and dis-information, and ensure key messages reach the right audiences. Get expert insights, tools and approaches you can take straight back into your organisation. Come for tools and takeaways to strengthen your crisis comms.
Warning Fatigue? What Drives People to Act
Talking about the weather is a national pastime - but what will enable action from weather warnings, and how do we make it happen across communities? This session draws on new research from the University of Leeds exploring how people perceive risk, how prepared they feel, and what influences whether they act when it matters. Come and think more deeply about how people perceive and respond to risk.
Inside Local Resilience: Learning from Practice
This space brings together four Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) who are moving from ‘command‑and‑control’ to ‘support and adapt’ by working more closely with communities, valuing lived experience and building stronger partnerships with the voluntary sector. Come learn directly from people who are trying to do things differently.
Bridging Divides: LIVE Podcast Recording
Bridging Divides is a podcast series from the British Red Cross and they will be recording two new episodes at EP:LIVE. Hosted by broadcaster and journalist Sonali Shah, the Bridging Divides podcast explores the issues shaping communities across the UK. Join the audience as we speak with leaders working at the heart of communities to explore how they are building trust, connection and belonging in an increasingly complex world, and what we can learn from their experiences of creating stronger, more resilient communities. Come along to a LIVE podcast recording exploring division and community.
Time to Trust? Harnessing Volunteers in Emergencies
At Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), volunteers are central to how the organisation delivers its mission. In this session they'll share: how they built their 'one crew' culture, where staff and volunteers operate as a single, integrated team, and how in life-or-death situations, they aren't kept at arms length. Come learn how trust, culture and design enable volunteering to be part of core response.
10 Years On - Voices of Resilience Leadership
A decade that fundamentally changed how communities, government and the voluntary sector thinks about resilience is coming to an end, and the next decade looks more challenging than ever. This closing session reflects on the lessons we've learned, the progress we've made, and the challenges that remain. Join us as we look beyond today's risks and begin to build a shared vision for the next ten years.
Tickets
We are down to our final release tickets - don’t delay booking. We have also included a pay-it forward ticket - this is to donate a ticket to allow beneficiaries who would otherwise be unable to attend. By purchasing a pay-it forward ticket, we will give a place to an individual from an organisation that wishes to attend but has financial barriers which would otherwise prevent their participation.
We are also offering a limited number of free bursary places which can be applied for by emailing VCS Emergencies Partnership Head of Delivery Marcus Bowen - marcusbowen@vcsep.org.uk
For ticket purchases requiring an invoice, Marcus can also assist.
Venue
Cloth Hall Court is part of the University of Leeds, it is a fully accessible space located less than a minute from Leeds train station. Discounted parking is also available from the nearby Q Park, details of which will be shared in a confirmation email after purchasing tickets.
We have exclusive use of the full venue and will be maximising the spaces to offer sessions in a mixture of audience size and format.
View the venue floor plan here.