Summary: why should HR professionals attend the 2026 Festival of Work?
The Festival of Work is one of the UK’s leading HR and workplace events, bringing together industry experts, business leaders and technology providers to explore the future of work. Attendees can hear from high-profile speakers, discover emerging HR trends, compare HR and payroll software solutions, network with peers, and gain practical insights into topics like AI, employee experience, leadership and workplace culture. Hosted at London’s ExCeL arena, the event offers HR professionals a valuable opportunity to step back from day-to-day pressures and explore new ideas shaping the modern workplace.
There’s no shortage of HR conferences, expos and networking events in the calendar this year. But every so often, one comes along that genuinely feels worth stepping away from the inbox for. The Festival of Work has definitely become one of those events.
Hosted at London’s ExCeL arena on the 10th-11th June, the Festival of Work is also one of the biggest HR and workplace events in the UK. With thousands of attendees, multiple conference stages and a huge exhibition space overlooking the Royal Docks, it’s designed to feel less like a traditional trade show and more like a genuine meeting place for the people shaping the future of work.
Image courtesy of the CIPD Festival of Work
Blending HR, technology, learning, wellbeing, leadership and the future of work into one huge two-day experience, the 2-day event isn’t just another exhibition hall full of sales pitches and branded tote bags. It’s where HR leaders, people professionals and business decision-makers go to get fresh ideas, hear honest conversations about workplace challenges, and see what’s actually shaping the future of work right now.
So, if you’re debating whether to register for the event this year, here are some very good reasons to make the trip…
1. You’ll hear from some genuinely interesting speakers
First and foremost, one of the Festival of Work’s biggest draws is its stellar speaker line-up – and this year’s is no exception!
Unlike some industry events that rely heavily on dry presentations and buzzword-heavy panels, Festival of Work has always brought together people with real-world experience and genuinely useful perspectives.
This year’s keynote speakers include broadcaster and bestselling author Richard Osman OBE, leadership expert Diana Osagie, biological anthropologist and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts, and economist and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford OBE. That mix alone tells you a lot about the event!
The conversations aren’t limited to traditional HR and payroll topics, either. They explore leadership, behavioural science, communication, organisational culture, economics, technology and the bigger societal shifts shaping the modern workplace. So, not just the usual talk about policies and procedures (yawn…..).
Alongside the headline names, the programme features more than 130 speakers across HR, learning, leadership, wellbeing and workplace technology. And importantly, it’s not just HR talking to HR. The event brings together business leaders, psychologists, futurists, economists and operational experts, which makes the sessions feel broader, more practical and often far more thought-provoking.
To see the full list of speakers and talks at this year’s event, head across to the festival’s programme – which is here.
2. It’s one of the best places to spot emerging HR trends early
As someone who writes about all sorts of topics in the HR & payroll space, I like to keep tabs of what’s really going on in the world of business. It’s a great opportunity to learn about upcoming workplace trends, challenges or new ways of thinking. It also gives HR professionals a brilliant chance to step outside day-to-day operational pressures and look at the wider business landscape.
You’ll get a sense of:
- Which workplace trends are actually gaining traction
- What technology providers are investing in
- Where employee expectations are heading
- How other organisations are tackling similar challenges
- Which conversations are dominating the people profession right now
Even if you leave with just a handful of useful ideas, new perspectives or practical takeaways, that can have a significant impact once you’re back in your own workplace.
3. The technology showcase is genuinely useful
Now, no one’s pretending software demos are the main event. But what makes the Festival of Work valuable is the ability to compare platforms, ask difficult questions, and see how different providers approach common HR and payroll challenges side-by-side.
Whether you’re going to choose a new HR system, considering automation opportunities, or simply curious about what’s new in HR ad workforce tech, the exhibition floor gives you access to a huge range of vendors in one place.
Events like the Festival of Work make it easier to cut through marketing hype and have real conversations about what works in practice. If you’re in the market for a new HR system, get a copy of our HR Software and Payroll Buyer’s Guide – which you can download here.
4. You’ll meet people dealing with the same challenges you are
HR can sometimes feel isolating, particularly for smaller teams or busy HR leaders juggling multiple responsibilities. The Festival creates space for those informal chats that often end up being just as valuable as the keynote sessions. In fact, the opportunity to have honest conversations with peers is probably one of the most underrated benefits of industry events like this!
Whether it’s discussing AI policies, payroll headaches, talent retention strategies, change management, or hybrid working frustrations, there’s something reassuring about discovering other organisations are navigating the same issues too.
And, because the event attracts organisations of different sizes and sectors, you often get a broader perspective than you would from your usual professional network.
5. AI and the future of work conversations are finally becoming more practical
There’s been no shortage of AI hype over the last 18 months. But many HR professionals are now moving beyond the “what if?” stage and into more practical questions around governance, implementation, productivity and workforce impact.
The Festival of Work is likely to feature plenty of discussion around:
- AI in recruitment and talent acquisition
- Ethical AI use in HR
- Workforce planning
- Automation opportunities
- Employee trust and transparency
- Skills gaps and reskilling
- Data and decision-making
The interesting thing now isn’t whether AI will affect HR. It’s how quickly organisations can adapt without losing the human side of people management in the process.
That balance between technology and employee experience is becoming one of the defining HR conversations of the decade – don’t miss out.
6. You can come and see us at stand G10
Of course, we’d be lying if we said this wasn’t one of our favourite reasons to attend. A lovely team from Cezanne will be exhibiting at the Festival of Work this year on stand g10, and they’d genuinely love to meet you.
We know HR leaders want practical advice, straightforward answers and solutions that genuinely make work easier – not another overcomplicated platform that creates more admin than it removes. That’s why we focus on delivering flexible, people-first HR software and payroll solutions backed by the kind of customer support organisations actually value.
If you do stop by, we’d be happy to show you around our stand, chat through your current setup, or simply talk about what’s happening in the world of HR right now. Oh, and we might just have some very sought after goodies to share – including some highly-prized HR Ninja pin badges and I 💗HR mugs!
Don’t miss it!
For HR and payroll professionals trying to navigate constant workplace change, increasing expectations and rapid technological development, the Festival of Work offers something genuinely useful: perspective.
The best industry events don’t just leave you with a pile of brochures and a slightly bruised social battery. They leave you with new ideas, useful conversations and a clearer sense of where your profession is heading. And that’s exactly what this event does.
To get your free pass, just follow this link – we’ll see you there!
Paul Bauer
Paul Bauer is the Head of Content at Cezanne. Based in the Utopia of Milton Keynes (his words, not ours!) he’s worked within the employee benefits, engagement and HR sectors for over six years. He's also earned multiple industry awards for his work - including a coveted Roses Creative Award.
