It’s built for founders, operators and teams who are deep in the day-to-day of building something and want to make real progress. Whether you’re early-stage, scaling fast, or somewhere in between, it’s a space to get clarity, meet people, and find new energy for what comes next.
What to expect
You’ll find thousands of founders and teams from across the UK, working on everything from pre-seed startups to multi-million pound companies. Expect practical talks from people who’ve been through it, covering growth, funding, hiring, failure and everything in between. There will be workshops, investor sessions, startup storytelling, pitch practice and brand-building advice. And between it all, time and space to talk to people properly.
The setup is designed to be energising, not exhausting.
Who it’s for
If you’re building a business from scratch, growing a team, shifting direction or just trying to make smarter decisions with fewer resources, you’ll find something useful here. It’s for solo founders, early teams, backed startups and everything in between. You don’t need to have a pitch deck ready. You don’t need to be in a certain sector. You just need to be building something.
The crowd is open, varied and here to talk about the real stuff. It’s a chance to step outside your usual bubble and hear what other people are doing to solve similar challenges in different ways.
What you’ll get
Ideas Fest is designed to be useful, the conversations are honest, the advice is practical. You’ll hear what people tried, what worked, what failed and how they adjusted. It’s not about buzzwords. It’s about ideas you can use the following week.
Whether you’re stuck on pricing, hiring, operations or growth strategy, there’s someone in that field who’s dealt with it. This is where people swap stories without filters and offer up what actually helped.
You’ll leave with new contacts, better insight and probably a few notes you’ll act on straight away.
Why the format works
There’s structure, but no pressure to follow a rigid schedule. You can drop into sessions that matter to you, spend time in the wellness space, or use the event as a two-day working reset. There’s room to think, room to talk, room to plan.
You’ll find unexpected conversations and probably meet someone whose idea, contact or feedback shifts how you approach your next move.
It’s designed to be enjoyable and productive. Business-focused but not boxed in.
Why it’s worth it
You’re already busy. Taking two days out needs to be worth it. At Ideas Fest, you get the kind of return you don’t get sitting at your desk. The return is in the clarity, the momentum, the unexpected introductions and the decisions that become easier after stepping away and hearing how others are doing it.
Whether you’re just getting started, stuck in the messy middle or growing fast and trying to keep up, you’ll find something here that helps.
Ideas Fest returns to Pendley Manor Meadows in Tring, Hertfordshire on 10–11 September 2025. Tickets are available now at ideasfest.uk, and Elite Business subscribers can enjoy 20% off with the discount code EBL20.
