RebelCon
Building Cork's leading tech conference brand
We transformed RebelCon’s legacy brand from concept to Cork’s #1 tech conference—delivering complete brand development, a new website, digital presence, event marketing, and ongoing partnership that’s now entering its third successful year.
Project overview
- Client: RebelCon
- Industry: Tech Events & Conferences
- Timeline: 2024 - Ongoing (preparing for 2026)
- Services: Brand Development, Web Design, Event Marketing, Social Media, PR, Onsite Branding, Community Building
The challenge
RebelCon had a vision: to create Cork’s premier practitioner-led software conference that brings hands-on developers together with industry thought leaders. But vision alone doesn’t fill seats or build community.
Key painpoints:
- Outdated website and brand
- Establishing brand recognition in a competitive conference landscape
- Driving ticket sales through strategic marketing
- Building lasting community engagement beyond individual events
- Creating cohesive onsite experiences that reflected the brand
RebelCon needed more than just event logistics—they needed a brand that resonated with the tech community, a digital presence that drove ticket sales, and comprehensive marketing systems that worked before, during, and after each conference round.
Our approach
We became RebelCon’s integrated marketing partner, handling everything from brand strategy and pre-event promotions, to day-of-event execution. This wasn’t about delivering a website and walking away—it was about building a conference brand that grows stronger each year.
What we delivered:
- Technical migration & infrastructure
- New website design and development
- Visual modernisation
- SEO tooling and optimisation
- Team empowerments assets
- Marketing systems for ADs and organic campaigns
Let's do a deep dive.
> Complete Brand Development <
Strategic brand foundation
We developed RebelCon’s brand identity from the ground up, positioning it as the conference for “rebellious thinkers who change the world.” The brand needed to feel bold and forward-thinking whilst remaining accessible to the Cork tech community.
What we created
- Site speed optimisation for improved user experience and SEO
- Security hardening and SSL implementation
- Backup and maintenance systems
- Plugin optimisation and integration setup
- GA4 and Google ADs integration for optimised tracking and targeting
The outcome
A distinctive brand that stands out in the conference landscape and creates immediate recognition within the Irish tech community.
> Website Design & Development <
Digital home for the conference
The website serves as the primary touchpoint for potential attendees, sponsors, and speakers. It needed to convert visitors into ticket buyers whilst communicating the conference’s unique value.
What we built
- Full website design and development on WordPress
- Integration with ticketing systems for seamless sales
- Partner and sponsor showcase sections
- Blog for ongoing content publication
- Newsletter signup integration
- SEO optimisation for discoverability
The outcome
A high-converting website that serves as the central hub for all conference information and ticket sales.
> Event Marketing & Promotion <
Driving attendance through strategic campaigns
Getting people to commit to attending a conference requires sustained, multi-channel marketing. We developed and executed comprehensive promotional campaigns for both the 2024 and 2025 conference rounds.
Social media strategy
- Content calendar development (pre-event, during, post-event)
- Platform strategy across LinkedIn, and Instagram
- Speaker announcements and spotlight content
- Live event coverage and real-time engagement
- Post-event highlights and community celebration
- Year-round community engagement content
Email marketing
- Segmented newsletter campaigns
- Early bird ticket promotions
- Speaker and agenda announcements
- Partner spotlights and giveaway campaigns
- Post-event follow-ups and feedback requests
- Community nurture sequences between events
PR and media
- Press release development and distribution
- Media outreach to tech publications
- Partner announcement coordination
- Post-event coverage and results
Ticket sales strategy
- Pricing tier strategy and rollout
- Early bird campaigns with urgency messaging
- Retargeting campaigns for website visitors
- Partner ticket distribution coordination
The outcome
Sold-out the events for both 2024 and 2025 rounds, with growing brand recognition in the Irish tech community.
> Onsite Branding & Experience <
Bringing the brand to life at Marina Market
The conference experience needed to reflect the bold, rebellious brand identity we created. Every touchpoint—from signage to swag—reinforced the RebelCon brand.
What we designed
- Complete onsite branding package
- Directional and informational signage
- Stage backdrops and speaker presentations
- Registration desk branding
- Sponsor area design and execution
- Branded conference materials
- Attendee badge design
- Photo opportunity setups
- T-shirt designs for attendees and speakers
- Branded swag items
- Speaker gift packages
- Sponsor materials
The outcome
A cohesive, Instagram-worthy conference experience that attendees remember and share, extending brand reach beyond the event itself.
> Content Creation & Community Building <
Sustaining momentum between events
A conference brand can’t go dark for 11 months and expect to maintain community engagement. We developed ongoing content strategies that keep the RebelCon community engaged year-round.
Pre-event content
- Speaker interview features
- Topic deep-dives related to conference themes
- Behind-the-scenes preparation content
- Sponsor and partner spotlight posts
- Countdown and hype-building content
Event coverage
- Live social media coverage during conference
- Real-time highlights and key takeaways
- Attendee and speaker interviews
- Photography coordination through partner management
- Onsite social media campaigns among attendees for giveaways
Post-event content
- Event recap articles and social posts
- Speaker talk highlights and key insights
- Attendee testimonials and community reactions
- Photo galleries and video montages
- Thank you campaigns to attendees, speakers, and sponsors
Year-round community building
- Educational content related to software development
- Industry trends and thought leadership
- Community member spotlights
- Announcements for upcoming rounds
- Maintaining conversation in the tech community
The outcome
An engaged community that stays connected to RebelCon between annual events, making each subsequent conference easier to promote and fill.
The Partnership model
Ongoing collaboration for managed services
The impact?
The transformation eliminated the bottleneck of technical dependency. What once required developer support and weeks of waiting now takes minutes. The team went from feeling stuck to feeling empowered – confident in their ability to maintain momentum and grow their digital presence.
The results
Discover the outcomes of the collaboration
RebelCon now operates with a modern, professional digital presence that matches the quality of their work. More importantly, their team has the tools and systems to create new conference rounds every year with confidence and build upon their existing brand.
Brand recognition
RebelCon is now recognised as Cork's leading tech conference, with strong brand awareness in the Irish software development community. The "rebellious thinkers" differentiates the conference from corporate tech events.
Attendance growth
Both the 2024 and 2025 conferences achieved strong attendance, with growing demand requiring careful capacity management.
Community building
RebelCon has cultivated an engaged community that remains active between annual conferences, making each subsequent event easier to market and more valuable to attendees.
Sustainable model
The conference has established itself as a sustainable annual event with systems and processes that scale efficiently year-over-year.
The impact?
The transformation eliminated the bottleneck of technical dependency. What once required developer support and weeks of waiting now takes minutes. The team went from feeling stuck to feeling empowered – confident in their ability to maintain momentum and grow their digital presence.
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