I learnt to DJ in an hour. Here's what it taught me.

Before Ideas Fest 2026, I had never touched a set of decks. Not once. I love music, I've spent more nights than I can count on dance floors, but I'd never been the one behind the booth.

So when we decided to collaborate with The Bug Club and give a group of founders an hour of DJ lessons and then let them play at the festival, I put my own name down too. It felt only fair. If I was going to ask other people to be brave in front of a crowd, I had to do it myself.

One hour is not very long

It turns out an hour is just about long enough to learn which buttons not to press, but not much more than that. By the end I could just about blend one track into another without clearing the dance floor, and that felt like a major achievement.

Being a beginner again

When you've been running a business for a while, you get used to knowing what you're doing. People come to you for answers. It's been a long time since I've been properly rubbish at something in public.

Standing behind the decks at Ideas Fest, I was a total beginner, and everyone could see it. And honestly? It was brilliant. There's something freeing about letting go of looking like you know what you're doing and just having a go.

The crowd was on our side

What I didn't expect was how much the crowd would get behind us. Nobody cared whether the mixes were perfect. Simon Woodroffe, the founder of YO! Sushi, got a dance circle going right in front of the decks, and suddenly it didn't matter how many times I'd fumbled a transition.

That's the thing about the Ideas Fest crowd. Everyone's there to back each other. It's the same energy you see when someone pitches on stage or asks a nervous question in a big top.

I think I've found a new hobby

I went into it expecting a one-off. I came out wanting to do it again.

It's a good reminder that some of the best things happen when you say yes to something slightly terrifying. That's a big part of what Ideas Fest is about, and it turns out it applies to me too.

Your turn?

Ideas Fest 2027 is on 8th and 9th September at Champneys. Whether you fancy having a go on the decks yourself or you'd rather watch someone else try, come and join us. Passes are on sale now.