Prolific North can now reveal the agenda for Northern Marketing Festival‘s Leeds event, bringing together marketers, strategists and brand leaders for a day of insight, discussion and networking on 13 May at Aspire Leeds.
This stop on the 2026 festival tour will explore everything from FMCG and audience strategy to AI, social-first content and brand growth, with speakers from agencies, household brands and challenger businesses taking to the stage.
The day opens with a welcome to Northern Marketing Festival before Embryo’s Chief Strategy Officer, Dom Carter, kicks off proceedings with a session titled “Reaching the unreachable.”
Food and drink will feature heavily throughout the day’s programme, including a conversation on FMCG hosted by strategy advisor and former Yorkshire Tea marketer Dom Dwight alongside Matt Carr of Carr’s Pastries.
There will also be a case study session from IMA, Harringtons and CHILLI exploring how the pet food brand has approached marketing “without compromise.” Jess Kaye, Business Director at CHILLI, Claire Bradley, Creative Director at IMA, and Sascha Macchi, Head of Marketing at Harringtons, are all set to appear.
Elsewhere on the agenda, HUB CEO Rob Shaw and Jorvik Tricycles founder James Walker will discuss why brands need to prioritise “audience over algorithm” when digital-only marketing strategies stop delivering results.
Founder of Ginger Fury, Jay Dickinson, will tackle the challenge facing modern marketers in a session titled “Marketing isn’t short of ideas – it’s short of priorities.”
Broadcaster Channel 4 will also feature on the bill introducing us to new channel “Channel 4 Served”, described as a social-first food and drink channel.
The afternoon sessions continue with Uber Advertising Regional Team Lead Bill Dennett discussing how “life’s movement becomes brand momentum,” before Definition’s AI Director Luke Budka and Head of Language Nick Padmore take to the stage with a session called “Stop the slop – How to standout in a sea of mediocrity.”
The Champions Awards shortlisters, Tiger Sheds will round off the day as our brand keynote.
The Leeds event will conclude with closing remarks followed by a drinks reception and networking session.
Northern Marketing Festival’s Leeds event takes place at Aspire Leeds on 13 May from 9am until 3.45pm.
