The coming weeks bring a dense schedule of Creator Economy, social commerce, and podcasting events concentrated in London, with additional programming at the Cannes Film Market in southern France. Events span a film-industry creator summit, a networking evening at a historic London venue, a pre-conference cocktail reception, a two-day podcasting business festival, a live startup sprint pitch day, a multi-day social commerce festival, and an invite-only TikTok Shop brand event. Professional audiences include podcast creators and publishers, social commerce practitioners, brand marketers, DTC founders, TikTok Shop operators, and Influencer Marketing professionals.
The Marché du Film hosts a Creator Economy Summit as a dedicated conference during the Cannes Film Market, which runs May 12-20, 2026. The summit examines the intersection of cinema and the Creator Economy, covering how digital content creators are reshaping story development, financing, and distribution as they expand into long-form content and film production. The program includes an overview of the evolving landscape, case studies, and discussions on collaborations, challenges, and opportunities between film industry stakeholders and digital creators. The summit is developed by the Marché du Film with the support of ABEL Studios. Access requires a Festival or Marché du Film badge.
Date: May 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (during Marché du Film, May 12-20)
InfluencersLDN returns to Stationers’ Hall for an evening of speaker sessions and networking targeting digital content creators, brands, and agencies. The event is organized by The Stationers’ Company and The Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs. The agenda opens with a drinks and networking reception, followed by a speaker session titled “Content in 2030” and a flash networking break. Confirmed speakers include Phil Carr, a travel creator with over 1.5 million UK followers; Hannah Spence, visibility strategist and founder of Clockflower Solutions; Gordon McKee MP, the Labour MP for Glasgow South; David Harry (The London Spy), a social media creator and London guide; Sophie deGraft-Johnson, Social Lead at Saatchi & Saatchi; Chris Simmance, founder of The OMG Center; and Christina Anderson, Senior Manager of Engagement and Partnerships at GoFundMe. Ellie Hale, Partnerships Director at Reflect Digital, serves as master of ceremonies. Tickets are priced between £10 and £35, inclusive of a booking fee.
Date: May 19, 2026, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (doors at 5:45 PM)
Venue: Stationers’ Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7DD, United Kingdom
Now in its third year, Pod-Tales & Cocktails is a pre-Podcast Show London networking reception bringing together podcast industry professionals from publishing, advertising, measurement, technology, and media. The 2026 edition is hosted by NumberEight, Katz Digital, Claritas, Barometer, Locked On, AdLarge, and Sounds Profitable. The event features an open bar and food. Attendance is free.
Date: May 19, 2026, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Venue: Bubba Oasis, 57-58 Upper Street, London N1 0NY, United Kingdom
The Build, organized by OWM and Collab, is a one-week startup sprint pairing five founders with five London-based creators to develop and launch a product within seven days. Teams use Lovable for product development, Canva for branding, and the paired creator’s audience for waitlist generation. The sprint runs May 13-20, culminating in a live pitch to a panel of venture capitalists on May 20. One winning team receives a £25,000 launch stack. The pitch event is live-streamed globally. Participation is by invitation; team selection is based on vision, audience fit, and domain expertise.
Date: May 20, 2026, 4:30 PM (pitch day); sprint runs May 13-20
The Podcast Show holds its fifth annual edition at the Business Design Centre in Islington over two days, bringing together podcast creators, brands, publishers, advertisers, and platforms. The 2026 edition introduces the International Stage powered by Podimo, the Creator First Stage in association with Arcade, and TPS Connects, a program linking brands and agencies with the podcast community. The show features 450-plus speakers across 170-plus sessions and includes networking events, partner-hosted receptions, and a Creator Mix party. Headline partners are Global Studios and iHeartPodcasts. Confirmed speakers include Jack Davenport of Goalhanger, Carrie Lieberman of iHeartPodcasts, Greg Glenday of Acast, Brandon Feldman of YouTube, and Jordan Schwarzenberger of Arcade, among others. The event reports more than 25,000 cumulative attendees across its first five years. Second Release ticket pricing is £115 for a Gold Day Pass, £205 for a Gold 2 Day Pass, and £350 for a Platinum Pass.
Date: May 20-21, 2026
Venue: Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0QH, United Kingdom
The Social Commerce Festival London is a multi-day event focused on TikTok Shop commerce, creator-brand partnerships, and social commerce strategy, held as part of the event’s World Tour series. Programming formats include brand and creator activation halls, a live shopping main stage, content houses and production spaces, brand-hosted dinners and meetings, and creator dinners and mastermind rooms. The event targets brands in DTC, CPG, beauty, fashion, wellness, tech, and e-commerce, as well as TikTok Shop sellers, livestreamers, affiliate marketers, and content studios. Sponsors include Outlandish, Social Army, Join Brands, TikTok Shop, Mindgruve, and Affilimate. The primary festival day is May 22.
Date: May 21-23, 2026 (festival day May 22)
Venue: Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EY, United Kingdom
Nonsensical, a TikTok-focused agency, hosts the fourth edition of its IRL event series, with this edition dedicated to TikTok Shop commerce strategy. The event covers how brands generate gross merchandise value on TikTok Shop in the United Kingdom, with speakers drawn from brands active on the platform. Confirmed speakers include Frances Leonard, Senior Manager of Social Commerce at The Ordinary UK; Camilla Spadacini M., Social Commerce Lead at Nature Spell; Ning Cheah, Founder and Director of The Beauty Crop; Chloe Furniss, Senior Manager of Social Media and Influencer at ASDA; Emily Caine, Head of Beauty TikTok Shop at TikTok; Christopher Berry, Live Selling Manager at Fashionphile Collective; Eva Holmes, TikTok Business Development Manager at Minky Homecare; George Robinson, Managing Director and Owner of SoSweet; Ajay Goel, TikTok Shop Lead at Sacheu Beauty; and Bora Mutluoğlu, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Reacher. Registration is by interest submission; attendance is invite-only.
Date: May 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, with drinks reception to follow
Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.
The coming weeks bring a dense schedule of Creator Economy, social commerce, and podcasting events concentrated in London, with additional programming at the Cannes Film Market in southern France. Events span a film-industry creator summit, a networking evening at a historic London venue, a pre-conference cocktail reception, a two-day podcasting business festival, a live startup sprint pitch day, a multi-day social commerce festival, and an invite-only TikTok Shop brand event. Professional audiences include podcast creators and publishers, social commerce practitioners, brand marketers, DTC founders, TikTok Shop operators, and Influencer Marketing professionals.
Creator Economy Summit – Marché du Film, Cannes
The Marché du Film hosts a Creator Economy Summit as a dedicated conference during the Cannes Film Market, which runs May 12-20, 2026. The summit examines the intersection of cinema and the Creator Economy, covering how digital content creators are reshaping story development, financing, and distribution as they expand into long-form content and film production. The program includes an overview of the evolving landscape, case studies, and discussions on collaborations, challenges, and opportunities between film industry stakeholders and digital creators. The summit is developed by the Marché du Film with the support of ABEL Studios. Access requires a Festival or Marché du Film badge.
Date: May 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (during Marché du Film, May 12-20)
Venue: Cannes, France
InfluencersLDN 2026 – Create, Connect, Grow
InfluencersLDN returns to Stationers’ Hall for an evening of speaker sessions and networking targeting digital content creators, brands, and agencies. The event is organized by The Stationers’ Company and The Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs. The agenda opens with a drinks and networking reception, followed by a speaker session titled “Content in 2030” and a flash networking break. Confirmed speakers include Phil Carr, a travel creator with over 1.5 million UK followers; Hannah Spence, visibility strategist and founder of Clockflower Solutions; Gordon McKee MP, the Labour MP for Glasgow South; David Harry (The London Spy), a social media creator and London guide; Sophie deGraft-Johnson, Social Lead at Saatchi & Saatchi; Chris Simmance, founder of The OMG Center; and Christina Anderson, Senior Manager of Engagement and Partnerships at GoFundMe. Ellie Hale, Partnerships Director at Reflect Digital, serves as master of ceremonies. Tickets are priced between £10 and £35, inclusive of a booking fee.
Date: May 19, 2026, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (doors at 5:45 PM)
Venue: Stationers’ Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7DD, United Kingdom
Pod-Tales & Cocktails: Live London Edition
Now in its third year, Pod-Tales & Cocktails is a pre-Podcast Show London networking reception bringing together podcast industry professionals from publishing, advertising, measurement, technology, and media. The 2026 edition is hosted by NumberEight, Katz Digital, Claritas, Barometer, Locked On, AdLarge, and Sounds Profitable. The event features an open bar and food. Attendance is free.
Date: May 19, 2026, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Venue: Bubba Oasis, 57-58 Upper Street, London N1 0NY, United Kingdom
The Build
The Build, organized by OWM and Collab, is a one-week startup sprint pairing five founders with five London-based creators to develop and launch a product within seven days. Teams use Lovable for product development, Canva for branding, and the paired creator’s audience for waitlist generation. The sprint runs May 13-20, culminating in a live pitch to a panel of venture capitalists on May 20. One winning team receives a £25,000 launch stack. The pitch event is live-streamed globally. Participation is by invitation; team selection is based on vision, audience fit, and domain expertise.
Date: May 20, 2026, 4:30 PM (pitch day); sprint runs May 13-20
Venue: Hoxton, London, United Kingdom
The Podcast Show 2026
The Podcast Show holds its fifth annual edition at the Business Design Centre in Islington over two days, bringing together podcast creators, brands, publishers, advertisers, and platforms. The 2026 edition introduces the International Stage powered by Podimo, the Creator First Stage in association with Arcade, and TPS Connects, a program linking brands and agencies with the podcast community. The show features 450-plus speakers across 170-plus sessions and includes networking events, partner-hosted receptions, and a Creator Mix party. Headline partners are Global Studios and iHeartPodcasts. Confirmed speakers include Jack Davenport of Goalhanger, Carrie Lieberman of iHeartPodcasts, Greg Glenday of Acast, Brandon Feldman of YouTube, and Jordan Schwarzenberger of Arcade, among others. The event reports more than 25,000 cumulative attendees across its first five years. Second Release ticket pricing is £115 for a Gold Day Pass, £205 for a Gold 2 Day Pass, and £350 for a Platinum Pass.
Date: May 20-21, 2026
Venue: Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0QH, United Kingdom
Social Commerce Festival London
The Social Commerce Festival London is a multi-day event focused on TikTok Shop commerce, creator-brand partnerships, and social commerce strategy, held as part of the event’s World Tour series. Programming formats include brand and creator activation halls, a live shopping main stage, content houses and production spaces, brand-hosted dinners and meetings, and creator dinners and mastermind rooms. The event targets brands in DTC, CPG, beauty, fashion, wellness, tech, and e-commerce, as well as TikTok Shop sellers, livestreamers, affiliate marketers, and content studios. Sponsors include Outlandish, Social Army, Join Brands, TikTok Shop, Mindgruve, and Affilimate. The primary festival day is May 22.
Date: May 21-23, 2026 (festival day May 22)
Venue: Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EY, United Kingdom
The TikTok Sauce – 4th IRL Event
Nonsensical, a TikTok-focused agency, hosts the fourth edition of its IRL event series, with this edition dedicated to TikTok Shop commerce strategy. The event covers how brands generate gross merchandise value on TikTok Shop in the United Kingdom, with speakers drawn from brands active on the platform. Confirmed speakers include Frances Leonard, Senior Manager of Social Commerce at The Ordinary UK; Camilla Spadacini M., Social Commerce Lead at Nature Spell; Ning Cheah, Founder and Director of The Beauty Crop; Chloe Furniss, Senior Manager of Social Media and Influencer at ASDA; Emily Caine, Head of Beauty TikTok Shop at TikTok; Christopher Berry, Live Selling Manager at Fashionphile Collective; Eva Holmes, TikTok Business Development Manager at Minky Homecare; George Robinson, Managing Director and Owner of SoSweet; Ajay Goel, TikTok Shop Lead at Sacheu Beauty; and Bora Mutluoğlu, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Reacher. Registration is by interest submission; attendance is invite-only.
Date: May 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, with drinks reception to follow
Venue: Blackfriars, London, United Kingdom
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