Dubbed by many as the “Glastonbury for business”, Ideas Fest has rapidly become one of the UK’s most exciting gatherings for founders, entrepreneurs and ambitious brands. Bringing together inspiring speakers, challenger businesses and a thriving community of enterprising people looking to learn, connect and grow, it has firmly established itself as a standout moment in the business calendar.
At an event built around bold ideas, meaningful conversations and entrepreneurial ambition, the brands that leave the biggest impression are often those that contribute something genuinely valuable to the experience.
This year, Starling did exactly that with the Starling Social Club.
Rather than creating a traditional branded presence, Starling set out to build something more useful, a space designed around connection, conversation and community. Positioned within the festival’s Ideas by Her zone, the Starling Social Club became a welcoming hub for founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders to gather, exchange ideas and build meaningful relationships. Across two days, the space hosted a Starter Party with DJ Vinyl Jen, a packed programme of talks, workshops, pitch practice sessions and networking opportunities, balanced with quieter moments for attendees to pause, recharge and connect.
As part of a partnership with Ideas Fest, Starling and Ideas Fest launched a scholarship programme that provided 250 fully-funded tickets to ambitious female founders across various sectors, backgrounds, and business stages.
Thriving female entrepreneurs are vital to the UK economy, and with around a third of Starling’s business account holders being women – more than double the UK average – Starling provided this initiative to champion female-led businesses, break down barriers, provide a growth platform, and reinforce its position as the go-to banking partner for enterprising people.
The initiative was over-subscribed, and generated overwhelmingly positive online sentiment. Beyond event attendance, it has created an instant community where female founders have connected, supported and uplifted each other and will live on.
The approach reflects a wider evolution taking place across experiential marketing.
Today’s audiences are increasingly seeking experiences that offer genuine value, whether that’s learning something new, making a useful connection or gaining access to expertise. The most effective live experiences are moving beyond brand exposure and towards enablement, creating environments that help people achieve something meaningful while naturally building affinity with the brand behind them.
For Starling, a female-founded business with a strong connection to the UK’s entrepreneurial community, creating a home for founder conversations felt both authentic and purposeful. The programme was carefully curated to balance inspiration with practical value, offering everything from strategic business discussions and founder stories to pitch coaching and peer-to-peer networking.
The physical environment played an equally important role in bringing that ambition to life.
Working with experiential agency HYPHEN, the 20m x 20m activation was designed to feel less like a branded stand and more like a destination. A central stage sat alongside networking areas, founder-focused content spaces and informal social zones, encouraging attendees to move freely between sessions, conversations and experiences throughout the festival. Features including founder pitch opportunities, networking spaces and social touchpoints provided multiple reasons for visitors to return across the two-day event.
Crucially, the activation recognised a simple truth about founder communities – some of the most valuable moments happen outside the scheduled agenda.
While content remains a draw, audiences increasingly value opportunities to connect with peers, share experiences and build relationships in a more informal setting. By creating a space that supported both structured programming and spontaneous interaction, Starling enabled attendees to engage in a way that felt natural, relevant and rewarding.
As brands continue to evaluate their role within festivals and live experiences, the success of the Starling Social Club offers an important lesson. The most memorable activations aren’t necessarily the loudest; they’re the ones that put audience needs at the centre of the experience and create something people genuinely want to be part of.
When brands focus on facilitating connection rather than chasing attention, they stop being sponsors and start becoming part of the community.
Quote from Andrew Casey, Director of SME Marketing, Starling
“In an increasingly digital age, the value of face-to-face connection, shared experiences, and spontaneous conversation cannot be overstated.”“We were absolutely delighted with the space created in partnership with HYPHEN. The large tent structure brought our vision for the Starling Social Club to life brilliantly – providing a welcoming, high-energy hub where founders could pitch, recharge, and build lasting, meaningful connections.”
