Sheffield ranked as No.1 City in the UK to start a business

An annual ranking of the Top 25 Cities in the UK (outside of London) for starting a business, the Startups Cities Index is the most exhaustive research project of its kind. Sheffield was revealed as the ultimate winner, thanks to the city’s strong performance across business support, talent attraction, low cost of living, large working population and fantastic transport links.

UKREiiF

Sheffield Inspires. Always has, always will. Find out when and where for all the Sheffield led events taking place at UKREiiF 2026.

The art of climbing

Sheffield inspires the development of one of the fastest growing sports in the world. From the roots of UK rock climbing in the 1880s, through to creating the routes for the inaugural climbing event at the Olympic Games 2020. We are 'home' for the originators of the sport, current Team GB Climbing athletes, designers and manufacturers, making us the Climbing Capital of the UK.

Record Summer in Sheffield

It’s been a successful summer in Sheffield as we’ve hosted a number of high-profile events (the Women’s Euros being a particular highlight) and some of hotels and venues having record breaking months. Conferences have played no small part in this and the team at Conference Sheffield have had one of our busiest and most successful summers to date. Here are a few of our highlights showing why Sheffield really does make for a smart event move.

An alternative LGBTQ+ guide

TimeOut names Sheffield the second best city break in Europe

Sheffield has been listed alongside cities including Marseille, Milan and Oslo to be named as one of Europe’s 18 best city break destinations for 2023, in a ranking compiled by global media platform, TimeOut.

EdTech in Sheffield

Sheffield has been a nationally significant centre for online learning and educational technologies since even before the decision to site the University for Industry here in 1998. Since then, there has been a steady stream of talent and new businesses born of this activity, developing resources and platforms for learning across many different industry verticals.

Forest Dogs

For many, the isolation and loneliness created by successive national and local lockdowns was alleviated by the pitter-patter of puppy paws, but as dog owners faced the prospect of returning to the workplace, a canine loving entrepreneur turned his passion for pooches into pounds after calling on help from Launchpad. 

Access to Finance Sheffield: Grants, Loans, Microfinance and Equity Options for Local Businesses

Discover the key insights from Sheffield’s Access to Finance event, where local experts shared practical funding options including grants, loans, microfinance, equity, and more to help businesses grow.

Kate Rusby

Kate Rusby celebrates 20 years of festive joy with this year’s tour, ‘Christmas Is Merry’—a heart-warming tradition for thousands of fans. Her pure, unmistakable voice breathes new life into traditional South Yorkshire carols, winter songs, and Christmas classics, creating an enchanting, magical atmosphere.