Club Hub Event Tickets 2026
The Event of the Year for Children’s Activity Providers in the UK.
A full day of workshops, networking, speakers and awards. Supporting your personal and professional development.
Saturday 9th May 2026 – 9:45am to 6pm
Macdonald Burlington Hotel, Burlington Arcade, 126 New St, Birmingham B2 4JQ.
Headline Sponsor – Book That In
Designed with children’s activity providers in mind, Book That In is the online booking system that gives you powerful booking functionality at small business prices, so you can really compete with the big boys. Dedicated to being the best booking system in the UK at helping you to grow, the intuitive and easy-to-use platform looks great on your website, is hugely flexible, and helps you to attract new customers.
Learn more and book a demo at bookthatin.com – quote CLUBHUB to claim a free done-for-you migration service worth £99.
Doors will open at 9:45am, we ask you to arrive by 10.30 latest for the first session. Tea, coffee and pastries will be available on arrival. A free cloakroom is available. The event will finish at approximately 6pm. A drinks reception, sponsored by the Children’s Activities Association, will take place in the bar area of the Horton Suite and will remain open until 7pm for those who would like to network for longer.
- 9:45 – Doors Open
- 09:45-10:30 – Arrival/networking
- 10:30-11:00 – Welcome and Ice breaker
- 11:00-11:45 – Workshop 1
- 11:45-12:00 – Break
- 12:00-12:15 – 100 to 75, Top 100 Announcements
- 12:15-13:00 – Workshop 2
- 13:00-13:45 – Lunch
- 13:45-14:00 – 74 to 50, Top 100 Announcements
- 14:00-14:45 – Workshop 3
- 14:45-15:00 – 49 to 30, Top 100 Announcements
- 15:00-15:45 – Keynote Speakers
- 15:45-16:00 – Break
- 16:00-16:15 – 29 to 11, Top 100 Announcements
- 16:15-17:30 – Awards Ceremony
- 17:30-17:45 – 10 to 1, Top 100 Announcements
- 17:45-18:00 – Closing Words
- 18:00-19:00 – Drinks Reception
- 19:00 – Doors Close
Travel
Rail – The hotel is opposite Birmingham New Street Station. Birmingham Moor Street and Snow Hill stations are both less than a 10 minute walk away.
Road – the hotel is 3 miles from M6 J6 (A38(M)). Recommended parking is at Grand Central Car Park B5 4DQ (next to the hotel – 30 second walk from door to door). Promotional code PKBUR23 for £9.50 per 24 hours or the B4 Car Park. This one is £14.30 per 24-hour period. You can validate that directly at the hotel reception.
Please note that Birmingham city centre is a Clear Air Zone and charges may apply, you can check your vehicle here: https://vehiclecheck.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk/vehicle_checkers/enter_details
Accommodation
We recommend checking booking.com for the best available prices.
Our venue, the Macdonald Burlington Hotel is a beautiful 4 star hotel, located opposite New Street Station. The delegate room rate for Friday 8th and/or Saturday 9th May is:
- £170.00.00 Bed and Breakfast Rate per room per night based on single occupancy
- £185.00 Bed and Breakfast Rate per room per night based on double occupancy
Call 0121 643 9191 to book a bedroom and quote HUBC100525 – This code will NOT work online, it will only work when calling the hotel and quoting.
All bedrooms are non transferable and non refundable at time of booking. Full pre-payment is required at time of booking. Any bedrooms not named by the 27.03.26 will be released back into their system to sell.
Please get in touch if you have any questions about where to stay.
Dietary requirements
Lunch will be buffet style and clearly labeled. If you have not advised us of any dietary requirements, or your requirements have changed, please email us as soon as possible. Everything is clearly labelled but if you require a detailed list of ingredients, please inform us in advance.
Dress Code
Please wear your business uniform. For example what you would normally wear when teaching your classes or activities.
Accessibility
If you have any concerns regarding accessibility, or have any specific requirements please get in touch as soon as possible.
Social Media
We’d love to see photos of you with your tickets during the lead up to the event. We will be giving our delegates shout outs on social media, please use #ClubHubEvent2026
Photos and Videos
A professional photographer will capture presentation photos and individual shots for you to keep. Your Video Team will also be filming throughout the day and interviewing a few attendees at the end of the day.
GROW Radio
GROW Radio is back at the Club Hub Awards for the third year in a row! They’ll be live streaming the awards, chatting all things podcasting, and launching their brand new mini course, ‘Podcasting for Children’s Activity Providers’ – free for everyone attending! Go and say hello and discover how podcasting can help your business grow.
Break Out Room
Need a moment to recharge during the event? Our Break-Out Room is the perfect space to relax, unwind, and reset before your next session. Whether you need a quiet spot to gather your thoughts, catch up with fellow attendees, or simply take a breather, this is your space to pause and refresh. Thank you to Avril O’Brien from Mitchy Titch Yoga for sponsoring this.
Drinks Reception
A complimentary glass of prosecco or bucks fizz will be given out after the awards ceremony, soft drink options will also be available. The bar will remain open until 7pm for those who would like to network for longer. Thank you to the Children’s Activities Association for sponsoring this.
Our Workshop Speakers for 2026
Tim Freed – Customer Retention: The Systems That Keep Parents Coming Back
It costs 5–7 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one – yet most children’s activity providers spend far more time focusing on marketing than on keeping the families they already have.
In this practical workshop, Tim Freed, co-founder of Book That In and Toddle About, will show you how to reduce churn at renewal points and build loyal families who stay for years. Drawing on his experience working with hundreds of activity providers over the last 15 years, Tim will introduce The 3 C’s of Customer Retention – a simple but powerful framework that underpins long-term loyalty and predictable growth.
You’ll discover why expectations matter more than you think, how to build lasting trust with parents, and what systems and pricing structures you can implement to make staying the easy option.
If you want fuller classes, steadier income and a business that grows without constantly starting from scratch, this session will give you practical strategies you can apply immediately.
Tamara Holland – Instagram Habits That Help You Fill Your Classes
Beat your Instagram overwhelm and build a system that fills your classes (without being glued to your phone).
During this engaging workshop you’ll learn how to turn your current Instagram habits into powerful booking strategies. We’ll look at the small shifts that make a big difference so the time and energy you’re putting in actually leads to more families in your classes. If you’ve been showing up but not seeing sign-ups, this is where that changes.
Carrie Ann Booth – Why Being Seen Matters More Than Being “The Best”
If you run awesome children’s activities but still feel invisible next to bigger providers, this workshop is for you.
Many children’s activity businesses don’t struggle because they aren’t good enough, they struggle because not enough people ‘see’ them. If you rely on the odd social media post, feel awkward “blowing your own trumpet,” or worry about what people will think when you talk about your services, you’re not alone.
In this energetic and motivational workshop, Carrie Ann Booth — multi-award-winning educator, TEDx speaker, science entrepreneur, and founder of the STEAM Educators’ Staff Room, an award-winning community supporting hundreds of STEAM and children’s activity providers will show you why visibility, not talent, is the real key to filling spaces.
You’ll discover why being brilliant isn’t enough, where to focus your energy so visibility converts into bookings, and simple ways to build trust without feeling salesy. You’ll leave with a clearer visibility focus and actions you can take this week to start filling your sessions.
Nicole Bateman – The First 5 Minutes: Creating calm, inclusive starts for neurodivergent children
The first five minutes of a session can shape how safe and ready a child feels to take part. For neurodivergent children those early moments often decide whether they can join in or feel overwhelmed before things have even begun.
In this practical, friendly workshop, Nicole Bateman, The Friendly SEND Advisor, explores a children’s emotional backpack and how small practical changes in the first five minutes can help lighten the load.
This session looks at what children’s nervous systems need on arrival and how providers can create predictable, inclusive starts that change the rest of your time together.
Attendees will leave with simple strategies to create calmer arrivals, reduce anxiety, support regulation and help every child feel safe, welcome and ready to engage.
Cerys Keneally – Working with Nurseries/Early Years Settings
Become an Essential Early Years Partner and Build Nursery Relationships That Last
If you’re relying solely on public classes, you’ll know how quickly numbers can change. Children move on to nursery… parents’ circumstances shift… and before you know it, you’re working to fill spaces again.
The most successful early years providers don’t replace their public classes… they build nursery partnerships alongside them, creating a more stable, predictable foundation for their business.
In this insightful workshop – with multi-award winning TEDx Speaker, Cerys Keneally – you’ll discover how those relationships are built… and how to position yourself as someone who strengthens a nursery’s provision, supports their team, and becomes part of their long-term plans.
You’ll walk away with a completely new perspective on how successful nursery partnerships actually work… and what it takes to become truly essential in these settings.
Ben Bryant – How Your Personal Brand Grows Your Business Brand
Every great business has a hero behind it.
Join Your Video Team for this mindset workshop, exploring how the way you think about yourself shapes the way you grow your business. By embracing your personal brand and sharing authentic content from behind-the-scenes moments, to confidently showing up as the face of your brand, you will build trust and increase enquiries.
Whether you’re a franchise owner, franchisee, solopreneur or leading a growing team, it’s the people behind the business who create connections, build credibility and drive real growth. When you invest in yourself and adopt a growth mindset, powerful results follow for your club and classes.
Sarah Gittins – Managing Your Team and Hiring: Creating a Culture Where Every Student Thrives
Your team is your greatest asset, but managing freelance teachers presents unique challenges that require intentional strategy. “Hire slow, fire fast” is the saying, but how do you actually hire right for the long term and ensure everyone is aligned with your vision?
In this session, Sarah will walk you through her proven 15-step hiring system and share practical strategies for managing freelance teachers in a way that respects their creativity and independence while building a cohesive culture where every student thrives.
Kelly Reynolds – Systems & Emails That Save You Time (and Fill Your Classes)
If your business feels held together by sticky notes, inbox searches, and last-minute messages, this workshop is for you. Learn how to streamline your systems and use email marketing and automations to stay organised, nurture parents, and increase bookings — without adding more to your plate. Simple, realistic strategies you can start using straight away.
Debs Gersohn – Franchise Aspirations
Whether you’re thinking of franchising your children’s activity business or have recently done so, this session is for you. We’ll be looking at the skills needed to be a truly inspiring and successful franchisor. There will also be a chance to explore how to create a franchise culture of collaboration and excellence without being bombarded by WhatsApp messages 24/7!
Plus there’s a quiz to complete to assess how suitable you and your business are for franchising. Debs has over a decade of experience in the children’s sector and runs both Children’s Franchise Enterprise and Franchise Business School.
Our 2026 Keynote Speakers will be announced soon….
If you have any questions please email [email protected]
