Together
Leeds, 15-17 July 2026
Together
Leeds, 15 — 17 July 2026
With 35 sessions on a variety of topics spread across 2 days, our Conference programme is jam-packed.
The AMA Conference programme celebrates the collective strength we possess as arts marketers and as a sector, and focuses on what can be achieved when we share our knowledge, experiences and shape solutions together.
Session levels
Each year we share the ‘level’ that our sessions are aimed at, to help you decide how to spread your time at Conference.
Our session levels are:
- Tactical — These sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately
- Strategic — These sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives
- Leadership — These sessions have an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
Sessions
Thursday 16 July
09:30am
Managing Change Together: leading and engaging your team
All organisations are constantly adapting. It is more than managing change, it is embracing reinvention. Change has to be worked through with all those involved working Together.
In this session, Tessitura will look at how to identify and overcome barriers, how to engage your team and how other organisations and teams have led their change projects.
- Tips on how to prepare team members for change
- A guide to making work
- Examples from other organisations
This is a Leadership session, with an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
Rachael Easton
Director, Regional Development EU, Tessitura
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Bramall Rock Void.
This session is Sponsored by Tessitura
Reopening Together: how The Arts Theatre Cambridge brought its new brand to life online
This session explores how The Arts Theatre Cambridge’s (ATC) new brand was translated into a clear, intuitive and accessible digital experience – delivered collaboratively during a pivotal moment of change for the organisation following a 10-month renovation.
Hear how ATC and Substrakt worked together to deliver a website that balances bold brand expression with user-centred design principles – reflecting on the practical realities of collaborative delivery and focussing on how accessibility was embedded into the process.
Discover how working together – across disciplines, organisations and perspectives – can result in digital experiences that are both creatively confident and genuinely effective.
- Understanding how to translate a rebrand into a usable digital experience
- Practical tips for embedding accessibility and user-centred thinking from the start
- Best practices for collaborative delivery
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Liam Basford
Designer, Substrakt
Nicky Hupe
Head of Communications, The Arts Theatre Cambridge
Kat Collins
Head of Sales and Marketing, The Arts Theatre Cambridge
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
This session is Sponsored by Substrakt
The Age of “Worth It”: rebuilding casual audiences in the cultural sector
Across the UK, arts organisations are seeing the same shift: attendance is becoming more uneven. Big, ‘must-see’ work still sells early and strongly, while everyday, repeat participation is harder to sustain. Lead times are later overall, but the pattern is increasingly polarised – there’s still a strong early spike for certain titles, and a thinning-out in the middle.
So people are treating cultural plans less like habits and more like decisions they need to justify: Will it be worth it? Will I regret it? Is it going to be a hassle?
In this session, Baker Richards shares a clear, practical picture of what’s changing in 2026, drawn from work across hundreds of organisations and set in the context of the wider economy.
- A clear understanding of the 2026 participation pattern – polarised demand, a thinning middle, and why this matters for future audiences and resilience
- A practical framework to increase confidence and conversion without relying on price cuts, by reducing the ‘uncertainty premium’
- Approaches to rebuilding broad participation through shared learning and collective audience pathways
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
David Reece
Chief Strategy Officer, Baker Richards
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
This session is Sponsored by Baker Richards
10:30am
Still Together?
In our opening keynote, Shawab Iqbal will explore what it means for the arts sector to create connection, trust and belonging in an increasingly fragmented society.
Drawing on his experience leading cultural work through public tension, political pressure and contested conversations, Shawab reflects on the role cultural organisations play in holding space for complexity, difference and shared experience. At a time when many communities feel divided, disconnected or unheard, the keynote considers how the arts — and the way we communicate and invite people into them — can help rebuild public trust and connection.
This is a Keynote and is suitable for all.
Shawab Iqbal
Chief Executive, Leeds Playhouse
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
11:35am
Making the Case, Together: translating cultural impact through social value
Arts and culture organisations are well-versed in evaluation, yet many experience evaluation fatigue.
This session explores how Sarah (Orchestras Live) and Nicola (East Riding of Yorkshire Council) piloted Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology through the Classically Yours programme, which brings orchestral music into community settings.
SROI complements existing practice by translating social outcomes into economic value – strengthening the case for public benefit. Sarah and Nicola will share what they learned from testing this approach collaboratively: aligning partners around shared definitions of impact, mapping existing data onto social value frameworks, balancing rigour with proportionality, and ensuring that lived experience remained central within the metrics.
- Understanding of what SROI-style social value measurement can add to existing evaluation approaches in arts and culture
- Insight from practical description of piloting social value methods through a cross-sector partnership
- Lessons on how to communicate impact in ways that resonate with funders and financially minded stakeholders, without increasing evaluation burden
This is both a Strategic and Leadership session.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Leadership sessions have an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
Sarah Derbyshire
Chief Executive, Orchestras Live
Nicola Dixon
Arts Manager, East Riding of Yorkshire Council
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
Communicating Your Access Offer
Edinburgh International Festival’s offers a range of resources for Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent audiences, to remove barriers to engage with the Festival.
Although they receive positive feedback, occasionally there is a communication breakdown in how and where access information is shared, with some people not finding information and continuing to experience barriers.
Guided by discussions with their Access Panel of disabled people, Edinburgh International Festival have commissioned five animations that outline the access offer; what is available, how to get the most from it, and where to go for further information.
In this session Callum will chart this process, outlining examples of the communication breakdown, providing insights into how the videos were made and sharing responses from audiences.
- Understanding that offering access is not the end of the process
- Insight into how you can include people with lived experience in developing and testing your access offer
- How to grow this audience by building confidence in your access offers
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Callum Madge
Access Manager, Edinburgh International Festival
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
Better Together: unifying Meta, Pinterest and TikTok ads for arts audiences
Arts organisations increasingly face pressure to achieve more with small teams and limited budgets: growing audiences, boosting sales, and sustaining cultural relevance online.
Meta, Pinterest and TikTok are typically managed separately. In this session, Katherine from Oh So Social will show how they can form a connected paid ecosystem for arts marketing.
Learn how to align these platforms – TikTok for discovery, Pinterest for inspiration, Meta for conversion – while reusing creative assets to tell cohesive stories efficiently.
- Understanding how Meta, Pinterest and TikTok work together across the user journey
- Practical frameworks to plan and manage paid social as a connected, unified strategy
- Tip on how to create and adapt arts-focused creative that performs across multiple platforms
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Katherine George
Director, Oh So Social
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
This session is Sponsored by Oh So Social
Creating Cohorts: across museums, galleries and communities
Going Places is a cohort of twenty museums and galleries from all four nations, working collaboratively with one another and their local
communities to share and celebrate their remarkable collections through touring exhibitions.
Shaped by local voices, each display is bespoke to the location.
Community is at the heart with local people choosing art and objects to include, contributing personal items and stories, and working with artists to create something new.
Discover the ways of working that have enabled the delivery of this complex project, including the practicalities of convening these museums and their local communities, building relationships and establishing trust, the benefits of peer-to-peer sharing opportunities, and examples of bringing communities together.
- Practical examples of embedding collaboration within long-term programming
- Understanding the opportunities and benefits related to creating spaces for collaboration, skills sharing, and bringing communities together
- Insight into how collective outputs can be presented in a locally bespoke way
This is a Strategic session, with a focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Gracie Divall
Senior Programme Manager, Going Places, Art Fund
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Bramall Rock Void.
This session is Sponsored by Art Fund
12:25pm — 1:25pm
This is your lunch break. Use this time to refuel and take part in one of our lunchtime activities. You can choose between:
- Networking
- Exploring the Exhibition
- Join the lunchtime session with CultureSuite — please note, session takes place from 12:45pm — 1.15pm
- Building connections at the Freelancer lunch
We asked for a new website. We got something we didn’t expect.
What does it actually mean to future-proof your website? Not in theory. In practice, with real budgets, real teams, and real pressure to deliver.
Two cultural leaders share what happened when a website decision became something much bigger: a restructured team, a redefined approach to digital, and a more coherent way of working across a complex multi-venue estate.
The most powerful shift both Leeds City Council and HOME made was recognising that digital infrastructure, like the best work in our sector, gets stronger when it’s built collectively rather than in isolation.
This session is organised around strategic and organisational themes rather than technical ones, so no specialist digital knowledge is required. Delegates who’ve felt the pain of a website rebuild will get the most from it.
- Understanding the strategic shift required at an organisational level to create digital infrastructure
- Insight into digital ownership for your team
- How to make the most of shared infrastructure on websites, instead of going bespoke
This is both a Strategic and Leadership session.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Leadership sessions have an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
David Johnstone
Chief Growth Officer, CultureSuite
Shona Galletly
Audience Development Manager, Leeds City Council
Jay Walton
Director of Audiences, HOME
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
This session is Sponsored by CultureSuite
1:25pm
From Audiences to Community: what changes when you build together
What happens when cultural organisations move beyond targeting audiences and instead create spaces for people to gather around shared experience and purpose?
Using the Motherhood Series as a case study, Rebecca from Clore Leadership will reflect on the successes and challenges of community-led content and audience development rooted in care, trust and collaboration.
- Strategies to shift from audience to communities
- Tips to create meaningful content with people through participation
- Confidence to lead with care and connection
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Rebecca Usher
Communications Manager, Clore Leadership
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
New Models for Income Generation and Audience Growth
Learn how three different organisations are tackling financial pressures that help build audiences.
The Albany developed a new income stream through the Creative Communities Membership, making better use of under-used space.
Opera North introduced pay-what-you-can tickets to attract first-time audiences to opera, in particular Gen Z and millennials.
Reading Rep Theatre responded to their need for more marketing support by using freelancers to scale marketing without scaling staff.
- Tips on how to work effectively across departments to generate innovative revenue ideas and make the most of the resources you already have
- How to make pay-what-you-can performance part of your growth marketing strategy alongside a standard ticketing model
- Understanding the benefits and increased income of using the experience and specialism of freelancers to undertake key marketing tasks
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Lydia Heald
Marketing Lead (Acquisition), Opera North
Courtney Green
Head of Marketing, Reading Rep Theatre
Sophie Waddy
Head of Marketing and Communications, The Albany
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
Tackling the Climate Crisis Together
This panel discussion will explore how four cultural organisations have tackled the climate crisis, reduced their organisation’s impact on the planet and how they share their progress with audiences and stakeholders.
Join this session hosted by Supercool to hear:
- Some of the challenges these organisations have faced and how they’ve tackled these.
- Which groups are they working with, and how is collaborating with other organisations helping?
- How they’ve shared progress, successes and challenges with audiences and stakeholders.
- How they navigate communication challenges, avoid green washing while still celebrating successes.
- How they handle audience and stakeholder feedback.
- What can cultural organisations do to better support each other in this area?
- Practical advice and ideas on how to communicate sustainability initiatives
- Ideas on how to balance messaging within broader marketing activities
- Ideas and strategies on collaboration and working together
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Kate Mroczkowski
Strategy Director, Supercool
Ruth Cooke
Executive Director and Joint CEO, Northern Broadsides
Hannah Barton
Head of Digital Media, National Museums Scotland
Isabella Feros
Media Manager, Edinburgh International Festival
Lauren Cowdery
Digital Marketing Officer, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Bramall Rock Void.
This session is Sponsored by Supercool
From Keynote to Commercial Toolkits
This session will be an action-focused workshop led by creative writer and cultural strategist Munroop Kaur Panesar.
Following on from Shawab Iqbal’s opening keynote, this session will move to build a technical commercial framework for your marketing teams and organisations.
You will be guided to hard-code ethical equality into your existing marketing systems. We’ll deliver evidence-led solutions that bridge ethical data practice and performance delivery. We want you to experience the shift from acknowledgement to fixing the system.
- Access Rider Template: a personalised tool for immediate transparency and team-wide support
- Future-proofing Audit: a technical audit to identify and resolve critical gaps in institutional data
- Power Sharing Framework: a tactical model equitable leadership growth and sponsorship within your organisation
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Munroop Kaur Panesar
Multidisciplinary Artist, Creative Producer, Teacher/Facilitator
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
2:50pm
Free Moments, Real Impact: rethinking youth engagement through collaborations
The art world has less funding than ever. Galleries and museums have stretched budgets and so do young people. The answer? Strategic generosity and collaborating with the right external partners to provide free moments for young people to enjoy in your gallery.
This session will explore how offering free exhibition tickets to Tate Collective to celebrate Tate Modern’s 25th birthday had a game-changing impact on its approach to engaging 16-25-year-olds. This success laid the foundation for a new strand in the Tate Collective strategy aimed at providing accessible cultural experiences beyond its exhibitions through strategic partnerships.
Kadi and Logan will give an honest overview of what did and didn’t work and discuss the challenges that come with delivering free events for young people. They will also share the key learnings gained through the incentives and how collaboration continues to unlock new ways of engaging the next generation of culturally engaged audiences.
- An understanding of what matters to young people
- Insight into how partnerships can diversify your audience
- How to allow for a testing period to trial new ideas that will inform future strategies
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Kadi Diallo
Tate Collective Marketing Manager, Tate
Logan Kingsbeer
Senior Marketing Manager of Tate Collective and Partnerships, Tate
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
The Friendly Tension
In many arts organisations, development and marketing teams orbit the same audiences but operate in parallel worlds with their own priorities, pressures and definitions of success. This can create a natural but unspoken tension: who “owns” the audience? Whose message takes precedence? And how do we ask something of people (their attention, their time, their money) without overwhelming or confusing them?
In this session, Amy and Matt from Leeds Heritage Theatres will explore how they are working together to intentionally build a joint approach to audiences that recognises both disciplines as vital, interconnected and part of a single communications ecosystem. Instead of allowing tension to fester, they are trying to create a productive space where priorities are negotiated, strategies are aligned, and messaging becomes more coherent and powerful.
- Advice on how to work together to shift the mindset and embrace shared thinking about audiences
- Tips on blended messages: integrating giving messaging into sales campaigns through values-based and mission-led story telling into and alongside sales comms
- Ways to rethink the loyalty ladder: mapping a single, shared audience journey that helps both teams understand what the next right message is, whether that’s “book a ticket” or “support our work”
This is both a Strategic and Leadership session.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Leadership sessions have an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
Amy Sanderson
Head of Communications and Commercial, Leeds Heritage Theatres
Matt Collier
Head of Development, Leeds Heritage Theatres
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
In Search of KPIs: aligning teams around what really matters
Cultural organisations collect a lot of data, but the real challenge is deciding what matters most. Drawing inspiration from Ticketsolve’s experience, this session will detail how organisations can adopt a strategic, hypothesis-driven methodology for their metrics and KPIs.
They’ll look at how focusing on important metrics, retiring old ones, and balancing leading and lagging indicators can help you concentrate on making decisions instead of just looking at dashboards, and how sharing data ownership across teams can improve collaboration and clarity.
You’ll leave with practical ideas to define, improve, and adapt KPIs that really support your strategy.
- How to identify the key KPIs that drive decisions
- How to evolve and change metrics as priorities shift
- How to align teams around shared data ownership
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Ella Bailey
Digital Marketing and Content Specialist, Ticketsolve
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Bramall Rock Void.
This session is Sponsored by Ticketsolve
Together We Connect: building an organisation-wide marketing strategy
The Marketing and Audience Development (MAD) Plan at Turner Sims was only known to the small marketing team. Despite good intentions, it was invisible – and therefore irrelevant – to the wider organisation. For a venue rooted in connection, this felt like a fundamental disconnect.
In this practical session, Maddie and Jo will share how Turner Sims built an organisation-wide Connect Strategy that puts relationships, not transactions, at its heart. Rather than talking to audiences, they wanted to connect with them – and ensure everyone in the organisation understood their role in that journey.
This session will explore the co-creation process the organisation went through to create a Connect Strategy Tree – a simple, visual framework that helped Turner Sims understand how everything connects. It will also offer practical tools, language, and facilitation techniques for embedding marketing and audience development across whole organisations, because meaningful connection can only happen together.
- A practical approach to engaging staff, volunteers and stakeholders in developing marketing and audience strategies that have organisational buy-in
- How to shift from transactional messaging to relational connection
- A clear understanding of why marketing and communications cannot operate in silos and how to break them down
This is a Strategic session, with a focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Maddie Risbridger
Head of Marketing and Sales, Turner Sims, University of Southampton
Jo Borg
Marketing and Communications Officer, Turner Sims, University of Southampton
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
3:40pm
Dynamic Models for Connecting Together
In this keynote DK will be sharing insights and experiences of unlocking creative productivity along with his multi-year study of the variety of models and shapes in which to gather humans effectively.
Exploring questions such as: What are the defining elements which foster collaboration? Which are the best models for organisations to use to unlock creative thinking and problem solving? Where to utilise specific facilitation and participatory techniques in building trust and measurable action?
This keynote will focus on championing humans not technology as the driving force in the future of work / culture development, where ideas flow freely, connection thrives and productivity soars.
This is a Keynote and is suitable for all.
DK
Creative Producer and Speaker Coach, Justadandak Ltd
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
Friday 17 July
9:30am
Programming, Reframed: what a major study on exhibition programming tells us about how we may need to change our wider audience strategy
A new major study conducted by MHM in partnership with 10 cultural institutions has revealed vivid market trends in audience needs and behaviour that are shaping the opportunities ahead for public programming.
Through this long-range benchmarking study on temporary exhibition attendance, MHM will unpack six market shifts that impact all audience-focused institutions, no matter your artform or scale.
This session will look back on trends and look forward to strategies relating to changing audience profiles, the challenge of audience loyalty, the role of the brand and the implications for communications and experience design.
- Sharp insight on shift needs of audiences that are impact on patterns in programming attendance and engagement
- Case studies in programming that meet new audience needs
- Recommendations for your audience strategy and audience development plan
This is a Leadership session, with an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
Guy Turton
Director, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
This session is Sponsored by MHM
When Marketing and Digital Become Revenue Drivers
Marketing and digital often sit in the ‘cost centre’ category and are at the service of other parts of the organisation. Which is fine, but can sometimes give rise to frustrations. But it’s not the only way. Some organisations are building out business models with art at the heart and where marketing and digital capabilities directly generate revenue and contribute to the bottom line.
This session One Further will focus on case studies from organisations that have developed digitally-focused business models covering:
- Corporate partnerships
- Content monetisation
- Digital memberships
- Ecommerce and licensing
- Understanding of different digital revenue models
- How to assess whether this makes sense for your organisation
- How arts organisations are particularly well-positioned to capitalise on these opportunities
This is a Strategic session, with a focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Chris Unitt
Founder, One Futher
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
This session is Sponsored by One Further
10:30am
Horizon Scanning: what’s next for arts and cultural marketing
Together we’ll look at what is happening now, next and on the horizon for us as marketers. Our panellists will share what they are working on, what they are building towards and what they are planning for.
This panel session is a chance for us to explore together how we are making things work, how we are developing our skills and practice to make the most of changing societal, technological, political and environmental contexts.
There will also be space for delegates to ask questions and share their own experiences and thoughts on what’s next for arts and cultural marketing.
- Insight into peer marketing practice
- Inspiration for developing their work
- The opportunity to share their experiences
This is a Keynote and is suitable for all.
Sarah Ogle
Interim Director of Audiences, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
David O’Hara
UK Marketing Director, ATG Entertainment
Ogheneteka Oke
Marketing Manager, Reoluton Arts
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online
Quarry Theatre.
11:35am
What Moves Family Audiences? The real impact of Instagram influencers
Family audiences are one of the most important and most complex groups for arts organisations to reach. In recent years, many of us may have experimented with Instagram influencers as a way to build trust, build new audiences, and reach families where they already are. But what actually works, what doesn’t, and what can we learn together from these experiences?
In this session, Helena Fewkes from Z-arts, the UK’s only dedicated arts centre for children and families, will explore the real impact of Instagram influencer marketing on family audiences. Drawing on practical examples from Z-arts, the session will bring together shared learning: successes, missteps, surprising outcomes, and the questions we’re still grappling with as a community.
- A clearer understanding of what genuinely moves family audiences on Instagram
- Practical takeaways on choosing influencers, setting expectations, and measuring impact
- Shared insights from across the sector
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Helena Fawkes
Marketing and Audience Development Manager, Z-arts
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
Revolution or Evolution? Lessons from the Donmar brand refresh
The Donmar’s marketing tended to invite audiences in on the basis of an individual show. But contemplating a rebrand and a new website, they saw an opportunity to shift from production marketing to brand storytelling. Could they unlock new potential by conveying the special magic of the Donmar experience – communicating relevance to those who’ve never stepped inside – at the same time as building authentic connections with a devoted existing fanbase?
Working with Fly a Kite, the Donmar did a deep dive into its brand story, bringing staff together across the organisation, generating ideas and early buy-in. In particular ensuring marketing and artistic teams are working in true partnership. Crucially, they also gained the audience perspective through in-depth qualitative research to understand what audiences really valued. This valuable work underpinned the Donmar’s subsequent brand refresh and new website development.
- How to bring people together across teams and ensure artistic teams and marketing are working in partnership
- How to take a robust approach that develops internal confidence in your brand strategy and how to successfully pitch the need for investment in brand from key internal stakeholders
- How to consult audiences to fuel brand strategy success
- How to make sure your brand is a practical tool implemented across your channels
This is a Strategic session, with a focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives..
Jo Taylor
Director, Fly a Kite
Abby Corfan
Director of Audiences, Donmar Warehouse
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
This session is Sponsored by Fly a Kite
The Highs and Lows of Leadership in 2026: navigating change, culture and risk
How do leaders navigate change, build healthy and ambitious organisational cultures, and set the next generation up for success?
Join Alice Young, Managing Director at Spektrix, and Tom Bird, Chief Executive at Sheffield Theatres, for an honest conversation about the realities of leadership in 2026. Drawing on their own experience, they will explore leading and managing change, taking risks, balancing expectations, and creating a culture that helps fuel the next generation.
- Insights and approaches to key leadership challenges
- Practical approaches to leading change, managing risk, and building a healthy culture
- Explore how to support and develop the next generation of leaders
This is a Leadership session, with an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
Alice Young
Managing Director, Spektrix
Tom Bird
Chief Executive, Sheffield Theatres
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio
This session is Sponsored by Spektrix
12:25pm — 1:25pm
This is your lunch break. Use this time to refuel and take part in one of our lunchtime activities. You can choose between:
- Networking
- Exploring the Exhibition
- Joining the lunchtime session with Digital Culture Network — please note, session takes place from 12:45pm — 1.15pm
Social Media SEO Made Simple: reaching audiences, algorithms and AI
This session explores how the rise of social search and AI-driven discovery is reshaping how audiences find information online, and how the arts and cultural sector can use these shifts to reach new audiences and drive engagement.
With more people turning to social platforms instead of traditional search engines, and AI tools increasingly citing social content, understanding social SEO and how to frame posts is becoming crucial for visibility.
Social Media Tech Champions Katy Farrell and Nicola Barratt from the Digital Culture Network will explore the current social media landscape, explain what social SEO is, and how to create content that appears in search.
- An understanding of the current landscape and the potential impact of social media SEO
- How to frame your posts so they’re effective on social media, and cited by search engines and LLMs
- Practical tips on creating content to meet your audiences’ needs and increase your brand’s visibility
This Tactical session covers the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Nicola Barratt
Tech Champion, Social Media, Digital Culture Network
Katy Farrell
Tech Champion, Social Media, Digital Culture Network
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
This session is Sponsored by Digital Culture Network
1:25pm
The Great British School Trap: how the patterns we learned at school might be preventing us from getting on at work
To do well in the workplace (and in adult life, generally) we need a drastically different outlook to the one we developed in school. Unfortunately just at the point where we are stepping out of the world of education, when we need a teacher the most, there is no one around. Left to our own devices, we attempt to decipher the alien world of work through a system of trial and error, but decades later many of us are still running old, unhelpful scripts. Perhaps we’re hitting the same barriers again and again. Or maybe we have a nagging feeling that sounds something like ‘this working life thing could be better’ but we have no clue how to get there.
In this uplifting session we shine a light on some of the gremlins that might be lurking in our psyche from childhood and school. We start the process of shedding those thought patterns and behaviours that no longer serve us, making space for something more useful… perhaps something a little kinder, a little braver and a little more fun.
Zahida will cover topics including: getting permission, being seen, building a better relationship with working life, reframing job interviews, power dynamics, and daring to reach for what you want.
- Clarity around the ideas that are keeping you stuck
- Practical steps you can take to approach work differently
- Ways you can harness support from others to facilitate your career journey
This session is aimed at anyone wanting to understand how to progress their career in the arts, cultural and heritage sectors.
Zahida Din
Leadership, Mindset and Career Coach
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Bramall Rock void.
Nothing About Us Without Us: creating inclusive communications with blind and deaf audiences
In this session Kara Chatten from Henry Moore Institute and Alice Evans from Wellcome Collection will explore the importance of consulting and working with people with lived experience of disability to help build inclusive communications and marketing. From messaging and content creation to strategic partnerships, staff development and cross-team collaboration.
By sharing what worked, what challenged and what changed, this session offers practical, scalable learning to build more equitable audience strategies. Both Kara and Alice will show how working together with people and communities with lived experiences of disability can transform not just a project, but an entire organisational culture, enabling us to tell more inclusive and equitable stories.
- Importance of embedding people with lived experience in your project from the start through to evaluation to ensure a genuine approach to accessibility
- Learn how to co-create inclusive communications and marketing strategies with collaborators and communities, to build trust, authenticity and relevance throughout campaign development
- How to design and deliver accessible marketing campaigns, by centring storytelling and creating inclusive messaging, and accessible marketing assets, that broaden audience reach and deepen engagement
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Kara Chatten
Marketing and Communications Manager, Henry Moore Institute
Alice Evans
Marketing Manager, Wellcome Collection
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online
Barber Studio.
New Models of Membership: how do we give audiences what they need?
Membership is at a turning point. Across the arts and culture sector, organisations are asking the same urgent question: how do we build sustainable, meaningful relationships with audiences in a world where expectations, habits and values are changing fast?
In this session, Indigo will explore new models of membership, grounded in audience need not just organisational desires. They’ll take the findings from their recent sector-wide Hot Topic research project, Membership Matters (sponsored by Line-Up and Substrakt) as a foundation, and explore what today’s audiences want from membership in 2026 and beyond.
You’ll leave with practical insights, fresh inspiration and new ways to think about membership as a tool to help you meet your goals.
- Understand the latest audience expectations shaping arts membership, based on the Membership Matters research
- Explore innovative membership models from inside and outside the arts that meet audiences’ needs
- Ideas and provocations for building membership programmes that deliver
This is a Strategic session, with a focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Kerry Radden
Associate Director, Indigo
Katy Raines
CEO, Indigo
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
This session is Sponsored by Indigo
Ideas into Action: AI is here, are you ready?
AI is changing how we work but many organisations are still caught between excitement, anxiety, hidden use and policies that don’t quite reach the reality of the work.
In this session, Paul and Carol from the Arts Marketing Association (AMA) will explore three negotiations facing arts, heritage and cultural organisations:
- The human negotiation around trust, expertise and judgement
- The organisational negotiation around policy, risk and accountability
- The sector negotiation around public value, rights, access, inclusion and environmental responsibility
This is a practical and interactive session designed to help you make better choices about AI on your own terms.
- A clearer way to talk about AI with your team, especially people who feel unsure, divided or uncomfortable
- Practical frameworks you can take back to work, including a simple traffic-light approach to judging AI risk and examples of more accountable AI workflows
- You’ll also help shape a live sector AI literacy map
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Carol Jones
CultureHive Editor and Innovation Lead, Arts Marketing Association (AMA)
Paul Blundell
Head of Digital Research and Development, Arts Marketing Association (AMA)
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
2:35pm
We Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
Castle Howard is a stately home with an unique approach to growing an audience and building a world-class reputation.
In 2017, they welcomed 35,000 people to their first Christmas event. Since then, they have developed a much-loved immersive experience by working with theatre designers, projection and sound specialists. In 2025 this event welcomed 106,000 people.
Abbi and Georgie will talk about developing the event itself, building relationships with creative partners, the nuts and bolts of the marketing and PR campaign, winning audience loyalty, and getting the best out of the team at the busiest time of year.
So, buckle up to hear the highs and lows of what it really means to be an award-winning Christmas experience, from the Christmas sparkle to the lumps of coal!
- Top tips on planning, budgeting and delivering a marketing and PR campaign for events
- How to bring teams together and motivated during long running events, even during adverse weather
- The emphasis on audience loyalty and care, particularly bringing people together in the context of ‘happy memories’
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Abbi Ollive
Visitor Attraction Director, Castle Howard
Georgie Sykes
Marketing and PR Manager, Castle Howard
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
How We Make People Care About Care
What does it take to make audiences care about care? PiPA (Parents and Carers in Performing Arts) have been testing bold answers.
In this session, Lizzy and Paige share how they work ‘with’ care through strategy, storytelling and a rebrand rooted in care and courage.
Expect honest insights on what worked, what didn’t, and how to navigate real-world pressures. You’ll leave with practical tools to turn care into a powerful, collective strategy — building trust, belonging and engagement. If you’re working in communications or audience development, this session will explore how we make people care, together.
- An understanding of whose belief is essential for meaningful change
- How to mobilise the people who already care by activating advocates, deepening trust, and turning existing goodwill into collective momentum through care-centred storytelling and engagement
- How to practically move audiences from ambivalence to allyship by transforming passive interest or scepticism into emotional connection, investment and action
This is both a Strategic and Leadership session.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Leadership sessions have an emphasis on leadership and the bigger picture for your organisation and the sector.
Lizzy Maries
Head of Communications, Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA)
Paige Crosbie
Digital Community Manager, Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA)
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Bramall Rock void.
Rethinking UK Arts Marketing Through a Developing Country’s Lens
What if arts organisations could engage audiences and drive sales without increasing marketing budgets?
In this session, Dimple Meera Jom shares her observations of the arts marketing landscape in India and the UK, showing how applying creative strategies from India helped her deliver sold-out shows in UK theatre. She demonstrates how bringing creativity, audiences, and global perspectives together can move campaigns beyond the usual “poster, trailer, boost” approach to make them more engaging, human, and effective.
You’ll gain practical tips for organic marketing, storytelling, and branding, and learn how to use existing resources to produce measurable results without heavy ad spend while standing out in crowded social feeds.
- Understanding of how to turn existing talent and resources into high-impact digital campaigns without relying on big ad budgets
- Learn how insights from different arts ecosystems and global experiences can help connect audiences and make marketing more inclusive
- Practical techniques to grow engagement, boost ticket sales, and deliver measurable outcomes in arts marketing campaigns
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Dimple Meera Jom
Freelance Arts Marketing and Digital Content Creator
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Courtyard Theatre.
Findability: how to get your content found by humans and AIs
Search behaviour is undergoing the biggest shift since the launch of the iPhone. Increasingly users are asking AI tools, or reading Google’s AI Overviews, and are handed an answer before they reach your website. For arts and cultural organisations, that’s a real loss of control: you risk being invisible, going uncredited, or being described inaccurately by a model guessing on your behalf. Opting out feels tempting, but it’s a trap. If you’re not the answer to a question your organisation should own, someone else will be.
This session helps marketing teams get on the front foot. Jaron Ghani, Innovation Director at Numiko, and Catherine Warwick, Client Partnership Lead at Numiko, will show you what it takes to get your content found in this new search landscape, and why it matters for arts organisations whose job is to share knowledge and inspire creativity.
They will map out a pragmatic and effective approach using examples from the cultural sector, and show that optimising for AI isn’t just a technical bolt-on, it’s about good content strategy, clarity and solid tech foundations.
- A clear view of what’s changed, and why hiding isn’t an option. You’ll see how AI search is reshaping the way audiences find you, and why being the answer beats opting out.
- A way to define success on your own terms. We’ll show you how to approach ranking in AI search. From mapping the questions that should lead people to you, to setting measures that fit a cultural organisation’s real goals, not vanity metrics.
- Practical steps you can take. You’ll learn the foundations of findability; clear content, sound structure and measurement that doesn’t require a long list of AI-search tools.
This is both a Tactical and Strategic session.
Tactical sessions cover the practical implementation of marketing, offering tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
Strategic sessions focus on the strategic aspect of the topic i.e. how the work fits with an organisation’s objectives.
Jaron Ghani
Innovation Director, Numiko
Catherine Warwick
Client Partnership Lead, Numiko
No, this session is not being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Barber Studio.
This session is Sponsored by Numiko
3:10pm
Finding Happiness Together
In this closing keynote, David will draw on the conference theme Together to leave delegates feeling positive and uplifted despite the challenges they face in their jobs, in the UK arts and cultural sector and the wider world.
David will share his story, experience and journey that led to writing the Sunday Times bestselling Frequently Happy. Delegates will not only learn more about ‘happiness’ and finding joy and calm in everyday moments, but will also experience happiness together – in the space and time of the keynote.
This keynote will be a collective self-reflection and mindfulness moment to enable delegates to shift their mindset to find happiness even during stressful and challenging times.
This is a Keynote and is suitable for all.
David Larbi
Poet, Author and Creator, SHFT
Yes, this session is being recorded as part of Conference Online.
Quarry Theatre.
4:30pm — Conference ends
With thanks to our Lead Sponsors:
With thanks to our Supporting Sponsors:
With thanks to our Conference Online sponsor:
With thanks to our Conference Media Partner:
With thanks to our Photobooth sponsor:
