Our 2026 highlights

Over the last two days, over 12,000 HR and people leaders came together at Excel London to unlock people potential and build future-ready organisations. The energy across the entire Festival was unmatched. Our community returns to work inspired, deeply connected, and ready to champion workplaces that are human centric, sustainable, and productive. To every attendee, speaker, and partner who made this year unforgettable, thank you.

Mark your calendars, because we are ready to do it all again on 9–10 June 2027 at Excel London.

Incredible content with a phenomenal lineup

Peter Cheese opened to a packed Main Stage, exploring how organisations can deliver strategies focused on being human centric, sustainable, and resilient. We dove deep into the immediate priorities facing HR, featuring evidence-led discussions on how to navigate the upcoming Employment Rights Act and build better working lives through collaboration. Later, Prof. Alice Roberts delivered a powerful session that challenged us to rethink leadership and explore the true evolutionary power of workplace diversity.

We saw the AI Lab filled, with people coming together for a hands-on look at how to ethically use AI and some of the best practices around everyday tools to help us in our working lives. Tim Harford OBE closed out the first day by inspiring the crowd on how to thrive amid uncertainty, unpacking how data, behaviour, and AI are reshaping the modern business landscape.

Diana Osagie kicked off day two with an emotive session that reminded us all of the courage required to lead with authenticity and purpose. Meanwhile, our final Main Stage headliner, Richard Osman OBE, challenged our thinking with a deeply candid conversation on the critical link between mental health and high performance. It was inspiring, honest, and the perfect way to finish!

An immersive Festival experience

A major highlight this year was the debut of our brand-new stages. The Tech Innovations and Practical Solutions stages were absolutely buzzing, letting attendees dive headfirst into the next generation of workplace tools and cutting straight through the noise to serve up brilliant, ready-to-use tactics for the year ahead.

Away from the stages, the Festival floor was alive with interactive learning, hands-on workshops, and vibrant networking zones designed to solve workplace challenges in real-time. From competitive arcade games and spin-to-win challenges to interactive tech demos, the Festival floor provided the perfect blend of learning, connecting, and having a bit of fun along the way!

Thank you to our sponsors

ADP, APMG International, Atlassian, Benenden Health, Bright Horizons, Clarity4D Ltd, Culture Amp, Deel, The Electric Car Scheme, Employment Hero, General Assembly, Go Slow to Go Fast, Hastee - A Zellis Company, HiBob, HowNow, Investors in People, IOSH, IRIS, KAPLAN, LHH, MHR, Oak, Oyster, Personal Group, Personio, Phase 3, PIB employee benefits, Remote, Reward Gateway | Edenred, Right Management, Rippling, RVS GoVo for Business, SHL, Strengthscope, Talent Solutions RPO, The Access Group, The TCM Group, Thrive, WEALTH at work, YuLife, Zellis, Zelt, Zensai, Zinc, Zoho

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Incredible content with a phenomenal lineup

An immersive Festival experience

Register your interest in the CIPD Festival of Work, 9–10 June 2027

Thank you to our sponsors

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