EO Day 2026 was our biggest yet, and after months of building, planning and outreach, 19th June was the moment everything we'd been working on came to life. Here's how it went.
The UK Is Owning It Map
For EO Day 2026, we wanted to create something with real lasting power. Something that would celebrate employee ownership on the day, and continue to serve the EO community long after. So we built the UK's first interactive map of employee-owned businesses: the UK Is Owning It Map.
The idea was straightforward. Employee ownership is a movement built on community, and yet it can be hard to see the full picture of just how many businesses across the UK are part of it. The map gives EO businesses a place to be seen, to connect with each other, and to show collectively what the movement looks like at scale. Every pin represents a business that has chosen a different way of doing things, and together they tell a story that's worth telling loudly.
The map itself started life as an idea from one member of the team, and grew from there into something much bigger as others added to it, shaped it, and helped bring it to life. That felt fitting: a campaign about the power of collective ownership, built collectively.
The map has grown into something we were so proud of. Over 60 EO businesses across the UK had claimed their pin so far, and the full picture of just how many organisations are doing things differently was there for anyone to see at eo-map.i-com.net. Beyond the visibility, it's also an excellent resource for EO businesses to find and connect with each other, whether that's to share knowledge, build relationships, or simply know that others are out there doing the same thing.
What made it even more special was seeing businesses share their pin claims across social media. Across LinkedIn in particular, EO businesses posted about joining the map, tagging us and each other, and spreading the #OwningIt message to their own networks. The reach that created was something we couldn't have achieved alone, and it's a reminder of what this community is capable of when it gets behind something together.
There are still plenty more pins to claim, so if your business isn't on the map yet, head over and add yourself. Every new pin makes the picture more complete!
Our EO Day Volunteering
This year, we marked EO Day with action as well as celebration. As an employee-owned business, we know the model is built on people: on trust, on contribution, and on showing up for each other and the wider community. The idea to volunteer came from one of our team, and it's exactly the kind of suggestion that gets a unanimous yes at I-COM. So, the whole team headed to Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield for a morning of ground clearing and litter picking.
By the end of it, we'd filled bag after bag with rubbish and left with a real sense that we'd made the park shine. The park ranger who looked after us on the day said we were the most enthusiastic group he'd ever had, which we're taking as high praise! It's a small thing in the context of a whole movement, but it felt like exactly the right way to spend EO Day. EO businesses talk a lot about what they stand for. Volunteering gave us the perfect chance to show it.
Bringing the Celebration Home
Back at the office, we kept things simple. There was a lot of Nell's pizza (and we really mean a lot), and my fellow trustee Chloe made an EO Day cake that didn't last long at all. It was a chance to take a breath after a busy few weeks, enjoy the day together, and actually celebrate everything we'd pulled off.
What EO Day 2026 Meant for Us
We’re so grateful that EO Day gives us a reason to pause and reflect on what being employee-owned means in practice. The structure, the culture, and the community that comes with it.
This year felt significant because of the scale of what we built. The UK Is Owning It Map couldn't have happened without every business that got behind the campaign by claiming their pin and sharing it with their networks.
We've now run an EO Day campaign for two years running. In 2025, it was the Smile Gallery, bringing real faces to the movement. In 2026, it was the Map, showing the scale of what the EO community has become. We're already thinking about what 2027 could look like, and that's an exciting place to be! Watch this space!
Thank You
To everyone who claimed a pin, shared the map, or took a moment to celebrate employee ownership on 19th June: thank you. You're the reason these campaigns have meaning.
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