Join a three‑day residential leadership experience designed exclusively for senior leaders, Chief Executives, Directors and Heads of Service across the leisure sector.
Taking place Sunday 25th to Wednesday 28th October, this immersive programme is hosted at the spectacular YMCA Lakeside, Newby Bridge, Cumbria.
Set against Cumbria’s tranquil lake landscape, you will step away from day‑to‑day operational pressure to engage with expert facilitators, senior peers and carefully curated content. The experience is designed to deepen self‑insight, strengthen leadership confidence and accelerate your impact both personally and professionally.
Key Content & Learning Outcomes
Self Discovery
Undertake a deep examination of what it takes to be an authentic transformational leader
Operating Environment
Analyse sector challenges and strategic positioning to achieve a deep understanding of the rapidly evolving operating environment
Active Wellbeing
Raise awareness and build skills to navigate complex multi-stakeholder ecosystems to make a real difference
High-Performance Cultures
Create the conditions for an organisational environment that fosters a high performing culture to achieve sustained excellence
Business Development
Identify and seize new business development opportunities to achieve a wider impact and to generate new revenue streams
Personal Development Planning
Craft a tailored personal development plan with effective strategies, tools and tactics to achieve exceptional growth as a transformational leader
Self Discovery
You will undertake a deep exploration of leadership, emotional triggers and cognitive patterns. Through behavioural profiling and reflective exercises, learn to perfect communication, foster trust across diverse teams and build shared purpose and direction in challenging circumstances.
Behavioural Profiling
Gain insights into your leadership style and impact
Communication Mastery
Perfect your messaging across diverse audiences
Trust Building
Create psychological safety in challenging environments
The Operating Environment
Examine sector challenges and opportunities, policy impacts and stakeholder expectations. Collaborative case studies and scenario planning will equip you to anticipate shifts and position your organisation for sustainable success.
Sector Analysis
- Current challenges facing leisure providers and stakeholders
- Emerging opportunities in the market
- Competitive landscape assessment
Policy Framework
- Impact of government initiatives
- Funding mechanisms and constraints
- Regulatory considerations
Scenario Planning
- Future-proofing your organisation
- Anticipating market shifts
- Strategic positioning techniques
Creating the Conditions for Active Wellbeing
Effective Approaches
Understanding five essential components of an active well-being eco-system.
Influence Mapping
Chart stakeholder connections and power dynamics
Collective Impact
Leverage interdependencies for system-wide success
Unpack the dynamics of multi-stakeholder ecosystems, from local authorities to commercial partners. You will be challenged to apply a whole systems approach to leadership, map influence networks and leverage interdependencies for collective impact and success.
Creating the Conditions for High Performance Cultures
Discover the four pillars of high performance: Purpose, Direction, Mindset and Environment. You will be supported with the tools to evaluate your organisations health and to align your teams behind a common purpose and plan cultivating an environment that fosters continuous, sustainable improvement.
Purpose
Establishing clear organisational meaning and values
Direction
Setting strategic priorities and measurable goals
Mindset
Cultivating growth-oriented thinking across teams
Environment
Creating spaces that enable peak performance
Business Development
Develop a business development toolkit encompassing market analysis, value proposition design, partnership negotiation and digital innovation. Real-world simulations and peer feedback will sharpen your ability to launch new developments and revenue streams.
Market Analysis
Techniques for identifying untapped market segments and emerging trends in the leisure sector
Value Proposition Design
Frameworks for creating compelling service offerings that meet customer needs and stand out from competitors
Partnership Negotiation
Strategies for identifying and securing beneficial partnerships with stakeholders and complementary organisations
Digital Innovation
Approaches to leveraging technology for enhanced service delivery and operational efficiency
Personal Development Planning
Consolidate insights into a bespoke leadership growth plan. Individual coaching sessions will help you set SMART objectives, identify peer support and establish milestones for ongoing progress.
Self-Assessment
Evaluate current strengths and development areas
Goal Setting
Establish SMART objectives for leadership growth
Action Planning
Create concrete strategies and identify resources
Progress Tracking
Set milestones and accountability mechanisms
The individual coaching component ensures you leave with a tailored roadmap for continued growth long after the programme concludes.
Itinerary
Day One
- Welcome and scene setting activity
- Operating Environment
- Contracting
- Self Discovery
- Group Reflection
Day Two
- Reflections from day one and introduction to day two
- Move to Active Wellbeing
- High-Performance Cultures
- Group Reflection
Day Three
- Reflections from day two and introduction to day three
- Live Leadership Challenge
- Personal Development Planning
- Group Reflection and Next Steps
Learning Mediums
Keynote Presentations
Sector leaders providing inspiring insights
Interactive Workshops
Hands-on activities to facilitate deep learning
Action Learning
Real-time problem solving with peer support
Individual & Group Coaching
Generate solutions and personalised feedback
Venue & Dates
Event Details
Dates: Three and a half consecutive days Sunday 25th October to Wednesday 28th October 2026.
Venue: YMCA Lakeside, Newby Bridge, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 8BD.
Nestled on the shores of Lake Windermere, YMCA Lakeside offers private meeting spaces, comfortable accommodation, an environment that inspires exercise and wellbeing and lakeside vistas that foster reflection and connection.
Meals and refreshments are provided, with opportunities for informal networking and taking a dose of physical activity by the spectacular water's edge.
Accommodation
Basic rooms with single occupancy and en-suites
Facilities
Modern meeting spaces and stunning outdoor areas
Meet Your Facilitators
Our event brings together a diverse team of experts with extensive experience in the leisure sector and leadership development.
Each facilitator brings unique perspectives and specialised knowledge to create a comprehensive learning experience.
Sector Expertise
Former leisure CEOs with hands-on experience
Psychological Insight
Specialists in behavioural science and resilience
Strategic Vision
Experts in systems thinking and innovation
Facilitator Profiles
Mark Tweedie
The Performance Blueprint
An executive coach and former teacher, local authority head of service and leisure CEO. Mark has a unique vision for and track record of organisational transformation. He crafts programmes that blend strategic insight with behavioural science. His novel frameworks help senior leaders translate vision into measurable impact and performance gains.
Libby Kirkley Bryan
Disruptive Panda
An executive and team coach, Libby works with leaders and teams to build trust, strengthen relationships and navigate complexity. Combining systems thinking, leadership development and organisational insight, she creates the conditions for honest conversations, collective learning and meaningful change. Her work helps leaders deepen self-awareness, improve team performance and develop the confidence to lead in increasingly complex environments.
Andy King
AKAC
An executive coach and former leisure CEO with unprecedented leading edge insights as host of the Conveners Podcast. Andy specialises in fostering strategic partnerships and organisational development. His pragmatic approach empowers leaders to dismantle silos and foster collaborative cultures that drive real transformation.
John Oxley
CEO Life Leisure
An executive coach and current CEO of one of the UK's largest single contract leisure trusts, John has a remarkable career. John has led at scale multi-million pound operational transformations. He brings expertise in growing services while maintaining quality, and his progressive approach to public sector and stakeholder partnerships make him an authority on system and place leadership.
Why this Event is Unique
Immersive Setting
This residential format marries immersive learning with the restorative power of Cumbria's landscapes.
Peer Learning
By convening a small cohort of senior leaders, you benefit from deep peer learning and lasting professional networks.
Expert Facilitators
The diversity of facilitators, from CEOs to executive coaches ensures a 360-degree perspective on leadership challenges.
Applied Learning
Action learning, combined with one-to-one coaching, mean theory is instantly translated into practice.
Distraction-Free
The curated setting at YMCA Lakeside removes daily distractions, enabling reflective breakthroughs and actionable insights you can implement immediately upon return.
What Our First Cohort Said
Our first cohort of senior leaders joined the event not knowing quite what to expect. Their feedback afterwards was clear, consistent and honest.
Across the cohort, participants described the programme as:
- Transformational – several described it as the best leadership development experience they had ever taken part in
- Confidence‑building – leaders spoke about greater clarity, self‑belief and feeling more grounded in how they lead
- Exceptionally facilitated – the quality of facilitation and the way group trust and dynamics were created stood out strongly
- Deep and demanding – the programme was described as intense in a positive way, with some stating it could easily have run over more days
- Immediately applicable – participants highlighted taking learning straight back into their organisations, particularly around culture, strengths, trust and relationships
Common phrases used by the cohort included:
- “Exceeded expectations”
- “Transformational”
- “Best development experience I have ever had”
- “Excellent facilitation and group culture”
- “Brilliant overall experience”
The first cohort valued the opportunity to step away from operational pressure, think deeply, and engage honestly with peers facing similar challenges across the leisure sector.
Our Partners
We’re proud to partner with people who believe in the power of inspirational leadership to bring our program to life.
ReCreation transform the way communities access sport and recreation using innovative modular design and above-ground construction to deliver affordable, sustainable leisure facilities in months as opposed to years.
YMCA Lakeside is a leading centre of excellence in outdoor learning. Set in the heart of a World Heritage Site, it offers 100 acres of private woodland and half a mile of Lake Windermere shoreline, an unparalleled natural environment for learning, growth, and connection.
Antares AI sales agents designed for multisite gym operators that demand scale. Antares transforms your existing stack into a powerful sales funnel with AI sales agents that capture, engage and convert leads across every channel 24/7.
EGYM delivers a connected fitness ecosystem that helps operators drive engagement and results at scale. Through smart equipment and digital solutions, EGYM personalises workouts, keeping members motivated while supporting real health outcomes.
Gladstone has been helping leisure operators across the UK and Ireland deliver connected leisure experiences for more than 40 years. Trusted by over 500 operators and 17 million members, our platform streamlines operations, enhances customer engagement, and supports organisations with technology, consultancy and managed services.
LeisureLabs helps fitness and wellness organisations harness technology to improve customer experiences, streamline operations and drive innovation. Their expertise spans digital transformation, product development and AI-enabled solutions that help organisations grow and evolve.
Secure Your Place
Transform Your Leadership
Embark on a journey that will stretch your leadership boundaries, sharpen your strategic lens and reignite your passion for driving social good through leisure services.
Secure your place and transform how you lead, connect and innovate in your organisation.
Exclusive Cohort
Limited places available to ensure personalised attention
Lasting Impact
Return with actionable strategies and ongoing peer support
Career Advancement
Develop the skills and insights to take your leadership to the next level
Investment: £1,400
Includes programme materials, accommodation and meals
Scholarship Places
A small number of scholarship places are available and have been made possible through the generosity of our partners.
These fully funded places are designed to create access for leaders who would benefit from the programme but may not otherwise have the opportunity.
Applications are particularly welcomed from CEO's and Managing Directors.
Applications for scholarships are now open. The current application round will close on Tuesday 16th June 2026.
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Inspirational Leadership Event for Leisure Sector Leaders