The Dialogue Society values dialogue in the academic context; it provides a rigorous and methodical context for the scrutiny and evaluation both of dialogue practices and of a range of social and political issues pertinent to these. It also creates opportunities for the mutually instructive and fruitful interaction of people engaged in policy, academia and the community. To promote this important form of dialogue, the Dialogue Society organises conferences and colloquiums.

2008 saw a Dialogue Society colloquium in the form of an Academic Retreat in Istanbul. Forty UK and Europe-based academics met for seven days to critically appraise and scrutinise one of the most dynamic faith-based movements to originate from the Muslim world: that known as the Gülen Movement. The event comprised seven roundtable discussions over seven days, interspersed with relevant visits, meetings and activities. Key goals were to define the nature of the Movement and ask what opportunities, if any, this transnational community of volunteers presents for peace-building and practical dialogue.

In 2007 the Dialogue Society organised a peer-reviewed international academic conference, 'Muslim World in Transition,' over three days at the House of Lords, SOAS and LSE. The conference was organised in partnership with SOAS, the University of Birmingham, Leeds Metropolitan University, the Irish School of Ecumenics, the Middle East Institute and the London Middle East Institute. Full papers and proceedings were published in advance of the conference. The conference editorial board of sixteen members included pre-eminent scholars and academics of the highest calibre such as Prof Eileen Barker of LSE, Prof Muhammad Abdulhaleem of SOAS and Tim Winter of Cambridge University.

Two further key events were the conferences organised for the first anniversary of the tragic events of 7/7. Held as two separate events at LSE and at the House of Lords, the conferences explored the importance of interfaith and intercultural dialogue in eradicating the root causes of terrorism, namely prejudice, alienation, misunderstanding, suspicion, fear, animosity and hatred. The conferences brought together academics, dialogue practitioners, politicians and opinion-makers for constructive discussion of benefit to all parties. Outcomes of this discussion had a significant input on Dialogue Society activities and inspired its policy paper, "Deradicalisation by Default: the 'Dialogue' Approach to Rooting out Violent Extremism."