Creative digital agency Anything has been appointed to design and build a website for the upcoming MAD//UpNorth event.
This new event, branded as the Marketing Advertising Disruption Festival (MAD//Fest), is scheduled to take place in Manchester at Factory International from 26th to 27th February 2025. Marking its transition from London to the North, MAD//Fest attracts over 12,000 attendees and features renowned keynote speakers including Eddie Izzard, Rory Sutherland, and Hannah Fry.
Anything has a history of collaboration with MAD//Fest, having worked together since the festival’s inception in 2018. Their recent project involved transitioning the festival’s main website to a headless Content Management System (CMS) using Storyblok, designed to enhance flexibility and scalability. The new website aims to differentiate MAD//Fest through a combination of advanced technological architecture, superior performance, and enhanced security.
The design for the MAD//UpNorth site aligns with the festival’s new regional focus, presenting a dynamic and lively aesthetic. Jono Brain, Technical Director and co-founder of Anything, remarked, “MAD//Fest is always such a brilliant event, everyone in the industry wants to be there because it is that good. We’ve seen the event grow from 2,000 attendees to over 12,000 so it’s our job to support this growth. We love working with the MAD//Fest team and bringing their ideas to life and being part of the excitement and anticipation in the run-up to the events. The new websites are a perfect example of what a headless CMS solution should be and we’re incredibly excited to be launching MAD//UpNorth.” Ian Houghton, co-founder of MAD//Fest, added, “At MAD//Fest, we want to challenge industry norms and create an environment with no corporate jargon where people can speak passionately about the marketing and advertising industry. Our new site has been fundamental in getting attendees excited about the event and I have no doubt that UpNorth will be a huge triumph as well.”
Leveraging modern technologies and a headless CMS, Anything ensured that the creation of the microsite for MAD//UpNorth proceeded seamlessly. While it adheres to the same structural and block configurations as its predecessor, the new site distinctly reflects the northern identity and vibrancy of the Manchester event.
With a new website designed to captivate and engage its audience, the MAD//UpNorth festival is set to make a significant impact in Manchester, continuing the success seen in London.