What does it mean to stay human in coaching?
In a world shaped by speed, uncertainty, technology and AI, this question is becoming harder to ignore. The European Coaching Festival steps beyond familiar conference formats to explore what humanity asks of us as coaches, leaders and reflective practitioners.
Through conversation, art, photography, poetry and creative practice, the day creates space to think differently, connect across Europe and explore new ways of knowing, relating and making sense of our work.
Created by the Association for Coaching’s (AC) European regional community, you can join us in Belfast or take part online.
Why this festival
An experience you can carry back into your practice
Coaching asks us to listen beneath the obvious, stay present with complexity and meet people without reducing them to a problem to solve. This festival takes the same approach to professional learning.
Across the day, provocative ideas and lived realities meet creative, embodied and relational experiences – with room to question, make, listen, reflect and connect across disciplines, cultures and borders.
What you gain
- Reconnect with the human purpose and presence at the heart of coaching
- Experience the arts as a route into reflection and learning
- Consider coaching crisis, uncertainty and polarization
- Examine co-creation and sustainability in coaching relationships
- Connect meaningfully with practitioners across Europe
- Leave with practical insights and creative ways to deepen your work
Who is it for
For professional and internal coaches, coaching supervisors, HR and organizational development practitioners, leaders, educators and facilitators, coach trainees and students - and anyone curious about coaching as a deeply human practice.
You do not need to be an AC member or have creative experience. Bring curiosity, a willingness to participate and openness to what emerges.
Bring someone into the conversation
Join with a colleague, leader, internal coach, OD practitioner, educator or coach trainee. The festival is designed to be welcoming beyond the established coaching community.
Programme preview
Coaching as a Political Act
Laurent Vuibert
Systems, power, ethics and responsibility in uncertain times
Beyond Words
Siân Lumsden
Acrylic paint, pause and the intelligence of felt experience
Co-creation & Boundaries in Coaching
Christina Lombardi-Somaschini
Photography and poetry as a creative sandbox for ethical inquiry
Coaching in a Crisis Context
Andrii Nekrasov
Resilience, trauma-aware practice and maintaining humanity in instability
Advancing coaching in business & society, worldwide.
The Association for Coaching® (AC) is a leading independent, not-for-profit professional body dedicated to advancing coaching excellence worldwide.
Established in 2002, we support coaches, organizations and coaching professionals across more than 100 countries through professional standards, accreditation, lifelong development and a truly global community committed to making a positive difference through coaching.
The Association for Coaching (AC) is a leading not-for-profit, international professional body dedicated to excellence, mastery and ethics in coaching. Our vision is to advance the knowledge and practice of coaching, and promote the coach approach in business so that coaching ‘ripples’ as a key enabler for greater performance, responsibility and success. With members in over 85 countries, our vibrant, diverse community is made up of professional coaches, leader coaches, executive & team coaches, training and service providers, educators, coach supervisors, internal coaches and organizations building coaching cultures. In today’s virtual world, we believe coaching has a key role to play to ignite greater dialogue, compassion and human connection in the workplace, and society.
