CMN Conference 2026

Laura-Jane (LJ) Rawlings MBE DL, is the founder of Youth Employment UK, a not-for-profit dedicated to supporting young people with skills, career opportunities, and a voice in youth employment policy.
A recognised expert, Laura-Jane has played a leading role in shaping policy on social mobility, education, and skills. She is involved with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Employment, co-founded the Youth Employment Group, and serves as a Governor at The Bedford College Group. In 2024, she was awarded an MBE for her services to young people and became a Deputy Lieutenant for Northamptonshire. Laura-Jane frequently represents Youth Employment UK in the media, including BBC Breakfast and Channel 4 News.

JP Stanway is the founder of JPS on Socials, a specialist social media marketing agency helping businesses scale through strategic content and proven systems. With a background in nuclear project management and three years of global travel, JP brings a unique blend of structure and creativity to the digital world. He has grown platforms to over 10 million views, delivered results for SMEs and large brands alike, and now shares his journey of building a business from the ground up. Passionate about storytelling, mindset, and impact, JP’s talks blend real-world experience with actionable insights to inspire and empower others.

Nicky Roach is Director of Marketing and Communications at the City of Liverpool College, the largest FE provider in the city region. A motivational leader and qualified workplace coach, she drives a dynamic marketing and communications service, inspiring teams to deliver results across brand, digital, PR, events, and stakeholder engagement. As a member of the College’s Strategic Leadership Team, Nicky focuses on growing student numbers, boosting market share, and raising the College’s profile, combining strategic vision with hands-on expertise to make an impact in the Further Education sector.

ACPME (Association of Creative & Print Managers in Education) – a dynamic network of creative and print managers from UK Higher and Further Education sectors. 
The ACPME brings together in-house print, creative, photography/videography and design teams to share best practices, drive innovation and elevate the strategic value of in-house operations.
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Thought TV advertising was out of your reach? Think again. AdSmart has turned traditional thinking on its head – making the unrivalled power of TV advertising relevant and affordable for almost any business. AdSmart allows you to access millions of Sky and Virgin homes, selecting your ideal audience and location; meaning you can be sure only the right households see your ad, in great content, and you only pay when it’s been seen.
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BabelQuest are a multi-accredited, multi-award winning Elite HubSpot Solutions Partner, working with businesses to unlock the potential of HubSpot. We scope, implement, optimise and manage the platform, along with its connected tech stack, to help our customers get better and better at what they do.
Everything we do is underpinned by two things that help our customers to win:
> Strategic consulting, so you know you’re doing the right thing. We’re even on the digital change board for some of our biggest customers.
> Adoption, turning HubSpot into a place that your team want to be, and want to stay. We’re the only HubSpot partner to run the EMEA HubSpot Adoption User Group.
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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.
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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.
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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’.
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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.
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Concept4 are 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.
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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.
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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.
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Partner with Global to create campaigns that captivate and leave a lasting impression. With us, you gain access to the UK’s most beloved audio brands and the country’s most expansive outdoor network. Plus, we offer podcasts, partnerships, events, and a cutting-edge digital advertising exchange.
Global connects with more people each day than any other company in the UK. Every week, we engage 52 million listeners across radio, Global Player, digital screens, billboards, buses, trams, and metro networks. Each day delivers millions of impactful media moments, allowing you to own your audience’s media experience from morning to night.
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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.
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Itineris, 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.
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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.
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Nonsensical, the TikTok Marketing Agency 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 Hills, CEO, is a member of the digital, tech and employer board for Birmingham Metropolitan College.
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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.
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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.
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Public Sector Media was founded in May 2023, by Anna Crockett and Rachael Parry Jones, and has grown quickly to a point where we offer a 100% holistic approach to Education marketing strategies and services to all our clients. These can include all or some elements from insight, focus groups, full creative support, (often free of charge), digital strategy and execution across socials, and all other digital options, as well as SEO, content creation and management.
Along with this we have strong relationships with all media owners, (eg: OOH, Audio, Radio), and procure at highly incentivised rates. We are completely free to use, totally impartial so you get the right campaign, and we do all the media ‘legwork for you’, so you get the right formats to engage the right people at the right time.
We bring real understanding of how to craft entire campaigns to ensure they resonate with the right people in their environment, with clear behavioural change goals and direct response front of mind.
We understand the Education marketplace and the whole media landscape inside out, and are already working with a number of College Marketing Network clients.
We are happy to deliver a free digital ‘light touch’ audit for any member colleges with future strategic suggestions. Please reach out to us at anna@publicsectormedia.co.uk
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Sorted DM – your one-stop-shop for all campaign and marketing needs under one roof. From initial concept to final delivery, our experienced team is with you every step of the way. We handle everything: print production, design and creative, packaging, enclosing, fulfilment, storage, postage, wrapping, returns management, and full campaign production. Whether you’re launching a new product, growing your customer base, or driving engagement, we make direct mail simple, efficient, and effective. Let us help you deliver impactful campaigns that get results.
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Source Design – We power-up brands that connect with people through creative and digital thinking. Specialising in Brand, Brand Strategy, Packaging Design, Websites and Digital Marketing.
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Spark Media specialises in creating effective video content for the education sector, having worked with schools, colleges, universities, and training providers across the UK. With over a decade of experience, our full-service video production company offers services including scriptwriting, filming, editing, animation, drone work, VR 360° filmmaking, and live streaming. Our work includes TV ads, social media content, recruitment films, enrolment adverts, drone tours, case studies, and student testimonials. As passionate storytellers, we place creativity at the heart of everything we do, producing high-quality content that inspires and engages.
(EXHIBITOR & WORKSHOP HOST)

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.
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The Cusp are a full service marketing agency with a proven track record of excelling in creating customised marketing strategies that align with the specific needs and goals of educational institutions, effectively conveying their values, strengths, and offerings to the target audience.
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Steve Hyland, Director of Comms & Marketing at MidKent College will be hosting a workshop on a very hot topic – Internal Comms, and it’s a topic that Steve is very passionate about.
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James Pennington, Local College Director and Strategic Lead for School Partnerships, and Suzie Doherty, Head of Marketing & Admission at Heart of Yorkshire College will be sharing their knowledge about school partnerships and keep-warm strategies.
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Michelle Blake, Head of Marketing & Natalie Metcalfe, Digital Marketing Coordinator from the College of West Anglia will be sharing their experience and insights of implementing the HubSpot CRM system alongside BabelQuest, their implementation partner.
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Kristian Mansfield, Digital Marketing Lead at Inspire Education Group will be talking about marketing automation and how is can boost efficiency and help measure the impact of campaigns.
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Allan Carruthers, Head of Sales and Marketing at Morley College will be sharing his experience and insights of using e-commerce to boost enrolments.
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Having just gone through the rebrand process, Mike Needham, Director of Marketing at Shrewsbury College will be sharing his experience and insights in to what it takes to effectively rebrand a college.
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Claire Reynolds, Head of Marketing & Communications at Nottingham College will be delving in to AI and how it’s supported her team deliver outstanding PR and comms.
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