Highland Business Week returns from 21-25 September 2026 with a fresh new look, exciting opportunities to connect and collaborate, and the chance to celebrate the very best of business across the Highlands.

As part of Inverness Chamber of Commerce’s new brand identity, Highland Business Week, Highland Spotlight and the Highland Business Awards have all been reimagined with a bold new visual look that reflects their growing profile and importance within the Highland business community. Whether you’re looking to grow your network, raise your profile, showcase your business or celebrate success, Highland Business Week offers something for organisations of every size and sector.

Only three weeks until the launch of Highland Business Week 2025 from Inverness Chamber of Commerce and the programme is shaping up with events looking to inspire, inform and upskill.

Taking place from Monday 22 to Friday 26 September, the week features an exciting series of events including networking opportunities and seminars along with the well established Highland Spotlight business exhibition and Highland Business Awards lunch.

It’s a brilliant opportunity for the Highland business community to get together and be inspired and informed.

A fantastic programme is lined up, so check out the details below and book your place today!

The Data Analytics Conference & Sandpit taking place at UHI Inverness on 25th August will provide an opportunity for students and academics from across Scotland to showcase their research, and for industry professionals to collaborate with academic experts to design innovative solutions for data problems in their businesses.

The programme will consist of in-person talks, poster presentations and sandpit sessions.

For students and academics

If you are a researcher based in Scotland and are interested in presenting your work through a poster presentation, please submit your details.

For businesses, industry and third sector professionals

If you have a business problem that requires a data-solution but you aren’t quite sure where to start, we would love to invite to you participate in a sandpit session. Please see the Sandpit overview, submit your details and we will contact you about next steps.

Organisers
The event is being organised by Dr Andrew Duncan at University of Highlands and Islands with support from SICSA.

As part of Net Zero Week (5–11 July), West Highland Chamber of Commerce are hosting an informative session on Wednesday 9 July at 11am, designed specifically for Scottish SMEs looking to take their first steps towards Net Zero.

In this free 30-minute webinar, Izi Robe from the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) will break down what Net Zero means for your business and what you need to be doing now to meet upcoming requirements. You’ll also be introduced to the Climate Springboard, a fully funded support programme that gives SMEs the tools and tailored support to start reducing emissions, cutting costs and building climate resilience.

You’ll leave the session with:
• A clearer understanding of Net Zero requirements for Scottish businesses
• Practical tools and resources to help you take action
• Details of the next Climate Springboard training cohort starting 21st August 2025

About Climate Springboard:

Climate Springboard is a free, fully online programme that includes:
• Three interactive workshops
• 1-to-1 calls for bespoke advice
• A follow-up group session

By the end, you’ll walk away with a company carbon footprint, Net Zero action plan and a cost-saving to-do list.

An interactive workshop organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, that will enable you to maximise the power of metadata to transform data into narratives.

Every day Food and Drink businesses are bombarded with trend information and industry statistics, this workshop will help you identify what is relevant to you, so you can create a demand led business that uses a narrative that speaks to your target market.

Key takeaways:

· Identify top sources of metadata.

· Mining useful metadata for your business.

· Creating your own data led narrative template.

The workshop will be custom-designed around the food and drink businesses, focusing on their unique products and target markets.

Women leading innovation in agriculture and aquaculture.

This webinar by Highlands and Islands Enterprise will showcase inspiring stories from female leaders in agriculture and aquaculture. Find out more about what innovation means and what support is available to female led agriculture and aquaculture businesses across the Highlands and Islands.

You will also have the opportunity to connect to a like-minded community and find out about future innovation events.

Join ASVA, (Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions) on 14th November at Perth Concert Hall for their annual conference – a day packed with insights, advice and unparalleled networking opportunities bringing together leading voices and experts from within the visitor attractions and wider tourism sector to share best practices, explore innovative approaches in technology, sustainability, and community engagement. Dive into topics like collaboration, inclusion, and accessibility, enhancing your knowledge and helping you navigate the challenges and opportunities in today’s dynamic tourism landscape.

The agenda features speaker presentations, panel sessions and ample opportunities to catch up with colleagues and forge new connections.

Join Louise Arnold, Interface and Stephen Preston, St Giles Cathedral for a session on In-Spire-Ing Innovative Collaborations and New Audiences.

Building on the last two years of success, this year’s Meet the Funders will help you connect with national and local funders and discover the latest funding opportunities.

This year, participants are invited to hear presentations on:

• Celebrity influencing in the Fundraising Mix, with Steve Sloan and charity, Mikeysline.
• Expanding your Types of fundraising with Beyond Profit UK and local organisations who have had success in diversifying funding streams.
• Make sure not to miss ‘What Funders are Looking for in an Application’, with SCVO’s Laura Cameron and Evaluation Support Scotland’s, Gary Walsh.
• Take a closer look at corporate fundraising/donations/trusts with Jo O’Sullivan from Institute of Fundraising as well as Outfit Moray and Walkers Shortbread.

The day is designed to help you better understand funding eligibility, connect with funders and groups, and create opportunities for partnership and collaboration.

There will be over 15 stallholders including: Interface, Foundation Scotland, Gordon & Ena Baxter Foundation, National Lottery, Independent Living Fund Scotland, Inspiring Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland, AHF Transforming Heritage, REAP Scotland, Scotmid, DTAS/Community Shares Scotland, National Churches Trust, Sport Scotland and the Moray Community Foundation.

Carol-Ann Adams of Interface will be exhibiting at this event come along and say hello and find out how Interface can help you.

Have you got an idea for your business that you’d like to develop? Join Highlands and Islands Enterprise Isle of Skye Candle Co. Visitor Centre for a workshop on how to develop your ideas into reality.

• Realities of growth – what does it take to grow your idea?
• Sources of ideas – the inspiration for ideas and the chance to apply this to your business
• Too many ideas? Learn how to prioritise them
• Developing your idea – finding the inspiration to build on and strengthen your idea
• Finalise your idea – identify the strongest component of your idea, and how to take it forward
• Find out how how innovation support can help

Carol-Ann Adams of Interface will be attending this event. Come along and hear how Interface can support innovation in Skye.