Pretty much everyone
Who attends
Yes, yes. Every conference says that. Here it’s true: nearly 900 delegates at SOS26. In-house teams, small business owners, agencies, creators and emerging marketers, from marketing directors and community managers to PR consultants and social media specialists.
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In the audience
A sample of who turns up.
In-house marketing teams
Proof for the next meeting.
In-house teams are asked to do more with less, then asked to prove it. State of Social is for the people running brand, content and growth who need a plan for Monday, not a mood board.
- What’s working now. Speakers who’ve done the work in the last twelve months, with the numbers and the missteps.
- The case for a yes. Evidence to take back when a new idea needs sign-off.
- People with the same problems. Other in-house marketers dealing with the same budgets and the same stakeholders.
Small business owners
Marketing that works without an agency budget.
If you run the business and the marketing, there’s no time for theory. Sessions show what works for small brands with small teams.
- No fluff. Ideas you can use without a big budget or a degree in data science.
- Time back. Ways to stop doing the repetitive jobs by hand.
- A question over coffee. Speakers stay for the conversations between sessions, not just their slot.
Agencies and consultants
Know it before your clients ask.
For an agency, expertise is the product. Two days at State of Social keeps it current.
- Early signals. What’s changing in platforms and formats, from people already using them.
- An outside view. Thinking from other markets to measure your own strategy against.
- New relationships. Collaborators, suppliers and future clients, between sessions and at the sundowners.
Content creators and strategists
Turn the spark into a system.
Content works hardest when it’s repeatable. State of Social is for people who want their ideas to hold up in a strategy meeting.
- Storytelling. Writing with purpose, and the techniques that make people stop and act.
- Audience. How the best build a following that turns into revenue.
- AI, in its place. Where generative tools fit in the process, and where people still do it better.
Students and emerging marketers
How the industry really works.
There is a difference between the textbook and a live marketing department. State of Social bridges the gap, with real-world context for the start of a career.
- The paths people took. Leaders share how they got where they are, to help map your own.
- How it works inside. Brand voice, lateral thinking and writing for digital platforms.
- Your first network. The people who open the first doors.
From past delegates
What they took home.
“Coming to SOS puts a pep in my step, especially as a small business owner it’s great to hear inspiring speakers and think deeper about marketing and what we’re trying to achieve.”
| SOS23 | Delegate |
“It gave me the confidence to stand up for my work in a very corporate environment.”
| SOS25 | Delegate |
“I left feeling more informed and inspired about the digital space in general from current trends and what to watch next.”
| SOS23 | Delegate |
“I’ve added ‘speaking on SOS stage’ to my vision board!”
| SOS26 | Delegate |
“The advertising, marketing, media, whatever you want to call it, industry is full of talented, kind and energetic people!”
| SOS22 | Delegate |
See it for yourself
The highlight reel.
