--- title: CoTech Conference 2026 description: "Sovereign tech, cooperative future. CoTech's first conference - Thursday 17 September 2026 at SPACE4." layout: default permalink: /conference-2026 ---

# CoTech Conference 2026

Sovereign tech, cooperative future.

Thursday 17th September 2026 · SPACE4 · 9:30am - 4:30pm + drinks

Submit a session

Ticketing information coming soon.

## About the event

CoTech is hosting its first conference - a day for the cooperative tech sector to come together, share what we know, and show the world what we can do.

We're bringing together product and comms teams from co-ops, charities, not-for-profits, and the public sector for a day of short talks, honest conversation, and genuine connection. Expect twelve punchy 15-minute sessions, a keynote, a proper lunch break, and drinks afterwards.

This isn't a corporate conference. It's built by and for people who believe technology should serve people not profit.

## Why we're doing this

The cooperative tech sector is doing brilliant work. But we don't always shout about it loudly enough, or have enough space to learn from each other. This event is about changing that.

- Raise the profile of CoTech and the work our members do
- Share our tech knowledge across the cooperative sector and beyond
- Start conversations between co-ops and the organisations that could work with them
- Practise talking about our vision - and get better at it together

## The day

9:30-10:00 | Arrivals
10:00-10:30 | CoTech introduction
10:30-12:30 | Six 15-minute sessions*
12:30-13:30 | Lunch
13:30-15:30 | Six 15-minute sessions*
15:30-16:00 | Keynote
16:00 onwards | Drinks

*Each session is followed by an optional breakout where speakers can take interested attendees into a side room to continue the conversation.

## Who's it for

The event is open to around 50-60 attendees. We're particularly interested in reaching product and comms teams working in:

- Co-operatives of any size
- Charities and not-for-profits
- The public sector

Ticketing information coming soon.

## How we'll select sessions

If we receive more proposals than we can accommodate, or multiple proposals on similar themes, we'll use the following to guide our decisions.

Across the programme as a whole, we'll aim to ensure:

- Every CoTech co-op that wants a session gets one
- Themes are spread widely
- Speakers represent a diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives

Each individual proposal will be scored out of 5 on:

### Practical learning value

Will attendees leave with something useful?

### Innovation or improvement focus

Does it push things forward?

### Engagement potential

Will it land well with a live audience?

### Breadth of audience

How many people will it resonate with?

## Call for sessions

We're inviting session proposals from speakers inside and outside the CoTech network.

### Guidelines for submissions

- Sessions are strictly 15 minutes. After your session, you'll have the option to take interested attendees into a breakout room for a deeper conversation.
- Sessions should share knowledge and benefit the community, not promote products or services. Think: something you've learned, a problem you've solved, a way of working that others could benefit from.
- Speakers will be asked to attend one group planning session before the event.
- For CoTech members, each co-op may submit up to two proposals, but only one session per co-op will be selected in the first round.

A note on diversity — CoTech is aware that our network is not ethnically diverse and is predominantly male. We're working to change that, and this event is part of that effort. We strongly encourage submissions from facilitators and presenters who have been marginalised due to racism, misogyny, transphobia, ableism, or other forms of discrimination.

Submit your session proposal

Any questions? Email natasha@outlandish.com