The Business Growth Studio Conference 2026

In a fast-moving and often uncertain economic environment, understanding the bigger picture is essential for making confident business decisions. This opening keynote will set the scene for the conference, exploring the national and global trends shaping growth opportunities for UK businesses. From shifting market dynamics to emerging risks and opportunities, you’ll gain a clear, grounded perspective on what lies ahead. Blending insight with inspiration, this session will help you cut through the noise, focus on what matters most, and approach growth with clarity, confidence and purpose.

Growth doesn’t happen by chance, it’s built on strong, deliberate foundations. In this keynote, Mikey Singh will share the journey behind the success of Soho Tavern Group, offering practical insight into what it takes to scale a business while staying true to your core identity. From shaping a clear strategy and managing finances effectively to building a brand that resonates, this session brings real-world lessons to life. Expect honest reflections, actionable advice, and an opportunity to put your questions directly to a founder who has successfully navigated rapid growth.

In competitive markets, a clear and compelling value proposition can set your business apart. This interactive session will explore how to define, refine and communicate what makes your offer truly valuable, not just today, but for the long term. Through practical exercises and real-world examples, you’ll examine how customer expectations are evolving and how a commitment to environmental sustainability can strengthen your proposition. Whether you’re looking to differentiate, retain customers or increase loyalty, you’ll leave with actionable ways to sharpen your message and align it with what your customers value most.

This hands-on workshop will introduce the core principles of design thinking and demonstrate how they can be used to shape products and services that genuinely meet customer needs. Through guided activities, you’ll explore how to test ideas quickly, gather meaningful feedback, and reduce the risk of costly missteps. Ideal for businesses of any size, this session will help you embed creativity and user insight into your development process.

AI has the potential to transform how businesses operate, but knowing where to start can be a challenge. This practical workshop will focus on where AI can deliver the greatest return on investment for small and medium-sized businesses now, next and later. Moving beyond hype, it will explore high-impact use cases across areas such as marketing, operations and customer insight. You’ll gain clarity on which tools and approaches are worth your time, how to prioritise implementation, and how to start small without overcommitting resources, leaving with a clearer path to practical adoption.

A strong brand identity is the foundation of how your business is recognised, understood and trusted. This interactive workshop will explore the core principles behind building a clear, consistent and authentic brand - from defining your purpose and values to shaping how you show up across every customer touchpoint. Through practical exercises and examples, you’ll consider what makes your business distinctive and how to communicate it effectively. Designed for growing businesses, this session will help you create a brand identity that builds credibility, strengthens customer connection and supports long-term growth.

Sustainable growth is powered by people. This keynote will explore what it takes to build, inspire and retain high-performing teams in a changing world of work. Drawing on deep leadership experience, the session will examine how to create cultures that unlock potential, support wellbeing and align with business ambition. From attracting the right talent to developing future leaders, you’ll gain practical insight into building a workforce that drives productivity and growth. Expect a blend of inspiration and actionable ideas to help you lead with purpose and impact.

A successful day of learning only creates value when it leads to action. This closing session will bring together key insights from across the conference and focus on how to translate ideas into practical next steps for your business. You’ll be guided to reflect on what matters most, prioritising opportunities, and identifying actions you can implement straight away. Whether you’re looking to refine your strategy, strengthen your team or accelerate growth, you’ll leave with a clearer plan and renewed confidence to put learning into practice.