The 2011 Grand Challenge in Service conference aimed to explore, analyse and evaluate complex service systems. A case scenario, improving the perception of safety in the London Borough of Sutton, provided a common context to link participant contributions. The key themes that emerged included value co-creation, systems and networks, technology, and complexity. Contributions on value co-creation were based mainly on empirical research and provided a variety of insights, including the importance of a better understanding of collaboration within value co-creation. Contributions on the systems perspective included efforts to understand the implications of the interactions within service systems, as well as their interactions with social systems. Contributions within the technological sphere were focused on the creation of new value constellations and demand fulfilment through hybrid offerings of physical assets, information and people. Contributions on complexity focused on the challenges in understanding, managing and analysing these complex service systems. The theoretical and applied contributions all demonstrated the importance of better understanding service for the future.