THE MAIN STAGE – DAY 1: 25 FEB 2026
10:15-10:55 Taking engagement to another level: The tech transforming event experiences
From immersive events to emotion sensing and AI. How to make best use of new tech to enhance audience experience and show production efficiencies.
Barney Wragg, CEO- Unit1 Studio Christopher Barrett, Content Director- Access All Areas Fran Martin, Head of Live- FRUKT Grace Noest, Vice President of Strategy and Engagement- LS Events Tim Holmes, UK Manager, Weezevent Group and Chief Operating Officer, Kaboodle
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11:20-12:00 In the mix: What’ s next for Sportainment?
The inclusion of live activations and entertainment at sports events has evolved at pace. Has it now reached a ceiling or are there opportunities for further integration?
Christopher Barrett, Content Director- Access All Areas Darrell O ' Hora, Director- BMW PGA Championship Mark Huddleston, Director of Event Delivery- World Rugby Matias Ferraro, Head of Sports- UK- Fever Nicki Seifert, Lead Curator of British Grand Prix Music & Entertainment- Silverstone
12:20-13:00 Let Me Entertain You: Behind the boom in stadium shows
We explore what’ s driving the continued boom in stadium show touring, how demand for complex productions is impacting venues and suppliers, and the opportunities and challenges that remain.
Hannah Ford, Director- Minco Events Jack Walsh, Head of Marketing- Kilimanjaro Live Martin Gritton, Senior Marketing & Comms Manager- London Stadium Pete Holdich, Stages Director- Star Group Live
14:15-14:55 Building on success: The next steps for women ' s sport
We explore the rapid growth in women’ s sports events, the learnings from the landmark events, where the investment and sponsorship opportunities are, and how the gaps with men’ s sport are being bridged.
Atlanta St John, Head of Women’ s Rugby- World Rugby Beth Barrett-Wild, Tournament Director, ICC Women’ s T20 World Cup 2026 Christopher Barrett, Content Director- Access All Areas Kate Beavan, Board Advisor- More Than Equal
15:20-16:00 Tackling inconsistencies across Local Authority boundaries
For event organisers operating across multiple local authority boundaries, inconsistency in approach can be a major challenge. As the consultancy opens around the EIF’ s proposed introduction of a Primary Authority initiative, join key stakeholders as they discuss the best way forward for the sector.
Ian Baird, Outdooor Events Development Manager- Brighton & Hove City Council Roger Barrett, Technical Director- Star Group Live Ben Crabb, Resilience Capability Lead- Serco Jim Winship, Secretary- Events Industry Forum
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