MAD//Fest attendees can enjoy a mix of pitches, panel shows and podcasts featuring Gousto, Nestlé, Samsung and more before the main action starts on 1-2 July with the return of our popular 'Rise + Shine' series.

If you’re an ‘up with the lark’ kind of person, the sessions are the perfect opportunity to get the little grey cells working before the masses have even had their morning coffee.

So grab your badge from Check//In in Ely’s Yard and take your pick from:

DAY ONE, 1 July 

Brewery Stage @ 9:30 am 

MAD//Fest + cocreatd Launch £100,000 Live Startup Challenge: 48 Hours from Idea to Business

Brand-new at MAD//Fest this year  - and it’s a bit wild. We’re turning ambition into action with an unprecedented live business experiment. In just 48 hours, five brave founders will go from raw idea to launched startup — battling it out for up to £100,000 in investment and services.

Together with our partners at cocreatd, get your fix of chaos, creativity, and hustle in Dream It, Pitch It, Co-Create It. 👀 Watch the high-stakes pitches. Witness the ideas take shape live and see who you want to make it through to Wednesday — and who falls flat.

AI + Innovation Stage @ 9:30 am 

Masterclass by Experian + Total Media: 3P data: Gone, garbage or entering a golden age? 

Third-party data’s been through the wringer — cookies crumbled, compliance tightened, and let’s face it, a lot of it wasn’t great to begin with. But is 3PD really dead, or are we on the verge of a smart, privacy-first revival? In this session, Experian’s Danny Holmes and Total Media’s Matt Wilke unpack the future of 3PD, how it’s evolving, and why now’s the time to pay attention. Expect five practical ways to harness quality data for better targeting, real-time personalisation, and the measurement wins marketers have been chasing.

Creativity Stage @ 9:30 am 

The Places We'll Go Marketing Show hosted by Mark Evans + Ritchie Mehta with Tanya Weller, Marketing Director, Samsung Electronics 

This much loved marketing podcast makes its LIVE debut at MAD//Fest. Settle in for a 30-minute live interview with Samsung Marketing Director Tanya Weller, where Mark and Ritchie will dive into stories from both her career and personal journey. Expect an open, down-to-earth conversation with plenty of insight and a few surprises too.

Attention Stage @ 9:30 am 

Wake Up and Smell the Disruption: Innovation + Creativity in the Coffee industry, Jane Aldridge, Business Executive Officer, Nestle

Join Jane Aldridge, MD of Coffee at Nestlé, as she explores how innovation, shifting consumer culture, and bold creativity are transforming the coffee industry. From heritage to disruption, discover what it takes to stay ahead in a category where expectations—and competition—are constantly brewing.

DAY TWO, 2 July 

Brewery Stage @ 9:30 am 

The Places We'll Go Marketing Show hosted by Mark Evans + Ritchie Mehta with Murray Lambell, Chief Customer Officer, Guosto 

Murray Lambell, CCO at Gousto and former eBay UK GM, shares insights on shifting from platform to product and what it takes to lead brands through change. He explores the future of food, sustainability, and how data and creativity power modern marketing.

Attention Stage @ 9:30 am 

Advertisers Watching Ads at MAD//Fest is a no-fluff, all-fun session where top marketers watch and react to the best (and worst) ads out there — live. Expect honest opinions, big laughs, and sharp insights as they break down what works, what flops, and why. It's part critique, part therapy, all entertainment. Join Automated Creative’s Tom Ollerton, Lipton’s Nathan Higgins, SailGP’s Alesha Griffiths-Kidd, and Ruggable’s Charlotte Ford for a lively mix of hits, misses and maybe’s!

AI + Innovation Stage @ 9:30 

PR is Boring. Stop it!

B2B PR is boring. Dull. Pointless. 

If that's your view, think again. B2B PR can be the most creative, dynamic and effective tool at your disposal.

It's time to be bolder, braver and less boring. It's time for a revolution.

In this session Justin Pearse, Editor, New Digital Age, sits down with Paul Wright, director, head of EMEA, Uber advertising and Lydia Oakes, COO, Bluestripe Communications to discover how this revolution starts.  

All sessions are available on a first come,e first served basis.