Amplify Marketing Festival turns up the volume again

Inspiration: Amplify Marketing Festival 2026 will bring together Scottish agencies, clients and creatives for a day of insight, debate and ideas.

Running from 9.30am until 5.45pm, the day will open with the society’s annual fixture, The Ogilvy Lecture, delivered this year by Roisin Donnelly.

Few people have viewed marketing from as many angles as Roisin – from building consumer brands at P&G across the UK and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, to boardroom roles at NatWest Group, Sage and Premier Foods. Her lecture promises a candid, hard-won perspective on brand, business and leadership.

The morning will continue with The Amplify Debate, another of the festival’s signature sessions. This year’s motion, that the UK Government is right to ban social media for under-16s, sits at the centre of live debate across marketing, politics and parenting. Chaired by Marketing Society Fellow Chris Marsh, teams of Fellows and Future Leader Members will argue for and against, with the audience casting the deciding vote.

The afternoon is set to offer a choice of sessions across two rooms. In the Business School’s main auditorium, a panel will examine the best purpose-driven brands in the world, followed by a discussion on how influencer partnerships and content creators are shaping Scotland’s presence on the world stage.

The day will build to the Clients v Agencies Creative Challenge, which will consist of five fast-paced pitch battles between the competitors using award-winning ideas from across the globe.

Over in the newly named Creative Room at the Business School, the annual review of Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity will kick things off, followed by JCDecaux and Wayfair considering more than 50 brand measurement studies to explore why simplicity wins when it comes to out-of-home advertising.

Later, a panel of leading creatives will tackle the provocative question: is bravery dead in the Scottish marketing industry? Delivered in 20 slides, each given a 20-second showing, the format leaves little room for hesitation.

The festival is set to conclude at 8pm with the legendary Amplify After Party, this year hosted in partnership with Elvis is Dead at the Assembly Club Bar, offering food, drinks and comedy to close the day.

The festival remains a must-attend event for anyone shaping marketing in Scotland. Tickets for Inspiration: Amplify Marketing Festival 2026 are limited, but you can still visit marketingsociety.com/events to secure an afternoon pass.