International music conference FFWD (FastForward) returns to London in February 2026 for FFWD>>LDN 26

28 November 2025 - Press release

International music conference FFWD (FastForward) returns to London in February 2026 for FFWD>>LDN 26 - celebrating its community in a special 10th anniversary edition, at a brand new location.

Taking over Hackney Church for the first time on Tuesday 10 February 2026, the acclaimed music conference will host its largest meetup to date, bringing together more than 300 leaders from across recorded and live music for its unique knowledge sharing and networking experience.

The anniversary lineup will include alumni of the event joining as co-hosts to lead panels and keynote conversations alongside founder Chris Carey. Confirmed co-hosts for 2026 include Music Venue Trust’s Mark Davyd, Deviate Digital CEO Sammy Andrews, artist manager and programmer Thando Zulu, former Koko & Dice director Amy Oldham, marketing strategist and WYTS founder James Fleury, artist, writer and producer Charlie Deakin-Davies (Charlieeeee) and artist manager Rowan Brand.

The first round of speakers and content will be announced shortly.

Chris Carey said of the anniversary event:
“It feels like 10 years has flown by! Looking back, I’m very proud of the people and ideas we have platformed and the long lasting connections we have facilitated. While locations, durations and the team have evolved over time I'm pleased three fundamental pillars remain at its heart: an unrelenting focus on content, community, and creators.

We've seen artists find managers, labels find staff, startups find co-founders, companies find investors, friendships formed and artists playing the Rugby World Cup on the back of connections made at FastForward." 

FastForward’s inaugural edition took place in Amsterdam in 2015 and has since travelled the world, with 17 events across Sydney, London, Amsterdam & Leeds, attracting delegates from over 25 countries, including Australia, Uganda, the Netherlands, South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, Japan, Ghana, Poland, Lithuania and many more. 

The conference has developed an international reputation for its approach to programming. Carey spotlights some of the event’s achievements over the last decade:

“We put a real focus on actionable insights and strategies that our delegates can take away and implement in their work. It's easy to decry complex problems at length. What is the crux of the issue? What can we do about them? And what can we do immediately?

When programming, there is a duty to pull in voices from a wide range of lived experiences and cultures. I’m incredibly proud of our achievements when it comes to championing all voices - from over 400 speakers across 10 years 55% have been non-male thought-leaders, and 1 in 6 speakers from a global majority background. We've also had the difficult conversations around misogyny in music, making industry more accessible for parents, event and studio accessibility, and much more.

We offer a platform for industry to learn from artists, and for artists to voice their challenges, concerns, hopes and demands for better conditions. We’ve been lucky to hear from Nile Rodgers (CHIC), MNEK, Gus Unger-Hamilton of Alt-J, Gabriella Cilmi , Everything Everything bassist Jeremy Pritchard, and Newton Faulkner to name a few. Our special anniversary edition will once again put an exciting roster of artists front and centre, all in the stunning surroundings of an iconic London music venue. It’s going to be incredibly special.”

Thando Zulu, Founder of Zulu Music and Experiences Director at Hackney Church added, "FastForward is always a highlight for me. The knowledge in the room is first class, but more than that the network of good people that Chris has brought together leaves me feeling inspired every year! To be hosting fast forward at Hackney Church is special for me and no doubt will be a great time for everyone who comes this Feb!" 

The upcoming event will focus on the big conversations that will transform the next 3 years of the music industry, fixing discovery, funding (and safeguarding) artist development, the value of a local live scene, and more. The full programme will be released in December. 

Tickets are available for FFWD:LDN 26 via Ticketmaster’s Universe platform here, with a super early bird offer (£99.99) available for 1 week. Early bird prices start at £110 from Fri 5 Dec, rising to the standard rate of £125 on 1 January 2026 and £145 for the final tier on 1 Feb.