The Future of Media Manchester 2026: What to expect
On Thursday 17 September, The Media Leader‘s annual The Future of Media Manchester conference will take over the Royal Northern College of Music, bringing together senior figures from across brands, agencies, media owners, platforms, and technology.
The main thread running throughout the day is ‘Media means business’, centred on one question: What makes media work – and how can we make it work harder for business?
Featuring some of the industry’s very best voices, expect lively panel debates, evidence-led talks, interactive masterclasses, and the return of The Media Plan LIVE!.
Here you can find The Media Leader‘s guide to what to expect from The Future of Media Manchester 2026.
Big advertiser perspectives
Looking to hear directly from the advertisers themselves? Senior leaders from some of the UK’s biggest brands will share their outlook on media in 2026.
Santander’s Joe Goldberg will tackle brand differentiation in an LLM world, Mars’ Josh Clarkson looks at where retail media fits into the wider media plan, and Chester Zoo explores how paid, owned and earned can work harder together.
The latest research and evidence
Research provides the foundation for much of the thinking shared throughout the day.
Newsworks will launch its latest research exploring the commercial value of cultural relevance – and how it can drive measurable sales growth.
Flume and Student Roost look at their research into Gen A(I), exploring what the first AI-native generation could mean for media planners.
For those looking to go deeper into media research, sign up to The Media Research & Effectiveness Summit – a free 90-minute session built in partnership with the IPA. Starting at 3:30pm, it’s designed for analysts, data scientists, econometric modellers and media researchers across Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and the wider M62 corridor.
Creativity gets a focus
Strong creative is imperative for effective advertising, which is why discussions around creativity will be featured throughout the day.
WPP Media’s Tom Curtis and Lindsey Jordan bring an exclusive talk on creativity and imagination, ‘Create like Kids’, while TBWA/MCR and Ocean Outdoor show what can happen when creative and media work together from the start.
The Media Plan LIVE! returns
Following the success of last year’s inaugural session, The Media Plan LIVE! is back, showcasing four real-world case studies that celebrate the craft, creativity and thinking behind great media planning and buying.
Republic of Media will talk through the Scottish Government’s Mind to Mind campaign, which aimed to help drive mental health awareness in Scotland.
Space & Time will explore how it turned luxury brand WOLF 1834’s annual winter sale into a platform for international growth – a campaign that went on to win Campaign of the Year at the Paid Media Awards 2026.
Hallam will share how it worked with Thailand-based charity Soi Dog Foundation to hit its fundraising target in a saturated market, with decisions rooted in data and emotion-led storytelling.
And finally, Bicycle will round-off the afternoon by walking through how the integrated use of video brought Papa Johns to life.
Attendees are encouraged to get there early, as these sessions fill up fast. You’ll find it in the Lecture Hall from 2:15pm.
Practical workshops
Two interactive masterclasses will give you the change to get stuck in, with the sessions designed to equip people to do their jobs better. They will cover peak performance without burnout and how to apply the ‘challenger mindset’.
Noteworthy talks
Following a huge summer of sport, leading sports journalists from The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Mirror and The Guardian will kick off the conference by going behind the scenes of covering the biggest sporting and cultural moment of 2026, and exploring what it showed about journalism’s ability to bring millions of people together.
Channel 4’s chief revenue officer Rak Patel will join The Media Leader reporter Jack Benjamin on stage to discuss the enduring power of TV, how adtech innovation is making premium television easier and more accessible for advertisers, and why trust should be viewed not simply as a media virtue, but as an economic and commercial advantage.
Finish celebrating the power of media
The final session of the day will bring together leaders from across TV, audio, OOH and publishing to discuss how search and social now command a huge share of advertising investment – and make the case for what their respective medium can deliver now.
The session looks to answer a simple question: where should the next media pound go, and why?
And, after a full day of debate, insight and discussion, there will be networking drinks to round things off.
Watch the highlights from last year’s event below and find all the panels and speakers for 2026 on The Future of Media Manchester agenda.