Monday 13 October 2025
9am to 4pm | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund
As part of our 150th birthday celebrations, NCVS is delighted to invite you to Sector Forward, a special one-day conference for Nottingham’s voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.
This free event is our gift to the sector - a chance to come together, celebrate, reflect, and plan for the future through connection, learning and shared ambition. Grab your spot now.
Who is it for?
This conference is designed especially for people working and volunteering in voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across Nottingham city and the surrounding districts. To keep the focus on our local VCSE community, we're not able to offer places to colleagues from the public or private sectors, or from outside the area, this time around.
What to expect:
- Keynote address from Lucy Hubber, Director of Public Health, Nottingham City Council
- Special guest speaker: Gary Godden, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner
- Four breakout workshops - you can select two workshops to attend when registering
For more information on the workshops, click here. Our topics are:- Making Websites Work For You (Few and Far)
- Exploring the I in EEDI (Equity, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion): Learn about Nottingham’s ‘More in Common’ Network - (The Renewal Trust, Communities Inc, the Jo Cox Foundation and NCVS)
- Beyond the Numbers: Embedding Impact in Volunteer Programmes - (Dave Thomas, NCVS and Kathryn Russell, Volunteer Centre Manager at Erewash Voluntary Action)
- Building a Voluntary Sector Provider Collaborative (working in partnership) - (NCVS and partners)
- Networking and marketplace: Explore stalls from funders, infrastructure support, tech tools and more. With limited space, we’ve invited a mix of providers we believe will be useful to as many delegates as possible. We truly appreciate all the brilliant work happening across our local VCSE community, but this time we’re not able to offer open stall bookings – thank you for understanding.
- Goody bags, prize draws and surprises throughout the day
- Order of the day
- 9am - Registration and networking (explore our marketplace)
- 10am - Conference welcome and guest speakers
- 11.30am - Morning workshops
- 12.30pm - Lunch, networking and marketplace (this will be your last chance to explore the marketplace, so please make the most of it)
- 1.50pm - Afternoon workshops
- 3pm - Plenary and prize draw
- 4pm - Close
Tickets and registration
The event is free to attend, with a limit of two tickets per organisation. Registrations will close in mid-September, so get registering!
Let’s celebrate, connect, and strengthen Nottingham’s VCSE sector, together.
Book your place now: Register here
Getting to the Conference - Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
Below are some helpful details to plan your journey (visit the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham website for further guidance):
Travelling by car
There are several car parks nearby - visit the Arena’s Car Parking Guide for a full list.
Discounted parking:
We’ve arranged an all-day discounted rate of £7.50 at Lace Market Car Park, Pilcher Gate, Nottingham, NG1 1QE.
Simply validate your ticket at the Motorpoint Arena reception before you leave to access the discounted rate.
Blue Badge Parking:
Available on Dean Street and Barker Gate (first come, first served).
By bike
Bike racks are available in Bolero Square, just outside the Arena near Salt Box.
By tram
The nearest stop is Lace Market Tram Stop, just a 10-minute walk through the Lace Market area.
Find tram information at on the NET website.
By bus
Bus 34 stops directly outside the venue.
Other bus routes that run along Fletcher Gate offer a short walk through the Lace Market to reach the Arena.
