Festival for hundreds of entrepreneurs

A Shropshire entrepreneur, business mentor and events organiser is preparing to bring together hundreds of the region's self-employed founders.

Nicola Peake, from Bridgnorth, has organised Peakefest - a  business festival where delegates will learn from each other, buy from each other and support each other.

It will be held at the Hilton Metropole at the NEC Birmingham, on July 10 and 11.

Nicola - who has founded and sold six-figure businesses, after spending her previous career as a personal finance and wealth advisor - has seen what success looks and feels like, as well as having ridden many waves of entrepreneurship. 

Nicola said: “Headline speaker from last year Sara Davies from Dragons' Den was blown away by the event saying she had never heard of anything else like it - not here, not anywhere in the world."

Returning again this year as a headline speaker to deliver an in depth masterclass is BBC's The Apprentice and Forbes' "30 Under 30"  Bianca Miller-Cole, and she’s joined by her partner, Dr Byron Cole - one of the UK’s most respected visibility experts.

Nicola said: "One of my biggest learnings whilst growing my businesses is understanding the power of being visible, and how to build real connection and I’m excited to share this and facilitate it.

"I’m excited to see the connections form, the lightbulb moments ping, and the relief wash over people’s faces as they realise they are not alone in this entrepreneurial adventure - and of course it’ll be great to give people the chance to let their hair down over the two days too.”

This year Nicola has also given away free Teen Tickets to inspire the next generation - and in the spirit of visibility and celebrating talent, the DJ for the event is 11-year-old Archie Stevens, who will be providing entertainment on Thursday evening.

Nicola’s focus with Peakefest 25 is ‘visibility’ so she’s been giving as many other business owners as possible the opportunity to feature within the festival. Many first time speakers will take to the stage under her guidance - people who’d previously been terrified of public speaking; exhibitors and sponsors have received coaching from her on how to maximise their investment and guests have been encouraged to network in advance to build relationships pre-event, so they can really make the most of their time there.

As well as all the business focused activities there is also the Wellbeing Stage, hosted by Jo Robinson-Howarth and The Happiness Club, which is designed to help prioritise self-care, resilience, and mental wellbeing.

Pictured: Nicola Peake - photo credit Vicki Head Photography