Northern Marketing Festival
The North’s celebration of marketing and creativity is back in 2026!
Prolific North’s Northern Marketing Festival is returning to Liverpool, Leeds, and Manchester, bringing together the region’s brightest minds for a week of insight, ideas, and inspiration. It continues to be the North’s leading celebration of marketing talent and innovation.
With engaging talks, thought-provoking sessions, and opportunities to connect with peers, the festival will once again showcase the exceptional work happening across the North.
We can’t wait to see you at the Northern Marketing Festival 2026!
Strategic Partner
Content themes For NMF 2026
01
Humans + Machines
Blending the speed of AI and power of dominant platforms with the irreplaceable spark of human intuition to build the creative and brands of the future.
02
Making the case for slow marketing
In a world of infinite content and fragmented audiences with the increasing need for personalisation, how do we resist the urge to do everything at once? Moving away from "always-on" exhaustion and requiring every option of mar-tech to… thoughtful research and deliberate strategies that actually move the needle
03
Collective Grit - the power of WE
In a tough economy and a shifting tech landscape, our biggest superpower is collaboration.
One week, three Northern host cities
Liverpool - May 12
A city built on creativity, culture, and big ideas - Liverpool’s marketing scene is no different. It’s a celebration of the energy, originality, and fearless thinking shaping the industry.
Leeds - May 13
From disruptive startups to powerhouse brands, Leeds is where marketing talent thrives. It’s about showcasing bold strategies, fresh ideas, and boundary-pushing campaigns driving change.
Manchester - May 14
A city that never stands still - Manchester’s marketing industry leads the charge with innovation. It’s where creativity, collaboration, and big ideas turn into real impact.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Northern Marketing Festival in 2026. It’s a fantastic celebration of marketing talent and creativity across the North, and we’re excited to contribute fresh, actionable insights to support the community.”
James Guerin, CCO at Embryo
SECURE Your Festival Pass
All tickets include access to the talks, networking lounge and lunch. You can purchase a Day Pass for each of the three locations.
Early Bird - Closed
Day Tickets
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Choose your day and dive into all the talks, networking, and inspiration - Early Bird pricing until 27 February!
General Sale
Day Tickets
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Choose your day and dive into all the talks, networking, and inspiration - standard pricing from 28 February!
NORTHERN MARKETING FESTIVAL PICTURES 2025
The Northern Marketing Festival 2025 toured the North, visiting Liverpool, Leeds, and Manchester, bringing together marketers from across agencies, brands, and creative companies. Across three days of inspiring sessions, panels, and discussions, attendees explored practical takeaways, innovative campaigns, and the latest ideas shaping the region’s marketing community.
2026 Agenda
09:00 - Doors open. Collect your badge, grab a brew, and connect with other marketers before the talks kick off.
09:40 - Welcome to Northern Marketing Festival 2026!
Affiliate marketing is one of the most misunderstood channels in marketing – often reduced to myths about last‑click attribution and discount codes. This session cuts through those assumptions to debunk the common misconceptions, revealing affiliate marketing as a full‑funnel, partner‑led growth channel.
Presented by:
Matt Dicks, Senior Affiliate Manager at Embryo
As consumers move faster than ever, brands must meet them in the moment- turning everyday actions into lasting growth.
Discover how real-world behavioural signal – rooted in how people move, eat, shop, and live- can power sharper measurement, stronger performance, and more meaningful connections in a privacy-first world.
Presented by Bill Dennett, Regional Team Lead, Uber Advertising
In highly regulated industries, creativity and compliance need to work hand in hand. In this panel, marketers share what’s actually delivering results, from navigating restrictions to finding opportunities to stand out. Expect honest insights, real examples and practical takeaways from those doing it day to day.
Host: Sara Donnelly, Beyond Echo PR
Panellists:
- Will Jones, DF Capital
- Kellie Butterworth, mydentist
- Rebecca Moore, Lewis Silkin
11:15 - 12:00 Networking Break
Presented by Craig Hannan, Head of Brand & Marketing, The Anfield Wrap
Liverpool Hope University will present the power of marketing for an educational institute.
Presented by:
Kimberley Dean, Business Development Manager, Liverpool Hope Uni
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch & Networking Break
14:00 - Welcome Back
Absolute will present how traditional TV and AI can work together and showcase 3 TV ads made completely with AI.
Presented by:
Chris Hodgen, Group MD at Absolute
Simon Allman, Creative Director at Absolute
This panel, hosted by Helen Cross from Growth Platform, will bring together senior leaders from Liverpool’s top agencies to discuss their global impact. With collective expertise in driving innovation from the North, the session will uncover how Liverpool’s agency prowess is being seen and celebrated across the UK and beyond.
Host: Helen Cross, Creative Industries Lead, Growth Platform
Panellists:
- Lee Weaver, Co-founder at OneMay
- Simon Rhodes, Director at Smiling Wolf
- Nicola Docking, MD at Poke
- Stephen Ardern, MD at Continuous
A conversation exploring how packaging functions as a continuous communication channel. From social and digital discovery through to the physical product moment and even disposal – and how innovation, technology and human insight can help brands design more meaningful experiences across that full journey.
Presented by Sarah Leech, Head of Packaging Innovation & Design, Unilever
15:45 - Drinks Reception & Networking
09:00 - Doors open. Collect your badge, grab a brew, and connect with other marketers before the talks kick off.
09:30 - Welcome to Northern Marketing Festival 2026!
Dom Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at Embryo, sets the tone for the day with a strategic look at reaching those hard to reach consumers.
Presented by:
Dom Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at Embryo
Presented by:
- Jess Kaye, Business Director at CHILLI
- Claire Bradley, Creative Director at IMA
- Sascha Macchi, Head of Marketing at Inspired Pet Nutrition
Host: Dom Dwight, Strategy Advisor and ex-Yorkshire Tea
Matt Carr, Owner Director, Carrs Pasties
11:00 - 11:30 Networking Break
“What happens when a brand stops chasing every channel and starts making sharper, more deliberate decisions?
In this candid fireside chat, James Walker (Founder, Jorvik Tricycles) and Rob Shaw (CEO, HUB) unpack Jorvik’s move away from purely digital tactics toward a broader, more
intentional marketing mix. From breaking into daytime TV to using deep audience insights to shape messaging and retail strategy, they’ll share what it really takes to grow by doing
better, not just more.
This session challenges the pressure to be everywhere at once and makes the case for research-led decisions that move the needle and resonate more deeply with customers.”
Presented by: Rob Shaw, CEO at HUB & James Walker, Founder of Jorvik Tricycles
With more data, more technology and more channel choice than ever, marketing leaders are facing a new challenge: knowing what will drive the biggest impact.
Too many possibilities, competing internal priorities and strong opinions mean teams often struggle to align on where to focus.
A recent Gartner report shows that revenue growth sits firmly at the top of the marketing agenda for 2026, yet nearly half of CMOs are struggling to prioritise the initiatives most likely to deliver it.
In this session, Jay Dickinson explores how a customer-first approach can help marketing leaders cut through complexity, align stakeholders and set the foundations for growth through clear, actionable roadmaps.
Presented by: Jay Dickinson, Founder at Ginger Fury
From creators and chefs to brands and a Leeds‑based studio, Channel 4 Served has been built on collaboration from the ground up, coming up to celebrating its first-year anniversary.
Join Served’s executive producer Nyall Ray-Cook and senior producer Rachel Hagreen as they unpack how the social first food channel has brought together creators and brand partnerships to make content audiences genuinely choose to watch.
Presented by:
Nyall Ray-Cook, Exec Producer, 4Studio and Channel 4 Served
Rachel Hagreen, Senior Producer at Channel 4 Served
13:00 - 14:00 - Lunch & Networking Break
14:00 - Welcome Back
As consumers move faster than ever, brands must meet them in the moment – turning everyday actions into lasting growth.
Discover how real-world behavioural signals – rooted in how people move, eat, shop, and live – can power sharper measurement, stronger performance, and more meaningful connections in a privacy-first world
Presented: Bill Dennett, Regional Team Lead, Uber Advertising
Slop isn’t new. Humans have been churning it out since the dawn of language. But AI scales it, which means we’re in for a flood of marketing content that’s technically fine and utterly forgettable.
The answer isn’t less AI. It’s frictionmaxxing.
In a world where anyone can produce polished mediocrity in seconds, the marketeers who win are the ones who add thinking back in – before the prompt, during the draft, and at the edit.
Presented by: Luke Budka, AI Director at Definition & Nick Padmore, Head of Language at Definition
Tiger sheds will give us an exploration of how brand and digital performance come together to drive growth, connecting online activity with real-world outcomes.
Presented by:
Sam Jenkinson, Head of Marketing, Woodlands Group t/a Tiger Sheds
15:45 - Drinks Reception & Networking
09:00 - Doors open. Collect your badge, grab a brew, and connect with other marketers before the talks kick off.
09:30 - Welcome to the Northern Marketing Festival 2026!
This talk explores how the SERP influences attention, trust, and click behaviour in modern search environments. Attendees will leave with practical ways to read messy SERPs, spot visibility gaps, and show up more effectively in front of the audiences that matter.
Presented by:
Jess Atkinson, Organic Search Director at Embryo
Fergal O’Connor leads a panel discussion exploring how traditional media fits into the modern marketing mix. With rising digital saturation and shifting audience habits, the panel will examine the continued role of print, direct mail, audio and other offline channels, and how brands are building more balanced, effective media strategies in 2026.
Host:
Fergal O’Connor, CEO at Buymedia
Panellists:
Fiona Robinson, Country Captain UK at Print.com
Lesley Yeomans, Deputy Managing Director at Citipost Mail
Kristen Modral-Peak, Audio Group Head at Bauer Media
Saira Raza, Client Partnerships at Sky
10:50 - 11:20 Networking Break
This isn’t really a talk.
It’s more of a group confession. Maybe even a bit of therapy.
Because if you’ve worked in marketing long enough… you’ve experienced a bad brief.
We all have.
The one pulled together five minutes before the call.
The objective that sounds clever but means nothing.
The target audience that’s basically “anyone with a pulse.”
Everyone nods. Campaign goes live.
Job done… until a few weeks later when someone says,“it’s not quite right.”
And suddenly we’re on version six.
Here’s the thing — fast briefs feel productive. But they usually lead to slow, ineffective campaigns.
More rounds. More opinions. More time spent figuring out what we were actually trying to do.
The fix is simple.
Slow down!
A good brief isn’t paperwork — it’s where the work gets good.
In this session, Formore Agency and special guests Goldbox Productions will celebrate some of the worst briefs we’ve seen across two decades of marketing. We’ll also explore the role of agencies in educating clients efficient (and fun!) brief processes.
Presented:
Lucas Coe, Head of Agency at Formore
Josh Spaticchia, CEO of Goldbox Production
Anyone can vibecode a website now. That’s the easy part. The hard part – the part nobody shows you in the vibecoding demo videos – is what happens next. When your marketing team needs to run campaigns, personalise experiences, manage content at scale, and actually prove what’s driving results.
The leading platform vendors have been watching this shift closely. The newest generation of digital experience platforms has moved well beyond content management – they’re now deploying autonomous AI agents that handle campaign orchestration, content strategy, and customer journey optimisation on your behalf. The line between “CMS” and “AI-powered marketing operations platform” is disappearing fast, and that changes everything for agencies and brands.
Dmitry unpacks where the DXP market is heading, what the leading platforms are doing about it, and how agencies can make sure they’re on the right side of this shift.
Presented: Dmitry Bastron, Head of Development at Byteminds
The return of the beloved Monkey as the face of PG Tips has brought the brand back to cultural relevancy; Eleanor Barker, CMO UK & Ireland at Lipton Teas & Infusions, will explain how!
Presented: Elle Barker, Chief Marketing Officer (UK&I) at Lipton Teas
12:50 - 13:45 - Lunch & Networking Break
13:45 - Welcome Back
As consumers move faster than ever, brands must meet them in the moment- turning everyday actions into lasting growth.
Discover how real-world behavioural signals – rooted in how people move, eat, shop, and live – can power sharper measurement, stronger performance, and more meaningful connections in a privacy-first world.
Presented: Bill Dennett, Regional Team Lead, Uber Advertising
IMA’s Ben Cunningham & Ben Ducker explore what makes a happy media and creative marriage with TV sponsorship providing an effective bridge between the two.
Presented by the 2 Bens:
- Ben Cunningham, Director of Media, IMA
- Ben Ducker, Executive Creative Director, IMA
Brands are asking ‘how do you win more business in the era of AI?’ In this talk, Andrew Holland will give you the playbook. You’ll learn how to align your digital PR, SEO and GEO to be the brand that AI recommends to buyers. You’ll discover what really matters in the AI era and what doesn’t. And by the end you’ll leave with a practical plan to dominate AI search in your sector.
Presented: Andrew Holland, SEO Director at JBH PR
Search is no longer a single destination; it’s fragmented across social platforms, search engines, and increasingly, AI. That means visibility can’t be siloed or channel-specific anymore. It needs to be unrestricted – showing up wherever your audience (or an algorithm) is looking.
We’ll explore how to “join the dots” between PR and social to build that kind of visibility – not just landing coverage, but creating connected signals that travel across platforms and feed into AI and LLM discovery.
We’ll break down how to structure campaigns so they’re not just creative, but clear, consistent, and easy for AI to understand, increasing the chances of being surfaced, summarised and cited.
And crucially, we’ll discuss: how do you actually measure it?
You’ll leave with thoughts on how to begin measuring the impact of PR and social in an AI-driven landscape.
Presented by:
Hannah Craig, Director, Head of PR & Social at Impression
Lauren Henley, Associate Director, Digital PR at Impression
To finish up the 3 day festival, who better than Co-op live to help us go out with a bang!
Presented by:
Rebecca Lott, Commercial Director, Co-op Live
16:15 - Drinks Reception & Networking
Speakers
HEADLINE Partner
Williams Lea
Regional Partners
IMA
Royal Liver Suite
Growth Platform
SUPPORTERS
Definition
MAD//Fest
ICG
Uber Advertising
Formore Agency
ByteMinds
IMA
Citipost Mail
Quickfire Digital
JBH
Spark Merchandise
Ginger Fury
Royal Liver Suite
Print.com
Edison Media
Colony
Impression Digital
Embryo
HUB
What happened in 2025?
Liverpool
Prolific North’s Northern Marketing Festival kicked off in Liverpool with over 150 marketing professionals gathered for a day of insight, creativity and collaboration -spotlighting the North’s most exciting voices and forward‑thinking brands.
Leeds
From MadeBrave’s challenge to ‘don’t just put lipstick on a pig’ when rebranding, to McCann’s call to ‘show up differently’ with social‑first creativity, the day proved that Northern marketers are ready to lead with guts, vision and authenticity.
Manchester
The Northern Marketing Festival wrapped up in Manchester with a day of practical takeaways and inspiring discussions. Attendees heard how companies like McCann and Print.com are evolving strategies and engaging audiences in new ways.
Key Dates for your Diary
12 MAY
Liverpool
13 MAY
LEEDS
14 MAY
MANCHESTER
14 MAY
CHAMPIONS AWARDS
