AMCIS Annual Conference 2026 – Creativity, Conversation & a Full Deck of SLT Marketing Insight
What a busy AMCIS Annual Conference 2026.
Over the course of the packed day-and-a-half schedule, school marketers, admissions professionals and sector service providers gathered for one of the independent school sector’s key annual events – featuring four keynote speakers, multiple breakout sessions running simultaneously throughout the conference and countless valuable conversations across the venue.
AMCIS x DES inspiration
Inspired originally by an AMCIS social media post featuring the word ‘love’, the “♥️” symbol idea evolved into a fully designed DES playing card deck, helping tell the story behind school digital reporting through the four card suits.
The cards quickly became one of the talking points of the 2026 conference – supported further by the hugely popular “Play Your Cards Right” competition, inspired by the classic gameshow.
Showcasing creatively:
This year’s conference was opened by the new AMCIS CEO, Oliver Smith, appointed during summer 2025, and the event was closed by the final Key note speaker, Charles Bailey, Headmaster of Worksop College & Ranby House — a valued DES customer.
For Marketing Advisers for Schools and DES, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to showcase the DES platform in a slightly different and more creative way.
Even better, the talented on-site college videography students who produced the conference closing video awarded the DES Full Deck cards their No.1 spot for “most exciting delegate marketing collateral” at the event.
See the AMCIS ♥️ DES offer details and to schedule a catch up call with DES demo.
DES - AMCIS OFFER DES is more cost-effective than many of the mainstream social scheduling-only tools, and its features are geared up to support you and your school.
Beyond the creativity and competition nostalgia, the real value came from the conversations with schools around summarised insights and new time saving support features:
All-In One-Page Executive Report for SLT – the ‘full digital deck’
Personalised School News Updates, with NEW Home page layout
The AI Brand Strategy Insights feature
A huge thank you again to AMCIS, the organising team, delegates, schools and service providers who made the event such a success.
Congratulations once again to Scarborough College and The Perse School, Cambridge for winning the giant “AMCIS ♥️ DES” themed playing cards.
For details around Digital Empowerment Solution (DES) and to take up the conference offer (or book a DES demo), please do reach out.
For more details around our exhibition at the AMCIS conference, our 2026 salary survey, creating your own custom playing cards and the DES (Digital Empowerment Solution) support offer – please visit our conference activity page or sign up on the form below to book a call.
We look forward to chatting with you and already looking forward to the next one!
♠️ ♥️ ♣️ ♦️
AMCIS ❤️ DES
Sign up below to see the new DES All-In One-Page SLT Report and preview the latest DES features
DES brings together everything schools need to manage and understand their digital marketing in one place – from social media planning-posting, website visitor, search and online ads data.
With MA Guides, AI Chat, an integrated School Calendar plus latest news, teams can plan, create and report more effectively.
Sign up below to book a call and to talk.
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