Onwards 2026

At eight&four we like to build F2F spaces where marketers can learn fast. Our busy events programme blends two flagship, full-day conferences - Onwards and Pitchfest - with Foresight, our bi-monthly intimate salon series for senior marketers.

Each event is built for clarity and momentum: clear eyed views on trends, nuanced thinking, and honest case studies - no hype, just tools you can use the next day.

Onwards is our annual January conference – which sets the agenda for the year to come. It is future focused, bold, and built to spark ideas and action.

From the launch of new ideas to high-energy sessions on resilience, collaboration and innovation, Onwards is where we come together to shape the year ahead.

Info: Against a backdrop of shifting spend (digital now dominates 4 in 5 pounds) and renewed scrutiny on marketing effectiveness, we unpack the most recent AA/WARC spend forecasts, IPA/WARC effectiveness research and emerging media shifts. This session outlines how to build a resilient, integrated marketing ecosystem in 2026 — combining data, cross-channel layout, and long-term effectiveness planning.

Info: In 2025 eight&four undertook a wide-ranging agency strategy services review – interviewing over 20 CMO’s & Marketing leaders globally to understand their hopes & challenges ahead of 2026. Lee Nelson, VP of Marketing at DHL E-Commerce, joins us to give her view of the marketing ecosystem in 2026, and how she fosters positive agency relationships to help her deliver.

Info: As search intent fragments across search engines, social and LLM’s - how do you ensure you’ve appropriately mapped your content strategy to be everywhere your consumers are, and that you’re creating content that is going to be found and wanted? This session will walk through a global content strategy project we’ve recently completed for a global brand – to deliver against that very challenge. Come to understand the playbook approach to this type of project, the inherent challenges within it, and the enormous opportunities of totally owning your category’s discovery spaces online.

Info: Creators are reshaping attention, digital stars are entering the mainstream, and niche influencer hooks are the new currency. We unpack what’s changed, how to plan for 2026, and give practical lessons and success stories from 2025 alongside our platform partner Twitch, and a special guest brand.

Info: Six quickfire talks on the biggest shifts shaping next year’s social landscape – covering audience insight tools, new paid social formats and best in class data visualisation.

Info: A rapid, facilitated workshop where clients map 2026 trends to their brand challenges. Hands-on, practical, and designed to spark new thinking.

Info: Reflection, quick commitments, next steps - closing Onwards 2026.

Info: Please stay to enjoy our hospitality and chat to the team and your fellow brand marketeers in our private bar.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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