Call for small businesses to play big part at the 2026 West Midlands Business Festival

Karen was a member of the steering committee for the first West Midlands Business Festival, held in March 2025, which she hailed “a great success”.

She says companies considering staging events in 2026 should make sure they get involved, saying: “The 2026 West Midlands Business Festival is a brilliant opportunity for smaller businesses to showcase what they are capable of and I fully expect next year’s festival to be even bigger and better than the first year.”

Sign up to the 2026 West Midlands Business Festival

Taking place across the West Midlands Combined Authority region including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton, the West Midlands Business Festival returns from 2 to 13 February 2026 following its successful first year. 

The two-week programme will bring our business community together to ignite innovation, share expertise and spark collaboration, based around 2026’s theme of growth without limits.

The festival will champion growth for all by unlocking opportunities and supporting ambitious businesses to succeed and scale, ensuring fairness and sustained progress.

Businesses of all sizes can take part

Having been part of the steering group which shaped the first West Midlands Business Festival, Karen Woolley says the launch was “a roaring success. It was wonderful to see so many businesses coming together to highlight the success stories in our region.

“The Festival was able to highlight the business support which is out there across the WMCA region and allowed companies to get in front of audiences to showcase their work in a way which they might not have done otherwise.

“The Federation of Small Businesses fully expects the 2026 festival to be only bigger and better than the first year’s event.”

If small business owners do not have the resources to stage a festival event on their own they could look to exhibit at expos or exhibitions organised for the programme by larger organisations such as local authorities, says Karen.

She said: “We would encourage anyone thinking about being part of the festival to contact the organisers to find out how they could be involved.

“There are a whole host of topics which small businesses might specialise in which tend to do well with audience attendances.

“Subjects such as cybersecurity, which is a concern for companies of all sizes, digital marketing, increasing sales, procurement, grant applications or accessing funding, are always of interest to business audiences.”

People working or owning small businesses should still engage with the Festival even if they cannot put on an event, says Karen.

“If you plan now to set aside some time during the two-week programme in February, it will be beneficial to participate in some of the events which could open new doors for your company.

“By attending the festival you may meet businesses you might not normally have the chance to meet so if you are not able to hold an event this time make sure you try to get along to at least one event.

“We know people working in smaller businesses have limited time to organise events so it pays to plan ahead now and engage with the organising team to be prepared.

“The West Midlands Business Festival is a great chance for businesses to be seen and to meet new people to create opportunities for the future.” 

To find out more about the Federation of Small Businesses email karen.woolley@fsb.org.uk or visit www.fsb.org.uk.  

Register your interest

Express your interest in hosting an event as part of the West Midlands Business Festival 2026.

If you have any questions, email the West Midlands Business Festival 2026 team at hello@wmbf.co.uk.