TJ Editor Jo Cook comments about the new Podcast Learning Festival, hosted by Andrew Jacobs in London, February 2026: “We strive for the most efficient and realistic learning interventions, and workplace learning is at its best when it sounds like real work: curious, human and specific. The Podcast Learning Festival brings learning and conversation craft into the same room, so we can build audio that travels, lasts, and genuinely changes what happens for people every day at work.”
The Podcast Learning Festival has confirmed its venue as Mary Sumner House on Thursday 26 February 2026, bringing workplace learning and podcasting together for the first face-to-face festival of its kind in the UK.
Located at 24 Tufton Street, London (SW1P 3RB), Mary Sumner House is home to Mothers’ Union, a women-led movement marking 150 years of action to end poverty, violence and social injustice, alongside practical work that strengthens families and communities.
Festival organisers said the venue was chosen deliberately to align with the event’s values, including centring and amplifying women’s voices across learning and the workplace.
Talk. Record. Change.
The festival theme, “Talk. Record. Change.” reflects a core idea: learning starts in conversation, podcasts help those conversations travel, and change happens when ideas stick and influence how organisations work.
Across the day, delegates can move between three streams:
- Talk: live panels and discussions on learning, podcasting and work
- Record: practical sessions on designing, making and sharing podcasts that land well
- Change: case studies and impact stories showing how audio is shifting performance and culture
The festival positions itself as focused on substance over sales, with no vendor halls and an emphasis on practical ideas people can take back to work.
Programme highlights
An opening keynote will be delivered by Christina H. Moore, exploring why podcasting is “not a gimmick” and what needs to evolve in learning conversations.
Jo Cook, Editor of Training Journal, will speak on the Women in Podcasting panel, hosted by Helen Marshall, alongside Hannah Frame, Jenny Garrett and Leah Garrett.
The festival is aimed at L&D professionals, HR and people leaders, trainers and facilitators, digital learning designers, independents developing an audio offer, and organisations looking for new ways to share knowledge and shift performance.
Tickets and updates are available via the festival website.
