
The College Marketing Network’s Conference offers new insights and inspiration giving you new ideas to take away and work with in your college.
The one-day event brings together expert speakers and workshop hosts to showcase and discuss innovative ideas and practice.You will leave the conference feeling inspired, having new skills and insights that you can start using straight away. There will also be plenty of opportunities to network with breaks during the day – hospitality will be provided including lunch in the hotel restaurant.
When? Monday 27 January 2025, 9am-4.30pm
Where? Crowne Plaza Hotel, Birmingham City Centre
Programme
The programme includes:
- an insightful opening keynote from Suzie Branch-Haddow, Vice Principal at BMet College who will share her passion for FE and inspire us all for the day ahead
- an exciting plenary session lead by an expert digital marketer, Oli Hills, CEO of Nonsensical – the TikTok agency
- 16 workshops covering hot topics in marketing and FE. As a delegate, you can select 4 workshops to attend during the day.
- *New for 2025* ‘Meet the Experts’ panel discussions covering five key area of marketing. As a delegate you’ll be able to select three to attend.
- opportunities to network with fellow marketing professionals and discover innovative products and services from industry-leading exhibitors
How to Book
We are thrilled to announce that the CMN Conference 2025 is now fully booked! A huge thank you to everyone who has secured their place – we’re delighted that so many FE marketing professionals will be joining us for this exciting event.
We understand that some of you are disappointed that spaces are no longer available, but rest assured, we’re already planning for a larger venue in 2026 to accommodate even more attendees.
In the meantime, keep an eye out for some exciting news about the CMN Roadshow 2025 – we’ll be bringing workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities to a city near you soon! Stay tuned for more details!
Thank you for your incredible support and enthusiasm for CMN events. We can’t wait to see you at the conference or on the road in 2025!
Accommodation
SPECIAL RATE for DELEGATES: If you wish to stay the night at the Crowne Plaza hotel, we have secured a special rate for the event – £130pp per night, B&B. This rate is only available through the CMN. Please select this option on the booking form.
Alternatively, there are other hotels nearby.
Travel & Parking
Travelling by train: Birmingham New Street Grand Central Station is only 0.2 miles from the hotel.
Travelling by car: Please be aware of Birmingham’s clean air zone. There are three car parks located near the hotel:
- Crowne Plaza Car Park – Arena Central Car Park, Holliday Street, B1 1TQ.
£21 for 24 hrs payable at hotel reception.
Limited parking – you can only park in bays WITHOUT numbers
- Mailbox Car Park – Q-Park Mailbox, Royal Mail Street, B1 1RD – 5 minute walk from Crowne Plaza.
15% discount when staying at the Crowne Plaza
£22.50 for 24hrs
- Town Hall Car Park – Town Hall Parking Brunel Street, B1 1TA – 5 minute walk from Crowne Plaza.
£16.30 for 24 hrs payable at location
Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Oli Hills is CEO of Nonsensical, the TikTok Marketing Agency. The team at Nonsensical manages all aspects of TikTok marketing from content creation, channel management, influencer marketing and paid media activations. The team are trusted by brands such as Huel, HSBC UK, UNiDAYS, University College Birmingham & TikTok themselves. Oli is also a trustee of Kids Village, a charity creating the UK’s first holiday village for sick children & their families as well as a member of the digital, tech and employer board for Birmingham Metropolitan College.

Introducing Suzie Branch-Haddow, a dynamic force shaping the future of education and marketing. As the Vice Principal at BMet College, Suzie brings a wealth of experience in both B2B and B2C marketing arenas. With her finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving landscape of Further Education, Suzie is poised to enlighten and empower marketing professionals like you as she dives into the intricacies of the FE landscape, offering invaluable insights and actionable strategies to navigate its complexities.
Conference Exhibitors & Workshop Hosts:

Bluestorm are a full-service marketing agency, specialising in supporting colleges across the UK in every facet of their marketing. From expertly web development that engages and informs prospective students to dynamic student recruitment strategies, targeted keep-warm initiatives, eye-catching prospectus designs, and beyond, we’re dedicated to enhancing your institution’s presence.
(EXHIBITOR & WORKSHOP HOST)

Forward & Thinking are an experienced team of education marketing and media experts, working with over 50 higher and further education clients across the UK. Forward & Thinking understand the education landscape and pressures faced, particularly around funding, allocation of resources and recruitment targets, we work hard to ease these burdens by offering exceptional multi-channel campaigns that deliver results by expertly planning media that engage and convert audiences.
(EXHIBITOR & WORKSHOP HOST)

Pathways is a suite of career tools that help students see the link between your courses and careers. It brings high quality careers information into your website and shows prospective students and their parents possible career options after studying on your courses.
Pathways is an affordable solution, set up is easy, it requires no extra work from your IT team and helps fulfil Gatsby Benchmarks and Ofsted’s careers criteria.
(EXHIBITOR)

Next-Gen Media is fixing the communication problem within colleges.
Their mission is to revolutionise the way in which education providers engage with their students by supplying, managing and maintaining commercial-grade digital screens for Colleges, entirely free of charge.
This is unique because the dual-purpose element means all of their partners can upload their own FE related content onto their screens through an easy-to-use content management portal. Their model is then supported by suitable advertisers who purchase the media space to share their exclusive student-focused discounts, well-being messages and employment opportunities with your students.
(EXHIBITOR & WORKSHOP HOST)

GM takes the stress out of marketing for both leadership and marketing teams. We take a simple yet effective approach that supports you to create the right marketing strategy.
(EXHIBITOR & WORKSHOP HOST)

We’re a well-known name in college marketing, and we’re not scared to shout about it. Why? Because we design and build first-class college websites and apps.
Our team of seasoned account directors, designers and highly skilled web developers consistently go over and above what’s expected in the further education sector, delivering websites that push boundaries and achieve goals. We’ve built large scale powerful college websites with seamless integrations to MIS systems.
(WORKSHOP HOST)

Glued are a research, design and marketing agency with strong credentials in further and higher education. Although we do get involved in student recruitment our strengths lie in the marketing of non-core propositions, such as: services to businesses, alumni, internal communications, branding of specialisms and institutes. Our approach is driven by recognising, articulating and promoting valuable difference.
(WORKSHOP HOST)

A multi award-winning digital marketing agency with over 20 years in education marketing. We work collaboratively with each client, delivering award-winning digital strategy, brand development, websites, SEO and marketing campaigns that deliver commercial results.
Our Mission: to partner with ambitious education organisations that want to grow and use digital as a tool to maximise their return on their investment, and in doing so make a real positive impact to students lives. Our team of 28 are a powerful mix of strategist, creatives developers, data analysts, marketing consultants, and project managers bringing together the right skills, experience to deliver digital solutions that drive commercial results.
(WORKSHOP HOST)

Prospectus Plus is a digital tool that provides a sustainable and personalised solution for creating prospectuses. We prioritise sustainability by offering an eco-friendly alternative to paper prospectuses.
Users can create a personalised copy of your prospectus, showing the most relevant content to their needs and interests all in one place. And in turn, creating a higher conversion rate.
Our built-in analytics enables you to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your prospectus. This helps you to optimise their prospectus design and content to improve overall performance. Prospectus Plus is revolutionising the way educational institutions approach prospectus creation, offering a comprehensive solution that delivers measurable results.
(EXHIBITOR & WORKSHOP HOST)

SDS are offline marketing specialists, working with clients to build lasting customer relationships and help engage new audiences.
Our customer acquisition campaign planning and delivery covers a range of print marketing channels – direct mail, door drops and inserts.
Our SMART data and targeting allows you to reach more of your ideal students with fewer items – better for your budget and for the environment.
Whatever your target audience, we can help deliver your brand directly into their hands and homes.
(WORKSHOP HOST & EXHIBITOR)

Looking for video production? We help businesses generate sales through high quality TV and video marketing, produced by our Royal Television Society winning team.
College Videos is a a new service from Media Partnership, specifically tailored for education to help you attract new students, fill open days and increase course sign-ups.
(WORKSHOP HOST & EXHIBITOR)

At Circyl we specialise in driving business excellence through expertly crafted Business Applications and Data & Analytics solutions. Our dedicated team of digital transformation consultants collaborates seamlessly with clients across diverse sectors to elevate productivity, efficiency, and long-term success. Our mission is to empower clients to strategically leverage technology for enhanced business performance. Through a meticulous, data-driven approach, we instil a culture of efficiency and collaboration. Our consultancy is distinguished by innovation, transparency, and a commitment to building enduring strategic partnerships. Join us on a journey where every investment yields tangible, positive business value, forging a path to sustained success.
(EXHIBITOR)

From design, to installation, Big City Graphics have all your signage needs covered, big and small. Our unique Big City service will guide you through the project from start to finish. We work closely with our customers to deliver their vision on time, every time. Our attention to detail and commitment to helping our customers sets us apart from the competition.
(EXHIBITOR)

CRDone is a specialist search marketing agency, driven by a passion for data, shaping customised strategies to deliver measurable results. As a boutique agency, we offer a personalised approach, working closely with clients to meet their unique goals.
(WORKSHOP HOST)

At Bright Ideas we’ve got what it takes to support all your merchandise and clothing requirements no matter how complex. Here’s what we do: We source, design, store & distribute eye-catching merchandise and branded clothing. With over 40 years’ experience servicing the Education Sector we are genuine experts and are on hand to provide advice and guidance to help maximise the impact of any initiative. We are committed to delivering quality products in a responsible way. We offer green options and promote the use of recycled and renewable materials wherever possible helping our clients to deliver ‘conscious promotions’.
(EXHIBITOR)

Laura Boundy is an Education Marketing Consultant specialising in marketing for further education colleges, adult education, schools, and training providers. With extensive experience across the sector, she works closely with senior leadership teams to audit, research, develop and implement marketing plans and strategies. Her services range from strategy development to project management, offering tailored marketing solutions and training. Laura’s expertise lies in aligning marketing strategies with organisational goals to support future growth.
(WORKSHOP HOST)

Education Marketing Specialist and Director at Propell Marketing
(WORKSHOP HOST)

Gecko provides an AI-powered student engagement platform. It equips educational institutions globally with the superpowers they need to meet students’ expectations of today while innovating for the needs of tomorrow. We understand that student engagement is more than one single thing; it spans every channel, every touchpoint—emails, texts, forms, events, chats, calls, and more— all connected together, delivering a contextual experience for every student. Our modules launch fast, integrate seamlessly, and come with industry-leading support as standard. Gecko’s platform facilitates millions of student interactions each year, and our customers tell us they’ve never experienced a company like Gecko.
(EXHIBITOR)

Purlos is an EdTech software company dedicated to empowering education providers to connect with students, enhance their learner journeys, and achieve positive outcomes.
Founded in 2018, Purlos has since gone on to become one of the fastest growing and most innovative software providers in the country, helping institutions achieve their goals and make a meaningful impact on the lives of their students
(EXHIBITOR)

Clearhead are a creative video & social content agency for brands and organisations. We plan, produce, craft and distribute content that sparks chemistry with your audience delivering creative and production all under one roof. You’re dedicated to making a positive impact in your sector. Imagine the difference it would make to create chemistry with your audience, stand out, and gain trust. We believe that a well-told story can do just that.
Whether you need to emotively connect your message with your audience, communicate complex information, or showcase something new we believe telling stories can create connections, appeal to hearts as well as minds, and bring about change. Through our Creative Chemistry® framework, we help you discover your story, understand your audience, refine your strategy, and transform your marketing.
(EXHIBITOR)

Transform how you manage student relationships with our intuitive, cost-effective CRM designed specifically for educational providers.
Whether you’re a small, medium, or specialist institution, our SaaS solution creates a single source of truth, streamlines communication, enhances engagement, simplifies data management and centralises all your marketing and recruitment needs—without the complexity (price and consultant need) of an enterprise system!
With quick implementation (<28 Days) and ongoing product updates, our CRM helps you hit the ground running with simple, easy-to-use, sector-specific technology loved by our partners & users.
Visit our stand to see how we can support your institution’s goals with a tool built specifically for your needs.
(EXHIBITOR)

SoS is dedicated to creating a compassionate and understanding environment where individuals feel safe to talk about their mental health struggles and seek help. Through raising awareness, offering valuable resources, and fostering a community focused on suicide prevention, SoS aims to save lives and promote mental well-being for everyone.
Their free mental health helpline, staffed by specially trained volunteers, provides crucial support to those in crisis. Whether you need someone to listen without judgment or guidance to help you cope and feel better, SoS is there to help, no matter when you call or what you’re going through.
Join SoS at the CMN Conference 2025 to learn more about their impactful work and discover how they’re making a difference in breaking the silence around mental health. Together, let’s build a world where no one faces their struggles alone.
(EXHIBITOR)

Louise Farmer, Marketing & External Relations Manager at Telford College Marketing, will be hosting a workshop.

Kate Knight, Group Manager for Marketing and Communications at Inspire Education Group, will be hosting a workshop.

Marie Szymonski, Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations at Gower College Swansea, will be hosting a workshop.

Mike Needham, Director of Communications, Admissions and Marketing at Shrewsbury Colleges Group, will be hosting a workshop.
Exhibition Space
If you feel your business would benefit from attending the CMN conference and networking with further education marketing professionals from across the UK, there are options available to attend as an exhibitor. Please email emma@m-network.org for more information.
Disclaimer: The College Marketing Network will do everything in its power to run the conference and awards as advertised. In the event of changes beyond our control making this impossible, we may either move the events online or delay them to a later date.
We will endeavour to give all those participating as much notice of any changes as possible.
Cancellations made by email before 6 January 2025 will be refunded, less any admin or booking charges that may have been incurred. Bookings made after 6 January 2025 are non-refundable.
Covid-19: If you are booked to attend the conference and contract Covid-19, we would request that you do not attend. We will accept substitutes from your team if someone can take your place
Please note that booking for the conference demonstrates your acceptance of this statement.