What We Learned From Making Re:Markable

Re:Markable has been a long time coming.

For me, personally, it is something I have been trying to get off the ground for almost five years. Twice before, it did not happen because people did not buy into the idea. So, to finally stand in a room full of people who had bought tickets, shown up, and actively engaged with what we were trying to create felt incredible.

Not because it was perfect. But because it was real.

A good start, but not the endpoint

The overall feeling coming out of the day was positive. There was a genuine energy in the room. People were asking questions. Conversations were happening between sessions. There was a sense of collaboration rather than passive listening.

That was important because from the start, the intention was not just to create another event. We wanted to build something the region had never really had before. Something that felt different.

At the same time, we had to be realistic. If we pushed things too far too quickly, people would not know what they were buying into. So, in many ways, this year was about finding the balance.

And in that sense, it worked.

We brought creatives and marketers together. We inspired them through the speakers. We created a space where people could connect. But it also made something very clear... we are only just getting started.

The tension we need to lean into

One of the most interesting takeaways was the tension between what Re:Markable is and what it could become.

In some ways, it still felt like a conference. There was a stage. There was theatre-style seating. There was a programme built around speakers.

But where it started to feel different was in the details.

The Makers Markets brought a different kind of energy, blending creative stalls with sponsors. The mix of speakers meant the day was not just one perspective. And the venue itself helped shift the feel away from something corporate and expected.

It showed us what is possible. Because ultimately, Re:Markable should feel more like an experience and less like a lecture.

Moments that mattered

One moment that stood out for me personally was seeing Ash Jones take to the stage.

I had tried to bring him to Hull before, and it did not happen at the time. Looking back, I am glad it did not. This felt like the right moment and the right platform. After about 18 months of trying to get him to the city, it was also a bit of a personal moment seeing such a positive reaction in the room.

But just as powerful was what happened after the event.

Comments like...

“You quietly achieved something ever so special”

“Today was genuinely one of the most inspiring days I have had in a long time”

“To have something like this in my hometown was a breath of fresh air”

That was the real signal. Not just that people attended, but that it had resonated.

You cannot please everyone

Another lesson was something we already knew, but saw play out in real time.

You cannot please everyone.

And rather than trying to smooth that out, it is something we might lean into.

One idea we are exploring is being more deliberate with the structure. Splitting the day into creative and marketing, allowing people to choose what is most relevant to them.

Our thinking is that the more focused it becomes, the more meaningful it is likely to be.

Thinking beyond next year

It is easy to think about what comes next in terms of the next event. But the real shift for us is thinking longer term. Not just 2027, but what this becomes over time.

For us, the vision is not to build a bigger conference. It is to build something with its own identity. Something that does not sit neatly in the same category as everything else people are used to attending.

It is not a passive experience where people simply sit and listen. It is something more active than that. A space where ideas are engaged with, not just received. Where people take part in what is happening, rather than observe it from a distance. That might mean more interactive formats, more reflective moments built into the day, or spaces where conversations continue beyond the stage.

But that does not happen overnight. It is built, year by year.

When an idea becomes real

The most powerful part of the day was not any single talk or moment. It was the fact that it existed at all.

After years of trying to make it happen, to finally have the right people around the table, aligned on the same vision, and then to see a room full of people buy into that idea as well.

That is what made it feel different.

It stopped being an idea and became something real.

Wrapping up

Re:Markable is not finished.

If anything, this year made it clear how much more there is to do, and how intentional we need to be about where it goes next. Because the goal was never to create just another conference. It was to build something people remember.

Until next time, thanks for reading.