30th October, 2024
6min read
by the Jan McQuillan
Orlo’s BIG Social returned to Birmingham’s Hippodrome on Tuesday the 22nd of October 2024, where close to 200 public sector communications professionals gathered for an engaging lineup of talks, panels and Q&A sessions. The annual event returned to the city for the third year running and marked Orlo’s biggest BIG Social to date.
In light of the fact that 76% of the public don’t trust MPs and 32% see loss of trust as the biggest threat to democracy, the theme of this year’s event was how comms teams can foster trust in order to build stronger communities. The day’s agenda included standout sessions from industry leaders in public sector communications, housing, government and social media.
By taking inspiration from beyond our industry, public sector organisations can broaden their perspective and spark creative solutions to the challenges we face. Orlo therefore invited Phoebe Russell from private sector brand In The Style to kick off the day. Phoebe shared some of the innovative tactics used by fashion and beauty brands to uncover and cater to their customers’ desires, exploring the social-first nature of today’s consumers and extolling the virtues of transparency and authenticity in building brand loyalty.
The afternoon featured talks from United Welsh’s Julian Pike (Executive Director – Housing, Support & Communities) and Ross Wigham (Director of Communications) of Northumbria Healthcare. Both speakers explored their unique journeys towards building trust, which in both cases relied on listening and engaging meaningfully with local communities.
This year’s BIG Social also included speakers and panellists from the length and breadth of the country, representing organisations from HM Prison and Probation Service to LGComms; Luan Wise; Nextdoor; Merseyside Police; Participation People and Staffordshire County Council.
As always, the event culminated in the annual presentation of Orlo’s Golden Eles – prestigious awards given to Orlo customers making significant strides forward in public sector communications. The day closed with an energising performance from Birmingham’s The Choir With No Name, a local charity supporting people affected by homelessness.
Reflecting on the day, Orlo’s Managing Director Phil Evans said:
“We were delighted to host another successful Big Social and I’m proud to say that this year was our biggest and best to date…”
“…Building stronger communities is at the heart of what we do, so it felt apt to bring together our network of almost 200 people working in the public sector to share, collaborate and deepen knowledge. Many of our delegates left inspired to continue to create authentic connections within their own communities. The day ended on a high with a fantastic performance from Birmingham’s The Choir With No Name – it felt like the perfect way to shine a light on the power of community to create positive change..”
Phil Evans | Managing Director, Orlo
Like what you see?
Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on future content!
Stay in the know
Whether you want to be one of the first to get your hands on inspiring thought-leadership content, hear our exciting product announcements or be in the know about upcoming webinars and events, you can choose what we share with you in our subscription centre.
Just a few details…
