The entrepreneur behind one of the UK’s biggest business events has unveiled plans for a new Leeds-based festival designed to help founders scale their companies and unlock economic growth.
Keith Griffiths, founder of the Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), has launched The Entrepreneur Festival, a new national platform that will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, advisers and policymakers in a bid to address what he sees as a gap in support for growing businesses.
The festival will take place at Leeds’ Royal Armouries from 15-17 June 2027 and aims to attract more than 4,000 business decision-makers, 300 speakers and over 100 exhibitors.
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It marks Griffiths’ first major venture since building UKREiiF into one of the country’s largest property and infrastructure events. Hosted at the same venue, UKREiiF grew to more than 13,000 attendees within three years and is credited with facilitating more than £2bn of projects and investment.
The Entrepreneur Festival is positioning itself as more than a traditional conference, with organisers promising structured networking, one-to-one meetings, roundtables and practical support aimed at helping businesses start, scale and eventually exit.
Alongside the annual event, a year-round membership ecosystem is planned, featuring an online platform, AI tools and tailored support for entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Griffiths said: “There is a huge opportunity to create momentum in the UK economy by backing entrepreneurs with the advice and support they need to grow. Right now, there is a groundswell of entrepreneurial talent and desire to start businesses, but an absence of mentorship and infrastructure geared towards scaling successfully.
“I have seen that first hand, and we are now closing the knowledge gap by providing practical support for the critical decision making needed to grow and succeed.”
The venture has already attracted a high-profile advisory group including former Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies, who will act as an ambassador, and former Conservative Party chairman Lord Dominic Johnson, who becomes chair of the advisory group in July.
Davies said: “The Festival and support system will be music to the ears of entrepreneurs and founders. I’ve been very vocal about the real struggles I’ve faced as a business owner – and I know this goes for so many of us across every industry.
“It can often feel like you’re on your own out there, fending for yourself. To truly understand the support entrepreneurs need, you have to have been there and done it yourself; that’s why I’m delighted to be involved and believe the Entrepreneur Festival will deliver real, practical benefits to the next generation of business owners, empowering them to make decisions and grow with confidence.”
Johnson added: “There is no better place to start a business than the UK and no lack of appetite from investors and partners to support entrepreneurial talent.
“However, we risk losing the next Branson or Dyson, unless we close the gap between both ends; that is exactly what the Entrepreneur Festival will do and why I’m delighted to become Chair of its Advisory Group.”
The event will be organised around five themes – Start Up, Build & Scale, Innovation, Leadership and Exit – spread across more than 35 stages.
Organisers say the programme will cover the full entrepreneurial journey, from launching a business through to securing investment and preparing for exit, with content led by founders, operators and investors with direct experience of scaling companies.
