Fast Forward 15 has confirmed the return of its Mentoring Awards in 2026, with the event taking place on Friday 24 April at the QEII Centre in central London.
The awards will again recognise mentoring activity across the events, hospitality and travel sectors, with a focus on individuals and organisations developing talent through structured support.
The 2026 ceremony will be delivered in partnership with the Association of Business Mentors (ABM), the professional body for business mentoring in the UK.
As part of the partnership, ABM will contribute mentoring expertise to the judging process, sponsor two award categories, and deliver two workshops connected to the awards programme, with further details to be announced.
ABM previously supported the awards in 2025 as a member of the judging panel. ABM chief executive Georgina Waite said: “We had the privilege of judging at last year’s FF15 awards and were struck by the passion and dedication shown by mentors and mentees across the industry. The energy in the room on awards night and seen throughout all the entries was infectious.”
She added: “It was clear how deeply people cared about helping others grow through the power of mentoring. Partnering with FF15 felt like a natural step for us. Our values are aligned in celebrating and promoting the power of mentoring within business to help people grow and thrive.”
Fast Forward 15 was founded by Fay Sharpe OBE. The organisation runs mentoring and development initiatives for women working in events, hospitality and travel, alongside wider industry-facing programmes aimed at improving access to mentoring and career support.
The 2026 awards will be hosted at the QEII Centre, which will act as venue partner and headline sponsor. Located opposite Westminster Abbey, the seven-floor venue offers 32 conference and event spaces and hosts around 400 national and international events each year.
The evening programme will include a three-course dinner, an awards presentation and structured networking, with catering provided by the venue’s in-house team, QEII Taste.
Nominations for the 2026 awards are now open. The awards are open to all genders and organisations, covering mentors, mentees, corporate event teams, agencies and suppliers across the sector.
Alongside the awards, the event will raise funds for two Fast Forward 15 initiatives, The Fast Forward 15 Mentoring Programme, now in its eleventh year, which provides one-to-one mentoring for aspiring female event professionals and The FF15 University Challenge supports students transitioning from education into the events and hospitality workforce, with a focus on practical skills and industry exposure.
Tickets for the 2026 Fast Forward 15 Mentoring Awards will go on sale in January, however a confirmed on-sale date has not yet been announced.