01
The money
Where 2026's ad budget went: the global picture, the channels that grew, and the UK and US markets side by side.
Thu 11 Feb 2027 · 4pm · Department, Manchester · Only 60 places
The State of
Paid Media 2027
Just 60 people will be in the room when it launches. Every attendee gets a free goodie bag with the 2026 and 2027 editions and sponsor swag, plus free pizza and drinks.
One night, 60 seats, and the first copies of the 2027 edition go to the people in the room. Talks from the experts who wrote it, free pizza and drinks, and a goodie bag with both editions and swag from our sponsors. Join the waitlist now to secure your spot in the queue.
DOORS OPEN IN
--DAYS
--HOURS
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In collaboration with
FREE GOODIE BAG2026 + 2027 editions, sponsor swag
Six numbers you'll hear about on the night
£53.5BN
forecast UK adspend in 2027, and search is still the biggest slice
217
different search terms behind every 1,000 impressions, up from about 170
1.4X
what AI Max cost per conversion versus the keywords next to it
2.75X
the cost per conversion for searches phrased as questions
89%
of Performance Max spend in the median account still went on Search
+13.7%
UK PPC pay since 2024, against prices up 6.6%
Join the waitlist£10 · Hear these numbers explained on the night
What you get on the night
The book launches here first. So does every answer in it.
The initial release of The State of Paid Media 2027 is for the people in the room. Everyone gets a free goodie bag with both editions and swag from our sponsors, there's pizza and drinks on us, and you'll hear the findings from the people who helped write them.
01
A free goodie bag
One of the first printed copies of the 2027 edition, last year's 2026 edition, and swag from our sponsors. Yours to take home.
02
Expert talks
Short, practical talks from the contributors, each on one big question from 2026 and what to do about it in 2027.
03
Pizza and drinks on us
Doors open at 4pm with the drinks cold and the pizza boxes open, and it keeps going until 8pm.
04
Network and meet the experts
Time after the talks to put your own questions to the speakers, and meet people who do what you do.
ALL FOR £10
What's in your ticket
- The 2027 editionOne of the very first printed copies
- The 2026 editionSo you can see how far things moved
- Sponsor swagGoodies from our partners in your bag
- Free pizzaCome hungry. Seriously.
- Free drinksOn us, all night
- Expert talksStraight from the people who wrote the book
- Ask the expertsBring your trickiest account question
- Proper networkingIn-house, agency and freelance PPC people
- Everything above comes home in your free goodie bag(Well, not the pizza. That's for eating on the night.)
4:00pmDoors open: drinks, pizza and networking
5:00pmThe 2027 findings
5:15pmTalks from the expert contributors
5:45pmExpert panel and your questions
6:00pmNetworking and drinks, goodie bags handed out
8:00pmAll done. Home in time for tea, or the train back to London
Join the waitlist£10 gets you the talks, pizza, drinks and the goodie bag
What's in the book
Six parts. One year that rewired paid media.
From the size of the pie to what happened inside real Google Ads accounts, sector by sector, and what changes in 2027. Every chapter ends with a verdict: what I'd actually do about it.
02
Who's winning
Three companies now take six in every ten ad dollars outside China. How Google, Meta and retail media grew, and the AI bill pushing every platform towards automation.
03
The auction changed
Google took more of the controls, AI Overviews started taking the clicks, and a second auction opened inside ChatGPT.
04
Inside the accounts
What AI Max, Performance Max and longer, chattier searches really did to cost and conversions, plus the new channel controls and how to use them.
05
Sector by sector
Campaign mix, click costs, devices, bots and AI exposure for eight sectors, from fashion retail to finance, with a playbook for each.
06
Rules, risks and 2027
New rules, invalid traffic, budgets and forecasts, plus the PPC job market: pay against inflation, and why you need to be more than a PPCer now.
Plus the Can-Do summary
10 key takeawaysThings to try in 2027Tools worth testingEvery source listed
Join the waitlistAttendees get the 2027 edition before anyone else
The verdict · Performance Max
“The new channel controls are the biggest Performance Max change since launch, so use them the day they reach your account. Change one thing at a time and give it two weeks before you judge it.”
Every chapter ends like this. On the night, I'll walk through the ones that matter most.
Join the waitlistBring your questions for the experts
The experts
Hear it from the people who wrote it
Three of the book’s expert contributors are speaking on the night, and every talk is included in your ticket. Others have written for the book but won’t be in the room. You’ll find their pages in your copy.
Speaking on the night
SPEAKER
Lewis Kemp
Founder & CEO, Lightbulb Media
In the book: “Don’t take your business to Blackpool”
The talk: every change Google makes is built to benefit Google, not you. Lewis argues the biggest wins in 2026 came from what’s still in your control: rich product feeds, landing pages that convert, and real lead and profit data fed back into the platform. Expect a no-fluff look at pointing automation at the right destination.
Lewis founded Lightbulb Media, a Manchester agency specialising in PPC, paid social and performance creative for ecommerce and B2B brands. Over 53,000 people follow him on LinkedIn for fluff-free advice, dry humour and agency horror stories.
SPEAKER
Sophie Logan
Community & Editorial Manager, Rough Agenda
In the book: “Loosen your grip. Keep steering.”
The talk: Sophie takes on the set-and-forget habit, from Performance Max assets nobody has reviewed in 18 months to AI Max running on a generic negative list. She’ll show where humans still earn their keep in AI-powered campaigns, and how small, regular tweaks add up over a year.
Sophie is Community & Editorial Manager at Rough Agenda, the organisers of brightonSEO and Hero Conf. A paid media specialist with over 11 years’ experience, she was named one of the Top Most Influential PPC Experts of 2026 and is a Diamond Google Ads Product Expert.
SPEAKER
Matt Beswick
Paid Marketing Manager, Quality Bearings Online
In the book: “Better automation needs better data”
The talk: Matt makes the case that the biggest opportunity in 2027 is the least exciting one: product feeds. He’ll show how titles, product types and attributes decide what Google and AI assistants can do with your catalogue, especially in B2B ecommerce, and why he’d rather improve a feed than keep tweaking a campaign.
Matt has over 15 years’ PPC experience, specialising in B2B ecommerce, product feeds and Microsoft Ads. His focus is on getting the fundamentals right, building solid foundations and creating the conditions for sustainable growth in B2B ecommerce accounts.
Expert contributors in the book
Jyll Saskin Gales
Google Ads Coach · ranked #1 in PPC Survey’s Top 50 Most Influential PPC Experts 2026
In the book: “Control with automation”
Jyll is a Google Ads coach, bestselling author and founder of the Inside Google Ads course, podcast and conference. She spent six years at Google and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Contributor to the book. Not speaking at the event.
Dale Olorenshaw
Head of Paid Media, StrategiQ
In the book: “The scarce thing is reasoning”
Dale is Head of Paid Media at StrategiQ, with over 15 years’ agency and freelance experience across PPC, SEO, digital strategy, analytics, CRM and social.
Contributor to the book. Not speaking at the event.
Join the waitlistEvery talk is included in your £10 ticket
Waitlist open · only 60 places
One night only. Only 60 seats. Join the waitlist.
There are just 60 seats, and they go to the waitlist first, in the order people join. Add your name now and we’ll email you as soon as your place is confirmed, with a link to pay for your £10 ticket. Every ticket includes the expert talks, free pizza and drinks, and a goodie bag with the 2027 edition, the 2026 edition and swag from our sponsors.
- WHEN
- Thursday 11 February 2027
- 4pm to 8pm sharp
- WHERE
- Department, Bonded Warehouse
- 18 Lower Byrom Street, Manchester M3 4AP
- COST
- £10 per ticket
- Paid once your place is confirmed. Colleagues join the waitlist separately.
- COMING FROM LONDON?
- Manchester Piccadilly is around two hours from Euston, then a short tram or taxi ride to the venue.
You’re on the waitlist
Thanks, friend. You’re on the list.
SPM27-0000
- We’ll reply to your inbox to confirm whether we can offer you a place.
- If you get a place, you’ll get a link to pay for your £10 ticket.
- Your goodie bag, with both editions and sponsor swag, will be waiting at the door on the night.
Where it's happening
Department, Bonded Warehouse
A historic warehouse in Castlefield
18 Lower Byrom Street, Manchester M3 4AP
A few minutes' walk from Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop and Deansgate station.
Coming from London? Manchester Piccadilly is around two hours from Euston, then a short tram or taxi ride.
Join the waitlistThursday 11 Feb 2027 · 4pm to 8pm
Made possible by
Our 2027 partners
HEADLINE PARTNER
AI Overviews and AI Max hide more of the search every quarter. Adthena maps every advertiser and query in your market, shows how AI Overviews affect your clicks, tracks who's buying ChatGPT ads, and flags competitors bidding on your brand. Visit Adthena
EXPERT SPEAKER SPONSOR
Scores every click in real time across Google, Microsoft, Meta and LinkedIn, stops fake form fills, and only sends validated conversions back to the platforms. Visit ClickPatrol
INSIGHTS PARTNER
A Comparison Shopping Service and feed manager covering 60+ channels, with SKU-level testing of titles, descriptions and images. Visit ProductCaster
INSIGHTS PARTNER
PPC management software that keeps watch over your Google Ads and Microsoft Ads accounts, flags problems early and turns improvements into one-click changes. Visit Opteo
Our partners had no say in the data or the conclusions. Interested in partnering? Ask for the partner pack.
How the 2026 edition travelled on LinkedIn, shared by the contributors and the people who read it.
Join the waitlistBe in the room for the 2027 edition
Your host
Chris Nightingale
Founder of Can-Do Digital, a flat-fee PPC and paid social agency in Wigan. Formerly Head of Acquisition at AO.com and Matalan, ranked in the PPCSurvey Top 50 most influential UK PPC professionals, a regular speaker at BrightonSEO, HeroConf and Performance MCR, and co-host of the Prompted podcast.
FAQ
Good questions
How much is it?
£10 per person. That covers your seat, the talks, free pizza and drinks, and a goodie bag with the 2027 edition, the 2026 edition and sponsor swag. You only pay once we’ve confirmed your place.
How does the waitlist work?
There are only 60 places in the room, so we work through the waitlist and aim for a good mix of in-house, agency and freelance people. We’ll email everyone back either way.
Can I get the book without coming?
The initial release is for attendees: the first hard copies go to the people in the room. [Confirm when and how the book will be available to everyone else.]
Who are the talks for?
Anyone who runs, manages or pays for paid media: in-house teams, agencies, freelancers, founders and marketing leaders.
Can I bring a colleague?
Yes, they’re welcome to join the waitlist too. Each person joins separately so we can save them a seat and a book.
What if I can no longer make it?
Just reply to your confirmation email and let us know, so we can offer your place to someone else.
Will the talks be recorded?
[Confirm: recorded and shared with attendees, or in the room only.]
Join the waitlistOnly 60 places · £10
-- days to go.
£10 gets you a seat, the expert talks, pizza and drinks, and a goodie bag with both editions. Only 60 places on the night.
