UN//SCENE, the community built festival, is back for its second year to platform underrepresented voices in advertising.

To bring more new voices to the stage, the conference is inviting emerging and overlooked talent from across marketing, media and advertising to apply to speak at Conway Hall on Thursday, 17 September 2026.

The festival, which launched in 2025 as an alternative to the traditional conference circuit, aims to elevate perspectives often missing from industry stages by building a more diverse pipeline of speakers.

The speakers spanned the full spectrum of talent, from new joiners to agency and brand CEOs. The festival is delivered by a volunteer committee drawn from across the marketing industry, including media, creative and production agencies, as well as client-side marketers. All profits are donated to NABS, Mediorite, and Lollipop Mentoring.

For 2026, the festival has an ambitious programme for a full day of talks, workshops and open discussion on the issues shaping the industry’s future.

The conference will run on three conference tracks. Firstly UN//SEEN PERSPECTIVES, which will be dedicated to spotlighting emerging voices and new thinking. Secondly UN//SOLVED PROBLEMS, which will be focused on addressing persistent industry challenges including inclusion, career sustainability and ways of working. Thirdly, the UN//SPOKEN POSSIBILITIES track will be created to make space for bold ideas that reimagine how the industry operates.

All of the sessions will be created exclusively for the festival which has a strict policy of no panels, no recycled content, and no sales pitches. 

This year’s festival builds on the inaugural 2025 event, which welcomed 250 attendees and was sponsored by Channel 4, DCM and The Unmistakables. The audience spanned new entrants, agency leaders and senior decision-makers, encouraging open dialogue across all levels of the sector.

The 2025 programme opened with a fireside chat titled An Intergenerational CEO Debate, featuring Tumisha Balogan, CEO of the growing creative agency Tag, and Claire Hollands, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. Sessions also included Addressing the Colonial Roots of Advertising, Religion and Belief: The Last Frontier of Inclusion?, and The Freak Shall Inherit the Earth.

Reflecting on last year, Balogan said: “Speaking at the first UN//SCENE was a privilege, not because of the stage, but because I didn’t feel the pressure to conform. What the committee is building is truly special, and a reminder of what happens when you don’t just talk about change, but act on it.”

Lucy Verby, Founder and Co-Chair of UN//SCENE and founder of We Are Masterplan, added: “Too often, the same voices dominate our industry stages. UN//SCENE exists to actively change that. Last year showed how powerful it is when new perspectives are given the space to lead. There is extraordinary thinking across our industry that rarely gets the platform it deserves and our stage is built to bring those ideas forward.” 

The festival will return to Conway Hall, Europe’s oldest ethical society, chosen for its long‑standing association with progressive thought. Accessibility will remain central to the festival’s model, with pricing designed to stay inclusive through initiatives such as ‘buy one, gift one’ tickets and subsidised places.

Hannah Jones‑Walters, Co‑Chair of UN//SCENE and head of EU marketing at Ancient and Brave, said: “The advertising and marketing industry moves fast, but the voices shaping it don’t always reflect the breadth of talent working within it. UN//SCENE creates space for ideas that challenge, provoke and push the industry forward. When more perspectives are heard, the work gets better, the thinking gets sharper and the industry becomes more imaginative.”

Speaker applications open 20 April and close at 11:59pm on 11 May 2026. Details on how to apply as a speaker or buy tickets for the event can be found here.