NATIONAL marketing agency Cartwright has taken home a gold and silver award at the UK Social Media Awards 2026 for its standout campaign, which saw the sold-out launch of Slick City, Europe’s first high-octane, indoor action park.
Sliding into first place in the ‘Best Use of Social Media in Hospitality’ category and taking home silver for ‘Best Use of Paid Social’, Cartwright has been recognised for its outstanding creativity, ambition and overall execution to deliver for the US-founded brand’s debut venue in the UK.
The campaign drove immediate demand securing a fully booked opening night and launch week with attendance from 52 influencers, reflected in the UK Instagram account soaring to 26.1k followers within three months and outperforming the established US account.
It also delivered more than £168,500 in direct revenue which was a 2,048% return on the client’s investment. Crucially, this activity filled venues with a fully booked opening week and built a UK Instagram community of 26.1k followers in just three months.
Emily Hewins, social media account director at Cartwright, said:
“Slick City was already a successful brand in the US. The challenge was to export their concept to a UK market that had never seen anything like it before within a highly competitive market. We had to build anticipation and excitement, becoming the talk of the town among parents in need of something new to excite their kids while the children became desperate not to miss out.
“We are incredibly proud of the work we achieved in just three months; being the chosen agency to launch Slick City in the UK was a huge privilege and we wanted to make a statement. The team got stuck in and really represented everything Cartwright is about – being a powerful ally to our clients, generating the results they want to see and using our social media expertise to spot potential opportunities or challenges. These awards are a major recognition of not only the hard work of this campaign, but of our brilliant team.”
The judges commended the campaign’s confidence and strategic execution, noting that building strong brand awareness from scratch “is never easy”. It praised how the tailored paid and social channels drove exceptional early demand and outstanding commercial results.
Abby Parry, head of marketing and sales at AirHop, which operates Slick City in the UK, said:
“Working with Cartwright on the Slick City Nottingham launch was a genuinely standout experience. From day one, the team brought a level of local knowledge and insight that proved instrumental in shaping a highly successful campaign and this is reflected in these awards.
“They seamlessly managed our social media to build up incredible engagement and succeeded in building up huge buzz for our new venue – so much so that they surpassed all their targets resulting in a sold-out opening event. Their attention to detail and ability to execute across multiple areas meant we could trust every element was covered.
“For Slick City to enter the European market in this way, and really only getting the chance to get this right once, Cartwright ensured the social media portrayed everything our business is about and create a genuine community. The results spoke for themselves, with rapid follower growth, high engagement and, most importantly, strong conversion into bookings. They clearly understand how to move past strong social media content into real commercial impact – not just vanity metrics.”
Cartwright was represented alongside an outstanding calibre of entries, including A Friendly Bunch in the Hospitality category and GRA in the Paid Social category.
For more information about Cartwright, visit www.cartwrightagency.com or follow the agency on Instagram @Cartwright_Agency.
Image: Emily Hewins, social media account director at Cartwright (centre left) and Abby Parry, head of marketing and sales at AirHop (centre right) receive the Best Use of Social Media.
Posted on 28 October 2026
