Festival of Work 2023 Review
Following two days of amazing conversations and insights from leaders of people, Nick Lester, Digital Marketing Manager, reflects on his experience at Festival of Work and conversations around Creating Star Performers and our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The Immersive Experience.
Having attended dozens of exhibitions as attendee, exhibitor, and even organiser, this event was most definitely one that one I will remember! The organisers at CIPD were looking to put the ‘Festival’ into the event this year, with a brand new format that captivated and inspired its attendees with six stages, interactive workshops, and multiple session formats.
As busy as a festival can be!
The Festival atmosphere was not only down to the design and session format either! With over 10,000 attendees flocking to Kensington Olympia this June, there was no end to opportunities to engage in some amazing conversations either at our stand – which I will talk about later, in the networking area, or while waiting for some of the speaker sessions this year.
Sitting by the EDI theatre, we were pleased to hear that there were many calls to action to inspire people to think, feel and act differently about how they create more inclusive workplaces. This is something our programme delivers in a unique way. I also got the opportunity to share this passion on the stand with anybody willing to listen (and if you spent some time to talk to me about it – I thank you for lending a kind ear – it is something I am truly passionate about!)
Wellbeing and empowering people was also a hot topic for discussion both within the sessions that I sat in on as well as around the hall, and we were all the more happy to have those conversations!
Great conversations around the Method stand
After a return to a physical Festival of Work in 2022, which was still rather well attended, we were curious as to what 2023 would bring – and we were not dissapointed!
At first, I was a little worried that having five people on stand might lead to some of us waiting for visitors, as can be the case in quieter shows; but we were non-stop! Even from the start of the day, we had amazing conversations and it was amazing spend the day really listening to the voices of the industry – which is explained so well on the Festival of Work website – DRIVING PEOPLE WITH PURPOSE TO THRIVE.
In total, we had recorded that we held over 500 people stopping by our stand to understand more about the unique process that is ‘The Method’ as well as learn more about their reasons for visiting Festival of Work this year.
We even ran out of brochures outlining our current performance areas, so if you missed out – you can find them below!
Did you spot our poster?
Quoting one attendee: “This is the most fun poster at the show!”. As mentioned earlier, I had some amazing conversations around diversity and inclusion at our stand, and many of them came from people intrigued about the design (feel free to connect if you want to reach out to our amazing designer!)
I had the opportunity to share how our programme delivers an immersive experience, delivered by mobile, that helps people understand how making small changes in their actions can lead to big differences for others.
From support in recruitment processes, to improving overall inclusion as companies grow, I took this as a great opportunity to understand how our experience could be applied to support current business needs.
We have a number of upcoming tasters to showcase how this works, and if diversity, equity and inclusion is on your agenda, like many other Festival of Work attendees, you can sign up to one of our free tasters below.
Unfortunately, I was too busy at our stand to attend our presentation at the Future of Work stage, but I could hear the results, with Andrew Finlay, Head of Faculty, showcasing first hand how someone could present with real impact and feel motivated and energised doing so!
If you also missed out like me you can experience the results for yourself at some of our future taster sessions.
Conclusion
As an exhibitor, it was the highlight of my year. We had some great discussions that aligned with the needs of most attendees, be it around driving inclusion at work or creating empowered, motivated and engaged teams.
As a visitor, it was refreshing to hear from of the best the industry has to offer, meet with some amazing people and talk passionately about topics that really matter to us all.
Bring on 2024!
