LeaderFest 2026 Networking dinner

LeaderFest 2026 kicks off with a networking dinner at the Holiday Inn Reading-South on Monday 16 November, from 6:30pm to 9pm. It's an informal evening for SME business leaders to connect outside a formal setting, with no agenda and no pressure. The whole thing is built on the idea that personal trust underpins more open and productive professional conversations, so it's more about getting to know the people you'll be working with than ticking off a list of talking points.

The dinner serves as the social lead-in to LeaderFest 2026, a high-energy day of inspiring interviews, collaborative learning and expert panels focused on responsible leadership — embedding sustainability, inclusion and wellbeing in business. The conference is organised by MD2MD, who draw on more than 21 years of peer-to-peer learning to bring together leaders from diverse sectors to stay ahead of accelerating change. The day's sessions include 'Rewind, Reflect, Realign', 'Future Forecasting' and a 'Mirror Moment' reflection, so the dinner is a chance to meet the other attendees before the main event gets underway.

Past attendees have described the LeaderFest peer group as friendly and inclusive, with excellent networking opportunities. If you're heading to the conference, this is the evening that sets the tone for the rest of it. The dinner runs from 6:30pm to 9pm at the Holiday Inn Reading-South M4, JCT.11 by IHG, Basingstoke Road, Reading RG2 0SL, with package options priced between £66.25 and £228.76.