В Белфасте пройдет четвертый фестиваль профессиональных неудач F*ckup Nights

David Meade and Julian Simmons to discuss professional F*ckups at Belfast event The global event series will return to Belfast for the fourth time later this month Broadcaster and mentalist David Meade has been announced as the guest host for the return of F*ckup Nights Belfast this August, just weeks before he is due to host Up Close with Oprah Winfrey at Dublin’s 3Arena. The global event series, which turns the professional failures people normally keep quiet about into candid conversations about business, resilience and learning, will return to The Black Box in Belfast on Friday, 21st August. F*ckup Nights Belfast Vol. 4 will see a line-up of well-known local business and broadcasting personalities take to the stage to share the stories of what went wrong, what it cost them and what happened next. Among the lineup is former UTV broadcaster Julian Simmons, who will be sharing stories from his celebrated career in broadcasting, proving that sometimes things just don't go as planned, and that's all part of the adventure. He will be joined by former journalist-turned-PR professional Tina Calder, who will share how one overlooked detail set off a chain of business-defining events. Including one that every business owner fears most! Marty Neill, founder of multiple businesses across Belfast, including airPOS and The Retro Room, Cityside, will be sharing a F*ckup story about how taking more than a quarter of a million pounds from the wrong fund nearly killed his company. Founded in Mexico City in 2012 after five friends got together over mezcal and began sharing stories about their own professional failures, F*ckup Nights has since grown into an international movement. Today, the concept has reached hundreds of cities around the world, creating spaces where entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals can talk openly about mistakes, failed ventures, deals that went wrong and the lessons they learned along the way. The Belfast chapter is run by Chris Shannon and Meg Magill, who brought the global concept to Northern Ireland in a bid to encourage greater honesty around failure and help people become more comfortable taking risks. Unlike traditional business events, where speakers often focus on their successes, F*ckup Nights asks people to talk about the moments they would normally leave out of their biography. Each speaker has just 10 minutes and 10 slides to tell their story before opening the floor for a discussion of what happened and what they learned from the experience. Organisers Chris and Meg, who both work within the Northern Ireland entrepreneurial ecosystem, said the aim isn’t simply to celebrate failure for the sake of it, but to challenge the idea that successful careers and businesses are built without mistakes along the way. Chris said: “F*ckup Nights Belfast Vol. 4 will feature three candid and unfiltered stories alongside audience ‘f*ckups from the floor’, giving those attending the opportunity to share their own experiences.” Tickets cost £15, and the event is for ages 18 and over. The first 40 guests through the doors will also receive a free drink. All ticket proceeds will be used to cover event costs and support future editions of F*ckup Nights Belfast. For tickets and further information, click here. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.