The HER Business Festival is coming back on 09 September 2026 as part of Startup Week Düsseldorf.
After the strong debut in May 2026, one thing was clear: This festival strikes a chord. Participants described it as inspiring, empowering, thoughtfully curated, and filled with positive energy. They particularly appreciated the unique combination of knowledge, depth, business insights, networking, music, movement, and a genuine sense of community.
The second HER Business Festival builds on this success, with this year’s focus on HER Business Shift.
The event is designed for female founders, female entrepreneurs leading teams, female scale-ups, SME decision-makers, and female leaders who recognise that the next stage of growth requires more than new tools, more content, or even more operational effort. It requires a new entrepreneurial mindset.
At the heart of the festival is the question of how female entrepreneurs can remain clear, agile, and growth-oriented in a time of uncertainty, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, market changes, and increasing demands. Marketing remains a key element, as visibility, positioning, digital communication, and sales all play a crucial role in whether a company is recognised by the market and able to generate demand.
This year, the HER Business Festival goes deeper: focusing on self-leadership, decision power, ownership, growth mindset, and the shift from “having to do everything yourself” towards strategic leadership.
Together with special guests, we will explore key questions of modern business development:
* How can I stay focused when markets, technologies, and customer expectations are constantly changing?
* How can I develop a mindset that enables growth, visibility, and courageous decision-making?
* How can I combine digital visibility, AI, positioning, and sales into a true game-changing strategy?
* How can I create meaningful internal innovation, even in a small organisation, to make my company more future-ready?
Ekaterina Arlt-Kalthoff, initiator of the HER Business Festival and Managing Director of elevateHER®, will guide the festival as the main speaker. The event will be complemented by special guests who will share insights on mindset, growth, digital visibility, leadership, and female entrepreneurship.
The HER Business Festival creates a space where female entrepreneurs can gain new perspectives, connect with ambitious women, and take away concrete inspiration and strategies for their next phase of growth.