MORE details have been announced for a North East business event which is returning in October.
Sunderland Business Week is back for a sixth year from 12 – 16 October, with a leading line up of speakers and events taking place at venues across the city.
The flagship event of the week will be SunFest, a full day event at The Fire Station and Culture House Sunderland on Thursday 15 October, featuring entrepreneur and TV personality Spencer Matthews.
After finding fame on hit TV show Made in Chelsea, Spencer founded CleanCo, the world’s leading independent non-alcoholic spirits brand. Inspired by his own journey into sobriety, the company offers alcohol-free alternatives to gin, rum, tequila, whiskey and vodka.
Spencer has also achieved remarkable feats as an endurance athlete, holding three Guinness World Records, including completing Ironman-distance triathlons across all seven continents in just 21 days.
He featured in the hit Disney+ documentary Finding Michael which followed Spencer's journey to Everest's treacherous "Death Zone" to recover the body of his older brother, Michael Matthews, the youngest Briton to summit the mountain at age 22, before tragically disappearing on the mountain in 1999.
Sunderland Business Week will kick off on 12 October with a launch event featuring a panel of key civic leaders including Patrick Melia OBE, chief executive of Sunderland City Council; Paul McEldon OBE CEO of the North East BIC; Sir David Bell, vice chancellor of the University of Sunderland; Toni Rhodes, chief executive of Education Partnership North East, and Sunderland BIDs CEO, Sharon Appleby.
Following that session, there will be an event showcasing business support in the city, with a series of short presentation from providers offering assistance to Sunderland businesses, providing the chance for attendees to chat to organisations who can provide advice and funding.
On Tuesday 13 October, Expo Sunderland will be kicking off the first day of its Delivering the Future City conference, which will feature a series of keynote sessions, round table discussions and delegate networking. That day there will also be a panel discussion hosted by Northstar Ventures, bringing together Sunderland-based founders and investors to explore what it takes to build and scale an ambitious business from the city. The evening will feature an interactive session on leading, engaging and retaining the workforce of tomorrow. And Louise Kennedy, Founder of Oculus HR, is bringing her podcast series, Mind the Generation Gap, to the stage for a live panel discussion.
As well as the second day of the Delivering the Future City conference, the Wednesday will include an Enterprise in Education event where attendees can hear real stories from local entrepreneurs and discover how their skills and passions can create opportunities for the future. And in the afternoon, The Collective is joining forces with Richard Reed Solicitors at one the city’s exciting new venues, No.32. The Heart of the City event will bring together a panel of leading Sunderland businesses to explore the people, relationships and collaborations shaping the city’s next chapter.
On the Thursday, Spencer will be joined at SunFest by more headline speakers to be announced, and there will also be a range of breakout sessions, offering additional perspectives, experiences and opportunities to connect.
The final day will include the FutureReady Sunderland Industry Experience Challenge, a networking event where school pupils lead the conversations, gathering honest insights about skills, recruitment, career pathways and the future of industries. The Friday will also feature a Sunderland-focussed Mussel Club event.
Sunderland Business Week - running for a sixth successive year in 2026 - aims to inspire enterprises from across the region, with a host of engaging speeches and sessions from high-profile business leaders and personalities who have pushed boundaries in their field.
The event is organised by Sunderland Business Partnership, a collective of organisations – large and small – all with an interest in the city’s development, creating opportunities for members to collaborate and grow, which in turn helps Sunderland to be a more dynamic destination for business.
Sunderland Business Week is sponsored by Sunderland City Council, North East BIC, NatWest, Robson Laidler, FutureReady, Ward Hadaway, Sunderland College, Gentoo, Creo Comms, Sunderland AFC and Sunderland’s Business Improvement Districts. For more information or to book tickets for specific events visit www.sbweek.co.uk