We are hosting EGOS 2027!

Delegates will descend on Liverpool in their thousands for the 43rd European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) conference in 8-10 July 2027, coinciding with our School’s 25th birthday.

The Management School has been chosen following a competitive bid process that examined the extensive research expertise of the local organising committee, campus facilities, the ability to accommodate up to 2,500 visiting international delegates and the cultural offer of the city of Liverpool.

Under the theme 'The Games we Play: Re-Writing the Rules of Organisation?', this will be the first time since 1999 that the conference is hosted at an English university, with previous host cities including Milan and Athens.

With more than 3,000 members from 62 different countries, EGOS is a scholarly association aimed at furthering the advancement of knowledge about organisations, organising and the contexts in which organisations operate. 

Our Management School has strong ties with EGOS, with dedicated chairs in organisational studies and organisational theory.

The EGOS 2027 conference, taking place between 8-10 July 2027, will host delegates not only at the University of Liverpool campus, but also across the city in iconic Liverpool venues, such as the Liverpool Cathedral.

We'll be supported in delivering the conference by the award-winning Abbey Conference and Events (part of the Abbey Group), which is Ireland and the UK’s largest inbound tour operator, with offices in Dublin and Liverpool.

We look forward to welcoming you to Liverpool for EGOS 2027 - a colloquium that promises stimulating scholarship, critical conversations and a spirit of playfulness true to its theme.

The Games we Play: Re-Writing the Rules of Organisation?

Games are integral to organisation. We play games at Christmas parties, conduct strategy games and compete in league tables.

Playful ceremonial events and the annual founder’s day help forge organisational culture and identity; joking rituals dissolve stress or initiate newcomers into work cultures; and office parties and sports competitions generate and resolve tensions, whilst also building trust and friendship beyond the workplace.

Work itself is often ‘played’ as a game and not least within our own academic profession! In our dominant economic system, the market is frequently presented as a big playfield, producing winners and losers, as well as cheats, chancers and spectators.

Sooner or later one realises it's impossible to think and study organisations without taking account of games and play.

In Liverpool - a city defined by football rivalries, global music competitions and a thriving digital games industry - the conference will explore how games and play inform organisational life, politics and practice:

• What are the games you find in the organisations you study?
• What are the effects and affects of these games; what are their temporalities, their dramas and values?
• What are the possibilities and limits of theorising games and what are the spaces, roles and practices involved?
• Is there an institutional logic yet to be identified around games?
• What are the politics at play; who plays fair and who governs the rules of the game?
• And what are the stratagems, collaborations and paradoxes that keep us in the game or out?

Sub-themes will encourage debate on the rules, ethics, creativity and power dynamics of games in organisations.

Call for sub-theme proposals

From Friday 19 September to Thursday 4 December 2025, you'll be able propose sub-themes connected to organisation and games.

Below is a list of suggested topics to play with – whilst not being unduly restricted to these:

• Games or Play?
• Games as organisational events
  
• "The Rules of the Game"
  
• How the Game is played...
• Towards Politics and the Dark Side
  

Visit the EGOS website to find out more

A globally connected host at the heart of Liverpool

Part of the prestigious Russell Group, the University of Liverpool is a research powerhouse with a proud civic mission to generate transformative knowledge that improves business and society, a vision closely aligned with EGOS values.

With 240 academic staff, a thriving doctoral community and strong international collaborations, over the last two decades, our Management School has established itself as a centre for impactful research in organisation studies, strategy and change.

We’ve hosted major international academic events, including the European Academy of Management and the British Academy of Management conferences, and the International Conference on Organizational Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities.

EGOS 2027 represents a natural continuation of our commitment to intellectual exchange, and is yet another opportunity to put into action our ambitious programme of social, environmental and economic change:

• Hybrid participation options to reduce travel emissions
• A vegetarian, locally sourced catering policy
• Careful consideration of venue selection and walkability.

Our city-centre campus is a 10-15 minute walk from Liverpool Lime Street Station and within easy reach of accommodation, restaurants and cultural landmarks.

It sits in the city’s Knowledge Quarter, a hub of innovation, science and creativity - a fitting setting for critical debates about organisations and society.

Most of the colloquium sessions will take place in newly refurbished lecture theatres and seminar rooms, all equipped with state-of-the-art hybrid facilities to support both in-person and virtual delegates.

Liverpool is a compact and welcoming city, so you’ll find it easy to navigate on foot, by public transport or even by bicycle.

Discover Liverpool

Liverpool was recently voted the fourth friendliest city in the world - an ideal setting for the EGOS community to meet, debate and celebrate together.

Our city is a wonderfully welcoming place, well known for its influence on art, music and sport, and with a rich and exciting cultural scene.

Beyond the conference, you’ll find plenty of things to explore:

• The iconic waterfront and Grade I listed buildings
• World-class museums and galleries - more than any UK city outside London
• A legendary music and nightlife scene, from The Beatles Story to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
• Expansive parks, such as Sefton park, green spaces and coastlines for relaxation and recreation.

Find out more about plans to do in Liverpool