March 16th-20th, 2026
Welcome
Drawing on the success of the first ever Newcastleunder-Lyme Business Festival in 2025, we’re back with new content, new venues, new speakers and an even bigger programme!
Funded by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, delivered by PH Production Services and King Street Studios, this year promises to be another fabulous opportunity to showcase the borough as a great place to invest, live, work and build a business in.
It’s an opportunity to demonstrate the power of collaboration and community — bringing us together to learn, connect and share best practice. The festival will strengthen businesses and attract investment across the borough. It also continues to challenge outdated perceptions, showing clearly that Newcastleunder-Lyme isn’t on the margins, but exceptionally well connected and firmly at the centre of opportunity.
The festival week will shape perception, influence investment and reinforce our local identity, strengthening the business community we are proud to be part of.
The programme is fabulous and offers a wide array of speakers, practical workshops and seminar style breakouts balanced with chances for open networking, demonstrations and, naturally, plenty of tea and coffee.
There is great power in collaboration and together, we can all help to ensure that this year’s festival really does deliver. Everyone involved can help raise the profile of the festival, and in turn, raising the profile of the borough and the business community.
Mon 16th
Employment & Entrepreneurs Day
Dr James Bannerman is a “Creative Change Agent” who blends creativity and psychology to help organisations innovate. He has worked with Aston Martin, British Airways, Starbucks, Rolls-Royce, HSBC and the National Space Centre.
He lectures on MBA programmes at Warwick, Grenoble and Oxford Brookes, where he completed a PhD in lateral thinking. Before consulting, he was a platinum-selling songwriter, cartoonist and trained psychotherapist.
Speakers
David Beech, Knights Solicitors
Steve Timmis, Sempar Accounts
Alastair Machin, Chaffinch and Ravenscliffe
Workshops
Leadership & Management for Growing Businesses
The Risk No One Measures
Strengthening Business Performance through Student Engagement
Networking and Business Market Showcase
On Monday 16th March we’ll be opening the festival at St Giles Church and exploring the themes of Entrepreneurship and Employment.
The church courtyard will be full of local business exhibitors and inside the church we’ll be hearing from fabulous speakers such as Dr James Bannerman, the only man in the world with a PHD in Lateral thinking,
Plus we’ll have fantastic breakout sessions exploring Leadership for Growing Businesses, Student Engagement in Business and The Risk That No One Measures.
Tues 17th
Keele University ///haven.pardon.poster
Keele Innovation and Sustainability Day
Panel Discussion
Industry voices come together to discuss how innovation is shaping the future of sustainability.
Speakers (L-R)
Raphael Hirshi, Keele Digital Society Institute
Diane Roberts, Staffs. Business and Environment Network
Gemma Thomas, Brilliant Bamboo
Dr Laura Rhodes, Net Zero Delivery & Sustainability, Keele Uni.
Workshops
Johnathan Lawton, Hixon Group
Usman Shah, Abzorbed IT Solutions Ltd
Dominic Cox, InnerNova
On Tuesday 17th March, we’ll be at Keele University’s Denise Coates Foundation Building looking at Innovation and Sustainability.
We’ll be hosting a panel chaired by Laura Rhodes the Universities Head of Net Zero and featuring Raphael Hirschi the Head of the Digital Society Institute with Diane Roberts of Staffordshire Business and Environment Network and Gemma Thomas, Founder of Brilliant Bamboo.
We’re exploring cyber security with Jonathan Lawton of Hixon Group, Usman Shah of Absorbed IT will be exploring his journey as a multiple business owner and we’ll have a range of innovative businesses exhibiting too.
Wed 18th
Business and Network Day
Keynote Speakers
On Wednesday we have two keynotes speakers, with a wealth of experience in the business world and networking and we’re fortunate to have both speakers leading practical sessions for you to enjoy too.
Rachael Jackson runs several franchises of Women in Business Network and won Networker of the Year at the Business Success Network Recognition Awards 2025 for outstanding work in building business networks, championing collaboration, and empowering women across sectors — all while navigating neurodiversity challenges.
Peter the Speaker went from a childhood as an undiagnosed dyslexic, having been written-off, to becoming an award-winning inventor and securing investment in the BBC’s Dragons’ Den for his homemade inventions.
Having won investment in BBC’s Dragons’ Den for his innovative range of pet products, he set the goal to produce the business workshops which would allow neurodiverse audiences to master the skills he learnt in his journey.
Workshops
Rachael Jackson, Confident Pitching and Personal Impact
Peter “The Speaker” Bayley-Hill, Networking for Introverts
Susanne Quinn, Building Skills for the Workforce of Tomorrow
On Wednesday 18th March, we’re heading back into the town centre and taking over Lymelight Boulevard.
Wednesday will see us exploring Business and Networking Day at Lymelight Lanes and N-u-L’s newest cocktail lounge, The Boulevard.
We’ve got free 121 digital consultations available with Ben McManus from Wavemaker and some incredible practical workshops that will help you make better connections, improve your business pitch and give you useful insights into more affective networking and relationship development.
Thu 19th
Women in Business Day
Our Thursday keynote speaker, well known across the borough, is Port Vale FC co-owner Carol Shanahan. Leading the club’s community engagement and business development, Carol will discuss recent initiatives and speak publicly for the first time about a new programme.
We’ll also host a guided conversation with Hannah Ault (Valentine Clays), Eve Davies (ProtectaPet) and Shanie Chaudry-Goodall (M Investment Group and M Club) on the challenges and support systems of female business leadership.
The hall will be full of exhibitions from femaleled SMEs, and the afternoon includes talks from Ramona Hirschi (Belvoir Lettings, Deputy President of Staffordshire Chambers) and Josie Vujcic, founder of Nellys Nest.
Speakers
Shanie Chaudry-Goodall, M Investment Group and at M Club Eve Davies, ProtectaPet Hannah Ault, Valentine Clays
Ramona Hirshi, Belvoir and Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce
Josie Vujcic, Nellys Nest
Business Market Showcase
St. Giles Church ///wishes.motor.global
On Thursday 19th March, we’re back at St Giles Church and thanks to the incredible attendance last year, we’ve had to relocate our Women in Business Day to a bigger venue.
With plenty of space for networking and making connections throughout the day, this year’s Women in Business Day promises to be a highlight of the festival week.
With some of the region’s most prominent business leads sharing their experiences, offering insights and practical advice all geared towards helping you develop and grow your business the right way.
Fri 20th
Creative and Digital Industries Day
Keynote Speaker
Emma Ritson is the West Midlands Project Officer at the National Literacy Trust. With over 20 years in education, she began as an English teacher before moving into library services and later joining the NLT. Emma will be exploring the Trust’s Year of Reading campaign.
The event also features panels with Ben McManus Wavemaker, Dave Edwards (University of Staffordshire Gaming), Clare Wood (British Ceramics Biennial), Emily Turner (Artichoke), and Sud Basu on creative industries and placemaking.
Speakers
On Friday 20th March we’ll be exploring Creative and Digital Industries Day, we’ll have exciting e-Sports demo’s with the team at Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group and some pop-up performances throughout the day.
We’ll be wrapping up a fabulous week of events at Keele in Town as Piccolo will be sharing with us the latest technology and procedures behind Coffee Roasting, there will, naturally, be coffee tasting involved too. Before we reach for the last fresh brew of the week, the penultimate part of the festival is by Aninver Development Partners, who will reveal the final recommendations for the Borough Council’s Strategic Creative Industries and Action Plan.
Benedict McManus, Wavemaker
Dave Edwards, University of Staffordshire
