CMN Roadshow

Manchester

Date: Wednesday 30 April, 9.30am-2.30pm
Venue: Manchester Conference Centre & Pendulum Hotel (Pioneer Room), Sackville Street, Manchester, M1 3BB

Bristol

Date: Wednesday 7 May, 9.30am-2.30pm
Venue: Radisson Blu (Jupiter Room), Broad Quay, Bristol, BS1 4BY

London

Date: Wednesday 14 May, 9.30am-2.30pm
Venue: The Wesley Euston Hotel (Camden Suite), 81–103 Euston Street, London NW1 2EZ 

York

Date: Wednesday 21 May, 9.30am-2.30pm
Venue: Priory Street Centre, 15 Priory St, York YO1 6ET

Birmingham

Date: Wednesday 4 June, 9.30am-2.30pm
Venue: Radisson Blu (Lunar Suite), 12 Holloway Circus, Queensway, Birmingham B1 1BT

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.
(Clearhead will be in Manchester, London, York & Birmingham)

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.
(F&T will be in Manchester, Bristol, London, York & Birmingham)

Specialising in digital signage solutions with AI-driven technology, Media Digital provide a range of products designed to enhance communication and engagement in educational environments. With a focus on cutting-edge AI development, they help streamline content management, improve student interaction, and deliver dynamic, impactful messaging across campuses.
(Media Digital will be in Manchester, Bristol, London, York & Birmingham)

Pathways helps prospective students see the link between your courses and careers. Our products embed seamlessly into your college website and display careers-rich data alongside your existing content, creating a clear line of sight from your courses to careers. Pathways is an affordable solution, easy to set up, helps fulfil government careers criteria and is used widely across the sector by over 100 colleges.
(Pathways will be in Bristol, London & Birmingham)

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.
(Prospectus+ will be in Manchester, Bristol, London, York & Birmingham)

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
(PSM will be in Manchester)

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, Student CRM 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.
(Student CRM will be in Manchester, Bristol, London, York & Birmingham)

Stephen Lockhart is co-founder of Pathways, a product used by over 100 colleges across the UK to highlight progression from courses to future careers. Along with Tim, Stephen has been working in the FE sector for over 20 years – first with their web agency Float then more recently with Pathways. In a short bio, there’s not an easy way to differentiate Stephen from Tim, other than to say that Stephen is the Scottish one!

Tim Ketterer is co-founder of Pathways, a product used by over 100 colleges across the UK to highlight progression from courses to future careers. Along with Stephen, Tim has been working in the FE sector for over 20 years – first with their web agency Float then more recently with Pathways. Tim is the English one!

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 member of the digital, tech and employer board for Birmingham Metropolitan College.

Rachel Till is a Happiness Trainer, Leadership Coach, and Employee Engagement Advocate, dedicated to helping people thrive at work. 
Through coaching, mentoring, and dynamic workshops, she equips professionals with the tools to build resilience, boost confidence, and improve workplace wellbeing. With a background in education marketing and the private sector, she works with marketing teams, freelancers, and senior education leaders, as well as businesses seeking growth. 
As the founder of Rebel Leaders and The Marketing Leaders’ Club, Rachel is passionate about creating happier, more engaged workplaces through practical strategies and lasting change.

Simon Connor of FE Marketing, works with college marketing teams to help them identify which marketing activities are generating online applications, event registrations and course enquiries so they can do more of what is working and less of what is not.
Simon helps college marketing teams measure, analyse and optimise their website performance and campaign performance using tools such as GA4, Google Tag Manager, Google Looker Studio and Microsoft Clarity.
Since 2006 Simon has helped over 150 FE college marketing teams to effectively evaluate their digital strategies and make data-driven marketing decisions to help achieve their student recruitment objectives.

Kim Hughes is the Founder of Goldings Communications, where she leads a team dedicated to delivering authentic and impactful PR. With over 23 years of experience in PR and reputation management, Kim works with businesses and charities that are committed to making a difference but need help telling their story. Her approach is to dive deep into each client’s goals and challenges, crafting compelling narratives that resonate with audiences and elevate their reputation. Kim and her team specialise in gaining media coverage, creating powerful content, and developing award-winning submissions, all while ensuring every message is truthful and meaningful.

With nearly two decades of experience in visual storytelling, Alex Lawrence thrives on crafting impactful narratives and stunning visuals. As co-founder and Creative Director of creative content agency Clearhead, he brings versatility, expertise, and a fresh perspective to every project. Creator of Creative Chemistry, Alex brings a unique blend of creative vision and strategic insight to every project. His deep understanding of audience behaviour and brand strategy ensures that every creative decision is purposeful and effective.

Sally Steadman of Gray Manning, is a Chartered Marketer and CIM Fellow with more than 25 years’ experience in marketing, including over 10 years at senior leadership and board level. Her specialist areas of expertise includes business development; corporate strategy; marketing; ?and partnership development.

John Gray of Gray Manning, is a Chartered Marketer with over 25 years’ marketing experience in both B2B and B2C at international, national and regional levels, including 18 years at executive team level. His expertise includes business development; corporate strategy; customer success; and marketing & brand strategy.

Carl Darnell, Director of CRDone, a search marketing specialist with over 15 years experience in supporting businesses to use data to accelerate business growth.

Nathan Monk is the co-founder of Prospectus Plus, a leader in digital transformation for education marketing. With over a decade of experience in education and technology, he specialises in AI, automation, and behavioural science to improve student recruitment. A frequent speaker at industry events, Nathan is passionate about rethinking outdated processes, from digital prospectuses to procurement. His work challenges institutions to embrace AI strategically, ensuring innovation enhances—not replaces—human expertise.

Matt Lees, co-founder of Prospectus Plus

With 10 years of experience in marketing and advertising, Natalie Downie, Managing Director at Forward & Thinking, is a strategic leader driving high-performance campaigns across private and public sectors. As a key figure at Forward & Thinking, she ensures the agency remains at the forefront of industry trends, delivering innovative, cross-platform campaigns that maximise impact. Passionate about building strong client partnerships and committed to pushing the boundaries of modern advertising for measurable success.

Darren Clewes is the Group Sales Director at Forward & Thinking, with over 25 years of experience in sales and media. He specialises in education marketing, helping institutions and brands engage audiences through innovative broadcast and digital strategies. Darren has led successful campaigns across multiple sectors and is a sought-after speaker on the evolving role of media in education. Passionate about the power of advertising, he delivers actionable insights on audience engagement and media consumption trends, helping organisations navigate the shifting landscape of marketing in education.

Jo Costello is the Head of Business Development at Forward & Thinking, specialising in education marketing and audience engagement. With a background in media and campaign strategy, Jo works closely with colleges and universities to develop innovative advertising solutions that connect with students and stakeholders. She has a deep understanding of the evolving media landscape and helps institutions navigate changing consumption habits to maximize impact. Jo is committed to leveraging broadcast and digital media to enhance student recruitment and engagement, ensuring educational organisations reach the right audiences with compelling and effective messaging.

Jess Hickman, Co-founder and Director at The Cusp. Jess is a accomplished marketing professional, passionate about further and higher education and with expertise in developing intricate digital strategies.

Louise Rengozzi, Co-founder and Director at The Cusp. Louise’s expertise includes strong leadership, high-level strategy development, media relations, digital marketing, and stakeholder engagement, with a passion for further and higher education marketing.

Antoinette Perry is the Founder of Marketing at 43, a full-service marketing agency that offers comprehensive solutions across market insight, strategy development, creative campaign creation, and implementation. Specializing in the education marketing sector, Antoinette and her team help organizations bring purpose and strategy to their marketing efforts. They work closely with clients to understand who they want to reach, why they want to connect, what messages to communicate, and the best ways to engage their audience. With a focus on delivering impactful, results-driven marketing, Marketing at 43 ensures each campaign is purposefully aligned with client goals.

Anna Crockett, Co-founder of Public Sector Media has worked in all types of media for over 25 years, exclusively with Public Sector organisations. She has worked with schools, colleges and HE for many years, bringing innovative ideas and interventions, and a real understanding of the pressures FE colleges face in an ever changing education landscape. Her delivery of the Tay’Town media domination across Liverpool when Swifty came to town in 2024 with University of Liverpool is currently shortlisted for a Heist award ! Details available upon request.