Case Study: Ashorne Hill at the People Development Summit
In this month’s Summit Solutions, Ashorne Hill share how their meetings at the People Development Summit led to a trusted partnership.
Introduction to Ashorne Hill
Ashorne Hill - The home of Ashorne Advantage is a leadership and human skills development organisation working with organisations across the UK to build more connected, capable and effective leaders and teams. We specialise in experiential learning that strengthens core human skills such as communication, self-awareness, collaboration and confidence, particularly in moments of change, growth or complexity.
In 2024, Ashorne Hill was focused on deepening relationships with values-led organisations that recognised the growing importance of human connection in performance, wellbeing and leadership effectiveness. Alongside our long standing work with established clients, we were actively seeking opportunities to engage with senior HR and L&D leaders who were looking for practical, high-impact development solutions that go beyond theory and translate into real behaviour change.
We chose to attend the People Development Summit in Madrid because of its reputation for creating meaningful, senior-level conversations. The curated nature of the event, combined with its strong HR and L&D audience, aligned well with our business development approach and the type of partnerships we aim to build.
Overall experience of the Summit
The People Development Summit stood out for the quality of both its environment and its structure. The setting in Madrid created a relaxed but purposeful atmosphere, allowing delegates and solution providers to engage openly and without distraction. The event was exceptionally well organised, and building a strong working relationship with the Summit Events team made the experience seamless and highly productive.
The Summit format works particularly well for organisations like ours because it prioritises depth over volume. Rather than brief, transactional exchanges, the event enables thoughtful conversations with decision-makers who are genuinely interested in exploring challenges, priorities and potential solutions. The balance of pre-arranged meetings and informal networking created space for both structured discussion and organic relationship-building.
1:1 Meetings and Early Conversations
The quality of the one-to-one meetings was consistently high. We engaged with senior HR and L&D leaders from a range of sectors, many of whom were navigating similar challenges: developing confident leaders, strengthening human skills at scale, and creating learning experiences that genuinely engage people. Engaging in these conversations with delegates across sectors provided invaluable insight into organisations’ challenges and priorities, allowing us to continually align and evolve our offerings to meet real-world needs.
What stood out was the openness of the conversations. Because delegates attend with a clear intention to explore new ideas and partners, discussions quickly moved beyond surface-level introductions to meaningful dialogue about organisational needs and strategic priorities. Several early relationships were formed during the Madrid Summit that felt aligned from the outset, both culturally and in terms of learning philosophy.
Post-event Follow-ups
Following the Summit, we saw strong momentum in our follow-up activity. Conversations that began in Madrid progressed into deeper discovery discussions, proposal development and, in some cases, long-term partnerships.
The Summit format made post-event follow-up particularly effective. Because relationships were already established face-to-face, follow-up conversations felt natural and purposeful rather than transactional. This significantly shortened the sales cycle and allowed us to focus on co-creating solutions rather than re-establishing context.
The Alzheimer’s Research Partnership
Our relationship with Alzheimer's Research UK began with an initial conversation at the People Development Summit, where we connected around their approach to developing managers within a growing, purpose-driven organisation. From the outset, the focus was on collaboration rather than a traditional supplier relationship.
Following the Summit, Ashorne Hill worked closely with Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Head of Learning and Organisational Development, to support and enhance their Management Development programme. Through a series of collaborative conversations, we built a shared understanding of their organisational context, leadership expectations and development priorities.
Together, we co-designed and delivered experiential learning that supported managers to create psychological safety within their teams and to lead courageous conversations with greater confidence and skill. The learning focused on practical, real-world application, helping managers to build trust, encourage open dialogue, give and receive feedback effectively, and navigate challenging conversations in a way that aligns with organisational values.
The collaborative approach allowed the programme to be tailored closely to lived organisational challenges, ensuring relevance and impact. Feedback from participants highlighted increased confidence, stronger communication and a greater sense of capability in creating safe, open team environments. What began as a one to-one meeting at the Summit has evolved into a trusted working partnership, demonstrating how the event can act as a catalyst for meaningful collaboration and sustained development impact.
Broader Value of Attending
Beyond individual partnerships, attending the People Development Summit has had a broader positive impact on our business development efforts. It has strengthened our brand exposure among a highly relevant audience, reinforced our positioning as a trusted human skills development partner, and contributed to a healthier, more qualified pipeline.
Perhaps most importantly, the Summit validated the value of investing time in relationship-led business development. The quality of connections, conversations and outcomes achieved through the event would be difficult to replicate through more traditional marketing or outreach approaches.
Overall, the People Development Summit has proven to be a highly effective platform for building meaningful relationships, generating new business and supporting sustainable growth. Hence why we are returning in 2026.