Act 1 of The Good Business Festival takes place online this Thursday 8th October, bringing together some of the biggest names in business and society to debate the big issues facing a world rocked by both pandemic and lockdown, and promoting purposeful, creative and sometimes radical approaches to doing good business in a time of coronavirus.
Commissioned by Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, and curated by Culture Liverpool and Hemingway Design,The Good Business Festival is FREE and aims to unite the growing global community of businesses and conscious consumers who believe business can deliver meaningful, positive change in society.
Amidst new Covid-19 restrictions, The Good Business Festival will redefine what it means to ‘go digital’ with a dynamic, hybrid programme of virtual and live content kicking off on October 8th and followed by an ongoing stream of fresh content shared at key points in the business and cultural calendars from Act 1 in October to Act 2 in March. Broadcast quality sessions will be streamed live from our studio, accompanied by pre-recorded segments all hosted by moderators Evan Davis and Aasmah Mir.
Joining on October 8th will be a host of influential leaders and big thinkers, including economists, cultural talent, sporting legends and business representatives from some of the world’s leading companies including Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, Ann Cairns, Mastercard, Gina Miller, SCM Director & Campaigner, Richard Curtis, screenwriter and producer, Lady Nicola Mendelsohn CBE, Facebook, Lord John Bird, The Big Issue, Richard Walker, Iceland, Ravi Gurumurthy, Nesta, John Sauven, Greenpeace, James Timpson, Timpson, Gabby Logan MBE, Chris Grant, Sport England, Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL, President CBI, Lawrence Dallaglio OBE, Ben Page, Ipsos MORI, Sir Tim Smit KBE, the Eden Project, Holly Tucker MBE, Claire Dove, VCSE Representative, Ynzo van Zanten, Tony’s Chocolonely and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. Please see the full list of participants below.
Act 1 will provide a case study for the agility and adaptation needed to pivot an event from physical to virtual in a short period of time and in an incredibly uncertain climate, from managing the process with speakers to the digital tools engaged with to pre-record content.
Focused on Covid-19 response and recovery, October 8th will unite giants in the fields of finance, tech, sport, and retail and more. These sessions are driven to make real change, with a focus on commitments and tangible plans of action, rather than empty debate. Core festival sessions will include:
- WTF Is Happening – a whistle-stop tour of key figures in business and society who’ll share their take on what is happening to all of us, the effect this year has had on their own businesses and a look at what happens next.
- Never Waste a Crisis – Has the response to Covid-19 highlighted that business leading the agenda and collective action against climate is possible? Or will its devastating economic impact further entrench those who seem unwilling to recognise the need for rapid and deep actin to tackle the climate crisis?
- Profit Comes from Purpose – How can business leverage its capabilities and influence to mobilise supporters towards action and social change? We hear from in-house activists and social entrepreneurs who have infiltrated corporate corridors to change their companies for the better, inside and out
- Capitalism After Covid – Beyond the bottom line – can capitalism after Covid-19 reinvent itself? Leading figures in global economics discuss the big issues that will redefine a roadmap for capitalism in the wake of the crisis.
- Real Purpose or Woke Washing – What can we learn from organisations and companies that both got it right and got it wrong? Can Covid-19 be an opportunity for brands to move beyond promises to powerful action? How do we define success in marketing in the new world we now inhabit?
- Take Me to Your Leader – broadcasting from Australasia and North America – with New Zealand and Canada being hailed as the poster children for how to swiftly and effectively deal with crises, we ask – do we have to choose between governance led by compassion or economics? Does supporting social impact mean risking economic growth or can compassionate leadership boost not only GDP but health, happiness and national image?
- Raising the Game – We ask some of the leading names in global professional sports, top athletes, grassroots heroes, and disruptive thinkers from other sectors to reimagine the way that their sport is governed, funded, played and consumed.
Sign up for the free virtual event by visiting – The Good Business Festival
One year on from the onset of the pandemic, Act 2 of The Good Business Festival will take place in March 2021. Bringing some of the smartest and most creative minds from around the world to the Liverpool City Region, it will challenge businesses and consumers to think bigger, galvanise ambition and continue to drive positive change as we start out on the road to collective recovery.
