One room, packed with 1,000 bustling social entrepreneurs, is bound to muster innovative ideas to change the world. It’s the Ashoka Changemakers association that makes it possible.

Ashoka Changemakers is a global online community that aims to bring together innovators, journalists, investors and enthusiasts to solve some of the world’s toughest problems. It’s now one of the largest associations of social entrepreneurs.

On June 21-22, 1,000 Changemakers met in Versailles, France to exchange ideas and encourage each other’s projects. Ideas varied from parenting and youth empowerment programs to solar power projects. Roots of Empathy, which aims to build caring, peaceful and civil societies as well as Solar Aid which plans to deliver clean and renewable power to some of the poorest people in the world, were both on hand.

The leading Changemakers aim to help relieve some of the pressures of new social entrepreneurship with simple, but valid statements. "When things don’t turn out the way you’ve planned, it’s because there is a better solution waiting to be found," says Thorkil Sonne, founder of software-testing company Specialsterne.

Check out the video below for more tips on creating and running successful social enterprises from some of the leading Changemakers.

The Ivory Coast has come up with a new African-designed bus to combat its battered roads. Photo: Humanitarian and Development Partnership Team in the CAR (flickr)

Bad roads and battered, overcrowded buses are a common sight throughout West Africa. But a company in Ivory Coast has built the first buses it says are designed to accommodate Africa's needs. The new buses are said to be hardier and contain fewer seats in order to accommodate up to 100 people.

"This is an African design for Africa," said Sotra Industries director Mamadou Coulibaly in an interview with BBC News. Sotra’s new buses also will help consumers avoid buying expensive foreign vehicles that most Ivory Coast residents can't afford.

Sotra hopes that their new buses not only meet the needs of Ivorians, but also other West Africans. They plan to expand into the regional market by producing vehicles for Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal.