6 Ways We're Enhancing Your MAD//Fest Experience
5 June 2024
As seasoned MAD//Fest attendees will know (big shout out to the diehards who have been every year since 2018), we always strive to move on and improve the show, adding new features, content, and networking opportunities.
Whilst industry event attendance has been declining in the UK, MAD//Fest has grown from 2,000 attendees in 2018 to 12,000+ in 2024.
One particular area of focus this year is the reimagining of the visitor experience. Here’s 7 new things for 2024 that will make your experience as enjoyable as possible:
1. New venue
If you were at MAD//Fest last year, what you saw then is only half the story now. Our new multi-venue site is twice the size of our footprint in 2023 and now spans over 1/4sqm of prime real estate at the Truman Brewery. Not only does this more than double the capacity of MAD//Fest, it enables to reconfigure the visitor experience, add more topic-themed stages, and increase the areas where you can see the content, network, and grab a bite to eat whilst catching up on your emails.
2. New central Check-In hub
If you were planning on letting muscle memory from last year kick in, DON’T! When you arrive, head to our central Check-In hub in Ely’s Yard (ducks.junior.retail on What3Words). This is where you’ll need to scan your personalised QR code on the MAD//Fest (no app, no entry, sorry) and print your badge (you’ll need your badge to get into every area in the show). We’ve more than doubled the number of printing terminals in a new centralised space to make your entry into the show as quick as possible.
3. Daily tickets and reconfirmations
As you’ll have seen when signing up for MAD//Fest, this year we’ve asked attendees to register for individual days. This means we have a much clearer view of daily attendance. We've also borrowed an idea from the restaurant industry that’s designed to minimise the impact of no-shows. Shortly you’ll see a reconfirmation email in your inbox and a simple one-click form to confirm when you will be attending or cancel your ticket. As MAD//Fest is always SOLD OUT, confirming your attendance is important as it means that we are able more accurately predict who is coming and when. If you are unable to attend the event or on certain days, we’ll amend your booking accordingly and allow people on our waiting list to attend. Please ensure you only attend MAD//Fest on the days for which your ticket is valid.
4. New live streaming stages and outdoor big screen/networking area
Want to network, catch the content, do some work, have something to eat and drink, and see the action from Wimbledon and EURO ‘24? Then you’ll love what we have planned for Match//Point and JuJu’s in Ely’s Yard.
In 2024, we’re excited to bring you two new cool stages in Ely’s Yard - Match//Point and Hexagon 2 Live Streaming Stage.
Match//Point is the place to watch the live streamed action on the Kantar Marketplace Hexagon Stage, network with your peers over a bite to eat, and enjoy live Wimbledon and EURO ‘24 action on the big screen. You can even chill on the deck and grab a pint of Gipsy Hill Brewery lager or your favourite tipple.
Meanwhile, if you want to absorb all the main stage content without the bustling nature of the Hexagon Stage and get some work done, be sure to check into the Hexagon 2 Live Streaming Stage + Workspace in JuJu’s bar. JuJu’s is also the location of the Alliance Independent Agencies Awards after party (2 July - ticket required) and Outbrain party (3 July).
5. More content stages
A 100% bigger venue enables us to add more topic-themed and streaming stages where you can catch the industry’s top leaders sharing insight on the big issues. At Check//In head directly upstairs to the T-Block building (which MAD//Fest ultras will recognise from 2018 and 2019). Here you’ll find the Snapchat Creator Economy and DigiAds stages, our House of Innovation (don’t miss £20k brand challenges featuring LEGO, Paddy Power, Mars, Colgate-Palmolive and Boots), and a super cool activation from Diageo that’s designed to show how technology can enhance your enjoyment of tequila!
Relocated and enlarged for 2024, this year’s Female Leaders’ Club (accessible from Ely’s Yard) is the place to hear from and network with the industry’s leading ladies. If you’ve got an invite, do visit the Uncensored CMO: Backstage at MAD//Fest club in partnership with Rokt and XR, and Dentsu agency takeovers, both on Dray Walk.
Cross Brick Lane and you can access the MAD//Marquee via 93 East and the Brick Lane Beach. Here you’ll find the Kantar Marketplace Hexagon Stage, DEPT Creativity Stage, ATTENTION!, AI + Emerging Tech and Newsworks Speakeasy, as well as cool activations like the Klaviyo Beach Bar, Playground XYZ//Arms, RTL Roof Terrace, Sharethrough Cocktail Bar, Imagino Courtyard Café and much more.
6. More food trucks and digital lunch tokens
More hungry attendees across a venue that’s twice the size means that we’re creating more brilliant spaces for you to have a drink, network, and enjoy a bite to eat. This year’s line-up of brand partners includes the likes of Gipsy Hill Brewery, Sticks N Sushi, Hoppers, Chick N Sours, Sexy Buns, Diageo and Havana Club at locations across the venue. You’ll also find your digital lunch token in the app, which you can exchange for one free portion of food per day. Make sure you visit Ely’s Yard and check out the food options and Gipsy Hill Brewery Bar, who’ll be serving a delicious one-off MAD//Fest special beer!
Already registered? Download the MAD//Fest app on iOS and Android HERE (you'll need it to get in!)