Civil Service Live
Welcome to Civil Service Live!
Civil Service Live took place at the QEII centre on 1st-3rd April 2008. The first event of its kind, and the largest ever gathering of Civil Servants - its aim was to inspire innovation and encourage the sharing of best practice. Civil Service Live was part of an ongoing programme led by the Cabinet Secretary to ensure the Civil Service has the capability to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Civil Service Live was all about inspiring the Civil Service. The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O’Donnell summed up the event in an acronym of its name. LIVE – Learning, Innovation, Versatility and Enterprise. Innovation was a central theme and in his keyote address, Gus O’Donnell said he hoped people would take the things they have learned back to their teams and inspire them to be more innovative and enterprising.
The Prime Minister attended the first day of Civil Service Live – in his speech he expressed his pride in the work of the Civil Service, ‘what a great pleasure it is, a privilege to be able to thank you all here today for the work you do on behalf of our country, to thank you for the dedication you show, the commitment you give, for the expertise you have, for the professionalism that is always there and for the service that is appreciated by citizens in every part of the United Kingdom.’
Within these pages you will find news and reports from the event, videos of the key seminars and the presentations and biographies of key speakers.
Day 1 - 1st April 2008
What happened on day one? The Prime Minister put in a surprise appearance and expressed his pride and admiration for the Civil Service. The Northern Ireland peace process team talked about the “ultimate cross-cutting project”, and Sir David Varney and Alexis Cleveland looked at how technology will improve delivery to customers.
Day 2 - 2nd April 2008
What happened on day 2? Innovation was the theme of the day. Secretary of State John Denham outlined his ideas on why innovation is important and how we can make it flourish in the Civil Service. Dragon's Dens' Peter Jones gave out tips on enterprise and Matt Dawson, member of the England 2003 World Cup winning rugby team, shared his experiences of leadership and performance management on and off the field.
Day 3 - 3rd April 2008
What happened on day 3? We heard from the Cabinet Secretary about his vision for the Civil Service of the future. Gill Rider, Director General of leadership outlined what we can do to become exceptional leaders and we quizzed the Civil Service commissioners and the Cabinet Secretary on Civil Service values.
Lions’ Lair
Civil Service Live has teamed up with Ernst & Young to create the Lions’ Lair. Similar to a popular TV show, Lions’ Lair has been on the prowl for innovative ideas that can make a real difference.
The ideas are now in and the lions are hungry, follow the link below to witness their feeding frenzy!
Speakers’ biographies
Throughout Civil Service Live you will be able to listen to inspiring and thought provoking speeches and presentations. To find out more about the people delivering these talks please look at their biographies which are available on this site. They will provide you with a real insight into why these people are considered to be leading experts in their fields.