Case Study: ATOMICON, A conference like no other

The client 

ATOMICON was created by Andrew and Pete, founders of the highly engaging network ATOMIC, a worldwide community of small and mighty businesses sharing advice, training, and programmes to support entrepreneurs on their growth journey. ATOMICON is a conference like no other, bringing ATOMIC members and the wider business community together to engage with world-class speakers, engaging content, and epic sales and marketing content, all geared towards businesses that want to outperform their size.

How it started 

We first started working with Andrew and Pete back in 2019 when they had already sold out the inaugural event in Newcastle and were looking for support with on-site planning and to make sure the day went off without a hitch for their 300+ attendees. By taking over the logistics and organisation of the event, we allowed Andrew and Pete to dream up the really fun elements that make ATMICON so special.

Since then we have worked with the team to bring their virtual conference to life during the pandemic in 2020, before coming back to Sage Gateshead in 2021 and 2023, and we’re already looking forward to the next conference in 2024!

The conference 

After an online edition in 2020, an online teaser in early 2021, the event came back with a bang in November 2021 featuring Dragon’s Den Star Deborah Meaden, Facebook guru Ann Handley, keynote extraordinaire Drew Davis, and TikTok star Kyne alongside a variety of other parallel sessions. The Sage Gateshead provided a perfect backdrop for the learning, alongside the entertainment on offer for attendees including Cyclone Machine, Selfie Spots, Gif Generator, sweeties, and a comfortable chill-out zone. The fun started on the afternoon prior with member meet-ups, a Speaker party at ABOVE, and a Pre-Party Jazzy Shirt Party at Livello. The event culminated in an after-party at the hotspot Revolución de Cuba. Online guests were treated to live streams of the content alongside exclusive competitions and virtual parties.

In 2023 we welcomed 1,000 delegates in person and virtually to ATOMICON. We returned to Sage Gateshead to welcome solo entrepreneurs from across the globe to be motivated by the stellar speaker lineup, including Joe Wicks, Chris Do, Rob & Kennedy, and the ever-inspiring hosts and founders Andrew & Pete.

During the conference, the Sage concourse was alive with activations from sponsors including a prosecco wall, a GIANT inflatable whack-a-mole, arcade games, and sweets galore. The main conference activity started on the afternoon prior with fringe events across the city, member meet-ups, a Speaker party, and a Pre-Party Jazzy Shirt Party at the By The River Brew, taking advantage of the glorious weather. Online guests were treated to live streams of the content and virtual parties within the platform Flox.

Flox was also utilized for ATOMICWorld – for the two weeks before ATOMICON, ATOMICWorld covered a range of marketing topics from world-leading experts in a daily speaker slot with live Q&A, alongside 40+ curated networking sessions.

How we work together 

We work with Andrew and Pete, as well as their wider team including designers, the social media team, and ‘FOMO Creator’, along with their membership managers to explore how we can learn each year and create a bigger and better experience for ATOMICON attendees. Alongside daily communications in slack with the best emoji use, we thoroughly enjoy a monthly meeting with everyone involved in the project to make sure that we are on track and to explore new ideas together.

On the run-up to the event, we manage venues, the virtual platform, speaker sourcing and briefing, supplier liaison, AV, exhibitors, and branding, while on the day we’re on hand to look after registration and onsite delivery to give everyone peace of mind that there will be no surprises.

What the client says… 

“We love working with BeaconHouse Events, delivering an annual 1,000+ hybrid conference like no other with an international delegation growing year on year. We need all hands on deck from initial bookings of major personalities such as Joe Wicks, to being onsite from the crack of dawn on the event days BeaconHouse is a fantastic extension to our team. All details, large to small are considered, with Sophie and Rebekah always ready to explore our wildest ideas and turn them into a reality each year.”

Andrew Pickering, Co-Founder, ATOMIC