Dive into our amazing calendar of EO events

From lively in-person networking sessions to virtual meetings with inspiring individuals from across our community, events take place throughout the year, so be sure to keep checking in.  

There are also our two flagship events. First up, the annual Robert Oakeshott Lecture. Then, every November, the annual eoa Conference, which features high profile speakers and fosters knowledge, connection, and community. As the biggest gathering in the UK’s employee ownership sector, the conference is unmissable if you want to stay up to date with all the latest EO developments. 

Best of all, all of our events except for the Conference are 100% free for members to attend. 

So, join us for fantastic opportunities for you to learn from peers, share insights and successes, and network with people who’ll become close allies and further enhance your EO experience. 

You can also elevate your business and showcase your brand to EO sector by taking advantage of our event sponsorship opportunities. 

Upcoming Events

Event
26
Nov
2024
eoa Annual Conference 2024
As the UK’s biggest employee ownership event, the eoa Annual Conference brings together hundreds of EO explorers, EOB senior leaders, and employee owners  to share knowledge, have fun, remain at the cutting edge of EO developments, and make lasting memories.
Book now
Event
14 Aug 2024
Planning for Financial Freedom and Beyond
Join us in August for guidance on the governance of EO businesses preparing for financial freedom – plus exclusive insights into the key investment priorities you need to know.
eoa Network Meeting - Virtual
Book now
17 Sep 2024
Face to Face EO Exchange - South East
Connect with other employee owned businesses from across our 750+ strong network at our regional in person networking event. Connect, learn, and discuss the unique challenges and opportunities you face with other businesses who can offer support and answer your questions.
eoa Network Meeting - In Person
Book now
18 Sep 2024
How to Become Employee Owned
A perfect introduction to becoming EO, distilling proven support, guidance, and insights into a primer of everything you need to know about transitioning. Gain expert advice, network with experts, and discover how the eoa community can support you.
eoa Network Meeting - Virtual
Book now
25 Sep 2024
Face to Face EO Exchange - North West
Connect with other employee owned businesses from across our 750+ strong network at our regional in person networking event. Connect, learn, and discuss the unique challenges and opportunities you face with other businesses who can offer support and answer your questions.
eoa Network Meeting - In Person
Book now
16 Oct 2024
Virtual Network Meeting
A deep dive into an EO business designed to fit in with busy schedules. Gain insights and advice from likeminded people on how they’re embedding an EO culture. Plus, benefit from speakers sharing their challenges, and plenty of valuable networking.
eoa Network Meeting - Virtual
Book now
26 Nov 2024
eoa Annual Conference 2024
As the UK’s biggest employee ownership event, the eoa Annual Conference brings together hundreds of EO explorers, EOB senior leaders, and employee owners  to share knowledge, have fun, remain at the cutting edge of EO developments, and make lasting memories.
eoa Annual Conference
Book now
Event
17
Jul
2024

eo Learn

eoa learning programme to help your business and employees on their eo journey
How to Create an Engaged EO Business
With this short, practical course, you’ll start to develop the tools needed to embed EO deeply in your business and help employee owners understand the business and their place within its future strategy.

 

Discover how to foster an ownership mindset by learning how to communicate what a meaningful stake and say truly means in an EO business. 

Create compelling comms that help embed EO in your business and engage your team to act as employee owners.  

Learn how to align your teams around a culture of ownership and celebrate that culture through your internal communications. 

What You’ll Learn

  • How to align your team around vision, mission, and values to drive engagement forward 
  • Create a culture of ownership 
  • Define what a meaningful stake and say means to your organisation 
  • Engage your employee owners’ discussions around EO and business strategy 

Who Should Attend This Course?

  • Businesses that are employee owned  
  • Leadership teams  
  • Employee Trustees / directors, employee representatives  
  • Employee owners with employee engagement or employee comms within their role remit 

Course Director

Harry Pocknell 

Harry has worked in the design industry for 20+ years, constantly learning more about the art of effective communication, and how to help people and businesses communicate with clarity and consistency so that they can be fully heard and understood. He also serves as a council member for the eoa. Since his business, Salad Creative, became 100% employee owned in 2021, his journey into the world of EO has been profound.  

Book now
27
Aug
2024

eo Learn

eoa learning programme to help your business and employees on their eo journey
How to be an Impactful EOT Independent Trustee
Discover how to maximise your impact on any EOT boards you sit on. Raise the bar on the quality of EOT governance by ensuring you have the knowledge, best practice, and proficiency needed to support EO businesses as they mature and grow.

 

This course will help strengthen your understanding of the impact an effective Independent Trustee can bring to an EOT board and how you can pave the way to Great EO.

Join us for this masterclass in EOT fundamentals and learn how to align your specific insights and expertise to this unique role’s requirements and expectations. 

Build your network with fellow attendees by sharing insights and enhance your contacts to draw from in the months and years to come. 

What You’ll Learn

  • Awareness of the key knowledge, skills, and behaviours expected of an effective Independent Trustee 
  • Best practice approach to robust EOT governance practices 
  • How to recognise the maturity of an EO business and how the role of the Trust and the Trustee changes as a result 
  • How Trustees work with business leaders to support effective decision-making  

Who Should Attend This Course?  

  • Individuals who want to strengthen their Independent Trustee skills
  • Management trustees / vendor trustees that sit on the EOT board
  • Experienced board members new to an EOT board and want to understand the specifics of trustee roles and responsibilities
  • Non-executive Directors looking to broaden their portfolio 

Course Directors

Sue Lawrence and Campbell McDonald 

Sue Lawrence is an Independent Trustee on a number of Employee Ownership Trusts and, with her fellow Independent Trustees, specialises in working with companies to implement an effective governance structure that meets their EO needs.  She encourages a top down approach, building a confident leadership team, informed by employee insights and aligned to company values.  

Campbell McDonald has worked in the EO sector for 14 years and is one the UK's most experienced employee ownership experts and practitioners. He encourages sharing meaningful ownership and participation with everyone in an organisation as it can impact people and performance like nothing else.

Book now
10
Sep
2024

eo Learn

eoa learning programme to help your business and employees on their eo journey
How to Futureproof Your EO Business: Reward & Governance
Gain the tools and knowledge needed to develop agile reward incentives, evolve your governance, and align both to leverage your employee owned advantage - especially at key milestones like financial freedom.

 

Dive into evidence-based reward and governance methodologies to set your EO businesses apart.  

Whether planning for future growth, looking to attract and retain talent, or wanting to encourage more employee participation, you’ll gain essential knowledge and actionable strategies. Combined, they’ll enable you to plan a roadmap towards Great EO.  

The course takes place over two half days with a week in between for your own planning. You’ll also have a check-in with the course director to ask any questions. 

What You’ll Learn 

  • Financial reward tools and techniques – including share schemes and profit-sharing – and how to use them effectively to retain and recruit talent
  • Strategies for adapting governance to your business’ changing needs and growth stages
  • How to develop a plan that captures and aligns your reward and governance ambitions and fosters a sense of ownership and shared responsibility 

Who Should Attend This Course 

  • Senior leadership of an EO business (MD, CEOs, FD, HRD) in
    • EO businesses 3+ years into employee ownership
    • EO businesses planning for / have reached financial freedom
    • EO businesses looking to introduce financial incentives like share schemes
    • EO businesses looking to review their governance 

Course Director 

Emily Alston

Emily is an Employee Ownership Consultant at Baxendale Employee Ownership, who helps businesses become employee owned and provides ongoing support post transition. Prior to this role, Emily was a director of an EO business as well as serving as a board member of the eoa, collaborating with some of the UK’s most established EO businesses. Emily’s expertise encompasses both practical and technical aspects of governance and reward, helping businesses leverage the benefits of employee ownership.

Book now
17
Sep
2024

eo Learn

eoa learning programme to help your business and employees on their eo journey
Representing and Developing Employee Voice
Gain the skills, insights, and behaviours needed to succeed as an employee voice representative. Explore and learn in an energetic and focused way. All the while, you’ll highlight and share best practice with your peers.

 

Employee voice is an integral part of developing Great EO. Amplifying the say employees have in your business empowers them to be part of the solution for emerging challenges or opportunities. 

Whether you’re new to employee ownership or looking to refresh your approach, you’ll leave feeling inspired to build a culture of empowerment that drives positive change.  

What You’ll Learn

  • The importance of ‘voice’ in an EO business 
  • How employee voice reps communicate and engage employee owners 
  • Tools and techniques to develop and amplify employee voice 
  • Best practice approaches  
  • How to plan agendas for employee voice council meetings and communicate outcomes with employee owners 
  • How to adopt a ‘Plan-Do-Review’ framework to ensure continuous development 
  • How to overcome the barriers that can exist in representing voice 

Who should attend this course  

  • Representatives who sit on an employee forum, council, or voice group 
  • Employee owners with employee engagement, employee voice, or employee communications within their remit 
  • Those with an interest in the use of employee voice in their organisation 

Course Director 

Helen Moreton 

Helen has been an active part of the EO sector for 20+ years in an operational and non-executive capacity. She spent 18 years at John Lewis Partnership in a variety of independent and strategic roles, and owns her own business, Boombox Consulting. As an experienced L&D professional, qualified Master Coach, and an NLP Practitioner, she works with a variety of EO businesses - including as Chair of the Co-owner Councils for Riverford Organic Farmers and Go Ape. She also holds Independent Trustee positions at Lush, Architype, and Espace, as well as serving as Chair of the Trust Boards for Go Ape and Turley.

Book now
23
Sep
2024

eo Learn

eoa learning programme to help your business and employees on their eo journey
How to be an Effective Employee Trustee / Director
Excel in your role as an employee trustee or director with this comprehensive and highly practical course. Gain a solid understanding of the requirements of your governance role, as well as demonstrating how you can maximise your impact.

 

Case studies and real-world examples underpin all course content, ensuring everything you learn can be effectively applied to your own role. 

Though virtual, the course is built around engagement. During your five days together, you’ll share experiences with attendees, building your network of valuable EO peers to assist your employee ownership journey. 

What You’ll Learn

  • How to maximise performance as an employee trustee or director 
  • The duties, obligations, and legal responsibilities of an employee trustee or director  
  • How to interpret financial trust and operational reports 
  • How to nurture an effective employee ownership culture 
  • Different forms of employee ownership structures 

Who should attend this course 

  • Newly appointed or existing Employee Trustees of Employee Ownership Trusts or Employee Benefit Trusts  
  • Newly appointed or existing Employee Directors on the boards of EO businesses 

Course Director

Ken Lindsay 

A chartered accountant and experienced non-executive director, Ken has 25+ years' experience of sitting on the boards of various companies. Following his retirement from full-time work as a partner in a leading PE investment firm, Ken continues to act in a senior role of several companies including as Chair for award-winning EO businesses like 1:1 diet by Cambridge Weight Plan, among others. He also offers his impressive insights and experience, teaching exclusively for the eoa. 

Book now