Belfast marketing event Big Marketing Meet-up targets all-Ireland growth after 220% surge in attendance.
The Big Marketing Meet-Up (BMMU), a marketing conference founded in Belfast, is set to return to ICC Belfast on 5 November 2026 after recording a 220% increase in attendance since its launch in 2023.
Established by marketer and event strategist Treena Clarke, the event attracted 89 delegates when it debuted in 2023. Attendance grew to 285 delegates in 2025, with organisers now focused on attracting marketers from across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for its fifth edition.
“I want to make BMMU more useful, more relevant and more representative of the marketing community across the whole island of Ireland”
The one-day event will bring together marketers, agencies and industry leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the profession, including artificial intelligence, creativity, data, leadership, customer behaviour and marketing effectiveness.
Appetite for disruption – lessons in growth
| Question | Answer |
| What is the Big Marketing Meet-Up (BMMU)? | A marketing conference that brings together marketers, agencies and industry leaders to discuss trends, challenges and opportunities in the profession. |
| Who founded the Big Marketing Meet-Up? | Treena Clarke, a marketer and event strategist based in Belfast. |
| Where is BMMU 2026 taking place? | ICC Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland. |
| When is BMMU 2026? | Thursday, 5 November 2026. |
| What is the main goal of BMMU 2026? | To bring marketers from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland together for learning, networking and industry discussions. |
| How much has attendance grown since launch? | Attendance has increased by 220% since 2023. |
| How many delegates attended the first event? | 89 delegates attended the inaugural event in 2023. |
| How many delegates attended in 2025? | 285 delegates attended the event in 2025. |
| What themes will be covered at BMMU 2026? | Be Different, Be Chosen, Be Informed, Be Indispensable, Be Human and Be Ready. |
| What topics will speakers discuss? | Branding, customer behaviour, creativity, artificial intelligence, data, marketing effectiveness, leadership and the changing role of marketing. |
| What makes BMMU different from other marketing conferences? | It focuses on honest conversations, audience participation, debate, networking and interactive discussions rather than traditional presentation-led sessions. |
| What new feature is being introduced in 2026? | An Agency and Client Roast where anonymous agency and client experiences will be discussed live on stage. |
| Who should attend BMMU? | Marketers, agency professionals, marketing leaders, students and industry professionals from across Ireland and the UK. |
| Will there be networking opportunities? | Yes. The event is designed to encourage connections, discussions and collaboration among marketing professionals. |
| What sessions will be included? | Keynote presentations, interviews, live discussions and audience participation sessions. |
| Are tickets available? | Yes, tickets are currently on sale. |
| Is support available for attendees? | Yes, support is available for students, marketers between roles and those funding their own attendance. |
| Why is Belfast important to the event? | BMMU was founded in Belfast and aims to establish the city as a destination for marketers from across Ireland. |
| What is Treena Clarke’s vision for BMMU? | To create a marketing community that connects professionals from Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Galway and other locations across Ireland. |
| Why is BMMU relevant in 2026? | It addresses major industry issues including AI, marketing effectiveness, leadership, customer behaviour and the evolving role of marketers. |
Reflecting on the event’s growth, Clarke said: “When 89 people came to the first BMMU in 2023, I knew there was an appetite for marketers to come together in a different kind of environment, but I certainly didn’t know it would grow this quickly.
“To go from 89 people to 285 in such a short period of time is a 220% increase, but for me the important thing isn’t simply making the event bigger.
“I want to make BMMU more useful, more relevant and more representative of the marketing community across the whole island of Ireland.
“Belfast has built something worth travelling for, and I want more marketers from Dublin, Cork, Galway and across Ireland to feel that BMMU is for them too.”
This year’s programme is structured around six themes: Be Different, Be Chosen, Be Informed, Be Indispensable, Be Human and Be Ready.
Speakers and industry leaders will examine the evolving role of marketing within organisations while addressing issues including brand development, customer engagement and the growing influence of technology on business performance.
Clarke said the programme has been intentionally designed to encourage discussion and interaction among attendees.
“Marketing is dealing with more noise, more change and more pressure to prove its value than ever before.
“I don’t want BMMU to be a day where people sit and listen to polished presentations telling them things they already know.
“The best conversations at conferences are often the ones people have over coffee, in the corridor or in the bar afterwards. BMMU is about bringing more of that honesty, debate and personality onto the stage.
“I want people to laugh, disagree, hear something that changes their thinking, meet people outside their usual circle and go back to work feeling excited about marketing again.”
New features
New features planned for the 2026 event include an Agency and Client Roast, where marketers from both sides of the client-agency relationship will be invited to anonymously submit observations, frustrations and experiences for discussion on stage.
The programme will also include keynote presentations, interviews, live discussions and audience participation sessions featuring marketing leaders, agencies and technology brands from across the UK and Ireland.
Clarke said Belfast will remain central to the event’s future growth ambitions.
“BMMU started in Belfast and I’m proud of that.
“The next stage isn’t about moving away from Belfast. It’s about making Belfast a place that marketers from across Ireland actively choose to come to.
“If we can create one room where marketers from Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Galway and everywhere in between are meeting, learning from each other and having genuinely useful conversations, that’s much more interesting to me than simply chasing a bigger attendance number.”
The Big Marketing Meet-Up takes place at ICC Belfast on Thursday, 5 November 2026. Tickets are currently on sale, with support available for students, marketers between roles and individuals funding their own attendance.
Image at top: Pictured at ICC Belfast as the Big Marketing Meet-Up prepares for its fifth edition are BMMU founder Treena Clarke and members of the marketing community- Tina Calder and Ruth Young, both of whom have attended every event so far
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