Agenda
Here’s what our 2026 agenda is looking like.
Agenda
Here's what our 2025 agenda looked like.
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Day 1
8.30am
Registration, tea & coffee
Welcome, you’re now part of The Drum’s editorial team! Grab a coffee, load up on some kcals and get ready for two packed days of learning and dynamic live content creation.
9.20am
Welcome to The Drum Live 2026
The Drum’s live 48-hour content sprint kicks off as Editor Cameron Clarke and Deputy Editor Jen Faull outlining what The Drum team has in store for in-person and virtual attendees and together they’ll launch a number of AI ‘experiments’ to run for the duration of The Drum Live.
Cameron Clarke
Global Editor The Drum
Lynn Lester
Senior Vice President, Events & Marketing The Drum
Richard Draycott
Associate Editor & VP of Community Engagement The Drum
Amy Houston
Senior Reporter The Drum
Sam Anderson
Intelligence Editor The Drum
Thomas O'Neill
Homepage editor The Drum
John McCarthy
Opinion Editor The Drum
Hannah Bowler
Journalist The Drum
9.35am
Editorial Conference
Sit in on The Drum’s daily editorial conference with a difference – the difference being that instead of The Drum’s journalists discussing the day’s news agenda we’ll have special guests and marketing heavyweights highlighting the big stories and issues of the day.
10am
Keynote
Marketing is enduring one of the most transformative periods in its history. AI is reshaping creativity and productivity, media consumption is fragmenting, and brand trust is under constant pressure. In this opening keynote, a senior marketing leader sets the stage for The Drum Live 2026, unpacking the forces redefining modern marketing and what they mean for brand growth, organisational structure and competitive advantage in the years ahead.
10.20am
Panel: Media planning in the age of infinite channels
The media landscape has never been more fragmented. Streaming platforms, creator channels, retail media networks and traditional channels all compete for attention. For marketers, the challenge is building coherent strategies across an increasingly complex ecosystem. This panel explores how brands are navigating channel fragmentation, balancing performance with brand building and ensuring media investments deliver measurable business outcomes.
11am
Break
11.20am
Debate: ‘This house proposes that consumers don’t give a f**k if your brand wants to save the world because brand purpose is soooo over!”
For much of the last decade, brand purpose dominated marketing strategy, with companies championing social causes and positioning themselves as agents of change. But as economic pressure rises and consumer scepticism grows, many brands appear to be retreating from purpose-led messaging. Has purpose marketing simply run its course, or is it evolving into something more authentic? In this Oxford-style debate, two teams go head-to-head to decide whether purpose still drives brand value – or if the industry has moved on.
11.50am
Columnist: From page to stage
One of The Drum’s revered columnists brings their latest thinking off the page and onto the stage. As brands prepare for the crucial final quarter of the year, this session will unpack the trends, tensions and opportunities shaping the marketing landscape right now. Expect sharp perspectives, practical takeaways and a few strong opinions on what marketers should prioritise and what they should stop worrying about.
12.10pm
Panel: Creativity’s comeback: why bold ideas will always outperform algorithms
Performance marketing may dominate budgets, but creative thinking remains the ultimate competitive advantage. In this session, brand marketers explore how they are reigniting creativity inside data-driven organisations. From breakthrough brand platforms to culturally resonant campaigns, the discussion examines how creativity drives long-term growth, builds fame and cuts through increasingly crowded media environments.
12.35pm
Lunch
1.30pm
Gameshow: Can AI build the marketer of 2040
What will a marketer actually do in fifteen years’ time? In this live, AI-powered session, we’ll put leading platforms including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity to work to help craft the ultimate future job description. Together with the audience, we’ll interrogate the machines to explore the skills, tools and mindsets tomorrow’s marketers will need as AI transforms research, creativity, strategy and decision-making. Expect surprises. And possibly a few existential questions.
2pm
Fireside Chat: Retail Media’s Identity Crisis: Performance Engine or Brand Builder?
Retail media has been built on performance, but can it evolve into a true brand-building channel? In this candid fireside chat, senior marketers unpack the tension between short-term sales and long-term equity. Are brands being pushed to prove too much, too fast? And what would it take to unlock greater investment in upper-funnel retail media, from better measurement to richer formats that deliver both impact and intent?
2.25pm
Columnist: From page to stage
One of The Drum’s revered columnists brings their latest thinking off the page and onto the stage. As brands prepare for the crucial final quarter of the year, this session will unpack the trends, tensions and opportunities shaping the marketing landscape right now. Expect sharp perspectives, practical takeaways and a few strong opinions on what marketers should prioritise and what they should stop worrying about.
2.45pm
Panel: Commerce media’s next chapter: beyond the retail giants
Retail media has exploded into one of the fastest-growing sectors in advertising. But the ecosystem is evolving rapidly as new networks emerge and measurement becomes more sophisticated. Brand leaders discuss how commerce media is reshaping the path to purchase, the challenges of navigating dozens of retail networks and what the next phase of commerce media innovation will look like.
3.10pm
Break
3.30pm
Panel: Show Me The Money: Solving commerce media's incrementality problem
Retail media has sold itself on precision and performance, but the question of true incrementality is now impossible to ignore. In this candid fireside chat, a leading RMN and brand go head-to-head on what’s really driving growth. Is retail media creating new demand or simply capturing existing intent? Together, they’ll unpack the barriers to proving incrementality, the tensions on both sides, and the practical steps needed to deliver measurement that stands up in the boardroom.
3.55pm
Panel: How can we say so long to the silos holding commerce media back?
Retail media may be booming, but behind the scenes, brands are grappling with fragmented platforms, disconnected data and competing internal priorities. In this candid discussion, experts unpack how siloed retail media is holding back scale, measurement and true incrementality. More importantly, they’ll share how they’re breaking down barriers – across teams, budgets and partners - to build more connected, effective strategies that unlock retail media’s full potential.
4.15pm
Panel: Why real-world experiences matter more than ever
In a world dominated by screens and algorithms, physical brand experiences are proving incredibly powerful. Experiential marketing is evolving from one-off stunts to strategically designed engagement platforms. This panel explores how brands are using immersive events, pop-ups and community activations to create deeper emotional connections with audiences.
4.40pm
Commerce Keynote
In this closing keynote, a commerce media leader sets out their vision for the year to come – from the trends set to reshape the industry to the tools and behaviours marketers will need to stay ahead. What will fade away, what will rise next and where should brands focus their energy in 2027? Expect bold predictions and sharp perspectives.
5pm
Hit the bar
Relax and network over a few drinks to bring day one to a close. But don’t drink too much – The Drum Live Day 2 kicks off tomorrow.
Day 2
8.30am
Registration, tea & coffee
Welcome to Day 2 of The Drum Live. You’re now part of The Drum’s editorial team! Grab a coffee, load up on some kcals and get ready for two packed days of learning and dynamic live content creation.
9.20am
Welcome to The Drum Live 2026
Day 2 of The Drum’s live 48-hour content sprint kicks off with Editor Cameron Clarke and deputy ed Jen Faull outlining what Day 2 has in store for in-person and virtual attendees and together they’ll update us on some of the AI ‘experiments’ that kicked off on Day 1.
9.35am
Editorial Conference
Sit in on The Drum’s daily editorial conference with a difference – the difference being that instead of The Drum’s journalists discussing the day’s news agenda we’ll have special guests and marketing heavyweights highlighting the big stories and issues of the day.
10am
Opening Keynote
Marketing is enduring one of the most transformative periods in its history. AI is reshaping creativity and productivity, media consumption is fragmenting, and brand trust is under constant pressure. In this opening keynote, a senior marketing leader sets the stage for The Drum Live 2026, unpacking the forces redefining modern marketing and what they mean for brand growth, organisational structure and competitive advantage in the years ahead.
10.20am
Panel: The AI marketing revolution: what have brands actually changed?
The AI conversation has moved beyond experimentation. Marketing teams are now embedding AI across content creation, planning, research, strategic development and operations. But where is it truly delivering value? This panel brings brand leaders together to share how AI is reshaping their organisations, what they’ve automated, where human creativity still wins and how marketing teams are evolving to work alongside intelligent systems.
11am
Break
11.20am
Oxford-style debate: ‘This house proposes that customer service has reached a crisis point and AI and automation are doing more harm than good.’
Trying to resolve a problem with a brand can often feel like navigating a maze of chatbots, endless menus and unanswered messages. Are companies deliberately making themselves harder to reach, or are automation and AI simply the price of scale and efficiency? In this Oxford-style debate, two teams argue whether technology is improving customer service – or quietly making it worse for the very people brands claim to serve.
11.50am
Columnist - From page to stage
One of The Drum’s revered columnists brings their latest thinking off the page and onto the stage. As brands prepare for the crucial final quarter of the year, this session will unpack the trends, tensions and opportunities shaping the marketing landscape right now. Expect sharp perspectives, practical takeaways and a few strong opinions on what marketers should prioritise and what they should stop worrying about.
12.10pm
Panel: Small followings, big impact: the rise of the micro-influencers
For years, influencer marketing was dominated by celebrity creators with massive followings. But a quieter shift is underway. Micro-influencers – creators with smaller, highly engaged communities – are proving incredibly powerful at shaping opinion, driving trust and influencing purchase decisions. In this panel, brand marketers explore why smaller voices often deliver bigger impact, how brands identify the right creators and what the micro-influencer economy means for the future of marketing.
12.35pm
Lunch
1.30pm
Gameshow: Brand Family Fortunes
Two family-owned brands go head-to-head in this playful parody of the classic game show. Teams from each company compete to guess the most popular answers to questions about their advertising, marketing campaigns and brand reputation. Expect quick thinking, a few surprising audience responses and plenty of competitive spirit as these household names battle it out to prove who really knows their brand best.
2pm
Panel: Spun out doctors or secret weapons? PR’s place in the modern marketing machine
In an industry obsessed with algorithms, dashboards and the latest digital platform, have good old PR practitioners and comms managers been pushed to the sidelines? Or is comms actually more important than ever? This panel explores the evolving role of communications leaders in a hyper-paced marketing landscape. From reputation management to narrative building, we ask whether PR is being overlooked – and why smart brands are rediscovering its power.
2.25pm
Columnist: From page to stage
One of The Drum’s revered columnists brings their latest thinking off the page and onto the stage. As brands prepare for the crucial final quarter of the year, this session will unpack the trends, tensions and opportunities shaping the marketing landscape right now. Expect sharp perspectives, practical takeaways and a few strong opinions on what marketers should prioritise and what they should stop worrying about.
2.45pm
Panel: Meet the consumer: the panel marketers rarely hear
Marketers spend huge sums researching audiences, but how often do they hear directly from the people they’re trying to reach? In this refreshingly honest session, four everyday consumers with no ties to the industry take the stage to share what really frustrates them about brands, advertising and social media. Expect unfiltered opinions, surprising insights and a reality check for marketers brave enough to hear what their audience actually thinks.
3.10pm
Break
3.30pm
Panel: No bots allowed: the AI pitch paradox
AI is transforming how agencies research, write and build ideas, but many brands ban the use by agencies to complete RFI and RFP responses. In this session, agency and brand leaders unpack the growing tension around AI in the pitch process. Why are some clients wary of AI-assisted proposals, and what pressure does that place on already stretched agency teams? Expect a frank conversation about creativity, trust and the future of pitching.
3.55pm
Brand Fireside Chat
Today’s consumers are more media-literate and advertising-aware than ever before. They know when they’re being sold to and have little patience for brands that underestimate their intelligence. In this fireside conversation, a leading CMO shares how their marketing strategy is evolving for a fragmented media landscape where authenticity, relevance and cultural understanding matter more than ever. Expect a candid look at how modern brands are adapting to win trust and attention.
4.15pm
Panel: Rebel Yells
What does it take to challenge convention and win? In this session we bring together CMOs featured in The Drum’s Rebel 50 – the industry’s most fearless marketers. From bold brand moves to unconventional campaigns, they’ll share why breaking the rules can deliver real results. We’ll also explore whether it’s easier to be rebellious today or if risk-taking has actually become harder in an era of scrutiny and data-driven decision making.
4.45pm
Closing Keynote
Bringing The Drum Live 2026 to a close a global brand leader sets out their vision for the year to come – from the trends set to reshape the industry to the tools and behaviours marketers will need to stay ahead. What will fade away, what will rise next and where should brands focus their energy in 2027? Expect bold predictions and sharp perspectives.
5.25pm
Hit the bar
Relax and network over a few drinks to bring The Drum Live to a close for 2025.
