Join Open Partners at MAD//North: Official Sponsors of the Culture, Content & Creativity Stage

We’re excited to announce that Open Partners is sponsoring the Culture, Content & Creativity Stage at MAD//North 2026.

Join us on February 26th as we host the stage and deliver two insightful talks that brands wont want to miss.

What is MAD//North?

Launched in 2025 and returning bigger in 2026, MAD//North is one of the biggest annual marketing events, attracting 4,000+ of the industry’s most influential brands, creators, agencies and tech platforms as they come together to share how marketing is evolving and where it’s heading next.

This year’s theme, Northern Soul, celebrates the creative and cultural energy of the North, and the role it plays in shaping the future of the industry.

Expect ideas from iconic industry leaders, insight on how the world’s top brands and disruptors are investing and future-proofing, and innovation from tech platforms, agencies and start-ups.

Open Partners on the Culture, Content & Creativity Stage

This year, we’re proud to support a stage dedicated to bold thinking, cultural relevance and creative impact, and to contribute two sessions of our own.

Mid-funnel Monsters: Unlocking the Biggest Performance Opportunity of Our Time

Where does the biggest growth opportunity for brands sit in 2026?

This talk explores why the mid-funnel holds one of the most powerful (and most overlooked) opportunities for brands today.

We’ll explore how culture, content and creativity can be used to maximise the mid-funnel, taking you along Autotrader’s journey to becoming true ‘mid-funnel monsters’. We’ll look at how they captured the moments where attention turns into intent, the brand strategy behind it, and the ‘Big 4’ platforms they leveraged to achieve record-breaking performance.

You’ll leave with a clear, repeatable way to do more with less, using creativity and culture to unlock a new level of performance for your brand.

Date: 26 February 2026

Time: 10:20 AM to 10:40 AM

Stage: Content, Culture + Creativity

Joe Procter
Co-Founder at Open Partners

Emma Padwick-Graham
Head of Performance at Autotrader

Being Odd: Culture Engines and Brave Clients

How can brands sit at the centre of culture and be seen and remembered amongst the noise?

This talk explores how in 2026, the UK’s most forward-thinking brands are thriving by trading “perfect” for “memorable,” to forge deeper, more human connections with their audiences.

This isn’t about being messy, but about a sophisticated embrace of esoteric humour, deliberate imperfection, and the “structural friction” of the odd.

You’ll learn the importance of being the brave client – one with a strategy that ensures your brand is celebrated and discussed at the centre of culture rather than being politely, and expensively, ignored.

Date: 26 February 2026

Time: 1:50 PM to 2:10 PM

Stage: Content, Culture + Creativity