The Venn:
University Leaders Forum

The Royal Society

24 June 2026

Inspire - Inform - Interact - Innovate - Respond - Reflect - Relax

The forum for university leaders who face outwards…

…in defence and celebration of higher education.

Read Co-Founder Alex Favier's reflections on the conversation convened by the inaugural event

Book tickets for 2026

Hear what participants enjoyed most about 2025

“The opportunity to discuss topical issues openly with colleagues and partners (and meet some new people)”
“Having the mix of types of senior roles from different institutions made for a really rich discussion. It was quite a unique make up of delegates. I liked the focus on tackling tricky issues head on, learning from other countries and the solution focus.”
“The energy, conversation and bringing leaders together to solve real HE problems”
“Insights from external experts; opportunities to share and learn with the full range of professions in leadership; practical sessions with real takeaways. Venue and catering v v good, and the conferencing team could not have been more visible, helpful and welcoming.”
“Discussions with colleagues from across different fields within HE and from different institutions. It was great to hear different perspectives.”
“The opportunity to have conversations on the tables in the afternoon - really insightful - and got people thinking and challenging themselves.”

- geopolitical turbulence - the culture wars - economic growth - university financial crisis - reputational damage - public distrust - declining social license media attacks - civic and place - global perceptions - future trends - stakeholder engagement - student expectation - staff dissatisfaction - brand decay - failure to meet student expectations - closing borders - migration concerns - cross-subsidies - Artificial Intelligence - changing nature of work - loss of autonomy - sector contraction - political playbooks targeting universities - disconnect with our audience - existential challenge

Higher education is in trouble. We are on the back foot and retreating.

So how do we respond?
What do we do about it?

We need a better playbook…

About the forum

Who should attend?

Taking place at The Royal Society, London, UK on 24 June 2026, The Venn: University Leaders Forum has been developed by Favier Ltd and Assemble Events in collaboration with our friends and partners across UK higher education.

The forum is open to senior university staff with an external-facing role working across the spectrum of professional services, as well as engaged academic leadership.

Uniting the many tribes of university professional services – be this marketing and recruitment, research and innovation, global engagement, communications and stakeholder engagement, strategy and operations, business engagement and employability to advancement - is a shared responsibility for the stewardship of university reputation.

Once a year, The Venn: University Leaders Forum aims to convene discussion, debate and engagement between these leaders united by a single question.

How can we work together more effectively in defence and celebration of our sector?

Initially, participation is by invitation, nomination or via registration of interest.

The content for the programme majors on discussion, debate, interactive sessions and informal exchange – with broadcast restricted only to the most exceptional, challenging and inspiring speakers.

In short, this is not your average higher education event.