See us at AMCIS 2026 – Click here
Sponsoring and Exhibiting to Showcase the Digital Marketing Support
As proud sponsors and exhibitors at the AMCIS Annual Conference 2025, DES by Marketing Advisers for Schools had the pleasure of hosting the Swallow Breakout Room across the 2-day event (12th & 13th May).
As we look back to the conference, once again it delivered on a packed and inspiring schedule of marketing & admissions presentations and networking opportunities for schools.
The evening Gala Dinner also featured the AMCIS Impact Awards, celebrating a brilliant set of nominees and well-deserved winners.
From the outset, our aim was simple: to meet, listen and talk with school marketers, both to customers & also to showcase DES – to introduce new features, such as our Brand Strategy Review insight reporting, alongside the broader digital marketing support for schools.
The breakout room sessions on 12/13th May certainly delivered on inspiration – to summarise:
- Trinity School Croydon’s Nicky Blunt and Audrey Lenihan kicked things off with “Inside Out”, sharing how to capture and communicate the true feel of a school — especially when location may work against visibility.
- Reigate Grammar School’s Caroline Lawson and Philippa Watkins offered a brilliant reminder of the power of word-of-mouth advocacy to elevate the admissions journey.
- Melanie Sanderson from The Good Schools Guide tackled the evolving VAT landscape and how to stay top-of-mind with prospective parents.
- Jo Beckett rounded things off with energising advice on sustainable working practices and professional boundaries.
- Heather from RS Academics taking up the Day 2 morning slot with a session around optimising team resources.
The DES expo stand and support showcase…
Alongside the speaker sessions, our DES stand offered a warm and welcoming space for delegates to explore the platform in more detail.
With a hands-on display, a live DES showcase looping video featuring a marvelous walk-through from St James’s Schools (with Océane in Marketing expertly navigating and narrating) – see the school walk-through videos linked here, and lots of testimonials from current users – the DES solution was in action at AMCIS!
Around the DES sponsorship for the conference, we also shared a printed brochure – outlining the breakout sessions, the DES competition, and other content to support schools. See the PDF brochure here.
A selection of DES-branded materials — notebooks, pens, and handmade biscuits by Bumble & Goose — added a personal touch. It was a busy stand, with Nick and Claire flying the DES by Marketing Advisers flag.
If you missed us at AMCIS, this is what you missed:
DES platform intro and expo-stand presentation.- FOC Brand Strategy Insights Report (with AI support)
- Bonus Crisis Comms Resource (as shared in the recent BSA webinar)
- AMCIS discounted DES subscription offer with an optional 20-minute DES discovery call. Now post-conference, feel free to reach out for a demo-chat – book now.
DES AMCIS Competition winners:
Amesbury School — awarded 4 extra months of DES
Abbot’s Hill School — awarded 2 extra months of DES
There’s clear momentum around wanting to simplify the process around digital content strategy, management and reporting for smarter streamlined marketing — and DES is here to help schools put that into action.
Thanks again to all the delegates and the AMCIS team for a great event – we look forward to the 2026 event!
