Register and grab a coffee before the talks begin.

We'll get you set up for a day of thought-provoking talks and Q&A sessions.

What first brought you to content work? For many of us, it was a desire to make meaning—to turn convoluted UIs into clear flows, trade jargon for plain language, and make experiences more accessible and inclusive. At its best, content work has given us a sense of purpose—the feeling that we’re doing something meaningful, powerful, maybe even necessary. But for many content leaders, this work has also become an identity—the primary way we define ourselves and our value in the world. And today, that identity is in crisis: AI threatens to take our jobs. Reorgs break up our teams. Layoffs dismantle our fledgling practices. So what do we do now? Double-down on advocacy efforts? Make our rallying cries even louder? Or should we just accept defeat and sink into cynicism, muttering about how none of this really matters anyway? This talk is about finding a third way—one grounded in joy and connection, not overwhelm and overwork. That third way starts by coming back to our roots: making meaning. We’ll look at how we can approach content leadership in a way that’s meaningful—that aligns with our values and affirms our humanity. But we’ll also look at the power of finding meaning beyond our work—and what it looks like to rediscover and reconnect with the parts of ourselves we’ve left ignored and under-nourished for too long. You’ll leave with new clarity on how you want to show up as a content leader in this moment of uncertainty—and tools for reconnecting with your full self as a human.

“Leadership.” “Leveling up.” It’s not always clear what these terms mean, or how they might manifest in your career. Or, it might feel like you have to change who you are or what you value to fit into some stereotypical mould. To help you chart your path, we’ll examine three key skill areas to grow in: establishing influence, navigating ambiguity, and working autonomously. And, most importantly, we’ll talk about how to build these skills while honoring what makes you, you.

We all know the pitfall of trying to do all the things to claim our content territory, right? We also know that it doesn’t always work in our favour. To be honest, does it ever work in our favour? In this session, Anna talks about how she went from having her UX writing team do a lot of surface-level work to doing work that matters. How did she do it? She started saying no.

We bring together Sara, Elaine and Anna to answer audience questions.

Enjoy lunch in the unique surroundings of the Barbican if you're with us in person, where you can chat to fellow attendees and speakers.

Hear how Pinterest introduced generative AI into their content workflow to scale the impact of content designers.

Content design is changing, and we must be ready to help our teams evolve too. Find out how we can ready our teams for the future.

It takes time to build communities, but they offer immeasurable value and support to members. Hear Mario's story on building communities.

We bring together Danielle, Nicole and Mario to answer audience questions.

Time for a quick break and an opportunity to network with peers or enjoy the amazing Barbican building.

Building strong relationships with your reports should be every manager’s goal. But managing up and across is also key to building a highly successful team. We’ll look at tips and techniques for sharpening your communication skills at all levels, from creating strong relationships with peer managers to conveying your team’s value to leadership — from your boss to the CEO.

For the past two years, Heldiney has been a volunteer Director of a branch of Samaritans with 100 volunteers. Being the person ultimately accountable for the branch’s fundraising strategy, leadership team, processes, operations, and facilitating the best possible outcomes for the charity, its UK callers and volunteers. Also juggling a role as a Lead Product Designer at Monzo, this is the story of how he’s learned to manage his own mental health as a manager.

“Do more with less.” “You’ll figure it out.” “You got this!” There are huge expectations on leaders and, arguably, even more so on content design leaders. But let’s be real: when capacity is tight, requirements high and time is of the essence, you can’t do it all or influence them all as one human. So, how do you do more of what matters without burning yourself out? Let’s start by unpacking the myths vs. the realities to help you give yourself some much-needed grace and a break from the pressures of perfectionism on your leadership journey.

In the final break of the day why not explore the lovely Barbican.

We bring Jen, Heldiney and Candi together to answer audience questions.

Take some time to relax and reflect on the day's talks and insights with your fellow attendees, speakers, and event hosts.