Agentic, Autonomous & Everywhere
26 March 2026 | Manchester | Sister (Bruntwood SciTech)
Building on last year’s momentum, the 2026 edition will bring together retailers, brands, digital leaders, agencies and tech innovators to explore the ideas, tools and shifts shaping the future of commerce.
MD Ecom 26 is the largest senior ecommerce conference in the North West, bringing together leaders and decision-makers from retail, DTC, platforms and digital teams to explore how commerce is being reshaped in real time.
This is not a hype-led AI event.
It’s a conversation about what’s actually changing, and what to do about it.
Agenda - with more names to be announced!
Morning
• Welcome – Why this matters in the North West, why now, and why operators need practical clarity (Katie Gallagher, Manchester Digital)
• Opening talk – Industry outlook covering AI-led journeys, platform gravity, discovery fragmentation and margin pressure (Gary Young, Regatta)
• Fireside – Trust at Scale: Accessibility, AI and Platform Risk in Modern Commerce (CMA / Nexer / IBM)
• Panel – Operationalising AI in Ecommerce Teams (Protein Works, White Stores, bet365, THG, Amazon)
Lunch
• Complex Ecommerce Case Study
• Panel – Discovery Without Search: Social, Retail Media & AI Agents in the Post-Website Customer Journey: Cedarwood Digital, Charlotte Tilbury, Fabric Analytics, Novaro
Break
• Live recording of the Prompted podcast on agentic commerce / AI-led buying with Mark Leach - Centre Channel, ex misguided Director of Ecommerce
• Closing and networking to end at 5:30pm
Click here to meet the speakers.
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Details
📅 Date: Thursday 26th March 2026
🕒 Time: 10:00am-5pm (registration & refreshments from 09:30am)
📍 Location: Sister, Manchester
🎟️ Tickets:
- MD Members - Free (4 x tickets per company) - request your discount code or check emails/newsletters from us
- Super Early Bird - £30 (until 31st December 2025)
- Early Bird - £40 (until 31st January 2026)
- General Admission - £50
🍽️ Lunch & Refreshments provided as part of your ticket.
Tickets are limited to maintain audience quality and seniority.
If you’re responsible for growth, performance, platforms or profitability in ecommerce, MD Ecom 26 is your room.
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Key themes for 2026
- Agentic & Autonomous Commerce
What happens when AI systems don’t just assist — but act? - AI-led buying & invisible checkout
How decision-making, conversion and purchase are shifting out of traditional funnels. - Productivity, operations & efficiency
Using technology to scale teams, platforms and processes without increasing complexity. - Trust, risk & resilience
Fraud, compliance, accessibility and control as automation accelerates. - Social & off-site commerce
What breaks when journeys move away from owned channels — and how to adapt.
Why attend?
Ecommerce leaders are facing a fundamental shift:
- Customer journeys are fragmenting across AI, social, search and marketplaces
- Decision-making is becoming increasingly automated and agent-led
- Margins are under pressure, while expectations around speed, trust and experience continue to rise
- Teams are being asked to do more with less, without losing control
MD Ecom 26 is designed to help senior leaders make sense of this complexity - with practical insight, honest discussion and peer-led perspectives.
What makes MD Ecom different?
- Senior-only audience — no sales floor, no recruitment pitches
- Curated speakers from leading retailers, platforms and tech organisations
- Panels and discussions shaped around real challenges, not product demos
- Meaningful networking with people who actually make decisions
- Hosted by Manchester Digital, the industry body for digital and ecommerce in the North West
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Want to speak/sponsor?
Interested in speaking at the conference or exploring sponsorship opportunities? Register your interest here or download our sponsor pack.
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Venue
Sister, ManchesterA flagship Bruntwood SciTech space in the heart of the city - designed for collaboration, conversation and modern tech events.
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Bring a tin
We're encouraging all event attendees to bring a tin of food to donate to Mustard Tree, a Manchester charity supporting people facing poverty and homelessness. It’s a small act that could make a big difference. Donations can also be made on the day.
Let’s make doing good part of what we do—together, and let’s make kindness part of the culture.
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At Manchester Digital, we believe in creating an inclusive and diverse community where everyone feels welcome and valued. We are committed to ensuring that all our event attendees have a safe, enjoyable experience that meets their needs.
We invite all attendees to contact us if they have any dietary requirements, accessibility needs, or neurodiversity requirements, or if they require accommodations to respect their cultural or religious needs during their visit. We believe that by working together, we can create an environment that is welcoming to all and allows everyone to fully participate in our events.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to hear from you and to work with you to ensure that our events are accessible and inclusive for everyone.
Please flag any special dietary or accessibility requirements to ghislaine@manchesterdigital.com as soon as possible.
You can download our Code of Conduct here.
