What is EVOLVE Brighton, and why do you need to know?
Brighton’s technology community has grown rapidly over the past decade, attracting startups, scale-ups, investors, established businesses and some of the UK’s most innovative digital talent. At the heart of that growth is EVOLVE, a flagship technology conference bringing together the people, businesses and ideas shaping the future of the industry.
As one of the South Coast’s most influential technology events, EVOLVE has become a platform for innovation, investment and collaboration. It brings founders, business leaders, marketers, developers and investors into the same room to explore emerging trends, share expertise and help drive the industry forward.
What’s going on at EVOLVE 26?
Returning to the Brighton Centre on Friday 26 June 2026, EVOLVE is expected to welcome more than 4,500 attendees for a day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking.
The agenda for the EVOLVE 26 conference itself features more than 60 sessions across the Builders, Innovators and Pioneers stages, covering technology, product development, investment, business growth and emerging trends.
There’s a lot on, but we’ll be giving you a full breakdown of the important bits your businesses actually need to know. Keep your eye on our free digital marketing resources page, where we’ll be sharing our original insights after EVOLVE 26.
Why Bamboo Nine is at EVOLVE Brighton.
As a Brighton-based digital marketing agency, we at Bamboo Nine are pleased to be supporting EVOLVE 2026 as a Silver Sponsor.
Alongside exhibiting throughout the day, our Head of Organic, Dave Colgate, will be taking to the Innovators Stage to discuss one of the biggest shifts currently affecting digital marketing and online visibility: AI search.
Dave Colgate takes the stage.
One of the highlights of this year’s EVOLVE 2026 programme for us will be our very own Dave Colgate’s session:
The New Rules of Visibility: Winning in the Age of AI Search
- Date: Friday 26 June 2026
- Venue: Brighton Centre
- Stage: Innovators
- Time: 10:40am to 11:20am
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into search experiences, businesses need to rethink how customers discover information and evaluate suppliers. This session from Dave will get to the point about what’s actually happening in AI search and what it means in practice, with grounded, actionable insights for founders and marketing leaders who need to stay ahead.
About Dave Colgate.
Dave is our fearless leader of the Organic Media department here at Bamboo Nine, an independent digital marketing agency in Brighton. He oversees our SEO, Content, Organic Social, and Digital PR teams. With nearly 20 years of experience in search marketing, Dave is a specialist in the complex organic search landscape and all its copious, clashing cogs.
Dave has spent two decades inside agency search, leading teams and shaping SEO strategy for brands at different stages of growth, including senior roles at Vertical Leap and GAIN. His perspective is grounded in delivery, data and the kind of long-term thinking that helps businesses adapt before the market forces them to.
What will you get from Dave’s talk at EVOLVE?
The session will explore how visibility is evolving as AI changes the way people search, alongside the practical implications for businesses looking to maintain authority, trust and discoverability in an increasingly competitive and confusing digital environment.
For founders, business owners and marketing leaders, the conversation extends beyond SEO alone. Visibility influences brand awareness, lead generation, customer acquisition and long-term growth.
Understanding how these systems are developing will become increasingly important as AI-generated answers become a larger part of the customer journey.
Visit us at EVOLVE 26, stand 51 to see what we can do.
Throughout the day at EVOLVE Brighton, you’ll also find the Bamboo Nine team exhibiting at stand 51 inside the Brighton Centre.
Whether you’re attending Dave’s session, exploring the exhibition floor, or taking part in the wider conference programme, we’d love to meet you.
Our team will be available to discuss the challenges businesses are facing as search and customer behaviour continue to evolve across:
We’ll also be showcasing some of the technology that supports our client work.
See the exciting technology Bamboo Nine clients get first.
Bamboo Nine clients have access to some of the innovative tools we’ve built in-house to make performance easier to understand and act on:
- The Hub brings reporting together in one place, so clients can see what is happening across channels without digging through separate platforms.
- Firewatch helps monitor visibility changes, performance movement and areas that need attention before small issues become expensive problems.
- Conversion Forensics audits and cleans conversion data, helping us identify tracking issues, duplicate leads and reporting inaccuracies before they affect decision-making.
Plus, our work staying ahead of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) helps brands understand how they appear in AI-led search environments, where customers may discover, compare and shortlist businesses without ever clicking through a traditional results page.
Together, these tools give our clients clearer reporting, earlier warning signs and a stronger view of how search is changing. At EVOLVE conference in Brighton, we’ll be showing how that technology supports better decisions when digital performance is moving quickly.
It is the kind of practical visibility businesses usually wish they had sooner.
Need somewhere to work in Brighton during EVOLVE week?
Alongside our involvement at the conference itself, we’re opening our Brighton office to visitors attending EVOLVE 26 for the whole week!
From Monday 22 June to Thursday 25 June, from 10 am – 4 pm, we’ll be offering free desk space, WiFi, and refreshments at our office, providing a convenient place to work between meetings, events, and conference activities.
Whether you’re travelling to Brighton for the week, attending the conference for one day, or simply need somewhere quieter to work, you’re welcome to join us.
To reserve a desk, simply visit our desk booking at Bamboo Nine page and select your preferred day.
Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first-come basis. If you have any questions before booking, call our office on 01273 022798 and ask for Amy Rea.
Why the EVOLVE tech conference matters.
Events like the EVOLVE conference 2026 play an important role in strengthening Brighton’s position as one of the UK’s most active technology hubs.
For Bamboo Nine, supporting EVOLVE aligns closely with our commitment to the local business community.
Although we work with brands across the UK, Brighton remains the home of our digital marketing agency. And we’ve got a lot to contribute to the conversations shaping the future of digital growth in Brighton and beyond.
It’s also an opportunity for us to learn, which we’re always doing. Digital never sits still (as our monthly Industry Insights series attests), so we don’t ever want to, either.
The pace of change across search, AI, data, marketing technology and customer behaviour continues to accelerate. Bringing together thousands of professionals from different disciplines creates valuable opportunities to exchange ideas and perspectives that extend well beyond the conference itself.
See you at EVOLVE Brighton 2026.
With more than 4,500 attendees expected and over 60 sessions across three stages, EVOLVE 2026 is shaping up to be one of Brighton’s largest technology gatherings to date.
If you’re planning to attend, make sure you stop by stand 51 to talk about our tech, join Dave Colgate on the Innovators Stage at 10:40 am, and take advantage of our open office space during the week.
We’re looking forward to supporting EVOLVE 26, meeting new people and contributing to the conversations shaping the future of technology, marketing and business growth in Brighton.
