Agenda | Ubiq X LIVE Conference Programme - 4th & 5th March 26

In an increasingly noisy, pressured and uncertain world, education brands are being asked to do more than inform, they’re being asked to reassure.

As families, learners and partners navigate uncertainty, the brands they trust are rarely the loudest or the most polished, but the ones that feel clear, human and emotionally safe, the ones they care about the most.

In this fast-paced, insight-led session, Sean Cornell, founder of Wonderment (the joyful branding agency) explores why emotion now plays a central role in how education brands should be noticed, remembered and chosen.

Introducing the idea of Edjoycation, Sean reframes joy not as something playful or superficial, but as a powerful strategic tool that helps brands feel clearer, calmer and more memorable.

Expect a little joy, a lot of insight and absolutely zero beige thinking. High energy. Clear thinking. Proper Wonderment.

Because in moments that matter, people don’t choose what looks best.

They choose what feels right.

Sean Cornell Founder & (Mis) Chief Creator Wonderment

East Dock

Ed Holmes will explain how the constant use and overuse of a single word on school social media made him re-evaluate his entire marketing approach, developing an ever-stronger brand in the process. Showing how he developed Westminster School's marketing strategy (the real thing, not just broad examples), he will argue that the most exciting and innovative marketing will fall down if you don't concentrate on language and tone, making every word count.

Ed Holmes Director of Marketing and Communications Westminster School, London, UK

East Dock

Stop hosting events that simply inform. Emilee Alexson, with nearly 20 years’ experience delivering high-profile corporate events, now Event Manager at Ubiq, shows you how to create experiences that bring your school’s message to life, engage every sense, and leave your audience inspired.

Emilee Alexson Event Manager Ubiq Education

East Dock

It is competitive out there. And in the independent school sector, marketing calendars are (unsurprisingly) very similar. Enrollment deadlines; Open days; league table publications; exam results days. But, what about flipping your calendar on its head, and no longer prioritising the school year, but leaning into the real lives of your customers - parents. 

Come and unleash your creative thinking as we ideate how to build stronger relationships, grow your reputation, and stand out from the crowd by designing marketing for parents, not just to them.

Becci Dive ex. Head of Marketing UK&I Pret a Manger

East Dock 

What if your website didn’t look - or behave - like every other school website?

Join Charterhouse School's Director of External Relations, Chris Hibbs, Ubiq’s Creative Director, Kris Jeary and COO, Jo Short for a fireside chat exploring the creation of one of the sector’s most distinctive digital experiences. This session dives into the thinking behind a gamified, immersive site - the risks, the rewards, and the lessons learned along the way.

Kris Jeary	Chris Hibbs	Jo Short
Creative Director	Director of External Relations	COO
Ubiq	Charterhouse School	Ubiq

 
Main Stage

Professional idiot John Thornton talks about funny copy, silly marketing, dumb ideas, and what to do when everything goes horribly wrong and the whole internet hates you.

John Thornton Senior Creative Surreal

East Dock 

In this dynamic breakout session, we unpack the brutal truth about global recruitment - why localisation beats translation, why trust beats traffic, and why AI has raised the competitive bar. Expect bold insights, practical strategy, and immediate actions you can implement.

Pierre Fertout Chief Sales Officer Weglot

East Dock 

School marketing is often treated as a comms function: open days, campaigns, admissions messages. But when families feel the world shifting under their feet, promotion alone can’t carry the load. The offer has to do more of the persuading.

In this session, Hanisha Kotecha (North London Collegiate School and former creative agency leader) shares a practical way to diagnose whether you’re facing a comms problem or a product one. You’ll learn how to pinpoint your audience challenge, translate what the world now needs from young people into a sharper proposition, and map what your school can credibly deliver with distinctive strength.

Using Surge - NLCS’s Sixth Form start-up academy - as a case study, Hanisha explores what it looks like to design an offer for the world as it is, not as we wish it were. Built with feminist intent, Surge strengthens retention, makes modernity tangible for one of the UK’s oldest girls’ schools, and creates proof that travels far beyond an open day.

Takeaways include:

• A simple diagnostic to clarify whether you need clearer comms or a stronger offer
• A framework for spotting opportunity: audience challenge + world need + school capability

Hanisha Kotecha Director of Marketing and External Relations North London Collegiate School

East Dock

Now we know why we need to be different, let’s discover how. Join this hands-on workshop with Head of Brand at Lick, Amie Caswell for a practical framework including playful ideas, unusual partnerships, and influencer approaches that you can put into action straight away!

Amie Caswell Head of Brand Lick

East Dock 

Most schools can see activity on their website. Admissions can see enquiries in their system. But the story in between? Missing.
This session explores what happens when browsing behaviour, repeat visits, content engagement, and intent signals don’t disappear into analytics dashboards — they actively shape how and when admissions follow up. Instead of reacting to form fills, teams gain context: who’s warming up, what they care about, and when they’re ready for a conversation.

The result isn’t more noise or more admin. It’s better timing, more relevant conversations, and fewer promising families slipping through the cracks because marketing and admissions were working from different versions of reality.
Powered by growing integrations between Blackbaud and Ubiq AMAIS.

Charlie Lytle Sr Manager, Solutions Engineering Blackbaud

East Dock 

Parents don’t compare your school to the one down the road anymore — they compare you to the last digital experience they had. Amazon recommends, Netflix predicts, Spotify understands. Most school marketing still broadcasts.

In this session, we’ll break down how major brands actually use personalisation (and what they don’t do), then translate those tactics into practical, ethical strategies schools can apply immediately. You’ll learn how to move from generic messaging to relevant journeys, build trust before enquiry, and increase conversion without increasing workload.

Expect real examples, simple frameworks, and a clear plan to start treating every prospective family like an audience of one — at scale.

Steve Spriggs Kampus

East Dock 

In many schools, admissions and development take the spotlight, while marketing quietly drives storytelling, visibility, and community perception. It’s time to change that. This workshop, co-hosted by Jacqueline Keller and Susan Kohn from Avon Old Farms, USA helps MarCom teams step up, claim their strategic voice, and lead with creativity, purpose, and impact.

Jacqueline Keller	Susan Kohn
Director of Marketing & Communications	Director, Office of the Head of School & External Relations
Avon Old Farms	Avon Old Farms

East Dock 

Hosted by Bianca Brown from Edelman’s Gen Z Lab, this session explores how the values, behaviors, and expectations of the next generation of parents are reshaping decision-making around education - and what schools need to understand now to stay relevant.

Bianca Brown Senior Account Manager (Digital) Edelman

East Dock 

What's next for search? Bora will explore how AI search and LLM tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Deepseek are transforming how audiences seek information and make decisions. He’ll share a practical three-step framework to help schools appear at the top of search results across these platforms - so when prospective families search for “The Best School in [your local area],” your school is front and centre.

Bora Dogmen Digital Marketing Manager Amplify

East Dock 

Hosted by Andrew Elias, this panel uncovers how schools are turning international expansion from ambition into reality - and what you can learn from their journey.

Andrew Elias	Anita Gleave
M&A and Business Development Advisor	CEO
Growth Story	QED Schools Group

Darrell Barnes	Karen Lane
Business Development Director	Founder and Group Managing Director
Malvern College	Plus 1 Communications

Main Stage

In this interactive, hands-on workshop, Wonnie Sayama challenges the traditional, checkbox-driven admissions model and invites you to rethink the parent journey from first touch to long-term advocacy. Working together, you'll unpack the moments that truly shape how families feel, decide, and act. These are what Wonnie calls the “moments of power” that build trust, loyalty, and belief in your school.

Rather than focusing on conversion tactics or automated touchpoints, this session reframes admissions teams as ambassadors: people who guide, listen, and connect authentically with families at the moments that matter most.

Wonnie Sayama Head of Admissions Sydenham High School GDST

East Dock 

We never dreamed of entering the UK market, but when VAT changes and rising fees created uncertainty, British families began looking outward. We speculatively responded with a small, direct Meta campaign addressing their concerns - unusual for international schools stepping into a backyard that has been carefully fenced off for generations. That campaign sparked unexpected press interest in The Guardian, The Telegraph, and regional media, gently increasing awareness of ISB. This talk reflects on how we moved from two traditional markets to four - Bremen, expat, international boarding, and now British boarding. Not a success story, but a learning journey.

Jamie Perfect Director International School of Bremen

East Dock