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 2 February 2026, 9am-4.30pm
Where? Eastside Rooms, Birmingham City Centre
Programme
The programme is being planned, and will include:
- Three insightful keynote speakers
- 16 workshops covering hot topics in marketing and FE
- opportunities to network with fellow marketing professionals and discover innovative products and services from industry-leading exhibitors
How to Book
Booking for the conference will open in June 2025.
Ticket PRICES
CMN Members:
Non-CMN Members:
Prices are +VAT
Travel & Parking
Travelling by train: Birmingham New Street Grand Central Station is only 0.9 miles from the venue. Check it out on Google Maps
Travelling by car: Millennium Car Park is the nearest car park – Howe Street, B4 7AP.
Open every day, 6am to midnight. (Car park is locked at midnight but vehicles may be left overnight – charges still apply. Total cost will be calculated at time of exit). Pay on exit – cash, debit or credit card.
Up to 12 hrs – £8. Up to 24 hrs – £11.50.
Please be aware of Birmingham’s clean air zone.
Accommodation
The Aloft Hotel is joined to the Eastside Rooms. We have secured a special rate for the event of £116pp per night, B&B (+VAT). This rate is only available through the CMN. Please select this option when booking your event ticket(s).
Alternatively, there are other hotels nearby, which you can book direct:
Clayton Hotel – 0.5 miles from Eastside Rooms
Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre Exchange Square – 0.5 miles from Eastside Rooms
Travelodge Birmingham Central Moor Street – 0.7 miles from Eastside Rooms
Keynote Speakers
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.
Conference Exhibitors & Workshop Hosts:
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)
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)
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)
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.
(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.
(EXHIBITOR & WORKSHOP HOST)
Exhibition Space & Workshops
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 and/or host a workshop. Please email emma@m-network.org for more information.