In what promises to be as entertaining as it is useful, Mark will deliver his own inimitable take on the state of marketing for the year ahead.

Speaker(s):
Mark Ritson: Founder & Professor
Mini MBA

For those who want to see the pitching process turned upside down.

Join Rob Mayhew as he pokes fun at the pitching process. This entertaining and informative session explores the unique challenge of promoting fracking to Gen Z, combining marketing expertise with a healthy serving of marketing jargon on the side.

What you expect to learn:
• The dos and don'ts of pitching.
• How to make a memorable pitch presentation.
• How to make the pitch process more effective.

Speaker(s):
Rob Mayhew: Creative Director & TikTok Creator

For those who want to make the most of their brand assets to drive growth.

Guinness is on a roll with volume and value sales on the up. It even laid claim to being the UK’s most popular brand in the on-trade earlier this year. But how did the brand become so successful? Join two of the key architects behind its success as they explain how distinctive assets, category entry points, insight and creativity have combined to help drive its growth.

What you can expect to learn:
• How to drive effectiveness through distinctive assets.
• How to leverage category entry points.
• How to set clear brand objectives.

Speaker(s):
Neil Shah: Head of Guinness. GB
Diageo
Nicholas Hulley: Chief Creative Officer
AMV BBDO

For those who want to harness creativity more effectively.

Creativity is said to be a key factor in driving business success, particularly in uncertain times. But what does it mean to be creative and why is this important in the modern marketing landscape? Join award-winning photographer and agency owner Rankin, alongside a panel of senior marketers.

What you can expect to learn:
• How to use creativity to serve customers and company.
• An understanding of how creativity can benefit business.
• How to use creativity within your teams to drive success.

Speaker(s):
Rankin: Photographer, Publisher and Film Director
Rankin Creative
Kenyatte Nelson: Chief Membership & Customer Officer
Co-op
Ellie Norman: Chief Communications Officer
Manchester United

Moderator:
Gill Huber: Managing Partner
Oystercatchers

For those who want to stay ahead of the curve of new and emerging trends.

Soaring growth often starts in the fringes, with marginal behaviours and ways of life that take off, go mainstream and propel new categories, new innovations, and new routes to market.
Based on original, cross-cultural, quantitative, and qualitative research, Helen reveals insights into spotting consumer-driven disruption before it happens – and shows how to get ahead of the curve and find new ways to grow with it.

What you can expect to learn:
• The eight steps to assessing the mainstream potential of marginal behaviours.
• Why it’s vital to ask the question ‘What is this behaviour telling us?’
• Knowledge about the entrepreneurs who are already achieving breakthrough growth from consumer-driven disruption.
• The M2M Scale – and how it could become the key growth tool in your marketing locker.

Speaker(s):
Helen Edwards: Director of Passionbrand & Marketing Week Columnist

For those who want to understand the latest macroeconomic trends and how they will impact business.

As the latest economic turmoil in the UK begins to ease, it’s essential to look forward and prepare for what’s next. Join respected economist, author & professor at London Business School, Linda Yueh as she delivers invaluable insight into the underlying trends that will impact your business and brand. Yueh's expert analysis will provide you with the confidence you need to face the future.

What you can expect to learn:
• Key insights into the economic landscape.
• An understanding of the emerging global growth opportunities.
• Actionable insight into how you can prepare for the year ahead.

Speaker(s):
Linda Yueh: Economist
Oxford University and London Business School

For those who want to understand how to create human customer experience without incessantly pestering their customers for feedback.

Organisations are increasingly full of humans who aren’t allowed to act in a human way, with the feedback epidemic mistakenly convincing leaders that they’re close to what matters to customers and that customers are loyal to their businesses. In this talk, John Sills looks at the myths that are creating this widening divide between brands and customers, and shares stories of and lessons from organisations who are creating truly human experiences and more commercially successful company as a result.

What you expect to learn:
• The myths that convince leaders that customers care about their business.
• The human behaviours and cultural enablers of the most successful, customer-led companies.
• Why Swiss trains are so, so much better than UK ones.

Speaker(s):
John Sills: Managing Partner
The Foundation

For those who want to unpick the perspectives and opinions around AI and decipher what it could mean for marketing’s future.

If one thing is sure, it’s that the AI genie is out of the bottle, and this is a source of both anxiety and excitement for the marketing industry. In this session, we will delve into the world of AI to distinguish between genuine advancements and mere fads.

We bring together experts and sceptics to dissect and debate what impact AI will have. Whether you're a doubter or believer, you’re bound to hear fresh perspectives.

What you expect to learn:
• How AI is reshaping the marketing industry (or not).
• What AI could mean for your businesses.

Speaker(s):
Theo Priestley: Futurist & Author
The Foundation

For those who want to discover the opportunities within marketing communities.

The number and popularity of communities is rising as people crave more meaningful connections post-pandemic. Join this panel to explore the reasons marketers are turning to communities for guidance, advice, and support, plus, how communities can benefit brands.

What you can expect to learn:
• A contextual understanding of why marketing communities are on the up.
• How brands can take advantage of community growth.
• How communities can build brand loyalty and provide valuable feedback.

Speaker(s):
Joe Glover: Co-Founder
The Marketing Meetup
Areej AbuAli: Founder
Women in Tech SEO
Claire Ferreira: Founder & CMO
Mums in Marketing

Moderator:
Stuart Lewis: CEO
Rest Less

FFor those who want to put DEI at the centre of their business, but don't know where to start.

Creating the conditions to ensure teams have diversity of thought and experience, and a more inclusive approach that attracts and retains talent can foster employee loyalty, and boost financial performance, so why aren’t more companies acting? Join us as this panel of experts in the field explain how to put DEI at the centre of your business and brand strategy.

What you can expect to learn:
• How to be truly inclusive.
• An understanding of how inclusivity has commercial benefits.
• The strategies that can be put in place to drive inclusivity.
• How to develop empathy within teams.

Speaker(s):
Ali Hanan: Founder & CEO
Creative Equals
Shani Dhanda: Disability Inclusion & Accessibility Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Broadcaster

Moderator:
Richard Robinson: Managing Director
Xeim Engage

For those who want to explore different ways of working and how to find the best solution for your business.

If there is one legacy of Covid, it’s the way we work and where. Progressive companies are looking for ways they can improve employee well-being and work-life balance. From the potential of a 4-day work week to cutting-edge wellness initiatives, join this panel to discover how you can cultivate a thriving, sustainable workforce that drives success.

What you expect to learn:
• Insight into the most effective ways of working for your business/team.
• An understanding of what the future of work might look like.
• How the 4-day work-week is impacting business.

Speaker(s):
Paul David: Co-Founder & CEO
Literal Humans

Inclusion in marketing matters for businesses and brands who want to show that they care and really "get it". As marketers, you communicate about products or services that address your target audience's needs, challenges, and aspirations. But how believable are you if your marketing doesn't actually reach or represent your audiences?

Let's face it, marketing isn't just about reflecting society; it has this incredible power to shape it. This talk dives into how to use this power to create real societal change. We'll explore how being inclusive in marketing can not only drive business success but also build strong connections between brands and communities.

What you can expect to learn:
• What it really means to be diverse and inclusive.
• The business imperative for inclusion.
• Principles of inclusive marketing you can apply straight away.

Speaker(s):
Shani Dhanda: Disability Inclusion & Accessibility Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Broadcaster

For those who truly want to be a more sustainable brand and marketer.

Almost all (97%) of consumers say they want to be more sustainable, but only 13% are actively changing their behaviour, according to research from Kantar. Consumers want to lead a more sustainable lifestyle but how can brands make it easy and profitable. Join this panel as we discuss how brands can satisfy intent and grow business.

What you can expect to learn:
• How to take advantage of customer intent without exploiting it.
• How to avoid greenwashing.
• How to put sustainability at the centre of business.

Speaker(s):
Tara Chandra: Co-Founder
Here We Flo
Michelle McEttrick: Chief Customer Officer
Primark
Jessica Sansom: Sustainability Director
Huel

For marketers who want to get closer to their customers and build a strong, long-lasting brand.

Join Mark Ritson and Susan Coghill from Tourism Australia as they discuss the highly successful campaign "Come and Say G'Day" and how it reignited Australia as a holiday destination after the turmoil of the pandemic and bushfires.

What you can expect to learn:
• How to understand your customer and tailor your strategy accordingly.
• How to harness your successful brand assets for long-term success.
• How to focus on your specific target audience needs without getting too distracted by external pundits.

Speaker(s):
Susan Coghill: Chief Marketing Officer
Tourism Australia

Moderator:
Mark Ritson: Founder & Professor
Mini MBA

For those who want to get more from their data.

Using data to inform decisions, deliver better customer outcomes and sales is easier said than done. Domino's Pizza uses data to inform every marketing decision and drive customer centricity and delivery. Learn how its app-first strategy and acquisition program led to over 15% increase in online orders versus last year and how it used data to drive its award-winning 'Yodelling' & 'Castaway' ads.

What you can expect to learn:
• How to use qualitative and quantitative research methods to understand customer occasions.
• An understanding of why segmentation is the best tool for more effective campaigns.
• How to provide exceptional value to customers amidst the cost-of-living crisis.

Speaker(s):
Sarah Barron: CMO
Domino's

For those who want to learn about staying distinctive and seizing opportunities for maintaining brand growth.

M&S’s recent growth has been attributed in part to the strength of its brand. A commitment to offering “trusted value across all of our categories” underpins its proposition in clothing, homeware and food, according to CEO Stuart Machin. But how do those tasked with overseeing the branded house, ensure the strength and quality of the master brand is maintained, and is meaningful when operating across multiple verticals?

Join marketing directors Anna Braithwaite and Sharry Cramond in conversation with Marketing Week Editor-in Chief Russell Parsons as they discuss how one of the UK’s best loved brands is facing up to the challenges of an evolving sector.

What you can expect to learn:
• How M&S is using insight to stay relevant.
• How it is leveraging its distinctive assets to communicate value.
• How the M&S brand’s health is maintained across categories.
• The brand architecture challenge and opportunity.

Speaker(s):
Anna Braithwaite: Marketing Director
M&S
Russell Parsons: Editor-in-Chief
Marketing Week & Festival of Marketing

The B2B Institute’s Weinberg and Lombardo offer their unique perspective on B2B matters. Received wisdom will be challenged and fresh perspectives delivered.

Speaker(s):
Jon Lombardo: Global Head of Research
B2B Institute, Linkedin
Peter Weinberg: Global Head of Development
LinkedIn

For those who want to get marketing a place at the 'top table'

Building out your marketing function from a team of 1 in a company of 300 people in 2014, to a global team supporting a 12,000+ person business across nearly 100 offices worldwide is no mean feat in any business. In B2B even more so. In this session Apex Group’s top marketer explains how to change the perception of marketing to get a place at the 'top table'.

What you can expect to learn:
• How to be agile and grow in a particularly tough marketing field.
• How to ensure marketing's voice is heard at the top levels of your company.
• How to maintain and encourage growth for you and your team to ensure you are ‘future-ready’!

Speaker(s):
Rosie Guest: CMO
Apex

For those interested in best practice in brand building and creative effectiveness.

Brand building is a difficult case to make, especially in categories and companies that have favoured functional, rationale messaging and where the value of brand has not been seen by all stakeholders.
Join three marketers who will explain in what way they have manged to make the case.

What you can expect to learn:
• The value of brand building.
• How to measure and define the success of brand investment.
• How to make the case for creativity and storytelling.

Speaker(s):
Christopher Stemborowski: Sr. Global Director for Digital Operations & Activation Strategy
ServiceNow
Katherine Bailey: Director, Marketing & Activation, Brand, Marketing & Communications
EY
More speakers to be added

For those interested in more effective ways to imagine the buyer journey.

This panel will challenge received wisdom around the marketing funnel while examining the buying journey. Is it fit for purpose, and what needs to change, if anything at all?

What you will expect to learn:
• How to determine whether the marketing funnel is actually working effectively across all channels.
• What new approaches you can take that accommodates for buyer behaviour.
• How to adapt your marketing funnels so they are fit for purpose and will drive growth.

Speaker(s):
Kate Owen: Senior Director
pwc
Anouschka Elliott: Managing Director, Global Head of Marketing
Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Tom Roach: VP Brand Strategy
Jellyfish

For those who want to learn how to build stand-out brands for future growth and success.

When Glanbia, an Irish global nutrition group, decided on a spin-off, the company needed to stand up a new brand, revitalise the remaining company brand, and build for the future. Join this session to hear from the leaders of both projects in conversation on how they've achieved all this and more!

What you will expect to learn:
• How to create a new brand while retaining a rich heritage after a corporate separation: name, visual identity and strategy.
• How to refresh an existing brand to reflect new business goals: modern visual and verbal identity.
• How to drive engagement with key stakeholders.

Speaker(s):
Margaret Molloy: Global Chief Marketing Officer
Siegel+Gale
Martha Kavanagh: Director of Corporate Affairs
Glanbia
Nicola O’Connell: Head of Consumer Development
Tirlán

For those who want to be better content marketers on TikTok.

Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dive into the world of short form video with renowned content & TikTok creator Rob Mayhew in this practical and hands-on masterclass. With his extensive experience advising Fortune 500 companies.

What you will expect to learn:
• How to brainstorm creative video ideas.
• How to overcome your fears of getting in front of the camera.
• How to capture the attention of your viewers.

Speaker(s):
Rob Mayhew: Creative Director & TikTok Creator

For those looking for actionable guidance on how to think big and evaluate their current performance, while operating within reduced budgets and resources. Because it’s all a bit tricky right now!

Marketers in all industries are faced with the daunting task of achieving sales results with shrinking budgets and limited resources. To overcome these challenges, it is crucial to take a step back, ask yourselves the tough questions and be honest with your answers. Measuring effectiveness is a key part of any marketing endeavour, so we’ve designed a marketing checklist to help you weather the storm and successfully position your brand in a competitive landscape.

What you will expect to learn:
• What steps to take when re-evaluating your marketing efforts.
• How to think big and deliver big with limited resources.
• How to question your ways of working.

Speaker(s):
Eloise Todd: Account Director
ReallyB2B
Emily Crisp: Data & Planning Director
ReallyB2B