Main Event Agenda
View the PDF programme
Friday 16th October
08:30
Tea, Coffee & Registration
09:15 - Main Room
Welcome to the Speaking Business Summit 2026
MC Welcome
Steve Bustin is an emcee, speaking coach and keynote speaker. He is a Fellow of the PSA, holds the Professional Speaking Award of Excellence (PSAE – UK Speaker Hall of Fame) and is a former Board Member and National President of PSA UK&I. If he’s not on stage, you’ll find him in his garden.
PSA UK & Ireland President - Alastair Greener
9:50 - Main Stage
As speakers and trainers, connection is everything. With the audience. With the booker. With the client. We work on it, we practise it, we build entire careers around it.
But what if we’re missing one?
The most meaningful connections in our lives, the ones that actually change things , probably happened when we weren’t trying at all.
Why is that?
This keynote explores the one thing standing between us and deeper, more genuine connection. It’s closer than we think. And once we see it, we can’t unsee it.
Heather Wright, an extraordinary keynote speaker, author, trainer, coach and truly brilliant virtually or in person.
Over the past 25 years Heather has helped organisations, teams and individuals deliver sustained personal and business success with practical effective messages.
10:25 - Main Stage
To follow
Lee is the award-winning author of ‘The Busy Person’s Guide To Great Presenting’ and visiting faculty at The University of Oxford Blavatnik School of Government. He has been a sales director at several global firms including the publishers of The Times and was also a professional magician for 20 years. Since 2010, he has been a full-time keynote speaker, trusted by leading global brands to help their audiences become more compelling, connected and confident. Lee currently leads the ‘communication and connection’ modules for the leadership programmes of three of the world’s largest professional services firms. He is a Fellow of the PSA, and recipient of the Hall of Fame PSAE.
10:55
Tea & Coffee Break
11:25
Workshops: Choose your topic
3 rooms, 3 streams
Connecting with Audiences
11:25
We all face unexpected pressure. Your keynote is cut from 40 minutes to 20. The previous speaker covers your topic. Technology fails. A ‘difficult’ audience challenges you.
The greatest challenge is not the situation; it’s staying connected with yourself.
In this highly interactive workshop, you’ll discover how to rise above the drama applying my C.A.L.M.™ Method to real speaking scenarios. This is a practical framework developed from leading under pressure in the military healthcare and refined through coaching leaders and speakers.
You’ll leave with a practical process to connect with impact as yourself and inspire every audience, whatever happens.
Bob was lucky in gaining great academic credentials which he used to pursue a successful early career working for both major blue chip consultancies and managing small businesses before finding his niche leading and scaling larger businesses as MD and CEO himself.
Twenty years ago Bob launched MD2MD, a business leader peer group organisation that he grew to 100 members. In the process facilitating over 800 meetings of business leaders and engaging in close confidential conversation about business challenges with over 300 different business leaders and hosting over 500 workshops with over 200 different professional speakers.
He is now semi-retired but remains passionate about the practical leadership challenges of adolescent businesses by accidental business leaders. He says he has learnt so much the hard way and from so many real leaders that it is his duty to share those insights widely. Which he does through writing for and speaking to as many operational business leaders as possible. Enabling them to deal even more effectively with the challenges they encounter leading their business.
12:25
Lunch
13:25 - Main Room
MC Welcome Back
13:30- Main Stage
Three professional members from across the regions who won the Semi-Finals will compete for the accolade of Professional Speaker of the Year 2026.
James Perryman works with businesses and leaders to help them discover their potential and increase their performance. Those businesses include the likes of Red Bull, O2, AO.com, Crystal Palace FC and Aston Martin F1. He brings energy, focus and inspiration, built upon a 20-year career consulting and delivering change, engaging with leaders and influencing a culture of growth and development.
James is a Fellow of the PSA, and in addition to professional hosting and speaking at events, he is sought after to run courses focussing on communication, management, leadership, high performance and customer excellence
14:05 - Main Stage
PSA UK & Ireland Chair - Yvonne Emery
14:20 - Main Stage
As the winner of the Professional Speaker of the Year in 2025, Duncan Bhaskaran Brown takes to the main stage to deliver his new talk.
TO FOLLOW
14:45- Main Stage
TO FOLLOW
TO FOLLOW
15:15
Tea & Coffee Break
15:45 - Main Stage
MC Welcome Back
15:50 - Main Stage
Legends Stage
Hosted by Steve Bustin - with Dr Lynda Shaw, Paul McGee, Penny Haslam & Steve Head
17:00- Main Stage
AI is transforming the way we research, create, market and deliver our work. But while technology can increase efficiency and open new opportunities, it can never replace the trust, credibility and genuine human connection that underpin lasting success. This session explores how to strike the right balance between AI and HI (Human Interaction), ensuring technology enhances rather than erodes professional relationships. You’ll discover practical strategies for building deeper trust, creating stronger client relationships, encouraging referrals and collaboration, and developing the Relational Intelligence that will help you stand out and thrive in an increasingly AI-enabled world.
He was recently listed as one of the most influential executive coaches in the world in the prestigious Thinkers50 rankings and is recognised globally as a leading authority on professional relationships, trust and influence.
A PSA Hall of Fame speaker and Fellow of both the PSA and the Learning and Performance Institute, he is the author of six books, including ‘Connected Leadership’ and ‘The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring’. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and through his regular column for Psychology Today.
17:30 - Main Stage
MC Closes
19:30
Dinner
21:00 - Friday Night Fringe
With Alan Stevens, Susan Heaton-Wright & Sam Warner
Dress - Casual
Saturday 17th October
09:15 - Main Stage
MC Welcome
Helping teams stress less & perform better for over 35 years, Pam Burrows won a European Health and Safety award for reducing stress in the workplace. A qualified Nursery Nurse, Social Worker & Master Practitioner in NLP, she blends a wealth of knowledge with practical techniques. Her interactive & energising talks empower wellbeing and behaviour change.
Pam is also an experienced, energising MC. She is a Fellow of the Professional Speaking Association & author of three books; Burnout Buster, The CARE Wellbeing Model and Pushing On.
09:25 - Main Stage
AI now writes talks, posts and proposals for everyone. Whatever becomes abundant stops being an advantage — so scarcity moves to what nobody can download: someone who carries the risk with you.
From two Dolomite walls, forty years apart: what real connection costs, and why clients still pay for it..
TO FOLLOW
10:00- Main Stage
TO FOLLOW
TO FOLLOW
10:20- Main Stage
TO FOLLOW
TO FOLLOW
10:55
Tea & Coffee Break
11:25
Workshops: Choose your topic
3 rooms, 3 streams
Connecting with
Clients
11:25
In a digital age, how do we truly connect with our audience? This workshop explores how the digital landscape is reshaping the speaking industry, and what it means to be a ‘speaker’. Zavier unpacks the importance of resonating across generations – particularly with digitally native audiences – plus timeless, quick-fire tips for crafting an unforgettable, resonant experience.
Azadeh is an insightful brand strategist, marketing expert, thought-provoking speaker, #1 bestselling author, and founder of Gogo Telugo Creatives. With 15+ years of international experience, she has built successful brands and earned several marketing awards along the way. Azadeh is passionate about supporting purpose-driven entrepreneurs and organizations who want to get to the heart of their brand so they can stand out in front of their ideal clients, build trust, and create a thriving business. She is the past President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (BC Chapter), a proud mentor at Futurpreneur, an Advisory Board Member for the Healthy Heroes Foundation, and the past Communications Director at the Vancouver Board of Trade Sustainability Committee. In her free time, she enjoys flamenco and salsa dancing, playing beach volleyball, and taking long walks along the seawall in spectacular Vancouver, Canada.
Connecting
with
Audiences
11:25
In an increasingly digital and homogenised world, even your Nan can create keynote content at the press of a button. What people value more than ever is human connection, original perspectives and the personal touch.
But connection is only the entry point. How do you create an audience experience that feels intimate, captivating and unmistakably you?
In this interactive workshop, Sarah will deconstruct the psychology and craft behind audience magic. You’ll experiment with the three ingredients of Stage Alchemy: Pull, Performance and Personality, creating moments that get you remembered, referred and booked again.
So Nan and the digibots can never replace you!
Beth Sherman is a speaker, comedian, and seven-time Emmy Award-winning Hollywood comedy writer. She’s written for the biggest shows in American television, including Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Ellen, and the Academy Awards. She is a master of the art of quick connection through humour, and practices what she preaches, delivering engaging keynotes and workshops that teach audiences how to harness the power of laughter to fast-track emotional connection, build trust and inspire action.
Connecting
with
Each Other
11:25
TO FOLLOW
Dr Mark Deeks is an international and TedX professional speaker, educator and musician, passionate about fostering creativity and harnessing the power of music to improve wellbeing, engagement, performance and mental health. Mark is seamlessly able to combine his passion (his piano!) and knowledge of music together with his passions for creativity and mental health. His enthusiasm for his subject, along with his personal story, make him an infectious speaker and host. He has appeared on as the guest expert for BBC’s Children in Need Big Singalong, as well as on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Newcastle, Times Radio, and has been featured in publications as varied as The Guardian, and Metal Hammer.
12:25
Lunch & Networking
13:25 - Main Room
Ask the Experts
Choose three experts each delivering 5 minutes of content, followed by 10 minutes of taking questions from you around the table.
Speak More
Jackie Barrie
Copywriting
Denise Fay
Start with Strategy: Building a Winning Marketing Strategy
Penny Haslam
How a Value Proposition Can Supercharge Your Speaker Business
Speak Better
Dave James
It's More Than Just Slides - Creating Presentations With Impact
Vicky O'Farrell
The Art of Storytelling - Creating Characters that Connect
Simon Day
Exploring the Art of Rhetoric
Speaking Business
Bruce Whitfield
How to Run a Speaking Business
Shelley Bridgman
Why your audience want to Know your Purpose
David Hyner
The Value of a Mastermind Group
14:25 Main Stage
MC Welcome Back
Ben Mundy
TO FOLLOW
Expert in customer experience, motivation and leadership, Marta has 3 decades of experience in her activity. From hotel management in France and abroad to companies such as Walt Disney Company, Marriott International, Accor Hotels, she has built an international career. Awarded for her work with the medal “Leadership in Positive Action” in Mexico, she also received the Trophy awarded by the City of Lyon for the best renovation and enhancement of Heritage for the Château Perrache hotel classified as a Historical Monument. Elected from 2015 to 2021 for the Lyon Chamber of Commerce Métropole Saint-Etienne Roanne, Marta was also a member of the Lyon airport supervisory committee and administrator of Entreprises & Numérique. She is co-president of the Women’s Entrepreneurs in the Rhône region of France. She is the current Vice President of the Professional Speakers Association of Spain, as well as she is member of the board of the Professional Speakers of France, as an International Speaker and Master of Ceremonies in French, English and Spanish. Marta wants to bring a management approach worthy of a racing driver, with her “P-ROAD”method. She is the Author of the book “On the Road of Motivation” and she is known as “The Audacious VROOMER”
From Peru to Kenya, Bangladesh to Indonesia, young people are toppling governments and reshaping politics. They are not uninformed; they are informed and disrespected. This keynote shows speakers how to shift from patronising to partnering: honouring audience intelligence, naming generational fracture, and building connection rooted in respect, not performance.
15:20
Tea & Coffee Break
15:50 Main Stage
MC
16:30 - Main Stage
After 25 years on global stages, Lesley Everett PSAE has discovered that success is rarely built by the moments we celebrate. It’s built by the experiences we almost overlook.
We often try to connect with the next opportunity or the next client while overlooking the most important connection of all—the one between the experiences that have shaped us and our brand.
Through unexpected insights and powerful reflection, Lesley invites you to look back with fresh perspective, recognise the patterns within your own journey, and move forward with greater confidence. Sometimes the greatest connection we make is with the path that has been preparing us all along.
Lesley Everett is an Executive Brand Coach and Consultant trusted by C-suite executives and senior leadership teams to sharpen their leadership presence, strengthen their influence and build reputations that create real business impact.
Creator of the internationally recognised Walking TALL methodology, Lesley has spent more than 25 years taking her work into boardrooms and onto stages across 28 countries, working with some of the world’s most respected global organisations and coaching hundreds of senior leaders.
A four-time author, her latest being The Growth Code, Lesley received the Professional Speaking Award of Excellence (PSAE) in 2010, served as Global President of the Global Speakers Federation, and is an Honorary Fellow of the PSA UK & Ireland.
16:40- Main Stage
If you want to really connect with your audiences, Hall of Fame speaker Michael Kerr recommends leaning into his 3Rs of professional speaking: Be relentlessly Relevant, get Real, and don’t be afraid to sometimes be a little Ridiculous!
Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame speaker on workplace culture, leadership, and humor in the workplace. He is a past president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and a proud member of the speaking community for 30 years. Michael’s books include, The Jerk-Free Workplace, The Humor Advantage, and Small Moments, Big Outcomes: How Leaders Create Cultures That Fuel Extraordinary Results.
17:10 - Main Stage
MC - Closing
19:00 - Gala Dinner
21:00 - Awards
Dress - Black tie/cocktail dresses/whatever posh frocks you fancy
