The storytellers
Thurs 5 March 2026
Curzon Cinema, Oxford
Stories are how humans connect.
They can get people to care, remember, and act – which makes them one of the best marketing tools we’ve got.
But how do you find or create those stories? How do you tell them well? And how do you make sure they get heard by the right people, in the right place, at the right time?
Our line-up of smart, fun, down-to-earth speakers will be answering those questions in 10 different talks. We’ll be looking at everything from developing your company’s own brand story and what storytelling looks like in an AI world to digging into your data to find the stories behind the numbers and ramping up your story-writing skills.
Plus you’ll get the chance to connect with other local marketers, stretch your marketing muscles in a hack session, and round it all out with fab food and booze.
So pitch your tent at the 2026 Marketing Camp Conference if you’re ready to learn how you can spot, shape, and share great stories in every part of your marketing work.
Agenda
9.15 - 10.00
Register, then grab a brew and a bite and a chance to chat ☕
10.00 - 10.30
WELCOME HAPPY CAMPERS
TRACK 1
TRACK 2
TRACK 3
These morning sessions are designed to let you zoom in on the areas most relevant to your day-to-day work – so you can either follow one track all the way through or mix-and-match between them. Whatever suits 🙂
10.30 - 11.20
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SPEAKER: Andy Whitlock – founder of The Human Half, xxxxx, and xxxxx.
Storytelling is sense-making. It’s how your brand creates meaning in people’s minds. And yet most companies struggle with pinning their story down. Sure, they can list out all the important things, but there are always TOO MANY THINGS. And as long as the story’s unclear inside the business it will stay unclear ‘out there’.
This session will show you how to find your story and drag it into the daylight. It will help you feel more comfortable with simplicity. And it will show you how a good story can be bendy, not brittle.
Andy will be sharing the questions, techniques, and templates that can help us unearth and shape our core brand idea. There absolutely won’t be any vacuous points devoid of practical examples. And there absolutely will be some really interesting, relevant case studies we can unpack and unpick.
You’ll leave the session desperate to attack (in a nice way) your brand story challenges, armed with a truckload of practical tips for playing it out across everything from strategy and core messaging to social media content. Plus, you’ll have the confidence to show your colleagues the way forward.
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SPEAKERS: Ches Hume – SEO Specialist at Invanity, xxxx, and xxx AND Jack Kennedy – founder of Invanity, xxx, and xxx.
Your brand might have some brilliant stories, but they won’t get you anywhere if no one hears them. From blog posts and website pages to videos and social content, you need to make sure your storytelling is compatible with SEO — even as the very definition of the term is shifting under our feet.
In this session you’ll learn how to make sure your content stays findable by the right people, at the right time.
Ches and Jack will be sharing practical ways of creating and structuring content to build your authority online. Then we’ll look at how to make sure it’s as attractive as possible to search engines, from traditional Google rankings to AI overviews and LLM-powered search, so you can get in front of people at every stage in their buying journey.
And all in a way that doesn't sacrifice the human side on the altar of the algorithm — so people don’t just find you, they buy from you.
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SPEAKER: Freddie Jewson – Director at Oxford House video agency, xxxxx, and xxxxx.
When we think about what makes a great video, it isn’t about fancy kit or flashy edits – it’s about telling people a story they can connect with.
So this session is all about how to create memorable, meaningful video content, whether you’re filming it in-house or getting outside support.
Freddie will guide us through which kinds of stories work best on screen, and how to decide who should tell them. We’ll explore how to build emotion and character into your videos – from founder stories and fundraising pleas to product plugs and social clips – and make sure your narrative is compelling without losing authenticity.
You’ll walk out with a ton of ideas for crafting highly watchable, persuasive videos that support your wider brand story and help you hit your marketing goals.
11.30 - 12.20
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SPEAKER: Amnah Malik – Senior User Researcher at Ofgem, xxxx, and xxx.
The best marketing connects because it’s built on empathy – on knowing what really matters to the people you’re trying to reach. But it’s not always easy to find that out, and too often our understanding of our audience is based on assumptions or outdated insights.
This session will give you the tools you need to really understand who you’re talking to, what they care about, and how your brand fits into their story.
Amnah will walk us through how to build meaningful audience personas, going beyond simple demographics. And we’ll find out how to keep them fresh through ongoing listening, research, and observation.
We’ll also look at different methods for collecting insights, interpreting behaviour, and capturing the emotional drivers behind what people say and do — giving you the intel you need to connect with your audience.
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SPEAKER: xxxx xxxx – Job Title at Company, xxxx, and xxx.
Data is everywhere in marketing — web analytics, reports, campaign metrics, social insights. We dutifully collect it, stare at it, maybe even share it — yet often miss the real story hiding underneath.
So this session is about turning all those numbers into practical insights that shape decisions and drive change.
We’ll learn how to sharpen our ability to spot and understand patterns in our data. And we’ll look at real examples of how brands have noticed trends, uncovered what was really going on behind the numbers, and made smarter choices because of it (with the impact to prove it).
We’ll also share a mix of tools that can help you go beyond tracking to interpreting, so you can spend less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time acting on the stories they tell.
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SPEAKER: Colin Cather – Director at Bottle PR, xxxxx, and xxxxx.
Tools like ChatGPT and Claude are the new curators of reputation, deciding which brands get mentioned, recommended, or overlooked entirely. In other words, AI now tells your brand’s story for you. And it’s getting a lot of its source material from your media coverage.
So this session explores what you need to prioritise as you use the press to share your stories with an increasingly AI-powered world.
Colin will unpack why earned media is becoming a major driver of AI visibility, as well as looking at how LLMs evaluate authority. We’ll also find out how to keep your brand story across social and owned channels in tune with your PR, and why a joined-up approach to content marketing is even more important in this new landscape.
Together we’ll delve into the key questions you need to be asking in your next marketing strategy meeting if you want to build a brand story trusted by answer engines and audiences alike.
12.30 - 1.20
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SPEAKERS: Luke Powell – Head of Ops at Invanity, xxxx, and xxx AND Sam Hodgson – Account Manager at Invanity, xxx, and xxx.
Marketing drives growth — but inside our organisations that’s not always recognised. It can sometimes feel like most of our time is spent justifying budgets, explaining creative choices, and trying to prove the value of what we do to people who see marketing as ‘the colouring-in department.’
This session is about changing that story.
Luke and Sam will explain how you can make your marketing more measurable and how to use the right data to show its true worth to the business. We’ll also explore ways to frame your story in line with what different stakeholders care about and need to know, and we’ll get some advice on how to answer (or actually put an end to) difficult questions.
By the end you’ll be ready to tell a robust, compelling story of marketing’s value, making sure your work is seen, trusted, and backed across your organisation.
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We’ve got a pretty good idea of what this talk will cover and who’ll be giving it, and once it’s properly nailed down we’ll get it live. Watch this space.
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We’ve got a pretty good idea of what this talk will cover and who’ll be giving it, and once it’s properly nailed down we’ll get it live. Watch this space.
A well-earned brain break and a spot of lunch 😋
1.20 - 2.30
2.30 - 2.50
WELCOME BACK HAPPY CAMPERS
2.50 - 3.50
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Here's your chance to put those marketing muscles to work on behalf of the community 💪 We'll be splitting into groups to hear about different marketing challenges local companies are facing, then working together to offer up ideas 💡
4.10 - 5.00
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SPEAKER: Natasha Hill – MD of Bottle PR, xxxxx, and xxxxx.
Great storytelling isn’t reserved for big brands or blockbuster campaigns. The most powerful stories often start small — a throwaway comment from a customer, a quick stat shared in a team meeting, a lunchtime chat about something in the news.
The key is knowing where to look.
Natasha will offer up a hefty dose of inspiration by walking us through some brilliant bits of storytelling, from brands big and small, unpacking how they’ve unearthed the stories that turn even the plainest subjects into something people connect with.
Because being a stellar storyteller is often less about your skills and more about your outlook. It’s a lens. And once you learn to look through it you’ll see stories everywhere.
5.00 - 6.00
Drinks at the bar – first one’s on us 🍻
Hear from last year’s campers
I had the most amazing day. Fabulous talks, great hack session packed full of creative ideas, delicious Indian street food, and gorgeous cocktails.
Rachel Kemp
Senior Marketing Manager at Taylor & Francis
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If Carlsberg organised conferences… they wouldn't be a patch on Marketing Camp. Everything about the day was top-notch - it set the creative cogs in my brain whirling and I took away so many brilliant nuggets of insight. The only downside is we've got to wait a whole year for the next one!
Sarah Taylor
Senior Fundraising & Comms Exec at Homeless Oxfordshire
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Marketing Camp you pulled another blinder. Incredible speakers, thought-provoking content, and a lot of fun!
Emma Duke
Communications Consultant
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So many conferences are full of abstract concepts, or ideas that only work with huge budgets. Not this one. SO much of the content felt practical, actionable, and genuinely useful. Plus there was great food, an engaged audience, and so many tiny thoughtful details that made it special. An off-the-charts awesome day!
Lizzie Shannon-Little
Head of Global Comms & Marketing at Oxford Policy Management
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LOTS to think about and take forward from all the sessions. Highly recommend grabbing a ticket next year - the venue is fun, the cinnamon buns are legendary, and you'll come away buzzing with ideas.
Sam Evans
Communities Manager at Oxford University Press
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My highlight? Not the squidgy cinnamon buns, or the delicious lunch in a box, or the rainbow modelling clay, or the insights on conquering content (though I loved them all)... The best part was meeting and chatting with so many interesting, talented, and friendly people!
Sophie de Albuquerque
Freelance copywriter
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Some very good questions
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Nope. Some of the people who come to our events are employed in marketing roles, or working as freelancers or consultants. Others are entrepreneurs or business owners who have to manage all their own marketing as well as running their companies. And we also get quite a few students and others who are keen to explore the industry. We don’t mind what your deal is - if you’re interested in marketing, you’re welcome around the campfire.
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Nah. Just give us your name at the door (and as a back-up have your e-ticket ready on your phone) and you’ll be good to go.
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Train. Bus. Bike. Car. Unicycle. Golf cart. Your own legs. The options are endless. Best place to get all the info you need is on The Westgate Centre’s website, as the Curzon cinema is tucked away up on their third floor.
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Sorry, no can do. We just think there’s something special about the way you learn in-person - plus so much of the value of the day will be about the conversations and activities in between the talks. So we’re focusing on making the physical experience as fantastic as possible, and if you can’t make it on the day then hey - there’s always next year.
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Absolutely. The whole venue is wheelchair accessible and each of the rooms we’ll be using for the sessions has two dedicated wheelchair spaces. The tech set up also has audio description and hearing-assist headsets available - you just need to give us a heads up before the day if you want either of those. And if there’s anything else you need or want to know, just ask us at hey@marketingcamp.uk
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We’re staying put. All the sessions, including lunch and the after-party drinks, are happening in the cinema space. Easy.
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You bet. Can’t have you getting hangry when you’re trying to learn. From snacks as you arrive and a fantastic lunch when we take a break in the middle of the event, to drinks throughout the day, it’s all taken care of as part of your ticket price. We’ll even buy your first cocktail at our after-party. Boom.
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Our fantastically tasty lunch will be coming from the kitchens of Oxford’s own Cranston Pickles, and they're all set up with easy vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. So when you book your tickets just make sure you let us know about any allergies or dietary reqs and we’ll sort it. Or get in touch on hey@marketingcamp.uk for any other questions or if you forget to give us the info when you book.
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We’ve decided not to. In our regular meet-ups we always steer clear of recording sessions, so we’re sticking to that same IRL ethos for our conference too. If you buy a ticket then after the event is over we’ll make the slides from every session available to you, no matter which talks you choose to go to on the day. But that’s it. At the end of the day you pays your money and you takes your choice.
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We’re only a small event, so we’ve decided to just deal with refunds on a case-by-case basis. If you ask us about cancelling your ticket more than two weeks before the conference, and you’ve got a genuinely good reason, then most likely we’ll say yes and we’ll sort a refund. But if you’ve just changed your mind, or you leave it too close to the day, then you probably won’t be able to get any money back.
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We admit we can get carried away with the camping lingo. But no, you won't have to spend any time in a tent. Since most of you will be coming from in and around Oxfordshire, you can just enjoy sinking into your own bed after an action-packed day. But if you do end up coming from further afield and want some advice on local places to stay, just give us a yell on hey@marketingcamp.uk and we’ll send you some suggestions.
Our partners in grime
Too often sponsorship is just about slapping logos on anything that stays still long enough. Not here. Our brilliant partners, the digital marketing whizzes at Invanity, are always as generous with their time and expertise as they are with their money.
At the conference they’ll be sharing their knowledge in two different talks, as well as offering 1-1 advice in their lunchtime clinic. So if you need to pick a brain or two about your digital marketing these guys are the ones to find.
Want in?
Early Birds get the good stuff, with tickets starting at £169.
