Imagine Glastonbury but for business owners, start ups and the people who invest in them?
2 days of talks, activities, showcases, entertainment and informal networking, in a field in Hertfordshire.
Can you picture it?
THAT IS IDEAS FEST…and the Broxbourne Enterprise Centre team knew they needed to be there this September.
Our goal was to have as many conversations with businesses as we could, to find out what the latest word on the street is for start ups, what their challenges are, what opportunities look like right now, and to help put Broxbourne (which is just an hour down the road from the festival site in Tring) on the map.
The event did not disappoint.
Across the 2 days Angelique Muller (our Community Manager) and Julie Creffield (our Innovation Director) set themselves the challenge of having 100 conversations, and it was fun playing the game, and encouraging folks to have selfies with us.
We attended some of the talks from some of the well known brands, and sat in on panel discussions about the lack of investor backing for female owners businesses, and enjoyed the ad hock pitches on the Speakers corner stage.
There was literally something for everyone at this event.
Axe throwing, and rodeo rides…and even the worlds first smart ice bath which Angelique did incredibly well to spend 7 minutes submerged in.
It was great to see Hertfordshire Growth Hub, and to bump into a number of smaller local businesses who we recognised from our centres, and it was fabulous to tell business owners we had met about our two centres and what makes them such a great place to be based at.
The line up of big brands and founders from companies like BrewDog, Grenade, Trip, Covent Garden Soup, Calm, and the big name entrepreneurs like Daniel Priestly, Simon Squib and Dani Wallace was pretty impressive. We found many of the less famous, slightly more low key individuals running activites and hosting sessions to be just as insightful.
There really was something for everyone, and being part of the buzz that has been created online with this event was super exciting.
The top themes which came out of the event include…
- Community – Business can be lonely, so finding others to share the journey with is invaluable
- Vision – Being able to articulate your dream, believing in it, and talking about it relentlessly
- Fun – Business doesn’t have to be boring, it can be vibrant and colourful, and even silly
- Inclusion – We are not all the same, and we need to be more mindful of what difference looks like, and be more open to different ways of doing things…the talks on Neurodiversity seemed to be the most popular
- Networking – It is not always what you know but who you know, and yet talking to new people isn’t always easy
And the prize for the company that delighted us the most….hhhmmmm now that’s a hard one.
OK Its a split decision
- AirWallex who provided free coffee AND ICE CREAM across both days
- StarryEyes a new start up who were offering free body paint and glitter (go check them out) they even did a live demo while pitching onstage, EPIC!!!!
So will we be seeing you at next years event, we very much hope to be back.
The wait list for Ideas Fest 2025 is now open
But if you want to come and get involved in something a little closer to home before then, and enjoy the power of the community right on your doorstop, (with FREE coffee, although can’t promise body art) why not come along to the launch of our new Broxbourne Community Club which is kicking off on Wednesday 25th September with The Unnatural Networker Charlie Lawson.
