Building Brands Live Plymouth - Marketing Conference

Are you ready to dive into a whole day of marketing insights, networking, and learning opportunities? Building Brands Live returns to Plymouth for the third time, and it's your chance to be a part of the South West's biggest and best marketing event series! With 5 sell out events In Plymouth, Exeter and Cornwall, and another selling well in Somerset, Building Brands is expanding our reach in 2024. We'll be running new events in Cornwall, Taunton and Bristol and returning to Plymouth and Exeter again too.

And we're over the moon to welcome Chalk & Ward as our Headline Sponsors for the day! Massive thanks to the team for their support.

Exclusive Workshops: Featuring South West based marketing experts, our workshops are tailored to give you hands-on, practical knowledge that you can apply to your business immediately

Inspirational Keynotes: Hear from renowned marketing gurus who have made waves beyond the South West, including details of one campaign that was nominated for an Emmy! Their stories, strategies, and insights are not just hugely motivational and interesting, but transformational too.

Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow marketing professionals over a buffet lunch. Exchange ideas, build relationships, and find potential collaborators right here in the South West marketing community.

Local Focus, Global Impact: Discover how the South West's marketing talent is making a global impact. Be part of a community that's shaping the future of marketing, both locally and internationally.

The Schedule

The event kicks off at 9am, from which time you'll be fully immersed in a whole day of fascinating workshops and inspiring keynote sessions. Our workshops, led by local marketing experts, are meticulously designed to provide practical, hands-on knowledge and advice for Somerset businesses. These sessions are not just about learning; they're about experiencing the real-world applications of marketing strategies that work.

The keynotes that follow the workshops are not just tales of success but are packed with interesting, actionable insights and strategies that can help propel your marketing efforts to new heights. It's your opportunity to learn from the best.

This blend of local expertise and both national and international success ensures that the insights you gain here are both deeply relevant to the South West market and expansive enough to apply on a larger scale.

8.00am - 9.00am: Registration, lunch and networking

9.00am - 9.15am: Welcome

9.15am - 10.00am: Keynote 1

10.10am - 10.55am: Workshops 1, 2 and 3

11.05am - 11.50am: Workshops 4, 5 and 6

12.00pm - 12.45pm: Workshops 7, 8 and 9

12.45pm - 13.45pm: Lunch

13.45pm - 2.00pm: Welcome Back

2.00pm - 2.45pm: Keynote 2

2.50pm - 3.35pm: Keynote 3

3.35pm - 4.05pm: Afternoon break

4.10pm - 4.55pm: Keynote 4

5pm: Thank you and close

Venue: Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth

Date:21st June 2024

Tickets: Limited availability! Secure your spot now and be part of the Building Brands marketing revolution!

Name Badge/Electronic Business Card

Thanks to our fantastic partners at Redrok, your name badge for the event will also double up as an electronic business card that you can use after the event. This would normally cost you £30 by itself! Please, therefore, when you fill in your order form, include as much information below as possible - including your LinkedIn profile address, company name, business phone number etc. We will automatically include your name and email address.

What's happening on the day

We'll kick off with an incredible keynote talk, followed by 9 workshops for you to choose from and another 3 keynotes in the afternoon. You don't have to pre-book the workshops, you can decide on the day which ones you want to go to.

Workshop - Tilly Lander-Williams - Moor Heart Copy
Title of talk: Storytelling: Where it Started, Why it's a Marketing Buzzword and How to Do it Right.
Summary of talk: If you love books, movies and out-of-the-box thinking, or just need some inspiration, this one's for you. In this imaginative workshop, copy and creative writer Tilly will inspire you to create content that lights your audience up and brings your brand to life. Whatever industry you're in - it could be animation or accountancy - Tilly will help you uncover stories in the most unlikely of places.

Workshop - Luan Wise
Title of talk: How to use social media to build thought leadership
Summary of talk: In this workshop, Luan Wise will share what thought leadership is and its role in 2024. We’ll dive into personal branding, optimising social media profiles for discoverability, crafting compelling content and focus on how to employ effective engagement tactics such as networking, participating in relevant discussions, and responding to feedback.

Workshop - Olivia Dunn (Profound) and Owen Jones (Upshot)
Title of talk: Strike up the brand: how to make your words a headline act
Summary of talk: Brand copywriting - what you say and how you say it - plays a powerful and strategic role in the foundations of any strong brand. In this workshop, Olivia and Owen share their secret to defining your brand’s language, and it’s easier than you’d think. You’ll learn how to capture and communicate your brand’s essence using words that feel good, work hard and hit their target.

Workshop - Paul Burton - PBMedia
Title of talk: How to put video at every stage of your marketing funnel - without breaking your budget
Summary of talk: From short-form socials to converting sales - leveraging the power of video in your digital marketing means using it to both engage AND convert your audience. Tailoring video for each stage of your funnel - from social to website to email and everything in between - will mean the solution you provide is communicated far more effectively. This talk will show you which types of video content are most effective and how to create them cost-effectively.

Workshop - Ben Duhig - Bluesoup
Title of talk: The step by step guide to building a successful social media strategy
Summary of talk: In an era dominated by digital marketing, it's easy to overlook the enduring power of traditional media channels. In this talk, Ben challenges the prevailing narrative by highlighting the continued relevance and effectiveness of traditional media in today's advertising landscape. This talk explores the symbiotic relationship between digital and traditional media, offering insights into how businesses can leverage both to maximise consumer engagement and achieve campaign objectives, ultimately advocating for a holistic approach to media planning that embraces the best of both worlds.

Workshop - Mark Girvan (Buddy Creative) and James Nicholls (Sharps Brewery)
Title of talk: A Story of Constant Flux - The Ceaseless Evolution of the Sharp’s Brewery Brand Identity
Summary of talk: Mark Girvan (Creative Partner from Buddy Creative) and James Nicholls (Marketing Controller at Sharp’s Brewery) have worked together for over 12 Years on the branding and packaging design for Sharp’s brewery and their portfolio of beers including the number 1 cask and bottled ale Doom Bar.

They are going to talk about the brewery's short 30 year history and the agile and constant development of the brand’s visual identity.

Workshop - Maret Reutelingsperger - Mobe Digital
Title of talk: How email marketing can boost your brand in search results
Summary of talk: In this talk, Maret will go into the importance of relevant and useful content on your website, and then make it work harder by using email marketing. As a fully owned channel, email marketing will not only help you speak directly to those who are interested, but also help you gain more visibility in search results.

Workshop - Dan Debnam - Conturae
Title of talk: There's An AI for That: How Marketers Can Blend Human Brilliance & AI
Summary of talk: What would happen if you could break creative blocks, achieve more with your current resources, and stay ahead in a whirlwind of innovation?

Dive into the present (and future) of marketing, where artificial intelligence isn't just a tool but a partner that can bolster human creativity and efficiency. Learn how leveraging this technology can complement creativity, not replace it, and how to integrate it to streamline operations and enhance decision-making.

It's not all theory and fluff, though. I'll show real-world practical examples and live demos to highlight some of the best AI tools and software you can immediately implement into your marketing operations.

I can show you how I've helped other businesses, including mine, blend the best human ingenuity with artificial intelligence's precision and power. Let's end the human vs. AI battle we're all seeing unfold and instead embrace the combination I've seen first-hand transform businesses for the better.

Workshop - Ellie Burns & Dan Neal - Evo Agency
Title of talk: Search is f**ked! Navigating the AI maze with a human compass
Summary of talk: Together we’ll explore the limitations of AI and the need for a human touch in the quickly evolving world of paid search.

Keynote - Rich Evans - Get Better
Title of talk: How I very nearly wiped out a village: 4 ways of handling the 1500 forms of stress in Marketing
Summary of talk: Rich will take us through his experiences with the mental health side of marketing. From agency owner, brand side, recruitment and sales roles, Rich has experienced pressure from all angles. The aim of the talk is to bring some practical examples of how to best manage the various forms of stress and strains, with a splattering of humour and GIFs along the way.

Keynote - Anthony Rawlins - Navigate
Title of talk: Shaping Purpose and Profit
Summary of talk: Fostering purpose and positive impact is pivotal for future brand growth. Under Anthony's leadership, Navigate has carved a niche in shaping brands' purpose and translating it into revenue and positive impact. Navigate's visionary CEO and Founder, Anthony Rawlins, will share his insights and process in this presentation. Delving into the intrinsic connection between purpose and profit, he illuminates how brands can strategically define both elements to foster exponential growth.

Keynote - Rin Hamburgh
Title of talk: Clarify, communicate, convince - building a compelling value proposition
Summary of talk: What does your business do and why should people care? This is the core challenge of creating an compelling and effective value proposition. In this talk, you’ll learn how to create clarify from complexity, how to communicate features and benefits effectively, and how to convince even the most cynical audience that your product or service can deliver on its promises.

Keynote - Peter Bracegirdle - Creative Coalition
Title of talk: How to make or break a career in 90 seconds - The story of a Superbowl campaign and what it teaches us about the power of emotion
Summary of talk: Running an ad in the Superbowl is the most high stakes experience in advertising. 100 of the world's best ads from the world's biggest brands vying for attention in a moment where everyone cares and judgement is instant. In 2015 the Nissan #With Dad campaign won the day. Pete lived to tell the tale. Just.

Exhibition Stands

We'll also have a number of Building Brands Local sponsors and partners exhibiting at the event. Judging from previous events, you'll likely want to spend some time meeting them and taking a good look at what they're promoting.

Food and drink

Lunch will be provided, and we'll also have some delicious afternoon snacks as well! Teas, coffees, and other drinks will also be available during the afternoon.

Why you need to be there

The Building Brands community initially set out to help marketers to build new relationships and connections with each other, and to learn new things to help you do your job better. However, our first five events have all been sellouts and the feedback from attendees there has been phenomenal. The feedback was that our events have helped in so many other ways - career development, referrals, collaborations, and work being sourced. We've also been able to help with finding attendees new marketing jobs!

Refunds

Refunds will not be possible if they are requested after Friday 14th June 2024. Sincere apologies for this, but on this date, we have to commit to various costs which we can not then recover.

Feedback from previous Building Brands events

Following is just a tiny selection of the feedback that people have given at previous Building Brands events. You can also watch the highlights videos below for more reactions from attendees!

Watch Highlight Video 1 | Watch Highlight Video 2 | Watch Highlight Video 3

"This is the best marketing event that I've ever been to. I knew it would be good, I just didn't realise it would be THIS good!"

"Everything had been thought of, the attention to detail and the care and love that had been put into the event was evident from the second I turned up."

"I can't wait for the next one. This really was very very good."

"The best goody bag I've ever had from an event. That was worth the ticket price alone!"

"The speakers were top level. Excellent. Some great snippets of information and tons of inspiration for me to act on when I get back to the office tomorrow!"

"We brought the whole team with us. And thank god we did - great learning opportunities today for everyone in the team, thank you so much Building Brands!"