HE Connect 26
Digital leadership in higher education

 

Join us in Edinburgh

HE Connect 26 is an international conference for digital leaders working in higher education. Join colleagues from universities across Europe and North America in Edinburgh on 6–7 October 2026 for two days of candid conversations about AI, content, technology and the future of university digital experiences.

Working groups and interactivity is an important part of our learning experience. Kris Purdy from Glasgow put the participants to work last year

Limited to a small group, the conference brings together university practitioners alongside a carefully selected mix of agencies, technology vendors and industry experts. The format is active and participatory, with working groups, shared cases and plenty of space for honest discussion.

Featured on the list of top conferences for higher ed marketers in 2026: " strong choice if you’re leading digital transformation, running a complex web program, or coordinating across departments…or if you just truly enjoy connecting with higher ed professionals in a friendly, engaging format."

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Speakers

Emma Horrell (UK)
User Experience Manager at The University of Edinburgh

Samantha Fanning (UK)
Director of Digital Experience at UCL

Johannes Nygaard (DK)
Chief digital advisor at University of Copenhagen

view all speakers

Who should attend?

HE Connect is designed for higher education professionals who want deep discussion, not surface-level presentations!

It’s a strong choice if you’re leading digital transformation, running a complex web program, or coordinating across departments…or if you just truly enjoy connecting with higher ed professionals in a friendly, engaging format.

Who’s joining us?

You will meet heads of digital experience, web strategy, digital marketing and content from universities including Comillas University, University of Birmingham, University of Copenhagen, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow and University of St Andrews.

Among the fine vendors and agencies joining us are Axelerant, Bloomreach, Gain, Griddo, Little Forest, +Pluswerk, Squiz, Terminalfour and TYPO3.

Thanks to all who have made the commitment to learning and networking.

We’ll keep this list updated as we get nearer the conference.

Key themes

This year, that conversation moves to Edinburgh for the first time. Many of the questions already being discussed across our peer groups will continue during the conference, such as:

  • How is AI reshaping the way students discover, evaluate and engage with universities?

  • How can universities create trustworthy, accessible content for people, search engines and AI agents?

  • How can content, video and personalisation strengthen the university relationship, from first enquiry to student life and alumni engagement?

  • How can institutions simplify sprawling digital estates and get more from the technology they already have?

  • How can digital, IT, communications and marketing teams redesign the way they work and use automation responsibly as expectations rise and resources shrink?

Here are a few blog posts and useful summaries from the 2025 conference:

Conference partners

Interested in becoming a conference partner? Get in contact.

Venue

The conference is held in Edinburgh this year at The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) - Scotland’s National Academy. Address: 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh.

Home to a 1,800-strong Fellowship spanning science, engineering, the arts, business, and public service, the RSE has spent centuries at the heart of advancing knowledge and independent thinking across the country.

Its historic George Street building offers a fitting backdrop for a gathering focused on where digital experience is headed next - a space built for exactly the kind of cross-disciplinary conversation our peer groups thrive on.

secure your seat

FAQ

  • HE Connect 26 is a two-day, in-person conference for people who work on digital strategy, websites, and technology at universities.

    It brings together a small group of university staff, along with a handful of agencies and tech vendors, to talk openly about what's changing in higher ed - things like AI, university websites, and how students find and interact with universities online. It's less about formal presentations and more about working sessions, shared examples, and real conversation between people doing similar jobs.

  • HE Connect 26 is for people working in digital, IT, communications, and marketing roles at universities - the ones responsible for websites, content, and how the university shows up online. It's aimed at practitioners rather than vendors, though a small number of agencies and technology providers also join to add outside perspective.

  • Not quite. EdTech conferences tend to focus on teaching and learning technology - tools for the classroom, online learning platforms and similar tools.

    HE Connect is different: it's built for the people running a university's digital presence and strategy - websites, content, comms, marketing, and IT - not the academic or teaching side. Think digital leadership for universities, not education technology.

  • HE Connect is intentionally kept small - usually around 40-60 participants, mostly digital leaders from universities, plus a small number of carefully chosen agencies and technology vendors. Discussion tables are capped at 10 people each, so it never feels like a big anonymous crowd - you'll actually get to know the people in the room.

  • There's no stage full of vendors pitching products, and no one talks at you for 45 minutes straight. Sessions are built around real problems people are actually working through - you'll spend time in small groups, compare notes with people doing similar jobs at other universities, and leave with practical ideas rather than a slide deck. It's built more like a working session between peers than a traditional conference programme.

  • Yes, but only a handful. Each edition includes a small, carefully selected group of agencies and vendors alongside the university participants - enough to bring useful outside perspective, without turning the conference into a sales floor.

If you still have some questions left, please contact us here.