The CIPD Festival of Work returns on 10–11 June 2026 at Excel London. Registration is now open.
The CIPD Festival of Work returns for 2026, bringing the people profession together around a new theme: shaping future-ready organisations. The programme explores how workplaces can be more productive and resilient, with 130+ speakers, 150+ sessions and 140+ festival activities across seven stages. There’s also an exhibitor floor with 210+ organisations showcasing the latest thinking in the field.
We’ve added two new stages to the programme this year to reflect where many people teams are spending most of their time. The Practical Solutions Stage focuses on the day-to-day challenges that land on HR desks most often – grievances, redundancies and the implications of the Employment Rights Act – with sessions designed to provide guidance you can act on.
If you’re grappling with technology, the Tech Innovations Stage addresses what AI and automation mean for people professionals, focusing on practical decision-making.
Among the 130+ speakers confirmed for this year, the keynote line-up brings together voices from beyond the profession as well as within it.
Richard Osman OBE brings a thoughtful perspective on creativity and culture that goes well beyond his profile as a TV presenter and author. Tim Harford OBE has spent his career at the Financial Times and on BBC Radio 4's ‘More or Less’ asking how we use data and evidence better. His insights are especially relevant for people professionals looking to do the same. Diana Osagie rounds out the keynote line-up as a leadership coach whose work centres on helping leaders build confidence in themselves and their teams.
The seven-stage programme covers the full range of what people professionals need. The Main Stage sets the agenda across both days with the event's biggest names and broadest ideas. As well as the two new stages, there are dedicated stages on leadership and employee experience, along with the Skills, Learning and Development Stage, which runs in a workshop format throughout both days. Finally, the Wellbeing Stage turns the spotlight on the profession itself, creating space to think about sustainability and long-term health in a demanding role.
Off the main floor, there's plenty to engage with. The AI Lab runs interactive workshops on responsible AI use. The Wellbeing Village offers mindfulness and movement sessions across both days. The Social Impact Hub connects festival attendees with charity partners working in and around the profession. And for anyone with a pressing legal question, the Employment Law Clinic offers free, confidential advice in 15-minute slots.
More than 12,500 people attended last year's festival, from organisations including Amazon, Barclays, the BBC, the NHS, Tesco and UNICEF UK.
A festival ticket is free. The Festival on Demand Pass is £125 + VAT and includes full on-site access plus 90-day access to session recordings after the event.
Leading Voices is a series of short audio essays in which senior people professionals reflect on how they have tackled some of the profession's most pressing challenges.
In this guest blog from Dr Cecilia Ellis, Associate Professor in HRM Practice at Manchester Metropolitan University, offers and answer to this question, sharing findings from her pilot project exploring how accredited workplace mediation training could strengthen the future HR talent pipeline.
