Event bookings
Everything you need to know about booking your place on a DSC conference or fair
Overview of DSC events
How to book
Pricing and ways to pay
Confirmation of your booking
Change or cancel your booking
Add a specific requirement to your booking
Event FAQs
Overview of DSC events
Alongside our offering of scheduled public training courses, DSC runs a host of one and two-day conference and fair events throughout the year. These events are topical and attract a wide range of people and organisations looking for the opportunity to learn, network and receive updated information on their chosen subject.
These events cover everything from Fundraising, Charity Law, Finance and Charity Writing to Volunteering, Management, HR and everything in-between. Look out for our Summer and Winter fairs where we provide a mix of all of the above.
Our Events come in two forms: Conferences and Fairs. Due to the different nature of these events compared to our public courses, there are different terms and conditions for booking as explained in this section.
How to book
It is simple to book your event online, where you can pay by card, or request an invoice from us.
(Browse our events) and when you have found what you are looking for simply add this to your cart by clicking on the ‘Add to cart’ icon. You will need to pre-book the sessions you attend during the day at all of our events so make a note of these when you are looking at the programme.
When you are finished shopping, click on ‘Checkout’ to enter your contact and billing details. You will then receive an email confirmation of your order.
You can purchase books and training in the same transaction by adding to your cart, then clicking on ‘Continue shopping’ to add more before checking out.
If you are having technical difficulties placing your order or if you aren’t able to find the event you would like, you can contact our Customer Services team in one of the following ways.
Send us the full details of your booking or enquiry to cs@dsc.org.uk and our Customer Services team will get back to you and deal with your booking within 24 hours. Don’t forget to include your full contact details, Fee Band, and Session choices so we can confirm your booking, and to take a look at our (terms and conditions) as these will apply as soon as your booking is confirmed by email.
Phone
Call us to book on 020 4526 5995. Our team would be happy to take your booking by telephone. Our lines are open from 08.45 – 17.30 Monday to Friday. Don’t forget to take a look at our (terms and conditions) as these will apply as soon as your booking is confirmed by email.
Post
Print/photocopy and complete the booking form and post it to our registered office: Directory of Social Change, First floor, 10 Queen Street Place, London, EC4R 1BE.
You can provide credit or debit card details, enclose a cheque payable to the ‘Directory of Social Change’, or request an invoice.
Pricing and ways to pay
Your DSC Event will either be priced according to our (fee band system), or your event may be priced per session or per day.
To find out the prices for each event please check the individual event information on our website.
When placing your booking, you can request an invoice if your order is over £50 or pay using a credit or debit card.
Payment must be made within 14 days of the invoice date.
Cheques can be made payable to ‘Directory of Social Change’.
Confirmation of your booking
Your place is confirmed when we receive your booking, at which stage our (terms and conditions) will apply and you are liable for payment of the fees.
If you book your event online you will receive an automatic confirmation email. Please check the details of the booking are correct and if you would like to make any amendments to your booking please contact (Customer Services).
If you do not receive a confirmation email please check your Junk mailbox first and contact Customer Services to check the status of your order.
When we have processed your booking we will send you an invoice or receipt, and a delegate confirmation by email. This usually takes up to 24 hours.
Change or cancel your booking
If within 24 hours of making your booking you find that you need to cancel your place, please write to cs@dsc.org.uk to request a cancellation. As long as this is 7 days or more prior to the course date we will be happy to cancel your booking free of charge, otherwise fees to transfer and cancel will apply as per the terms and conditions of each event.
Substituting your place for another colleague/person
At any stage after the booking is made, if you wish to transfer a place on a course to another delegate the first change is free and thereafter there will be a 10% administration charge. Email your request to cs@dsc.org.uk and once we have confirmed we will send a new confirmation email to the new delegate.
Cancelling your place
The following fees apply to events where you have booked to attend a full day of workshops or the full event.
If you are not able to attend your event or you wish to cancel, the following charges will apply:
- 21+ working days prior to the event – 10%
- 1-20 working days prior to the event – 100%
- Non-attendance on the day – 100%
The following fees apply to events where you have booked to attend some workshops but not the whole day or the full event (Fairs).
Bookings for Fair workshops are non-refundable and you are liable for payment when your booking is received. In exceptional circumstances these fees may be reduced or waived at the discretion of the Customer Services Manager, in which case a 25% administration fee per session will be charged.
Verbal cancellations will not be accepted. Email your full booking details to cs@dsc.org.uk and a member of our Customer Service team will contact you.
In exceptional circumstances these fees may be reduced or waived at the discretion of the Customer Services Manager. In such circumstances, email cs@dsc.org.uk giving full details of why you were unable to attend enclosing any supporting documentation, eg a doctor’s note.
The option to cancel an event and transfer the same fees directly to a training course in the future may be offered at the discretion of the Customer Service Manager. This option can be used only once, after which any movement will be considered a cancellation and any outstanding invoices will remain due irrespective of the number of working days’ notice given for the cancellation.
Refund requests must be sent within two weeks of the event date; no refunds will be made after that time.
Please note that DSC reserves the right to change these terms of cancellation for different events. Details of cancellation policies will be provided with the event information online.
Add a specific requirement to your booking
Email cs@dsc.org.uk or call 020 4526 5995 to tell us about a specific requirement you may have so that we can ensure your needs are provided for on the day, and that our staff will know to be on hand.
Event FAQs
Am I booked on an event?
After booking online you can expect to receive a booking confirmation email immediately. For online, phone and email bookings you will receive an email confirmation and an invoice directly from the Customer Services team. If you have not received any of these emails within 24 hours please contact (Customer services).
When do DSC events start and end?
For full day events it is best if you arrive between 09.15 and 09.50 so that we can register you and you get a chance to meet your fellow delegates over refreshments.
If you have booked a workshop at a Fair, please arrive for registration 15 minutes before your workshop begins. The finish times for many of our events are different, but generally events do not end later than 17.15. Full detail will be in your email confirmation.
Where will my event take place?
Most of our events take place at: Resource for London, 356 Holloway Road, London, N7 6PA. The nearest tube station is Holloway Road, just two stops from Kings Cross St Pancras station. However, we run some events regionally and this will be advertised.
Is there parking?
Unfortunately public parking around the London venue is extremely limited, however Resource for London can provide parking at £20 per day in the Waitrose Car Park directly behind our building (Postcode for Sat Nav: N7 6EX). Please park in the reserved spaces on the left as you enter the car park. Pay at the Resource for London reception (Cash only) to get a ticket to display in your vehicle.
Blue badge holders can park in these spaces for free
Although our venue is not inside the London Congestion Zone, please be aware that the Congestion Charge applies between 7.00 and 18.00 Monday to Friday if you need to cross it to get here.
Is lunch provided?
We provide lunch inclusive with all our one and two day events where you have booked for the whole day or event. For Fairs where you have booked one or several workshops you will be asked to specify your lunch order at the time of booking. This is not inclusive to the workshop fee.
Refreshments are served throughout the day for all delegates.
Can I make a request for a specific dietary requirement?
If you have a specific dietary requirement, please notify our team on 020 4526 5995 or by email with exact details before the course and we will make sure that your needs are catered for.
Can you cater for people with disabilities?
Yes. The training rooms at Resource for London are on the ground and first floors and are accessible by lift. If your event is not at our London venue or if you have a particular requirement, for example you would like someone to help you on the day, would like to receive training materials in advance or request large print training materials or if there is anything else please just let us know. You can inform us when you complete your online booking form, when you book by phone or by contacting Customer Services on 020 4526 5995 or cs@dsc.org.uk.
We’ll do our best to make sure that everything is ready for you.
What is the dress code?
There is no dress code for DSC courses or events. The courses are meant to be fun and relaxing as well as giving you the best training. Most people who attend our courses feel most comfortable in business casual clothing.
Do you provide handouts?
After almost 40 years of training and probably many trees later, we decided it would be a good idea to radically reduce the amount of paper we use during our training events and in the office. So, as a rule we do not provide packs of handouts.
Trainers may use some for exercises during the course of the day, but if there are handouts and presentations we will send them to you by email after the course has taken place. This email will contain a link to an online evaluation form, and once completed you will receive the link to the handouts.
Will I receive a copy of the presentation after the course?
Where there is a presentation we will email it to you after the course.
Will I receive a certificate?
We are very sorry but for our larger conference and fair events we are not able to provide delegates with a certificate of attendance.
Do I receive CPD points for attending this event?
Each conference is different so please check with us at registration on the day, or (contact customer services) if you require an answer beforehand.
What happens if someone needs to contact me while I am on the event?
Customer services can take messages and contact you during your event so the best number to use for contact is 020 4526 5995. In an emergency the session will be interrupted, otherwise you will be given your message in the break.
Who delivers the training?
All of the workshops at DSC events are delivered by a team of highly qualified, experienced and specialist trainers, both associates and permanent members of staff. They come from a range of backgrounds all with experience in the third sector. To find out more about a particular trainer or to find out who is running a workshop, please contact us on 020 4526 5995 or by email to cs@dsc.org.uk
Who attends DSC events?
Our training events attract a wide variety of charity professionals, volunteers and those new and returning to work in the voluntary sector. Our events provide a great opportunity to network and meet others. Those attending your chosen event may be from small, medium or large organisations from all over the UK, and from a wealth of different areas.