Pan-Humber festival of business takes place in June
Speakers at the Humber Business Week Get Ready event, from left, Tessa Wray, Paige McGowan, Pat Coyle, Kay Williams and Helen Roberts(Image: Jodie Hunter)
Energy and enterprise are emerging as the key ingredients in shaping a packed schedule of events as preparations gather pace for Humber Business Week 2026. Pat Coyle, chair of Biz Week, told delegates at the “Get Ready” event that regular hosts have already booked their slots for the annual, pan-Humber festival of business in the first week of June.
She said: “We are shaping our future the Humber way. We have seen increased collaboration across the region where colleagues from the south bank are bringing fresh energy and support, helping to make Biz Week more connected and more ambitious.”
Members of the steering group were joined in the presentations at the MKM Stadium in Hull by Biz Week ambassadors who highlighted the importance of bringing energy to their events and activities. Tessa Wray, who led the preparations for the Get Ready event, set out the timetables of key dates on both sides of the Humber and steered delegates towards the official Humber Business Week website.
This has been further developed to offer guidance on how to organise events as well as the simple registration process. Paige McGowan, vice-chair of the steering group, shared tips on how to deliver a standout event and urged participants to make their events real, remarkable, resourceful and revolutionary – drawing on the values of Future Humber, who will host the annual Bondholder breakfast as the traditional Biz Week curtain-raiser on Monday, June 1.
Paige said: “Is the event credible and is it worth people’s time? What will make the event feel different from any other breakfast panel or workshop?
“People don’t remember your slides. They remember how they felt.
Helen Roberts and Kay Williams, who run sessions on leadership, change and other issues as well as their Talented Women development programme, became Humber Business Week ambassadors after a chat in a pub three years ago and spoke about the power of connections. Kay said: “Business Week continues to bring people together to create its human connections. Sometimes one conversation is all it takes.”
Helen advised event organisers to avoid the curses of pursuing perfection and comparing themselves with others. She said: “It will simply drain your energy and you will put your focus in the wrong place – make sure you feel the energy of your event.”
The Humber Business Week south bank task force will present its Get Ready event at the Holiday Inn Express, Grimsby, from 10am to 1pm on Thursday, February 5. The next big event in Hull will be the programme launch, which will take place at the University of Hull on Thursday, April 22.
Full details will be announced on the Biz Week website along with a date for the launch of the south bank programme. Speakers during the week will include James Sweeting, of multi-million-pound businesses Pipers Crisps, Lincoln & York and Sumo UK and Jonathan Elvidge, best known as the founder of The Gadget Shop before becoming a YouTuber at the age of 60, while Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, one of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes, will be the keynote speaker at The Business Day at Bridlington Spa on Friday, June 5.
Jan Brumby, CEO at For Entrepreneurs Only, said: “The Get Ready event was a really positive way to start Business Week. It’s lovely to see some new faces and to keep Biz Week fresh and interesting.”
Emma Waudby, commercial director of Cobus Communications, said: “Humber Business Week is a brilliant opportunity to connect with the people and organisations shaping our region. It brings businesses together to share ideas, build relationships, and celebrate what the Humber does best.”
For further information about The Business Day and to apply for tickets, visit TheBusinessDay.co.uk and to keep track of the latest additions to the Humber Business Week programme and find out more about the “Get Ready” events, visit humberbusinessweek.co.uk