Hackathon
Thursday 8 October 2026, 1-6pm
Earth Trust, Abingdon
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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 some of our campers are facing, then working together to offer up ideas 💡
Agenda
1.00-1.30
Register, then grab a brew and a chance to chat ☕
1.30 - 1.45
WELCOME HAPPY CAMPERS
1.45 - 3.40
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CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
We’ll fill you in on the brands and the challenges when you arrive, then you can pick which hack session you want to lend your brain to.
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CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
We’ll fill you in on the brands and the challenges when you arrive, then you can pick which hack session you want to lend your brain to.
-
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
We’ll fill you in on the brands and the challenges when you arrive, then you can pick which hack session you want to lend your brain to.
A well-earned brain break 😋
3.40 - 4.00
4.00 - 4.15
WELCOME BACK HAPPY CAMPERS
4.15 - 5.00
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Data is often treated like a finish line – something you gather up, report on, and file away. But it’s actually one of the best starting points for great content, as long as you know where to look.
So Cath McElroy and Sophie Moore from Bottle PR are going to take us on a quick-thinking, story-spotting journey turning raw survey data into creative content ideas.
Using real-time insights from the room, they’ll show how a single dataset can be pulled apart in different ways to surface the things people actually think, feel, and do – and how those patterns can be put to work across your comms and marketing.
You’ll leave knowing how to start picking out the useful bits in your data and turning them into content people will relate and respond to.
5.00 - 6.00
Drinks and toasted marshmallows around the campfire
Hear from happy 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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Marketing Camp you pulled another blinder. Incredible speakers, thought-provoking content, and a lot of fun!
Emma Duke
Communications Consultant
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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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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’re not. Call us old fashioned, but we’re just pretty keen on the whole humans-in-a-room-together thing. If you buy a ticket then after the event is over we’ll send you the slides from every session, 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.