The unskippable event returns to Manchester

Simon Rimmer, celebrity chef, broadcaster and co-host of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, brings his love of music to Gold Radio every Saturday morning from 9 to 12.

An avid sports fan, Simon will be joined at Tuning In North by Lucy Darby, Global’s Brand Experience Director and Tim Ellerton, Team GB’s Chief Commercial Officer, as they show how audio can help turn sporting success into a shared national experience. They will take the room inside the award-winning Team GB and Global partnership at the Paris Olympics and Milan Winter Olympics and discuss how the story is evolving into something bigger as they look forward to LA28. They will show how the best sport amplification partnerships are not built around a single moment, but around sustained relevance, belief and community.

Tim Ellerton, Team GB’s Chief Commercial Officer, will join Lucy Darby, Global’s Brand Experience Director, to discuss how audio can help turn sporting success into a shared national experience.

They will take the room inside the award-winning Team GB and Global partnership at the Paris Olympics and Milan Winter Olympics and discuss how the story is evolving into something bigger as they look forward to LA28. They will show how the best sport amplification partnerships are not built around a single moment, but around sustained relevance, belief and community. Simon Rimmer, Gold Radio presenter, co-host of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and passionate sports fan, will lead the discussion.

Lucy Darby, Global’s Brand Experience Director, will join Tim Ellerton, Team GB’s Chief Commercial Officer, as they discuss how audio can help turn sporting success into a shared national experience.

They will take the room inside the award-winning Team GB and Global partnership at the Paris Olympics and Milan Winter Olympics and discuss how the story is evolving into something bigger as they look forward to LA28. They will show how the best sport amplification partnerships are not built around a single moment, but around sustained relevance, belief and community. Simon Rimmer, Gold Radio presenter, co-host of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and passionate sports fan, will lead the discussion.

Louise Twycross-Lewis is Managing Partner, Head of Insight at PHD, and leads a team of talented researchers who are on a mission to redefine the role of insights in modern communications planning. Her team work with a diverse range of clients including VW, Sainsbury’s, Diageo, McCain and CHANEL.

Louise’s career spans 25+ years in media research and she has worked on a string of award-winning projects including PHD’s Mental Availability study, Wavemaker’s Momentum programme, MEC’s Project Slipstream and IPC’s Origin Panel.

Louise will join Sophia Field, Insight Director at PHD, to present findings from their latest Culture Currents study ‘Anticipation: Do good things come to those who wait?’. They’ll be unpacking the drivers of anticipation, its power on consumer behaviour and how brands can leverage anticipation to drive disproportionate growth. They’ll bring this to life for audio advertisers with case studies highlighting audio’s strengths in driving anticipation.

Sophia Field is an Insight Director at PHD, specialising in media effectiveness and award-winning thought leadership. She works with a range of brilliant clients, including Squarespace, CHANEL and Sainsbury’s, turning complex data into sharp commercial strategy, whilst also working across forward-thinking cultural research initiatives like Culture Currents.

A session celebrating the power of long-term audio partnerships will see Liverpool-based retailer B&M’s Head of Marketing Shelley Robinson and Brand and Partnerships Director at Bauer Media’s charity Cash for Kids, Emma Brown, take to the stage. They will reflect on 12 years of their ‘Mission Christmas’ toy appeal for disadvantaged children across the UK. Since the partnership began, £100m has been raised, supporting over two million children, demonstrating audio’s roots within communities and how it can be used to connect with audiences across the nation.

A session celebrating the power of long-term audio partnerships will see Liverpool-based retailer B&M’s Head of Marketing Shelley Robinson and Brand and Partnerships Director at Bauer Media’s charity Cash for Kids, Emma Brown, take to the stage. They will reflect on 12 years of their ‘Mission Christmas’ toy appeal for disadvantaged children across the UK. Since the partnership began, £100m has been raised, supporting over two million children, demonstrating audio’s roots within communities and how it can be used to connect with audiences across the nation.

Charlie Brookes, Director of Digital at Bauer Media Audio UK, will take to the stage at Tuning In North to showcase AudioXi, the platform that unifies digital audio advertising and gives brands access to millions of listeners across radio, podcasts and streaming. He will explore the journey behind its creation, what it means for advertisers in the North and how it’s shaping an exciting future for digital audio.

Ffion Turner, Managing Partner at WPP Media Analytics, and Mark Barber, Planning Director at Radiocentre, and , will take to the stage to share their latest research into how brands can use Multiplatform Audio to boost overall campaign ROI. For the first time, their new High Gain Audio study provides media planners with guidance on the optimum share of budget for audio – and how to allocate this spend between Broadcast Radio and Digital Audio to maximise its ROI advantage.

Mark Barber, Planning Director at Radiocentre, arguably does more than any other individual to demonstrate the value, reach and impact of commercial radio and audio in the UK. In his role of Planning Director at Radiocentre, Mark is responsible for developing its award-winning research and content strategy. 

Mark will join Ffion Turner, Managing Partner at WPP Media Analytics, at Tuning In North to share their latest research into how brands can use Multiplatform Audio to boost overall campaign ROI. For the first time, their new High Gain Audio study provides media planners with guidance on the optimum share of budget for audio – and how to allocate this spend between Broadcast Radio and Digital Audio to maximise its ROI advantage.

Gemma Lee, AV Partner at Carat (Dentsu) and Kate Bradbury, Deputy Managing Director, Wavemaker North, will join Matt Payton, CEO at Radiocentre, to take stock of what’s changed in a busy year for audio, and what still needs to be addressed to unlock audio’s full opportunity for advertisers.

Kate Bradbury, Deputy Managing Director, Wavemaker, a WPP Media Brand and Gemma Lee, AV Partner at Carat (Dentsu) will join Matt Payton, CEO at Radiocentre, to take stock of what’s changed in a busy year for audio, and what still needs to be addressed to unlock audio’s full opportunity for advertisers.

As Radiocentre’s CEO, Matt Payton leads commercial radio’s engagement with Government and political stakeholders, while overseeing the sector’s joint marketing and research activities with advertisers and agencies.

Matt will be the host of Tuning In 2026 and will provide a welcome and introduction to the day’s presentations.