In-person agenda: GSS Conference 2026
Use the drop-down sections to view keynotes, parallel sessions, and panels for the GSS Conference 2026 – Data storytelling: what statistics can tell us. Further speakers will be added in the lead-up to the conference.
In-person
The in-person conference will take place in Bristol on Tuesday 20 October.
Part one
Sign in at the check-in desk before the end of this period. We recommend arriving early to settle in ahead of talks commencing.
Speaker to be annoucnced shortly.
Dame Angela’s speech, ‘Data for scenarios’, will reflect on how judicious use of data has improved the delivery of science advice to policy and decision makers, specifically in the generation of future scenarios.
There will be an elongated opportunity for questions at the end of the speech: we welcome attendees to prepare their questions in advance.
Further information about Dame Angela McLean is available on the speakers webpage.
An opportunity to meet cross-GSS colleagues. Conversation starters will be provided.
Posters will be available to browse in the foyer.
Panel session theme and speakers to be announced shortly.
Putting user needs at the heart of statistics
Attendees will select one of five parallel sessions
- Seeing the unseen: data-driven supply chain intelligence for government impact. Speakers: Livia Hull and Arinze Ugwu, Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
- Telling the story of nature’s decline with official statistics. Speaker: Clare Betts, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Being in the room: putting evidence at the heart of the local government story. Speakers: Jamie Thomas and Hasnain Muhammad, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
- ChatGPT is your new user: shaping the future of statistical dissemination. Speaker: Maeve McMahon, Home Office.
- Understanding the UK’s place in the world: how GSS international work helps tell our data story.
A one-hour lunch break with food and refreshements provided. Opportunities to network will be available and are to be announced shortly.
Part two
Alan Smith OBE, Head of Visual and Data Journalism at the Financial Times, will share a keynote exploring insights he has gained from three decades of working with official statistics in both the public and private sector. The session will focus on practical tips, principals, and guidance for researchers aiming to develop confidence in presenting their work.
Further information is available on the speakers webpage.
Charlotte Hadley, founder of Visible Data, will lead a workshop on data visualisation, provided in collaboration with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS).
More information on this session is available on the speakers webpage.
Releasing the potential of data
Attendees will select one of five parallel sessions
- Behind the case number: the child’s journey through family justice. Speaker: Megan Green, Ministry of Justice.
- Insight behind the statistics: Understanding the real Universal Credit story. Speaker: Afolabi Morakinyo, Department for Work and Pensions.
- A recruitment evaluation in three parts. Speakers: Joseph Wilton and Rachael Loftus, Welsh Government.
- Developing a new survey to understand how people experience technology. Speaker: George Pickering, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
- Ofsted: explore an area. Speakers: Rebecca Driffield and Carmel Howe, Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.
Posters will be available to browse in the foyer.
Part three
Transforming statistics into stories
Attendees will select one of five parallel sessions
- Spreadsheet to broadsheet: working with the media to communicate statistics. Speaker: Anouska Pandya, National Records of Scotland.
- Beyond the numbers: communicating migration statistics effectively. Speaker: George Feldman and Nathan Ord, Office for National Statistics.
- Data storytelling in an uncertain world: when and how to communicate uncertainty. Speaker: Nicola Rennie, Office for National Statistics.
- Automated data storytelling without AI. Speaker: Ahmad Barclay, Office for National Statistics.
- Numbers don’t speak for themselves: using clear statistical storytelling to prevent misinterpretation and misuse. Speaker: Penny Babb, Office for Statistics Regulation.
Panel session theme and speakers to be announced shortly.
Speakers to be announced shortly.
More details to be announced shortly.
If you have any questions about the agenda, please email GSSNet@statistics.gov.uk. Please note, speakers and session information will be announced over the course of September.0.