Best Digital Marketing Conferences in the UK
Digital marketing by its very nature is mostly concerned with the online world. Things like SEO, social media marketing, email marketing and analytics all fall under its umbrella. You can learn loads about each of those things by performing a simple Google search.
Strategies for all kinds of digital marketing, theories on best practices and much more are always just a click away. That being said, you still can’t beat meeting other digital marketing professionals or experts in the field in person.
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Digital marketing conferences across the UK give anyone and everyone the opportunity to do exactly that. They bring together marketers, influencers and experts. Those attendees then all share their knowledge and experience. Attending a conference is a great way to get inspired, to learn or even to share your own expertise.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best digital marketing conferences in the UK. That list includes conferences of all types, spread all around the country. That means you should be able to find the perfect conference for you, by reading on.
It’s important to note at the outset that we haven’t looked to rank or directly compare the UK’s digital marketing conferences. We’ve collected together a comprehensive list of great options and listed them by date.
Attending any one of the following events is sure to get your creative juices flowing. It might also make a very real difference to your marketing exploits through 2019 and beyond. Those conferences at the head of our list are the ones you have least time to get booked in for or to make your travel arrangements to get to.
Atomicon – 8th March
If you’re interested in digital marketing and are based in the north of England, Atomicon is an event not to be missed. Scheduled for the 8th March this year, the conference will take place in the Assembly Rooms in the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne. The gorgeous Georgian building will be transformed for the day into a mecca for anyone looking to improve their digital marketing.
The conference is billed as ‘the UK’s best (and most fun) digital marketing conference’. It’s run by Andrew and Pete, founders and owners of a company of the same name. They specialise in offering content marketing advice and have won a number of awards along the way.
Their annual event is pitched at all kinds of different attendees. Those include small business owners, solopreneurs, bloggers and startups, amongst others. The main thrust of Atomicon is to provide in-depth practical advice and implementation plans. That advice and guidance covers all areas of digital marketing.
The conference hosts hand-picked speakers who are all adept at speaking passionately to big crowds. In 2019, those speakers will include a host of industry experts. They include Andrew and Pete themselves, as well as Chris Ducker; a serial entrepreneur, author and business mentor.
OiConf & Expo – 14th & 15th March
As a Bristol creative marketing agency ourselves, events in the south west of England always get us excited. OiConf & Expo is a UK digital marketing conference that’s held annually right in our own home city. Its venue, Brunel’s Old Station in the city centre, is a historic building that’s worth a look in its own right. In mid-March it’s also the place to be for any digital marketing pro.
OiConf & Expo is Europe’s fastest growing digital and tech event. Its aim is to help entrepreneurs get to grips with the effects of digital transformation and technology development. To achieve that, there are a whole host of keynote speeches and related breakout sessions. That allows attendees to get the most out of every visit.
The speakers giving the keynotes are always of the highest calibre. In the past, they have included representatives from huge firms like Facebook, TUI and Instagram. To give visitors even more bang for their buck, the event also runs alongside the Online Influence Conference.
B2B, B2C & Marketing Technology Expos – 27th & 28th March
You’ll want to get yourself down to London’s Excel Centre on the 27th and 28th March. It’s the venue for not one, not two, but three concurrent digital marketing events. The B2B, B2C and Marketing Technology Expos all run alongside one another. They present attendees with loads of great opportunities.
The main focuses of the three events are obvious. The B2B expo is designed for businesses who serve other businesses. Firms who serve the general public will want to attend the B2C Expo. Anyone interested in cutting edge marketing technology will find the Marketing Technology Expo invaluable. It is, after all, ‘Europe’s leading martech event’.
Across the three events, there will be over 700 exhibitors. That’s not to mention the many fascinating speakers, useful seminars and informative panels. The keynote speakers list in 2019 is particularly impressive. It includes leaders in the digital marketing field from Google, LinkedIn and ITV.
The overall aim of this great conference is best explained by the organisers themselves:
‘Connecting the most proactive marketing professionals with the tools, techniques and innovations they need to be at the forefront of the ever-evolving world of marketing.’
Brighton SEO – 11th & 12th April
Brighton SEO is the southernmost digital marketing conference in the UK to make our list. Given that it’s held in the Brighton Centre right on the south coast, that’s hardly surprising. If you are in the south of England, it’s an event that you won’t want to miss.
The conference itself is a one-day bonanza held twice a year. This year’s event is set for Friday 12th April. It is supported by top-class training courses which take place the day before. Over the course of the weekend over 3,500 attendees will descend on Brighton to talk all things search marketing.
In-depth keynote talks form the crux of the conference. They are delivered by world-renowned experts and in 2019 will cover a diverse array of topics. Amongst the subjects on the agenda are link building, technical SEO, email marketing and analytics.
2019’s line up of keynote speakers for Brighton SEO is a real who’s who of digital marketing. A huge number of experts and professionals are scheduled. They include two particularly notable examples. John Mueller from Google will be delivering a keynote question and answer session. Olga Andrienko from SEMrush is scheduled to give a talk titled ‘Uncovering SERPs’.
Social Media Marketing Festival – 1st, 2nd & 3rd May
Unlike many of the digital marketing conferences on our list, the Social Media Marketing Festival has a narrow focus. It doesn’t cover the breadth of marketing topics of many of the other events. What it does do is to drill down in real depth into the specific area of social media marketing.
The festival uses workshops and networking opportunities to give attendees a unique experience. There are 20 workshops and 40 speakers lined up for 2019’s event. Over 700 attendees are expected to take in those educational and entertaining offerings.
According to SocialDay – the festival’s organisers – their choice of speakers also sets the conference apart. They say that they ‘source speakers who are different and want to do something unique for SocialDay’.
In 2019, the speakers include Ed Couchman and Amber Doig-Thorne. Couchman is the UK general manager of Snapchat. Doig-Thorne is an actress, model, dancer and singer with over 2.5 million followers across her social media channels. That means that every avenue is covered. An informative experience for both marketers and brands visiting the festival is assured.
SMX London – 21st & 22nd May
A major digital marketing conference for UK SEOs to mark in their calendar is SMX London. Scheduled for the 21st and 22nd May, the event will take place in Bishopsgate, London. It’s suitable for beginners and veterans in the marketing field and offers plenty to both.
The conference is part of what’s described as ‘the biggest search marketing conference series worldwide’. That series is organised and run by the pros over at Search Engine Land. They bill the conference as allowing you to ‘immerse yourself in three days of SEO, SEM and online marketing’. Given how costly poor SEO can be, that’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be passed up.
A final list of speakers for 2019 isn’t yet available. Past evidence suggests that those speakers will be of the highest quality. Luminaries like Adrian Phipps, the global SEO director at GlaxoSmithKline, have appeared in the past.
Search Leeds – 20th June
‘The North’s largest digital conference’ will be held at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on June 20th. According to the organisers of Search Leeds, they chose the venue because it’s the biggest around.
They need as much space as possible, to deliver what is an all-encompassing and hugely comprehensive event. For a one day search marketing conference, it certainly packs in plenty of content for attendees.
A total of four different stages will be used in Leeds for the 2019 conference. They will host a total of 48 practical talks. Topics covered in those talks will encompass technical SEO, digital trends, PPC advertising and many more.
The speakers promised by Search Leeds are all industry leading experts. What’s more, they guarantee that what they’ll deliver are truly useful talks. As the conference organisers put it, they will provide actionable advice, not sales pitches.
Intrigue Digital Marketing Summit – 3rd September
In early September, the place to be for digital marketing pros is One Moorgate Place in London. That’s where the 2019 edition of the Intrigue Digital Marketing Summit will be taking place. As the name suggests, it’s a major event which regularly hosts attendees from all corners of the digital marketing field.
2019’s summit will boast a range of different types of activity. They’re set to include keynote speeches and debate sessions to keep visitors busy throughout the day. The evening will then be taken up by a cocktail party. Giving attendees a chance to let their hair down, the party also makes for a great networking opportunity. What better way to make connections than by sharing a cocktail with industry experts?
Before the party gets into full swing, summit attendees will be able to learn about and discuss a vast array of topics. SEO, social media marketing and even AI technology are all on the summit’s agenda. Keynote speakers for 2019 have not yet been confirmed. In the past the speakers have been top drawer. They’ve included leading figures from firms like IBM, Deloitte and Dell amongst others.
DigiMarCon UK – 4th & 5th September
Following hot on the heels of the Intrigue Digital Marketing Summit is DigiMarCon UK 2019. The event is described as ‘the premier digital marketing conference and exhibition in the United Kingdom’. It’s hosted at the plush and well-appointed Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel.
The conference covers a broad stream of topics. They include content marketing, customer engagement, web analytics and many more besides. Each will be well covered by speeches and events. According to the event organisers, DigiMarCon UK provides three main opportunities to attendees:
- To hear from the most audacious and provocative speakers in the digital marketing industry.
- To gain insight into emerging strategies, the latest innovative technologies, and best practices.
- To network with thought leaders, build your network and collaborate with your peers.
Those opportunities will be catered to this year by an impressive slate of keynote speakers. A wide range of different speakers are scheduled. They include perhaps most notably, Simon Jacobson. He is search advertising lead with Microsoft in the UK and is sure to offer some fascinating insights.
Search Love – 14th & 15th October
The last UK digital marketing conference to make out list is Search Love in London. Held in the middle of October, it is an event suited to either agency or in-house marketers. More broadly, it’s for anyone with an interest in staying at the cutting edge of online marketing.
Seeing as the event is still a way off, the exact agenda is not yet certain. What’s for sure is that the two days in October will be packed with activities and speeches about all things marketing.
You can expect a good selection of topics to be covered. Web marketing trends, Google algorithm updates and customer experience have all been catered to in the past. Speakers from previous editions of the event also show how useful the conference is likely to be. Experts from Moz, Microsoft and other major firms have all appeared at Search Love in the past.
