About Us | The Marketing Meetup

Hi there. My name is Joe. I'm the cofounder of The Marketing Meetup. Ten years ago, I was a solo marketer working in a small company. I knew that I wanted to meet other marketers and learn about marketing, but you might already be able to tell by now I have quite a quiet voice, and networking for someone like me is a little bit scary. And so I started running a networking event, a counterintuitive move perhaps, but one where I asked folks to come together to listen, to say hello, and to be positively lovely in a space where folks could learn and most meaningfully, they could connect. Every week, we get together in in person events, online webinars with speakers like Mark Ritson, Rory Sutherland, April Dunford, incredible folks such as that, two podcasts, a newsletter, and an online community space where you can meet, chat, and have a good time with your marketing peers connecting and learning together. Today, the Marketing Meetup community is over fifty thousand marketers around the world, united around two hundred and eleven events and several different opportunities to learn about marketing as well. The thing that I'm personally most proud of is that right at the core of everything we do are two words, positively lovely. This is, I appreciate, so so twee, But the idea behind this is that folks come together to support each other, to create a welcoming space, and to look the other person at them directly and sort of say, you are welcome, and I know that I am welcome too. I'm really grateful for you being part of the journey, and I really hope that the Marketing Meetup community supports you in the same way it supported me and thousands of others throughout the years. Needless to say, you are super welcome. And if there's anything else that we, myself, or my team can do to help you, then, of course, we'd be delighted. This thing only works because the community is great, and now you are part of it. And thank you for doing that. I hope you have a great day, and I will see you soon. Take care.

You know that feeling when…

You walk into a networking event and everyone’s trying to sell at you.
Your job title feels more important than who you are.
You leave thinking: there must be a better way.

That’s exactly why The Marketing Meetup began.

In 2016, Joe Glover was a young marketer in Cambridge, looking for a place to meet his peers and learn about the craft he’d committed to. Layered into this was the fact that Joe was a nervous networker.

Walking into rooms full of strangers was intimidating, and everyone just seemed to want to sell stuff. If you weren’t deemed worthy of selling at, people moved on without getting to know the person they were speaking to.

Feeling like there was something missing here, Joe started the ‘The Marketing Meetup’ – putting on the first event in a canteen in Cambridge.

While it started as a hobby, quickly, the group gained traction with other likeminded people.

Things continued to grow and take new, unexpected directions in the most lovely way. Today The Marketing Meetup community is over 51,000 people strong with a following of 200,000+ with 200 events this year, free (or with a donation ticket) to access because of our amazing sponsors.

Just like the scale of the events our speakers profile has grown too. Our audience regularly hear from Oscar nominees, disabled rights champions and marketing heroes such as Mark Ritson, Rory Sutherland, and many of the world’s best known marketers.

All this is wrapped up in events, our podcast, annual conference, newsletter and a community to connect and educate marketers from across the world.

From a canteen to today – it’s been a long and lovely journey. That being said, we’ve never lost sight on the most important thing: doing everything we do with kindness in the pursuit of making you a better, more confident and connected marketer.

Who Is The Marketing Meetup For?

TMM is for marketers who crave connection and growth in a safe space. What unites us is a shared belief that we can learn from each other. If you’re the kind of person who’s excited to meet peers, exchange ideas, and support others, you’ll fit right in here.

That being said – there’s no typical TMM community member. we have extroverts who love chatting with everyone and introverts who feel comfortable enough to speak up. Titles and egos get left at the door. As a community member noted, “you feel like you’re all working together in marketing, not in competition” when you join TMM.

What You Can Expect at TMM

Walking into a Marketing Meetup event – whether online or in-person – feels like entering a room full of peers. You might be greeted with a warm smile (or a cheerful message in the webinar chat) and an immediate sense that “everyone is welcome here, just as they are.” The vibe is deliberately relaxed and inclusive.

There’s often pizza and drinks at our in-person meetups, a few friendly volunteers saying hello, and no aggressive sales booths or VIP sections. If it’s your first time, don’t be surprised if someone simply asks, “So, what’s your story?” and actually listens. We encourage folks to listen as much as they talk – every voice matters, whether you’re a marketing newbie or a CEO. In fact, one of our only “rules” for attendees is to just be human: say hello, be kind, be yourself. You have “full permission to say hello to anyone in the room,” and you’ll find that simple greetings spark wonderful connections. Our community has a way of turning strangers into colleagues and friends, because people genuinely care to hear each other’s ideas and challenges.

Most importantly, you’ll experience a culture of kindness in action. Little things at TMM make a big difference – like our regulars making a point to invite newcomers into events, remembering names and following up to ask, “How did that campaign go?”

At the end of the day“we’re all here to look after each other and get better together”.

So, how much reach does TMM have?

And who's in the community?

We’ve welcomed marketing legends and fresh new voices alike, including those below.

Big names, yes - but also everyday marketers doing remarkable work.

Positively lovely

Growing from a tiny meetup to a global community of thousands hasn’t changed our core values – and we’ve been very intentional about that.

We often get asked: “With so many new people joining, how do you keep TMM’s culture so friendly?” The answer is that we guard our culture actively and proudly.

We actually put in writing what “positively lovely” means for us, in a short Code of Conduct. It boils down to four key behaviours we expect in our community: be grounded (keep it real and respectful), constructive (focus on positivity and helping), inclusive (welcome everyone equally), and generous (share and support freely). Because these principles are out in the open, there’s no guesswork – everyone knows the standard we hold ourselves to.

We also aren’t afraid to enforce those standards when needed. Psychological safety is paramount here, so if someone violates the spirit of TMM, we address it. In rare cases where an attendee or member has behaved in a way that undermines our safe and welcoming space, we’ve asked them to leave the community. That’s not something we do lightly, but it is sometimes necessary.

The good news is that it hardly ever comes to that, because our culture tends to naturally filter out folks who don’t vibe with the community.

Unkind or overly selfish approaches just don’t get a good response at TMM – for example, a self-promotional rant in our Facebook group will typically be met with silence or a gentle reminder of our values by other members. On the flip side, positive actions get positive reinforcement. Folks who help others, ask thoughtful questions, or show vulnerability often find themselves flooded with supportive replies and connections.

In this way, the community polices itself with kindness. This like-minded network acts as an extended set of guardians for TMM’s culture. Together, we keep each other accountable to being positively lovely. And as long as we do that, we’re confident TMM will remain that special corner of the marketing world where kindness exists.

An Open Invitation

If all of this sounds a bit different from your usual marketing event, we’d love for you to experience it firsthand.

Consider this a personal, gentle invitation to come along and see what The Marketing Meetup is like in person or online. Whether you’re a veteran marketer or just starting out, you have a seat waiting for you in our community.

There’s no membership fee or secret handshake – just show up as you are. Join one of our weekly webinars from the comfort of your home, or pop by an in-person meetup in a city near you (we’re in dozens of locations now, and always expanding). You can expect a friendly welcome and a relaxed atmosphere.

If you’re nervous, that’s okay. But we always do our best to keep in mind this could be the case and make the night good for you.

The Marketing Meetup isn’t our community so much as it is yours. It’s built by and for marketers who believe in kindness, learning, and lifting each other up. So if that resonates with you, come give TMM a try. Stay for a talk or stay for years – there’s no pressure, only encouragement.

When you’re ready – say hello. We’ll be here to welcome you with an open mind and a slice of pizza (or whatever you eat!).