GovCamp Scotland information
Gist of it
Date: Thursday 19 June 2025.
Venue: Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Fees: Attending GovCamp Scotland is free.
Attendees: For the 2025 event, there are 80 places available.
Overview: Expect a day of discussions (not presentations). So come with ideas to discuss, questions to answer and interactive workshops you’d like to run about the public sector and public service delivery in Scotland.
Who should participate
The people who would get the most out of participating in GovCamp Scotland would be those who work in or with the Scottish public sector.
The main thing is an interest in exploring what is working well, what more could be done, what could be done differently, and who might be able to collaborate in making it happen.
It would suit those making or running public services, or those designing or developing the policies and frameworks for public services.
There will no doubt be a lot on digital and data as enablers, but this isn’t a tech conference, it’s about better outcomes for users of public services.
A constructive and creative mindset, and a willingness to connect and collaborate is a must.
Getting tickets
There will be about 80 attendee spaces for GovCamp Scotland 2025.
Register now for the ticket ballot.
The tickets will be released in batches, and people interested in the event will be invited to enter a ballot.
For the first ballot, preference will be given to those working in central or local government in Scotland, and those in public sector or civil society organisations delivering services.
What to expect at the event
The agenda is set on the day by the people who attend, using the well established unconference format.
Expect a day of discussions (not presentations). So come with ideas to discuss, questions to answer and interactive workshops you’d like to run about the public sector and public service delivery in Scotland.
At the start of the event we’ll create the agenda together. Anyone can stand up and pitch a session.
There will be 4 tracks over the course of the day, and 4 sessions in each track. Each session will last about 45 minutes.
The sessions are about sharing stories and ideas. They are about constructive and optimistic exploration amongst fellow practitioners; they are not about soapboxes or solutionising.
As well as the track sessions, there will be plenty of opportunities for connections to be made and chats to be had.
Who the organisers are
GovCamp Scotland is an event that is nonpartisan, free of any sales agenda, and low bureaucracy to organise and attend. It is organised by people with a personal and professional interest, volunteering their time and effort.
The GovCamp Scotland 2025 organisers are:
Jonathan Waldheim-Ross, NHS Education for Scotland
Rob Cawston, National Library of Scotland
Jen Campbell and Hugh Wallace, Research Data Scotland
Joe Silverman, Pete Chamberlin and Ross Ferguson, Public Digital
Supporting the event
We are very grateful for the advice, encouragement and grant funding from our colleagues at UKGovCamp and GovCamp Cymru.
Additional volunteers to help with the build up and activities on the day will be most welcome.
We are looking into ways in which other organisations can contribute or sponsor the event to help make it a welcoming, inclusive and purposeful success.
With thanks to Ike Robb from IDAC Media for volunteering website advice and logo design support.
