How does the festival work?

The Festival programme is made up of a range of business events put on by organisations that are based or do business in the Black Country.

Any organisation, whether commercial, public, education or charity, can apply to run an event in the Business Festival. All events must be benefit Black Country people or companies, so events that are purely self-promotional are strongly discouraged and are likely to be declined (see more about events and the criteria here).

Anyone wishing to run an event must complete a short application form providing details about the event. This is then assessed by the Business Festival Steering Group (Board) - a group of leading local business people who set the tone and direction on behalf of the region.

Once agreed, the event becomes part of the Business Festival programme which is structured and categorised around the ‘key’ growth sectors that make up the region’s economy.

The Business Festival is open to everyone and there are many ways to get involved, from becoming an event partner or hosting an event to offering venue space or attending one, two or several of the events in the programme.