"What 8 fab speakers taught me in one day (& why my brain briefly left the building)"

A day that filled the cup.

The Marketing Meetup (TMM) Conference in London, what a day!

"We care about your day. We care about you. Today works best if we do it together."

That's the promise of The Marketing Meetup. And yesterday, in the magnificent Church House, Dean's Yard, Westminster, Joe Glover, James Sandbrook and their incredible team of volunteers delivered on every single word of it.

Thank you. Genuinely. From the bottom of my very full, slightly buzzing brain.

Here's what I took away — and trust me, I took a lot.

Dave Harland — In Odd We Trust

Copywriter Dave Harland opened the day with a masterclass in weirdness - and I mean that as the biggest possible compliment. I’ve had the privilege of hearing Dave talk a couple of times at CopyCon (ProCopywriter’s Conference) and he’s always a joy.

Oh, to have those funny bones!

His "mixed grill with clapping" story? That's living rent-free in my head forever. No spoilers, but if you ever get the chance to hear Dave tell it, go.

Dave introduced us to the Von Restorff Effect (1933) - the psychological principle that the thing that stands out from the crowd is the thing we remember. Use weirdness. Challenge formats. Be the odd one out on the plate.

His take on AI? Gold. AI is built on predictability - it can't be odd, it doesn't have weird lived experiences, it can't surprise you the way a human brain can. So lean into what AI can't do. Don't 50x the same average output. Be strange. Be memorable. Be you.

The element of surprise is proven effective. Science says so. Dave says so.

Mimi Turner — LinkedIn's Head of Marketplace Innovation

What actually moves the needle for B2B buyers? It's not being the cheapest. It's not being focused on social responsibility (controversial, I know — but there was a graph to prove it).

It's validation. Relationships. Recommendations. The people in your network who will advocate for you and take you with them.

Mimi told us to find our hidden buyers, the champions already inside our target organisations, and nurture them. Amplify through your networks. Let the people who love you do the talking. Note firmly taken.

Maddy Allen — The Keynote Club

Maddy pulled us straight into her story from the first breath. No warm-up. No credentials-first. Just story.

As a copywriter and storywriter, I was nodding so hard I nearly cricked my neck.

Maddy’s lesson was don't start with the logic. Don't start with your credentials. Start with the story, and watch what happens. See the impact you create.

It’s a drum I’m always banging with my clients, so it was great to hear it on-stage!

Phill Agnew — Nudge Podcast

Behavioural science insights in spades. I'll be timing (and mentioning) how long my blogger workshops take to write in all my marketing from this point forward. A small detail, but a persuasive one.

And Richard Shotton's The Choice Factory (25 behavioural biases that influence what we buy) is already on order - and was the second Von Restorff shoutout of the day - the bizarreness effect! Twice in one day. It stuck. It works.

Can't wait to catch up on your podcast episodes, Phill.

Chima Mmeje — Scaling Content with AI

Chima was ON. FIRE.

Frameworks, energy, knowledge — all delivered at a pace that demanded my full attention (keeping up with Chima was the goal, I just had to hold on and enjoy the ride). Absolutely brilliant session on scaling content with AI. I came away with pages of notes, a slightly elevated heart rate and a huge grin on my face.

Helen Tupper — Squiggly Careers / AmazingIf

Oh, Helen. What a joy.

Co-Founder of Squiggly Careers, co-author of Learn Like a Lobster (Sunday Times bestseller — which I started reading on the train home btw), and the subject of the loveliest paragraph written about anyone, ever - by her business partner and best friend Sarah Ellis in the welcome pack.

Helen talked about listening. Really listening. And with TMM's theme of growing stronger running through the whole day, I could see immediately how weaving listening - and by extension, learning - into my everyday is going to be a game changer.

My key takeaway from this session? Writing it on a Post-it for my desk:

"Hold ideas lightly. Listen loudly."

And this: next-level noticing is learning.

Luna Labrador and I will be downloading AmazingIf for sea wall walks immediately.

Naomi Walkland — CMO, Motorway (ex-VP, Bumble)

A calm, considered, co-mentoring Q&A with TMM Co-Founders Joe and James that felt like a warm hand on the shoulder at just the right moment.

Clarity breeds confidence. I couldn't agree more.

Lean into curiosity. Lean into adaptability. Step back to step in. Wise, measured, and exactly what the room needed after a big afternoon of brilliant energy.

Lee Bofkin — CEO, Global Street Art

And then — the creative whirlwind arrived.

Lee's right that so many of us don't self-identify as creatives. It took me years to confidently call myself "a creative" - coming from an advertising account management background, it felt like a label I hadn't earned.

10 years in copywriting is probably proof enough?

Lee’s Random Object Ideation exercise? Brilliant, in theory. In practice, my brain said "uh, uh" and left the building - while my pulse, my chest and apparently my entire nervous system stayed behind to witness “ideation” in proximity.

It was like being asked to think outside the box while standing so far from the box I needed binoculars and a packed lunch to find it again.

My neighbours and I had a good go, but…. when I tried it in the quiet of my room last night, Hey presto! Corkers.

Lesson learned: (my) creative magic sometimes needs breathing space.

Heather Murray — AI for Non-Techies

Hugely insightful. One line to rule them all:

"Never let AI think for you."

Put the effort into the prompt. Always. And honestly, Heather - the fact the tech had a little wobble on stage only made us love you more. The human bit? Always the best bit.

Sam Conniff — See Through the Slop

And finally, Sam. The Fear, Fog, Stasis framework landed hard - in the best way.

Turning negative emotions into positive ones. Using senses and instincts as decision-making tools. Knowing that 90% of us fear failure most, but 89% say their worst regret is a missed opportunity. The gap between those two things? That's exactly where we need to be brave.

Fill the gaps well. I'm writing that on the wall.

(And I really hope you got to Freda in time, Sam. 🤞)

So, to recap…

Yesterday was the kind of day that makes you want to be better at what you do. The Marketing Meetup - in the stunning Church House, in the heart of Westminster (with it’s lovely balcony overlooking sun-soaked Dean’s Yard) played host to a cluster of brilliant people, extraordinary speakers, and the very clear sense that everyone there genuinely wanted the day to go well. For everyone.

And I, for one, was thrilled to meet fabulous marketers, writers, content creators and designers, many of whom are now in my back pocket.

Thank you Joe. Thank you James. Thank you to every volunteer who kept the day running so smoothly.

I'm off to listen loudly, be weird, hold ideas lightly, and fill the gaps well.

Love you all. 🙌

Vicks Ward is a copywriter based in the New Forest. She writes for brands doing good things — and occasionally rambles about days that fill the cup. Get in touch here.