A FREE 10-day festival will be dedicated to helping leaders build themselves and their businesses back up after the pandemic.

The BCP Business Festival will run from November 17-26 and see events take place across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

It will begin with an Entrepreneur and Business Leaders’ Evening on Wednesday, November 17, at Bournemouth’s Pavilion. Bringing together business leaders from around the region, the evening will be an opportunity to hear from inspirational speakers, ask questions of a panel of local business leaders, followed by a networking drinks reception.

It will be followed by workshops, panel discussions and Q&A sessions, including Inspiring the Next Generation with Bournemouth University, Going Green, virtual yoga and meditation sessions and The Future for BCP.

Closing the programme on Friday, November 26, at the Vitality Stadium, will be the festival finale, The BCP Symposium. Entrepreneurs and business leaders from a range of sectors across the conurbation will be invited to join the symposium, offering a platform for representatives from the sectors to discuss issues, challenges and opportunities for the future of their sector and the wider region.

Funded by BCP Council’s Bounce Back Fund, the festival is being organised by Evolve, the Poole-based community for entrepreneurs and business leaders, in partnership with business and tax advisers Inspire, with the Daily Echo as media partner.

Warren Munson, founder of Evolve, said: “After a tough 18 months for many businesses, we’re delighted to be bringing such a high calibre programme of free events to local business leaders, as part of the BCP Business Festival.

“The exciting line-up of events, workshops, panel discussions and inspirational speakers will give business leaders the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, learn something new and be ready to take advantage of opportunities as we emerge from the pandemic.

“Working with high profile partner organisations, we will be hosting the events at an array of local venues, showcasing hidden gems and offering businesses of all sizes and sectors to get involved.”

The BCP Business Festival is a follow-on from the 2019 Evolve Business Festival, which hosted eight events at different venues across Poole and Bournemouth. More than 130 local companies attended, and events ranged from intimate ‘round table’ meetings to a large charity dinner with Eddie Howe as guest speaker.

For more information and to register, visit evolvemembers.com/register-your-interest-evolve-bcp-business-festival/