Frequently Asked Questions

What is Civil Service Live?

Civil Service Live is the largest learning event in Europe. It is an annual conference and learning event for all those in the Civil Service and wider Public Service.

Where and when is Civil Service Live?

This year's Civil Service Live will take place across June and July 2023 at the following locations:

Wednesday 7 June 2023 – Northumbria University, Newcastle
Thursday 15 June 2023 – SEC Centre, Glasgow
Tuesday 11 July 2023 – Manchester Central, Manchester
Thursday 13 July 2023 – City Hall, Cardiff
Tuesday 18 & Wednesday 19 July 2023 – ICC ExCeL, London

We are delighted to announce that we are also running smaller reginal events in Belfast and Exeter. These sessions aim to provide a smaller, localised, taster of the full CS Live experience for between 420 and 500 staff.

Thursday 22 June 2023 – Titanic Belfast, Belfast
Thursday 27 June 2023 – Sandy Park, Exeter

When can I register for Civil Service Live?

Registration for Civil Service Live 2023 opens at 10am on Wednesday 26 April

How do I find out about key Civil Service Live updates and announcements?

What are the key themes for 2023?

Civil Service Live 2023 content is designed around our shared vision of A Modern Civil Service, with a focus on being more:

Skilled
Innovative
Ambitious

Who organises Civil Service Live?

Civil Service Live is delivered through a partnership between Cabinet Office and Dods Events.

How much does it cost to attend Civil Service Live?

The event is FREE to attend for all civil servants and those who work for local authorities and the wider public service. The following fees for external delegates apply:

An Event Pass which covers one location, is £995 + VAT per delegate.
An Unlimited Event Pass, which allows you entry to all locations on all days, is £1,995 + VAT per delegate.

We welcome delegates from the charity and voluntary sectors and offer a substantially discounted rate of £425 + VAT per delegate per event.

Are the venues accessible?

Yes, we make sure that all the venues we hold Civil Service Live in are accessible, inclusive and meet the legal requirements.

For more information about each venue’s accessibility, please review our Accessibility & Inclusion reports listed on the ‘Locations’ tab. If you are unable to view google documents, please contact us at csl-queries@dods-events.com and a member of the team will provide this to you in a alternative format.

When will I receive my pass for the event?

You will receive a copy of your entry pass via email approximately two weeks before the event you have registered to attend. This will be sent to you in both e-ticket format and PDF format which can be printed.

Please ensure you bring a copy of your entry pass in either printed or e-ticket format as this is required for entry. With both options, an identity lanyard will be given to you at the venue.

E-ticket

If you would like to use your e-ticket to enter the event, you will be able to download this to your Google or Apple wallet for quick access.

Please note, e-tickets will not show your personal itinerary or sessions booked within your Google or Apple wallet, so we recommend you keep your registration confirmation email saved to hand so you can reference this throughout the day. As a reminder, you will also be emailed your personal itinerary the day before the event you are attending.

Printed pass

If you would like to use your pdf pass to enter the event, please ensure you print this in advance of coming onsite. PDFs will show your personal itinerary on the back of your pass.

What happens if I don't receive my badge before the show?

Don't worry! You will receive an email when you register and again a week before the event which will confirm your registration. Simply print off this email and bring it with you to the show where we will print you another badge. If you forget to print the email, just give your name at the registration desk and we will manually search for your details to print another badge. Please note though that this process can mean some time queuing to gain access.

Can I attend Civil Service Live in more than one city?

The intention is that civil servants attend only one day of the Civil Service Live events, however, as the event is free to attend to all those who work in the Civil Service you are welcome to attend all the events at your own travel costs.

Can I book my sessions in advance?

Yes, you will be able to book sessions at the time of registration. If you find you cannot attend the sessions, please log back in and cancel these to make your place available to someone on the waiting list. We would recommend arriving 15 minutes prior to the session beginning.

I can't attend the session I wanted to go to - is there any way I can still see some of the sessions after the event?

Yes, we'll be recording the content from the events and making it available to watch on demand from the end of July for a period of 6 months.

What happens if I don't receive my email confirmation for my sessions?

Please double check your spam and junk inboxes, if you have still not received an email please let us know by emailing csl-queries@dods-events.com and a member of the team will assist you.

Does my attendance at Civil Service Live count towards my one of my five learning days a year?

Yes, Civil Service Live counts towards your five days’ learning per year.

Will my data be shared, if so, who with?

Your data will be processed and stored in accordance with our privacy notice.

If I am from outside the Civil Service, how can I exhibit or get to speak at Civil Service Live?

Please contact at csl-queries@dods-events.com and an advisor will be in touch.

What if I need to cancel my place at the event after I’ve registered?

Please log back into the registration site (accessed via your registration confirmation email) and cancel your booking and the sessions you have booked to attend, so that your place can be made available to other delegates.

Is catering provided?

There will be catering points throughout each venue where you can purchase refreshments. Water will be supplied free of charge. All venues are based within city centres where cafes and shops can be easily located should you need to find lunch outside the venue itself.

Will Civil Service Live pay civil servants' T and S fees to attend?

The venues have been chosen to be easily, and cost effectively, accessed using public transport. All travel costs should be claimed from your local budget and are subject to line manager approval.

What is the dress code for the events?

Office attire/ Business casual.

Will there be photography and filming at the events?

There will be an official photographer at all Civil Service Live events. If you do not want your photograph used in any materials, please let the photographer know.

We will also be filming some of our sessions at our Glasgow, Cardiff and London events. If you don’t want to appear in any of this footage, please let the Room Manager or a volunteer know on the day.

Safety measures

At Civil Service Live 2023, we will follow the required regional COVID-19 government guidance to protect delegates attending the event. In addition, hand sanitiser units will be available throughout the venue as well as stringent and regular cleaning regimes focusing on high frequency touch points.
Although not currently mandatory, you are welcome to wear a face covering during the event. If you do not have a face covering, or forget it on the day, you can request one from the organisers' office.
If you feel unwell prior to the event, please do not attend, cancel your sessions, and stay at home.

I've heard you are running spot mentoring at the events – how can I book this?

When you register for the events, please indicate that you want to take part in our mentoring programme. At the face-to-face events, you will need to go to the spot mentoring area to review a list of mentors and their areas of expertise and availability and book a session.

I want to offer mentoring at the events – how do I do this?

When you register for the events, please indicate that you would like to offer your time for mentoring and we'll be in touch to agree a time with you. We'll look forward to working with you at the event – and your time counts towards your allocation of corporate contribution days.

Will I be able to ask questions and share my views on sessions?

Yes, most sessions will have an audience engagement tool which will allow you to post questions, up-vote other people’s questions that you want to hear answers to, answer polls and chat about the topic. Contributions will always appear under your name.

If you don’t have access to a smart phone, we will have a roving microphone in the session room to allow questions from audience members.

How should I plan my attendance to Civil Service Live?

Civil Service Live is a learning and development event and should be treated as such within your business unit. We would advise everyone to always seek clarity and approval from their line manager before attending Civil Service Live.

I can't afford to have too many staff attend Civil Service Live, how do I ensure everyone in my team can benefit from the events?

We know that attending Civil Service Live will require time investment and would strongly encourage all staff to make use of the build-your-own programme to ensure their day is thoroughly planned and they get the most out of the events on offer. Each session has been crafted to provide key messages and actions that attendees can take back to their colleagues.

How is Civil Service Live supporting sustainability and the UK Government’s mandate to be carbon neutral by 2050?

Each year we review the locations of Civil Service Live to ensure we can reach and train as many civil servants as possible. This is also to ensure we are hosting these in convenient and central locations to reduce corporate travel as much as possible. Each of the venues selected are easily accessible by public transport in a bid to reduce the number of delegates taking cars or personal transport to the events.

The venues selected have sustainability policies in place including onsite recycling units, alternatives to single use plastic, sourcing local products for food offerings and ensuring plant based alternative on the menu as standard.

Our delivery partner Dods Events, is working towards an ISO9001 accreditation and adheres to the requirements of ISO20121 and as such, are focused on sustainable and environmentally-friendly approaches to event management and execution. Dods Events are reducing our impact on the environment through careful supplier management, materials planning and transport coordination including logistics and freight services to make the event as sustainable as possible.