York Business Festival

Arrival and registration | Refreshments |Expo stands  

9.00am to 9.30am

Location: Auditorium, Creative Centre

Join us for the start of the York Business Festival.

Dave Callan, Founder ONTO Coaching 

9.30am to 10.45am

Location: Auditorium, Creative Centre

The session will uncover how the unconscious roles leaders and founders adopt under pressure are often responsible for performance ceilings. Dave will explore how taking accountability and choosing differently can change outcomes, teams, and results.

Morning break | Networking with keynote speaker | Refreshments | Expo stands.

10.45am to 11.15am

Location: Auditorium, Creative Centre

Choose from 2 sessions:

Track 1: Meet the Buyers 

11.15am to 12.30pm

Panel host: Beth Wallace, CEO Wallace Consulting

Panelist: Chloe Wilcox, Head of Procurement, City of York Council 

Panelist: Paul Revell, Head of Commercial Strategy, York St John University 

Want to win more public sector business? Meet the senior buyers and transformation experts shaping over half a billion pounds of annual contract opportunities across York and the wider region. 

Track 2: Financial Prudence: Creating Choices for Growth Workshop

11.15am to12.30pm

Law Clinic

Workshop facilitator: Brad Haywood, Associate Partner, Clive Owen. 

In an increasingly uncertain economic environment, financial prudence is no longer simply about controlling costs; it is about making informed decisions that create resilience, support growth and protect long-term value. This session will share practical insights, drawn from working with businesses across Yorkshire and beyond, highlighting the strategies and behaviours that enable organisations to remain agile, sustainable and well positioned for future success.

Lunch | Networking | Expo stands

12.30pm to 1.30pm

Location:  Atrium, Creative Centre

Choose from 2 sessions:

Track 1:  Story Sells: Why Your Brand Story Matters Panel

1.30pm to  2.40pm

Panel host: Phil Clark, Managing Director, SayYes 

Panellist: Owen Turner, United by Design 

Panellist: Joseph Priestley, York Minster 

Panelist: Belle Richardson, Sealstop 

Advertising is getting more expensive, and many websites and product pages look the same. The brands doing well understand that they need to create a business that people feel something for.

Track 2: Starting up; Building York’s Creative Economy Workshop

1.30pm to  2.40pm

Workshop facilitator: Cherie Federico, Director of Aesthetica

Across the UK, the creative industries contribute £145 billion to GVA, yet only 3.6% of employment in our region is within the creative industries. This session explores refining your strategy, lead generation and building client relationships, while understanding the importance of adapting to opportunities and using a business plan to maximise potential. 

Afternoon break | Networking | Refreshments | Expo stands 

2.40pm to 3.00pm

Location: Atrium, Creative Centre

Choose from 2 sessions:

Track 1: Building Talent, Not Just Recruiting it Panel

3.00pm to 4.15pm

Panel host: Tom Burton, Associate Director, Knowledge Exchange, York St John University 

Exploring the emerging trends shaping career and workforce development today. From AI and digital skills to skills-based recruitment, re-skilling, changing employee expectations and the growing importance of developing talent from within. These themes will be brought to life through a panel of students who have taken part in York St John University’s Tap into our Talent placement schemes.

Track 2: How AI is Changing Marketing Workshop

3.00pm to 4.15pm

Workshop facilitator: Bethany Vincent, Managing Partner, Open Velocity

AI can make marketing faster, but only if the fundamentals underpinning it are solid.  

This session helps attendees assess their marketing foundations, covering strategy, data, messaging and process, before adding AI on top. Whatever stage you're at, from AI-curious, to already experimenting, you'll leave with a clear, prioritised view of what to fix first, and where AI can genuinely help. 

York Business Festival networking drinks 

4.15pm to 6.00pm

Location: Atrium, Creative Centre

Arrival and registration | Refreshments |Expo stands  

9.00am to 9.30am

Location: Atrium, Creative Centre 

Sir Richard Harpin, Founder Homeserve and Growth Partner

9.30am to 10.45pm

Location: Atrium, Creative Centre 

 Morning break

110.45am to 11:15am

Location: Atrium, Creative Centre 

Choose from 2 sessions:

Track 1: What’s your leadership secret? Workshop

11.15am to12.30pm

Workshop facilitator: Sarah Cave, The Leadership Secret 

Good leadership changes lives. Everyone has a leadership secret- it's their strength, the thing that makes people follow them and drives their success. In this session we will explore different leadership characteristics, identify your specific strength, and see where that same strength can become a success blocker. This is an interactive session so come prepared to get involved and leave with a clear set of actions to strengthen your leadership.  

Track 2: How to Commit the Perfect Business Crime Masterclass

11.15am to12.30pm

Presenter: Morgan Phillips, CEO, Helmsdale Consultancy Ltd 

What does writing a murder mystery have in common with managing technology risk? In this entertaining session, Morgan Phillips, will be joined by a best-selling author of murder-mystery novels to explore what business leaders can learn from crime and thriller writers.  

In this lively, thought-provoking session on how narratives are constructed, we'll uncover how risks emerge, how controls fail, and why the most effective approach to cybersecurity starts far from the IT department. 

Perfect for business leaders who want a practical, engaging, jargon-free way to understand risk, and for risk owners who need to create a goal-focused narrative to build funding business cases. 

Lunch | Networking | Expo stands

12.30pm to 1.30pm

Choose from 2 sessions:

Track 1: Top 5 AI Myths Masterclass

1.30pm to 2.40pm

Presenter: Andrew Fairley, Business Management lecturer, York St John University 

This session will dispel some of the unwarranted hype around AI, by focusing on core business fundamentals and how AI can best fit into your business model.

Track 2: Employment Rights Act 2025 – What Does it Mean for Employers? Workshop

1.30pm to 2.40pm

Workshop facilitator: Siobhan Clarke, Clarke HR Consulting.

The Act came into force this April, with further updates coming in October this year and into 2027. The Act represents the most significant change to UK employment law in decades and has far reaching implications for employers and their people. This session will cover the key changes in the Act, including changes to SSP, parental leave and the formation of the Fair Work Agency. As well as the changes billed for late 2026 and 2027, which include sweeping changes to unfair dismissal rights, the implementation of guaranteed hours for zero hours workers and the requirement to pay workers for short notice shift changes.

Afternoon break | Networking | Refreshments | Expo stands 

2:40pm to 3:00pm

ocation: Atrium, Creative Centre

Choose from 2 sessions:

Track 1: 7 Ways to Generate More Customers Online Masterclass

3:00pm to 4:15pm

Presenter: Steve Lowe, Director, LocaliQ 

Discover the latest digital marketing strategies to help your business attract more customers, generate quality leads and stay ahead of the competition. Learn how to make the most of AI, video marketing, local SEO and digital advertising, with practical tips you can put into action straight away. 

Track 2: Start-up Business Success Workshop

3:00pm to 4:15pm

Workshop facilitator: Peter Harrington, CEO Sim Venture 

Do you want to create and build a sustainable new venture or secure the job you want? In this session Peter Harrington will share details that underpin start-up and business success. 

Innovation supper

6:00pm to 8:00pm

Pitching | Supper | Networking  

£10 per ticket.

Book here