CIPD Festival of Work brings the stars to Olympia
Katherine Ryan, Fearne Cotton and Kanya King OBE headline as Haymarket’s award-winning conference and exhibition for the CIPD gets a multi-stage makeover
Nihal de Silva
The Festival of Work, as the name suggests, has always tried to be more than just another business conference – and this year, it pushed the idea further than ever with two of television’s biggest names taking to the stage at London Olympia.
The event, operated by Haymarket in partnership with the CIPD, took place on June 7-8 and aimed, as ever, to explore the strategic and practical importance of people to business growth.
And this year, that task was helped by the Festival debuts of broadcaster and author Fearne Cotton and comedian Katherine Ryan, both of whom headlined the main stage to give their own take on the topic alongside entrepreneur and MOBO founder Kanya King.
A brand-new format captivated attendees with a vibrant atmosphere and incredible networking opportunities. 10,000 people were in attendance over 2 days setting an all-time record.
The opening of the event was an extraordinary moment, guided by the captivating presence of Fearne Cotton, who skilfully engaged in a thought-provoking conversation with Peter Cheese. Together, they explored the essential theme of self-care, shining a spotlight on the significance of prioritising our well-being amidst the relentless demands of our professional lives.
The festival atmosphere was electric, charged with excitement and a sense of serenity. Amidst the abundance of knowledge and insights offered, the Wellbeing village stood out as a vibrant hub, drawing crowds of eager participants. In addition to the captivating content, the village now featured rejuvenating sessions of yoga, breath work, and meditation, further enhancing the holistic experience for festival-goers. Added extras included a Metaverse at Work area looking at new technologies such as virtual reality, a ‘hackathon’ to discuss the topics covered on the Festival agenda and a ‘People Library’ where individuals told their stories in person to willing ‘readers’.
David Monaghan, Haymarket Media Group director of events, says: “We worked closely with the CIPD to create a new event concept which delivered value for their members as well as speaking to non-members in the wider people profession and the broader world of business, and it has been really rewarding to see this attract such a high number of delegates. We combined the usual high quality content which we deliver at CIPD events with a richer, more immersive experience in keeping with our overall festival concept.
“There is a big emphasis on interaction and making the attendee experience active rather than passive – whether that is through new content formats like our fishbowls and roundtables or the experiences on the festival floor, and were delighted to see the impact this had on delegate engagement.”
