Convene 2026: Social Value Through Business
Social performance is now part of business strategy, connecting social value with business value. That's why it's the theme of our conference this year.
Business is undergoing a fundamental shift in how value is defined. For decades, performance was measured in margins, growth curves, and shareholder returns. That's no longer enough. Social performance has become part of core business strategy - a driver of resilience, talent attraction, contract wins, and competitive advantage.
This is the context for Social Value Through Business, the defining theme of Convene 2026. Not because it's aspirational or because it’s a trend. There’s a shift already happening in how serious organisations think about performance – connecting social value with business value. Those that understand it earliest will lead.
Now in its 12th year, Convene is the national conference bringing together social entrepreneurs, business, and government professionals in the social enterprise and social performance sector. Join us in Brisbane on Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 21 October.
Defining "Social Value Through Business"
Social value is how a business creates measurable impact for people through its everyday operations. Not as an add-on, but through how it hires, procures, sells, and grows.
It's the recognition that inclusive, engaged, purposeful organisations consistently outperform those that aren't.
Social performance is fundamentally about people. It addresses this main question: how does your organisation operate in a way that creates value for the people your business touches and how does that, in turn, create value for you?
When put into practice, social performance shows up in your workforce; in who gets a seat at your supplier table; in how customers are engaged and represented; in the strength and reciprocity of relationships with community.
Social performance is the discipline of designing, measuring, and continuously improving this impact. It connects workforce inclusion, supply chain diversity, customer engagement, and community relationships into a single, strategic loop.
Organisations that perform best for people perform best in business.
Why social value matters now
The timing of Convene 2026 is not coincidental. Several forces are converging to make social performance a strategic imperative across all industries.
When brands pair social commitments with functional excellence, consumer preference jumps from 42% to 70% (Harvard Business Review). Social performance isn't a reputational nice-to-have. It's a commercial imperative.
Governments are directing business to do good: Across Australia and globally, policy is increasingly directing businesses toward social outcomes. Procurement frameworks are evolving to prioritise social enterprises and diverse suppliers. Employment initiatives are targeting equitable access. It is shaping who wins contracts, who gets funded, and who gets to grow, moving from aspirational guidelines to contractual obligations.
People are driving the shift: Workforces are more values-driven than ever. Customers are more discerning. Communities are more vocal. Inclusion, equity, and fairness are no longer “nice to have” qualities, they are expectations. Put simply: inclusion is not just good ethics, it’s good economics. 64% of consumers buy or avoid brands based on their beliefs about what a company stands for (Edelman Trust Barometer, 2025). Stand for something good and measurable.
The cost of inaction is real and measurable: Organisations that fail to engage meaningfully with social performance face increasing exposure. The cost shows up in:
- missed opportunities and lost contracts
- reputational damage
- difficulty attracting and retaining talent
- supply chain fragility
- failing to meet regulatory or procurement requirements
- weaker community licence to operate
Profit and purpose, without it it's a risk
Business doesn’t have to give up its profit motive to deliver social impact. Profit and social impact are not mutually exclusive - when done well and strategically, they are mutually reinforcing.
Social performance risk IS financial risk. Human rights IS business strategy. Social cohesion IS an economic variable. The risks of inaction are material to profitability - risk and opportunity in this work are inseparable. It’s not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do.
And aside from that, the law is catching up. Regulation and due diligence will tighten. The Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) is about to consult on a beta paper on social disclosures. The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has been researching disclosure associated with human capital risks. Forward looking companies are already responding to what they know is coming.
In other words, the absence of social performance is a liability.
It's time to start strengthening your business
Many organisations are already doing elements of social good. Social performance becomes powerful when it’s embedded into business strategy rather than operating alongside it.
When aligned this way, social value stops being abstract. It becomes operational. And importantly, it creates competitive advantage.
According to Bain & Co, 94% of CFOs believe social value will be an important priority in 2030, it’s seen as a performance driver in business.
Be at the conference where tomorrow’s leaders shape opportunity
For many businesses, the question is not whether to engage with social performance, but where to start. Convene offers a social performance lens to not only diagnose these issues, but to address them in a way that strengthens business as a whole.
One of the most important things to understand about social value is that it looks different across various organisations and industries
Some organisations are at the beginning of this journey, building the foundations, mapping their workforce and supply chain, identifying where they can make a first meaningful commitment. Others are advanced measuring social return and linking performance to executive accountability.
Convene 2026 is built to speak to both - and everyone in between.
What you'll experience at Convene
Convene 2026 is designed as a working exploration of ideas to create positive impact, grounded in practice, not theory.
Attendees will engage with organisations that are already embedding social value into their operations and seeing tangible results. Sessions will tackle the critical questions, and you'll hear how leaders are:
- Measuring social performance in ways that stand up to scrutiny
- Reporting impact to stakeholders, boards, and markets
- Integrating social procurement without increasing cost
- Embedding social value into procurement, hiring, and customer strategy
- Navigating and shaping policy and compliance-readiness
- Turning social outcomes into commercial advantage
You can also expect real case studies, honest reflections, tools and frameworks that can be applied immediately.
Across the two days, attendees will hear from organisations that have moved social performance from ambition to evidence, you will see real life metrics, the processes, and business outcomes.
Beyond the main stage, Convene is where relationships are built. The conversations that happen in the breaks, over lunch, and across the networking sessions at Convene have a habit of becoming partnerships, contracts, and collaborations, showing a real return on your attendance.
A new definition of value
Convene 2026 is where purpose meets practicality, and where social value is not a side conversation, but the main stage. Because the future of business is not just about what you generate. It’s about what you create, who benefits, and how that impact endures.
The organisations that arrive at Convene 2026 ready to learn, connect, and act are the ones who will define what excellent social performance looks like in their industries. Those who wait will spend the next few years catching up.
We'll see you there.
Join the social performance leaders
Convene 2026 brings together business leaders, social enterprises, procurement professionals and policy makers to advance social value across the Australian economy.