Education
the Agenda
The tides are changing.
When building the agenda for Ubiq X LIVE, one thing was clear: the sector is shifting—and fast. Schools are under increasing pressure to stand out, the role of marketing is changing, and admissions teams are stepping confidently into their roles as salespeople. We’re bringing together top commercial voices and the boldest thinkers in independent education to show that doing things differently is better.
Expect two days of sharp insights, 30+ sessions, and dual tracks of commercial and educational content built around the real challenges and opportunities schools are facing today.
So, go on, be different. We dare you.
:9.00am - 5.00pm
9.00AM – 9.45AM
Registration, Breakfast and Explore Ubiq X Fairground▾
Make your way to the Dock Gallery to grab your badge and drop your coat at the cloakroom. Then head over to Quayside 1 for breakfast and explore Ubiq X Fairground.
Quayside 1
9.45AM – 10.00AM
A Warm Welcome from Ubiq's CEO▾
Ubiq Education's CEO, Daniel Clarke and a surprise guest will open Ubiq X LIVE 2026.
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Daniel Clarke
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10.00AM – 10.15AM
Hear from Blackbaud, Ubiq X LIVE's Visionary Partner▾
Hear from Ubiq X LIVE's Visionary Partner - Blackbaud.
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10.15AM – 11.00AM
Panel: Why Dare to be Different?▾
In a crowded market, difference wins.
Hosted by Ubiq’s Head of Marketing, Maddie Lingard, hear Sean West, Digital Marketing Manager at North London Collegiate School UK, Jacqueline Keller, Director of Marketing & Communications at Avon Old Farms, USA and Sabrina Moutarde, UK Marketing Director at Inspired Education Group discuss why bold, distinctive marketing drives engagement, sparks connection, and converts attention into action.
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| Sean West | Jacqueline Keller | Sabrina Moutarde |
| Head of Digital Marketing | Director of Marketing & Communications | UK Marketing Director |
| North London Collegiate School (UK) |
Avon Old Farms (USA) |
Inspired Education Group |
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Main Stage, Dock Gallery
11.00AM – 11.30AM
Refreshments at Ubiq X Fairground▾
Grab a coffee and step into the Ubiq X Fairground - where purposeful play, thoughtful interaction, and ideas come to life.
Quayside 1
11.30AM – 12.15PM
Keynote: Bring Marketing to the Leadership Table ▾
Marketing isn’t just a service - it’s a strategic force that drives growth, reputation, and long-term value. In this session, Dr. Leeya Hendricks, Global CMO, ex. IBM, Accenture and Oracle will show you how marketing can claim its seat at the leadership table, guiding your decisions on admissions, retention, and community trust.
Through the interactive “Bring Your Seat to the Leadership Table” activity, you’ll experience the New Shared Leadership Model - Listen, Align, Shape, Engage, Measure - bringing marketing’s strategic role to life. Practical frameworks, peer discussions, and hands-on exercises give you a clear, memorable roadmap to elevate marketing, strengthen collaboration, and embed insight-led decision-making at the heart of your school leadership.
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Dr. Leeya Hendricks |
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Main Stage, Dock Gallery
12.15PM – 1.15PM
Buffet Lunch at Ubiq X Fairground▾
Refuel at the Ubiq X Fairground - grab some lunch, explore interactive experiences, and spark ideas while you eat.
Quayside 1
1.15PM – 2.00PM
Breakout Session: Beyond Delighted: A Strategy for Schools that have Run out of Words▾
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.
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Ed Holmes
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East Dock
1.15PM – 2.00PM
Breakout Session: Stop Running Open Days, Start Creating Experiences▾
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.
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Emilee Alexson
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East Dock
1.15PM – 2.00PM
Breakout Session: Marketing in the Moment▾
Discover how timing, culture, and life’s rhythms shape standout campaigns with Becci Dive, ex. Head of Marketing UK&I for Pret a Manger.
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Becci Dive
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East Dock
2.00PM – 2.45PM
Keynote: Why Schools Don't Have Fans (Yet)▾
Dani Rayner, ex-Marketing Director at Netflix, shows schools how to turn parents, students, and alumni into true fans - through audience-first thinking, personalisation, and experiences that stick.
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Dani Rayner
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Main Stage, Dock Gallery
2.45PM – 3.15PM
Refreshment Break▾
Head to Ubiq X Fairground for the afternoon break - coffee, conversation, and a jump in the ball pit? Why not?!
Quayside 1
3.15PM – 4.00PM
Breakout Session: Going Global - International Expansion▾
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.
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Andrew Elias
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East Dock
3.15PM – 4.00PM
Breakout Session: F*** Ups Outperform Perfection▾
East Dock
3.15PM – 4.00PM
Breakout Session: Synthetic AI: The Future of Customer Experiences▾
Join Andrew Skerratt, Customer Analytics Lead and Olivia O’Gorman, Senior Customer Strategy Manager from Samsung to explore how Synthetic AI is shaping the way brands understand, engage, and delight their audiences.
East Dock
4.15PM – 5.00PM
Keynote: From Story to Sensation with Grace Andrews▾
Grace Andrews, Brand & Editorial Director behind The Diary of a CEO, explores how brands build meaningful connection, grow audiences, and turn content into cultural impact.
Keynote Speaker:
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Grace Andrews
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Main Stage, Dock Gallery
7.00PM – Late
Ubiq's Fifth Birthday Party at Motel Studios▾
Five years of UBIQ, one unforgettable night. Join us at Motel Studios, Shoreditch for a night of delicious food, flowing drinks and great music. Bringing our community together to raise a glass and say thank you for making it all possible.
Graciously sponsored by Blackbaud.
Motel Studios 406 - 408 Long Street London, England, E2 8HG
9.00am - 3.30pm
9.00AM – 9.30AM
Welcome Back to Ubiq X LIVE!▾
Grab breakfast, catch up with colleagues, settle in and wander the Ubiq X Fairground to kick off the day with ideas in action.
Quayside 1
9.30AM – 10.15AM
Stop Marketing Like a School▾
Meet the marketing masterminds behind Moonpig and Monzo’s growth as we explore what schools should start, stop, and continue to align more closely with commercial businesses. These leaders will share their boldest, most creative tactics - and show how they can engage audiences in ways never before seen in the independent education sector. Discover what’s holding schools back, and learn how to move faster, stand out, and retain the heart and authority that make them top independent education providers - all while drawing inspiration from some of the world’s most successful brands.
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Main Stage, Dock Gallery
10.15AM – 11.00AM
Breakout Session: How to Dare to Be Different▾
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!
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Amie Caswell
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East Dock
10.15AM – 11.00AM
Breakout Session: The Audience Equation: Speak to Someone, Not Everyone▾
Hosted by Katharina Roelofsz, Head of Communications at Radley School, this session explores how to put your audience at the heart of every strategy and tailor tactics that truly resonate.
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Katharina Roelofsz
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East Dock
10.15AM – 11.00AM
Breakout Session: Brand Boldly: Reimagining the Role of School Marketing▾
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.
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| Jacqueline Keller | Susan Kohn |
| Director of Marketing & Communications | Director, Office of the Head of School & External Relations |
| Avon Old Farms | Avon Old Farms |
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East Dock
11.00AM – 11.30PM
Refreshment Break▾
Take a break at the Ubiq X Fairground - grab a drink, dive into hands-on experiences, and see ideas in action.
11.30AM – 12.15PM
Wellbeing Session: Barre with Leeya Hendricks▾
Reset, recharge, and re-energise with Leeya Hendricks, keynote speaker and founder of My Barre Vibes. This 45-minute Barre session guides you through a flow designed to strengthen, stretch, and help you lead with intention - no matter what you’re wearing.
11.30AM – 12.15PM
Wellbeing Session: Puppy Therapy▾
What show would be complete without puppies! Take a ‘paws’ and unwind with puppy therapy. A joyful break designed to lower stress, lift spirits, and add a little tail-wagging happiness to your day.
11.30AM – 12.15PM
Wellbeing Session: Focus Time▾
Enjoy some time to yourself to catch up on work, network and explore Ubiq X Fairground.
12.15PM – 1.15PM: Ubiq X Awards over Lunch▾
The Ubiq X Awards celebrate the schools and teams doing exceptional work across marketing, communications, and experience. Announced over lunch in the Ubiq X Fairground, the awards shine a spotlight on creativity, impact, and ideas that truly stand out.
Grab some food, explore the Fairground, and join us as we recognize the thinking, risk-taking, and results shaping the future of school marketing - because great work deserves to be seen and celebrated.
1.15PM – 2.00PM
Breakout Session: Gen Z Lab: Trends Shaping the Next Generation of Parents▾
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.
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Bianca Brown
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East Dock
1.15PM – 2.00PM
Breakout Session: When an International School Starts Playing in the UK's Backyard▾
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.
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Jamie Perfect
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East Dock
2.00PM – 2.15PM
Refreshment Break▾
One last stop at the Ubiq X Fairground - a quick refuel before our final keynote.
2.15PM – 3.00PM: Be More Pirate, Sam Conniff▾
Join best-selling author, Sam Conniff in a one-man showdown with the status quo. Sam will deliver a fearless blueprint for school leaders who want to grow far beyond the limits they’ve quietly accepted.
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Sam Conniff
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3.00PM – 3.15PM: Thank You and Closing▾
Join us for a thank you, a few more surprises and a goodbye from the Ubiq X LIVE Team
