An honest account of the roller coaster of creating a new
conference, with Kirsty Lewis
About five years ago I came up with an idea of an event whereby 100 facilitators, trainers, coaches and consultants would come together, in a field, to connect, learn and share (and camp). Then came Covid and a few years of self-doubt which meant I never started!
I am going to share with you the journey I am on – everything from the finances and emotions, to the highs and the lows
I am sure you have been there too – you have an idea, it excites you, you can see its shape, the possibility and then boom! Fear arrives telling you not to be so ridiculous and whispering a myriad of reasons why it can’t be done.
From fear to planning
In the Summer of 2024 the idea of the festival rose its head again. The voices came and this time I embraced the fear as a sign that this was something I wanted to do and that the fear was a good thing. In November 2024 the planning started, the site got booked, the first tickets sold and, very excitingly, Training Journal became the media partner.
This blog is all about the creating and hosting the UKs newest learning event, the School of Facilitation Festival, or SOFest. I am going to share with you the journey I am on – everything from the finances and emotions, to the highs and the lows.
Let me rewind and fill in some gaps in the story:
Who am I? Great question. I have been in the LnD space since 2005. First as a global commercial capability manager at Diageo, then as an associate sales trainer, before starting School of Facilitation (SOF) in 2014.
SOF is a boutique (AKA small) consultancy which supports LnD teams to redesign learning to be human-centric, develop and grow in-house trainers as well as provide facilitators for meetings, summits and conferences.
The SOF Collective is the space for freelance facilitators, trainers and coaches to come meet like-minded souls, nourish themselves in a community space and keep growing and developing.
This is all to say I am not some massive conference business putting on SOFest. It is me, Toni our awesome project manager, Emily on the socials, Victoria keeping an eye on the budget and four trusted advisors!
What is SOFest? Another good question. It is a three day, two night festival of learning, connection and community. It is for facilitators, trainers and coaches. It has a mix of speakers, workshops, activities, quiet resting, chatting and community. Think glamping, tipis, woodlands, a lake surrounded by trees, campfires and British Summer time (the sunny version!).
When and Where? 10-12th June 2025 in Mark Tey, Essex.
Who is speaking? There are 10 speaker slots, each one 20 minutes long. It is about inspiring ideas, growing knowledge, and bringing the ‘AHA’s’ into the room, or tipi! There are three different themes:
- You the Facilitator/Trainer
- Your Business
- Facilitation and Training
As this is the first edition of SOFest I stayed close to home and people I know. This is the first six people who said yes and this is what they will talk about:
- Erica Farmer – Facilitation and AI
- Hayley Brackley – Training, facilitation and neurodivergence
- Murray Cowell – The joy of running your own business
- Caroline Boyd – The world of the associate (sub-contractor)
- Claire Walkeden – Resilience, grit and endurance cycling!
- Tess Cope – How do clients experience your helping stance?
Over the coming years (with growing awareness and with budget/sponsors) I want to bring new voices and known names to our stage.
Over the coming months I will share more about the trusted advisors, the final speakers, the four workshop zones and the workshops, the financials, my emotional rollercoaster, sponsor and partner opportunities. This blog will be an opportunity for you to see behind the scenes and what it takes to create an event from a standing start.
Kirsty Lewis is founder of School of Facilitation and architect of the SOFest learning event.
