Why it matters: The second Ipswich Thrive Business Festival, which ran from Monday, 9 March to Friday, 20 March, delivered workshops, networking sessions and expert masterclasses across the town – doubling in scale from its debut the previous year.
By the numbers: Early figures suggest between 1,900 and 2,000 people attended events across the fortnight. The Department for Work & Pensions jobs fair broke its own record, drawing more than 1,000 attendees – up from around 750 the previous year.
The details: Key partners hosting the larger events included Ipswich Central, which held an opening conference to kick off the festival with 70 business people, the Business Growth Coaches Network (BGCN), which ran six workshops on topics including sales, AI, marketing and mindset to more than 100 attendees, and the Department for Work & Pensions, Larking Gowen, Tech East, and the University of Suffolk.
The Dismantle Initiative and Elma Glasgow Consultant collaborated with the University of Suffolk to host a conference focused on inclusivity, while Dot to Dot Training & Consultancy ran a conference focused on the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
Ipswich.co.uk ran two Media Masterclasses from its new newsroom on Upper Brook Street, covering what makes a story newsworthy and how businesses can work with local media to grow not just their business, but our local economy.
What they're saying: The festival was project-managed for a second year by Virtual Prestige, an independent project manager, on behalf of Ipswich Borough Council's Economic Development Team.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside the Economic Development Team at Ipswich Borough Council to project manage the Ipswich Thrive Business Festival on their behalf for a second year running," said Kate Baines, Director of Virtual Prestige. "The business festival really came into its own this year, with more engagement from local businesses wanting to be part of showcasing what Ipswich has to offer. It was clear Ipswich businesses take pride in the town and truly see it as a thriving place to do business."
Lee Walker, chief executive of Ipswich Central, said: "We were delighted to be the kick-off event for the Thrive Business Festival. With 70 business people coming together to discuss the future of the town centre – recognising challenges but enthused for the future."
Peter Basford, director of BGCN, said: "Business Growth Coaches Network have been delighted to be part of the 2026 Thrive Business Festival, providing six workshops on a variety of key subjects for businesses, including sales, AI, marketing, mindset and more. With over 100 attendees and great feedback on the sessions, we have really enjoyed being part of and supporting the festival."
Oliver Rouane-Williams, founder and editor of Ipswich.co.uk, said: "We've relentlessly championed small businesses in Ipswich over the last 20 months, so it was a no-brainer to get involved with Thrive. I thoroughly enjoyed hosting local business owners, leaders and PR professionals at our newsroom and speaking candidly with them on how they can work with us to grow our economy and their business."
What's next: Feedback from this year's event will feed into the planning of future editions of the festival. The project manager said three changes had already been adopted into this year's programme following suggestions from the 2025 pilot, and that ideas from this year's feedback would be considered for future delivery.
The bottom line: With attendance up and a record jobs fair, the second Ipswich Thrive Business Festival marks a step forward for a growing annual event – and one that organisers say is increasingly shaped by the business community it serves.
