Festival Agenda
Secure your spot today to join us…
Explore the Northern Marketing Festival Agenda
Epic speakers, bold ideas, and a plethora of insights and top tips to help take your marketing knowledge to the next level. What’s not to love?? View the full agenda for the week below and get yourself a ticket! But hurry, spaces are filling up fast…
If you have any questions or want to find out how you can get involved, please contact us on [email protected]
09:00 - Arrival, registration & pick up your badge
09:30 - Welcome from Host Prolific North, Poke & Automated Analytics
Want to see a campaign that truly moves decision-makers? Nicola Docking from Poke reveals the bold strategy behind Alder Hey’s Top Trumps initiative. Learn how they tapped into the power of “play” to raise awareness of critical inequalities in children’s healthcare and compel action from politicians. Nicola will share tips on how to transform complex issues into engaging campaigns that drive real-world impact.
Presented by:
Nicola Dorking, Managing Director at Poke
Can a 200-year-old law firm become a branding innovator? Absolutely. Discover how Liverpool-founded Weightmans, now a top 40 UK player, reimagined their brand by putting their people at the heart of everything. Weightmans’ Sarah Walton, their first female Managing Partner, shares the inside story of their brand transformation.
Panellists
- Sarah Walton, Managing Partner of Weightmans
- Dr Catriona Wolfenden, Director of Innovation at Weightmans
- Valerie Bounds, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy & Creative Officer Aurora
Hosted by Dawn Paine, Co-Founder & CEO Aurora
10:45 Networking Break
In today’s fast-paced digital marketplace, engaging content is key to social selling success. During this session, you’ll hear about the tools and techniques for creating compelling content that converts followers into customers. You’ll also learn about tailoring your creativity for the different platforms and leveraging the power of the TikTok shop.
Speakers:
Harriet Tuite, Head of Paid Social at Embryo
Chris Grimes, Managing Director of Novaro
Vision One unveils a powerful new way to measure brand success—backed by data, designed for growth. Discover how this all-in-one metric fits into your strategy, why it matters for attracting new audiences, and how tapping into different markets can breathe new life into your brand. We’re talking real insights, real impact, and real evidence. Smart, sharp, and seriously useful – don’t miss it.
Speaker: Tony Lewis – CEO of Vision One & Author
Join Anna Babilinski-Barker, Senior Brand and Marketing Manager at Chester Zoo, for a 30-minute fireside chat exploring the zoo’s remarkable rebrand journey. With 16+ years of experience in visitor attractions and charities, Anna will reveal how they’ve transformed Chester Zoo into a UK renowned hub of conservation. Learn how bold strategies, a “Northern Grit” attitude, and innovative campaigns have delivered measurable results and propelled this iconic brand to new heights.
Fireside chat with Anna Babilinski-Barker, Senior Brand and Marketing Manager at Chester Zoo
12:50 - Lunch & Networking Break
Liverpool is renowned for its vibrant cultural scene, and this panel discussion celebrates how the city’s music, film, and gaming sectors are not just cultural assets but powerful engines of economic growth. Featuring key figures from these dynamic industries, his session will explore how Liverpool’s unique ‘Northern Grit’ and innovative spirit have fostered a thriving creative ecosystem.
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
16:00 - Drinks Reception & Networking
09:00 - Arrival, registration & pick up your badge
09:30 - Welcome from Host Prolific North, Poke & Automated Analytics
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
Let’s be honest, proving social ROI can feel like a constant battle, right? Naomi Horan from CLOUD NINE gets it – she’s been in the social and influencer world for over 9 years, on both the agency and brand sides. If you’re keen to figure out what real social success looks like in 2025 (and the metrics that actually prove it), this is your session. We’ll be diving into:
- Strategic content: where the magic starts
- Reporting: tracking what actually matters
- Community: showing the ROI
Speaker: Naomi Horan – Social Media & Influencer Manager at CLOUD NINE
11:10 Networking Break
The rules of organic search strategy are being rewritten, and in this session, we’ll explore what it’s going to take to futureproof your brand in an AI-powered, culture-driven, digital landscape. We’ll unpack the new pillars of SEO and how the evolution of the audience has caused this shift. It’s no longer enough to build rankings, you need to understand your audience so that they choose you. Whether you’re brand or agency-side, this talk will give you actionable tools to reimagine your approach and create a stronger organic presence.
Speaker: Jess Atkinson, Head of Organic at Embryo
Paid media isn’t just for quick wins. In this sharp and strategic session, Wolfenden’s Matt Robson explores how rethinking paid as a brand-building tool – briefed better, integrated smarter, and measured differently – can unlock serious long-term growth. With insights from WARC’s Multiplier Effect and a real-world case study, this session will change how you see performance marketing.
Speaker: Dan Pratt, Solutions Director at Wolfenden
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
13:00 - Lunch & Networking Break
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
In today’s fast-paced market, speed and efficiency are critical for brand success. But how do we achieve this without sacrificing creative excellence?
Sun Branding’s ‘Brand Catalysts’ will explore how they’re tackling this challenge by integrating proprietary technology with their creative process when it comes to branding and packaging. This session will delve into practical strategies for leveraging tech to accelerate creative workflows.
Discover how Sun Branding balances the ‘logic’ of technology with the ‘magic’ of creative innovation to drive tangible business results for global brands and retailers. We’ll examine real-world examples and discuss how you can implement similar approaches to supercharge your own brand development.
Speakers:
Caroline Kaye – Design Director at Sun Branding
Robert Quigley – Technical Director at Sun Branding
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
15:45 - Drinks Reception & Networking
09:00 - Arrival, registration & pick up your badge
09:30 - Welcome from Host Prolific North, Poke & Automated Analytics
Don’t let the evolving digital landscape leave your paid media strategy behind. Join experts Callum (Embryo) and Stephen (Roland DG) to discover how they’re leveraging emerging opportunities and adapting to change. Get practical takeaways and real examples of winning campaigns that have achieved results both in the UK and internationally.
Speakers:
Callum Leonard, Paid Media Strategy Director at Embryo
Stephen Davis, EMEA Marketing Director at Roland DG
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
11:00 Networking Break
Driving traffic is easy. Making it count? That’s where the difference lies. This session talks about how to build a digital experience that delivers long-term impact. Learn how aligning your brand’s personality with performance marketing can reshape your content strategy to boost engagement, reduce drop-off and drive conversion without wasting budget.
Speaker: Andy Beckwith – Creative Director at Tall
In 2015, we would have never envisaged a Search world that wasn’t dominated by Google. Fast forward a decade, we’re in 2025, searching in more ways than ever before. But what does this mean for Search Marketers now that Search means so much more than Google?
Join Claire and Nick as they provide actionable insights on how to grow your search beyond Google to keep competitive in the wider search landscape in 2025. Learn how to leverage AI to understand patterns and get ahead of the competition in the new world of search.
Speakers:
Claire Elsworth – Strategy Director, Impression
Nick Handley – Head of Paid Media Performance, Impression
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
13:00 - Lunch & Networking Break
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
We’re keeping a few surprises up our sleeve… This session will be revealed soon and promises to bring fresh insight, bold thinking, and practical takeaways to your Festival experience. Keep an eye out…
15:45 - Drinks Reception & Networking
Let’s be honest, proving social ROI can feel like a constant battle, right? Naomi Horan from CLOUD NINE gets it – she’s been in the social and influencer world for over 9 years, on both the agency and brand sides. If you’re keen to figure out what real social success looks like in 2025 (and the metrics that actually prove it), this is your session. We’ll be diving into:
- Strategic content: where the magic starts
- Reporting: tracking what actually matters
- Community: showing the ROI
Speaker: Naomi Horan – Social Media & Influencer Manager at CLOUD NINE
HEADLINE PARTNERs
SBS
Automated Analytics
Embryo
Regional Partners
The Growth Company
Poke Marketing
Supporters
Canny Creative
Made Brave
BuyMedia
LucidLink
The Growth Company
SBS
Automated Analytics
Print.com
TAL
Wolfenden
Colony
McCann
Be Broadcast
Impression Digital
Poke Marketing
Embryo
Sun Branding
TALL
