# Redbrain: Unlocked, our first event at Birmingham HQ

> On 16 September 2026 we opened the doors of Redbrain HQ to partners and networks for Redbrain: Unlocked, a day of transparency and performance insight.

**Author:** Jasmine Ovall, Marketing Manager  
**Published:** 2026-09-16  
**Updated:** 2026-09-16  
**Canonical:** https://www.redbrain.com/resources/insights/redbrain-unlocked-first-event-birmingham-hq/

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On 16 September 2026 Redbrain, an award-winning Google Premium [CSS partner](/google-css/) in Europe, opened the doors of its Birmingham HQ and held its first **Redbrain: Unlocked** event. It was a day for our partners and networks to come into the office, meet the team and talk about where Shopping is heading.

## Redbrain: Unlocked at a glance

- **What:** Redbrain: Unlocked, the first event in our new series
- **When:** 16 September 2026
- **Where:** Redbrain HQ, 31 Temple Street, Birmingham
- **Who:** our partners, networks and the Redbrain team
- **Theme:** a day of transparency, performance insights and what's next in Shopping

## What was Redbrain: Unlocked?

The event ran under the line "Don't just perform. Outperform." and was built around five things we promised guests they would get:

- **Exclusive data and benchmarks**
- **Industry-leading guest speakers**
- **Candid category conversations**
- **CSS insights**
- **Performance strategies**

## Why we created Redbrain: Unlocked

Shopping and ecommerce don't stand still. Google keeps changing how Shopping works, AI is changing how people find and choose products, and the way retailers buy and measure media moves with it. Most of the time, partners hear about those shifts through reports and calls. We wanted a place to talk them through in person, in the open.

So we opened our doors. Redbrain: Unlocked was built around transparency: sharing the data and benchmarks we see, being candid about what is and isn't working in each category, and showing how a [CSS partner](/google-css/) approaches performance. It's the same plain-speaking approach we aim to bring to every partnership, and you can read more about how we work on our [About us](/about-us/) page.

## How the day helps our guests

A day like this is only worth attending if guests leave with something they can use. Here is what we built it to give them:

- **A clearer view of the market.** Benchmarks and category conversations help partners see where they stand against the wider landscape, not just against last month's own numbers.
- **Ideas they can act on.** CSS insights and performance strategies are there to be taken back and tested in live campaigns.
- **Early sight of what's next.** Hearing from guest speakers and from our team about where Shopping is heading helps partners plan for change rather than react to it.
- **The right people in the room.** Retailers, agencies and networks rarely get to compare notes in one place, and those conversations often spark the best ideas.
- **A closer working relationship.** Meeting the people behind the accounts makes later conversations quicker and more open.

In a landscape that keeps evolving, the partners who keep learning and sharing are the ones best placed to outperform.

## Setting the room

The event was held in our new Birmingham office, which we designed with hosting in mind (you can see the space in our [Birmingham office tour](/resources/insights/redbrain-new-birmingham-office-built-for-collaboration/)). Every seat had a Redbrain gift bag waiting for the guest who would sit in it.

## Good company, and plenty of food

Between sessions there was a spread of sandwiches, pastries, doughnuts and fruit, with hot drinks on tap, and the office filled with conversation.

## Meeting face to face

The point of opening the doors was the conversations. Partners, networks and our own team spent the day talking, catching up and meeting people they usually only see on a call.

## What's next

This was the first Redbrain: Unlocked, and we plan to hold more. Thank you to everyone who joined us in Birmingham. If you're a retailer, agency or network and would like to come to the next one, [get in touch](/contact/) and see how our [case studies](/case-studies/) show what we do for retailers.