The Scout movement is set for a symbolic return to a London venue that played a pivotal role in its early development more than a century ago.

In November 2027, around 1,500 delegates and observers from 176 National Scout Organisations will gather at a newly revamped Olympia for the 44th World Scout Conference, bringing together representatives from every corner of the world to help shape the future of Scouting.

The conference will be held in the same venue where the first World Scout Jamboree took place in 1920. It was during that historic gathering that Scout leaders from different nations discussed how they could work more closely together, creating what would become the World Scout Conference.

As Tom Hylands, an Explorer Scout Leader and volunteer member of the conference delivery team, explains: “During that jamboree, there was a group of leaders that came together and said, actually, as we’ve got leaders from so many different countries here, we should see how we can work together. So they set up a side meeting, separate to the jamboree, where they agreed to meet every few years."

Today the World Scout Conference serves as the movement’s global governing body, where delegates debate policy, elect leadership and set strategic priorities for the years ahead. Yet the significance of London 2027 extends beyond governance.

The event will happen 120 years after Scouting was founded by Robert Baden-Powell, at Brownsea Island, and offers an opportunity for the worldwide movement to reconnect with its origins while looking firmly towards the future.

Carl Hankinson, UK chief volunteer and chief commissioner of The Scout Association, believes the setting for the conference could not be more appropriate.

“Olympia holds a special place in Scouting history, and this shared heritage makes it the perfect setting for such a significant moment."

The venue itself reflects that balance between heritage and renewal. Olympia is undergoing a £1.3bn transformation, including the creation of a new International Convention Centre that will host the conference alongside the venue’s historic halls.

For the organisers, the sophisticated modern facilities were a major attraction. But the historical connection has become an equally powerful draw.

“We went to the regional conferences during the second half of last year to help promote the world conference and talk to potential delegates, and it was clear that’s something they're really excited about - going to the place where the first jamboree was held!” says Hylands.

He also sees a parallel between the venue and the movement itself.

“I think there are similarities, in the sense of you’ve got this historic organisation, a lot of legacy there, but actually moving with the times, modernising and delivering something that’s better suited to the modern world now than when it was originally founded.”

For attendees, the conference experience will extend beyond the main venue. Organisers are planning a range of visits to sites of particular importance in Scouting history, including Gilwell Park, UK headquarters and home of the adult leadership training programme, and Brownsea Island, where Baden-Powell held the first experimental camp that sparked the movement in 1907. By special arrangement, the island, part of a small archipelago in Poole Harbour, Dorset, will be opened for delegates despite normally being closed at that time of year.

“We’ve been able to work with the National Trust to open up Brownsea for us and organise some tours for people, because I think for a lot of delegates, this will be their one chance to go see those historical sites and pay homage to the past,” Hylands explains.

At the same time, the conference will showcase the diversity and reach of modern Scouting, a movement which has around 60 million members worldwide and continues to expand into new communities and countries.

“The main driver for Scouts is to build a better world, ultimately, and develop young people to have a constructive role in society,” says Hylands.

He believes gatherings such as the World Scout Conference are increasingly valuable in a fragmented world.

“These events kind of help us kind of give us that reminder of us being a global movement and that shared purpose that works across whether you’re in the UK, whether you’re in Africa, Asia, America, wherever.”

That shared purpose remains remarkably consistent despite vast differences between member organisations around the world.

When delegates assemble beneath Olympia’s famous roof in 2027, they will not simply be attending another international conference, they will be returning to the place where Scouting first came together, celebrating more than a century of friendship and cooperation, and helping to shape the movement’s next chapter.

For a movement founded on adventure, service and international understanding, it promises to be a fitting return home.

Andy O’Sullivan, CEO of Olympia Events, said hosting the 44th World Scout Conference would be a 'hugely meaningful moment for Olympia'.

"Scouting is closely linked to our venue’s history and welcoming this event back is a proud reminder of the global connections and lasting impact created here."

For Tom Hylands, helping organise the 44th World Scout Conference is a labour of love.

A volunteer member of the organising committee, he balances his conference responsibilities with a full-time career in digital communications and his weekly role leading a Mid Sussex Explorer Scout unit for 14 to 18-year-olds.

“We’re all doing this in addition to our everyday, which is a little bit of fun,” he says.

His Scouting experience spans decades and includes supporting UK contingents at international events, most recently the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea.

The conference itself is being delivered by a relatively small team. “From the UK side we’ve got a core team of five volunteers working across different sections,” he explains, with additional volunteers and staff supporting the project as demand dictates.

Despite the scale of the event, Hylands says the commitment is worthwhile.

“It’s clearly a time commitment, but it’s fun. We wouldn’t do it as volunteers if we didn’t enjoy giving back and using the skills that we have for the movement.”

What excites him most is the chance to welcome the world back to the birthplace of international Scouting.

“I think Scouting has always brought people together,” he says. “The main driver for scouts is to build a better world.”

For Hylands, the return to Olympia is about more than history. It is a reminder that, after more than a century, the movement’s mission remains unchanged: helping young people develop the skills, values and confidence to make a positive difference.

"These events remind us of that shared purpose that applies whether you're in the UK, whether you're in Africa, Asia, America, wherever, and that the key ethos of Scouting hasn't changed for 120 years, while the world has changed a lot in that time."

DIARY DATE: Tom Hylands will be taking part in a panel discussion with Carly Gibbs, general manager - ICC at Olympia, Olympia Events, at The Meetings Show, in London, later this month.