York Business Festival - Launch Event

Join us for the launch of York Business Festival at York St John University 2025. Hear from our keynote speakers.

You can view the full list of events taking place as part of the festival here.

Emma started as the Small Business Commissioner in June 2025. She will speak about her own journey and lessons learned as a business leader and founder, and what the government is doing to support small firms.

Real loyalty isn't about points cards or discounts. It's about trust, credibility, and those small moments of joy that make people feel valued. In this session, Clare (Retail and Hospitality Champion) will explore what true loyalty looks like in practice - from Pret a Manger's surprise free coffees to Lidl's playful spin-the-wheel promotions - and what any business can learn from them.

Clare will share lessons from her work supporting independent retailers, local authorities, and small businesses through high street recovery, digital adoption, and growth. Whether you run a café, builder's merchant, or consultancy, the same principles apply: people choose businesses they trust.

You'll hear how trust and reputation influence customers, suppliers, and employees - from online reviews to employer brand - and take away practical strategies you can use to build stronger relationships and stand out in competitive markets.

York Business Festival is organised by York Business School at York St John University in partnership with York Press, and supported by City of York Council, York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub and York BID.

You can view the full list of events taking place as part of the festival here.

Events Access & Inclusivity

At York St John University we are committed to making our events as welcoming and inclusive for as many people as possible.

If you are planning to attend one of our events and have specific access requirements, including wheelchair access, then please contact us by e: [email protected] or t: 01904 876318 and we will make every effort to accommodate you.

If you need a suitable seat reserved for you (and your companions), please let us know, preferably at least one week before the event. Sign language interpreters and real-time captioning may be requested in advance. Please contact us as soon as possible (ideally at least 3 weeks before the date of the event) if you require either BSL interpretation or captioning. We will try our best but cannot guarantee provision.

Parking

There is no parking for any vehicles on site and ANPR cameras are in operation 24/7.

We have a small number of Blue Badge spaces available, these spaces can only be used if guests have pre registered their number plates by emailing [email protected].

Registering your details does not guarantee a space, as they operate on a first come, first served basis. Please ensure your blude badge is displayed clearly in the vehicle.

Privacy Policy

York St John University will use the data you submit in Eventbrite for the purposes of administering this event. York St John University utilises third party software for data storage, tracking and analysis activity but your details will not be used by any of these third parties in order to contact you. Any data you share with us will be used to help us improve your event experience and for event tracking and analysis activity within the University.

We will only send you important information and reminders related to the event you have booked unless you tell us otherwise. During the booking process, if you opt-in to receive emails about the latest events hosted and supported by York St John University, you consent to York St John University contacting you with relevant information.

If you no longer wish to hear from us you can opt-out at any time by changing your contact preferences via the link in emails you receive from us or by emailing [email protected].

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher York St John University