More perspective. No filters
This is the Unconference.
A full day of bold conversations, fresh thinking, and honest debate on the
realities of employer branding - built for the people doing the work.
the Unconference is our flagship event, created to shake things up and rethink how we connect, share and grow in employer branding.
It’s a full-day experience built as a safe space for open, honest and unfiltered conversations about the real challenges we face in EB.
No fluff. No performance. Just the conversations that actually matter.
What makes us different
Built differently
The Unconference was launched in 2025 with one simple idea: create the kind of employer brand event we actually want to attend. No speaking at the audience. No over-polished presentations. No awkward networking. Instead: thoughtful panels, open discussion, fresh perspectives and plenty of space to connect with brilliant people across the industry.
Access matters
Tickets are intentionally kept affordable, because access matters. We know great conversations happen when different perspectives are in the room, and we want that room to feel open.
For those between roles, we offer support with tickets, travel and food wherever we can, because being part of this community shouldn’t feel out of reach.
Community led
Our panels are built around conversation - blending invited speakers with opportunities for members of The EB Space community to put themselves forward too. New voices deserve to be heard, not just the usual names on stage.
Some sessions are panels. Some become debates. The best ones usually carry on long after the session ends. And we pay our speakers.
Powered by partnership
The Unconference is made possible by a collective of partners, agencies and vendors who believe in the same thing we do: moving employer brand forward by challenging the status quo and creating better spaces for our industry to connect. That support helps us keep the event accessible, ambitious and intentionally different while creating something meaningful.
Run of the day
We’ve got an exciting mix of conversations, panels and debate planned across the day — with topics designed to challenge, inspire and spark discussion. From bold panel discussions to the conversations everyone’s thinking about but not always saying out loud, we’ll be sharing more across the coming weeks as sessions, speakers and updates are confirmed.
09.00 - 09.30 Arrival and breakfast
Come along for tea, coffee, juice and pastries and get yourself set up for the day.
09.30 - 09.45 Welcome
We’ll kick things off with a walkthrough of the day ahead - what to expect, where to be, and the boring but important stuff to keep everyone safe.
09.45 - 10.30 AI won’t replace Employer Brand..but it might replace average employer branders.
As AI reshapes the way we create, write, design and deliver work, employer brand is entering a new era. This session explores the opportunities, tensions and uncomfortable questions that come with it. If AI can generate content in seconds, where does human creativity add value? If production gets easier, does strategy become more important? And how do employer brand teams evolve without losing the craft that makes the work meaningful?
10.30 - 11.15 Who are you without your job title?
We’re increasingly told to build visibility at work—to show up online, build our personal brand, share our thinking and own our story. But what happens when work becomes part of your identity? And where’s the line between building a professional presence and becoming defined by what you do? This session explores the relationship between personal brand and personal identity—from confidence and visibility to career growth, self-promotion and boundaries. How do you show up professionally without feeling like you have to package yourself? Who are you when the title changes? And how much of yourself should work get access to in the first place?
11.15 - 11.30 Break
​Tea, coffee, conversation and a chance to pause before we jump back in.
11.30 - 12.15 Pitch slapped - what nobody says about Agency-Client relationships
We spend a lot of time talking about campaigns, creative and strategy—but rarely about the relationship behind the work itself. This session opens up the honest conversation around agency and client dynamics in employer brand. The messy middle. The friction. The misalignment. The unrealistic asks. The brilliant collaborations. The difficult feedback. The “can you just…” requests. Less polished case study. More real talk about what it actually takes to build good work together.
12.15 - 13.15 Lunch
Lunch is served - a chance to refuel, catch up with familiar faces and meet some new ones before the afternoon sessions begin.
13.15 - 14.00 Culture isn't a content strategy
Employer brand can tell powerful stories but it can’t fix culture on its own. This session explores the tension between what we say externally and what people actually experience internally. When culture feels shaky, engagement is low, or trust is broken, what role does employer brand really play? Where can storytelling create genuine connection - and where does it risk becoming a distraction from the deeper work? A conversation about culture, credibility, expectation and what happens when the message and the reality don’t quite match.
14.00 - 14.45 The debate: Employer Brand is dead. Long live Reputation
Employer brand has grown up - but has it also outgrown itself? This debate explores whether employer brand still holds weight as a discipline, or whether reputation, culture and corporate narrative have taken over. Is employer brand evolving - or having an identity crisis?
14.45 - 15.00 Break
​Tea, coffee, conversation and a chance to pause before we jump back in.
15.00 - 15.45 The Candidate Trust Crisis
Candidates are applying more, hearing less and trusting employers less than ever. Between ghosting, AI-generated applications, vague job descriptions and promises that don’t match reality, trust feels fragile. This conversation explores what candidates actually believe now—and how employer brand and talent teams can rebuild credibility in an increasingly sceptical market.
15.45 - 16.30 EB Therapy
This session is all about you. When you signed up, we will have asked you for your biggest challenges - the real stuff you're facing right now. In this session, we will bring those anonymised problem statements into the spotlight. Our panel will draw them randomly from a box and dive into each one, offering their thoughts, advice, and ideas. And this isn’t just a panel-to-audience moment - we want you to jump in too. Share your perspective, your experience, or just a word of support. Together, we’ll tackle the tough stuff and crowdsource some real solutions because that’s what community is all about.
16.30 - 17.00 Close and networking
We’ll bring the day together with a final close, reflecting on the conversations, ideas and moments that shaped it before moving into drinks, connection and conversation with the community.
Get involved
Want to be part of the Unconference? Whether that’s joining a panel, volunteering on the day, exploring a partnership, or putting yourself forward to get involved, we’d love to hear from you.
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Alongside invited panellists, we also open up opportunities for members of The EB Space community to nominate themselves for speaking sessions. We’re especially passionate about creating space for employer brand and in-house talent practitioners, and wherever possible priority will be given to practitioner voices across both speaking and volunteering opportunities.
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We believe the people shaping the conversation should be recognised for the time, energy and expertise they bring which is why all Unconference panellists are offered small contribution as a thank you for being part of it.
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If you’ve got something to share, want to lend a hand, or would like to be part of what we’re building, pop your details into the form below and we’ll be in touch.​
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Our partners making it happen
