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The Event

DTC Live Manchester 2026 Manchester · 7 May 2026

DTC Live Manchester 2026 brought DTC founders and marketers together for a single day of practical growth content at New Century Hall. Expandly founder Andy Hooper spoke on international and EU expansion, with COO Riki Hooker also presenting, part of Expandly's ongoing partnership with the DTC Live series.

No official attendance figure has been published for this event, either by DTC Live or third-party aggregators (unofficial predictive estimates put it in the low hundreds). Given Expandly's paid partnership with DTC Live, expect a smaller, closer-knit room of fast-growing UK DTC brands rather than a large-scale trade show.

View event site → What this means for EU expansion
Event Profile DTC Live Manchester 2026
Date7 May 2026
VenueNew Century Hall, Manchester, UK
FormatIn-person, single-day conference
AttendanceNot officially published (DTC founder and marketer audience; unofficial estimates in the low hundreds)
OrganizerDTC Live
CostPaid

The Room

Who was in the room at DTC Live Manchester 2026

DTC Live Manchester draws founders and senior marketers from direct-to-consumer brands looking for practical growth tactics and peer networking. The single-day format keeps it focused, and Expandly's continued speaking role puts international expansion firmly on the agenda.

The event's modest, community scale makes it better suited to relationship-building and brand visibility than high-volume lead generation, but the audience is squarely the fast-growing UK DTC brands who are core candidates for cross-border tax/compliance, marketplace and 3PL/logistics conversations.

DTC Founders Ecommerce Marketers Growth Leads Retention Marketers Expansion-Curious Brands
DTC Founders

Independent brand founders came for practical growth advice and, increasingly, for guidance on international expansion.

Ecommerce Marketing Teams

In-house marketers attended sessions on acquisition, retention, and channel diversification.

Brands Weighing EU Expansion

Attendees at Andy Hooper's session were specifically weighing whether and how to expand into the EU.

Agencies & Service Providers

Agencies and platform partners used the event to connect with growing DTC brands.

Programme

What DTC Live Manchester 2026 told us

Four takeaways stood out from the confirmed post-event coverage.

01

Expandly's session put EU expansion on the DTC agenda

Andy Hooper's talk covered what US and UK DTC brands need in place before selling into the EU, from VAT to compliance to fulfillment, framed for founders rather than compliance specialists.

02

A new EU customs charge is coming for low-value orders

The event flagged that from 1 July 2026, the EU is removing its low-value customs exemption, meaning orders under EUR 150 shipped from outside the EU will start attracting customs charges that didn't apply before.

03

Riki Hooker's session reinforced the operational reality of expansion

Expandly's COO presented alongside Hooper's talk, reinforcing that international growth is an operational project as much as a marketing one.

04

DTC brands are treating international growth as core strategy, not a stretch goal

The tone across sessions treated EU and international expansion as a mainstream growth lever for DTC brands, not a niche or advanced-stage move.

Live Intelligence

What's being said about DTC Live Manchester 2026

What the post-event coverage confirmed.

Expandly confirmed as a repeat speaker at DTC Live

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · MAY 2026

Andy Hooper's appearance continues Expandly's partnership with the DTC Live series. It signals that international and EU expansion has become a recurring, expected topic on the UK DTC events circuit, not a one-off session.

Riki Hooker also presented at the event

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · MAY 2026

Expandly's COO presenting alongside the founder underlines the operational depth behind the expansion message given to attendees.

EU customs exemption for low-value orders ends 1 July 2026

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · MAY 2026

The digest confirmed the removal of the EU's low-value customs exemption from July 2026, adding customs charges to orders under EUR 150 shipped in from outside the EU. Brands shipping direct from the US into the EU will feel this most, another reason to plan stock inside Europe.

Attendance figure remains genuinely unpublished

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · JUL 2026

A re-search of the official DTC Live event page, Eventbrite listing, and DTC Live socials found no published headcount; a third-party aggregator's predictive estimate (roughly 243-363 "supporters") is inconsistent and not treated as confirmed. The honest takeaway: value this event for the partnership and relationship access it gives Expandly, not for its scale.

Expandly perspective

The EU customs shift changes the shipping math

The July 2026 change to EU customs treatment for low-value orders is a structural shift, not a minor policy tweak. It raises the landed cost of shipping direct from the US and strengthens the case for holding stock inside the EU.

  • Orders under EUR 150 shipped from outside the EU will now attract customs charges that previously didn't apply.
  • Holding stock in an EU warehouse, such as our Netherlands warehouse, avoids this per-order friction entirely.
  • DTC brands relying on direct-from-US fulfillment into the EU should model the new landed cost before committing further ad spend there.
  • Expansion planning now needs a compliance and logistics view alongside the usual marketing plan.
  • The community format and modest confirmed scale make this a place to build a few real relationships rather than to work a large room.

The recurring focus on this operational reality at DTC Live reflects how central it has become to expansion planning.

Customs Change Date

The EU removes its low-value customs exemption from 1 July 2026, adding new customs charges to orders that previously shipped in duty-free.

Jul2026
Threshold Affected

Orders under EUR 150 shipped into the EU from outside the bloc will start attracting customs charges that didn't previously apply to them.

150EUR
Expandly Speakers

Expandly founder Andy Hooper and COO Riki Hooker both presented at the event, underlining how central EU expansion has become to Expandly's message.

2speakers

Good to Know

Questions about DTC Live Manchester 2026

Did Expandly speak at DTC Live Manchester 2026?

Yes. Expandly founder Andy Hooper spoke on international and EU expansion, and COO Riki Hooker also presented at the event.

What did the event say about the EU customs changes coming in July 2026?

The post-event digest flagged the removal of the EU's low-value customs exemption from 1 July 2026, meaning orders under EUR 150 shipped from outside the EU will face customs charges that didn't previously apply.

Is DTC Live Manchester useful if I only sell in the US right now?

Yes. The event is built around DTC growth fundamentals with a strong international expansion thread, making it relevant even if Europe is still on your roadmap rather than live today.

How does VAT work for a US brand selling in Europe?

You register for VAT in each country where you hold stock, and charge VAT on sales to consumers there. Schemes like the Import One-Stop Shop simplify some cross-border sales, but holding stock in a country creates a registration obligation regardless. Rates and thresholds vary by market, so confirm each before launch.

How do EU customs charges affect shipping from the US?

Customs rules on low-value goods shipped into the EU are tightening, raising the landed cost of shipping direct from the US. Holding stock inside the EU avoids per-order import friction.

How big is DTC Live Manchester, exactly?

No official attendee figure has been published by the organizer or independently verified by third parties. It's a modest, community-scale event best valued for the quality of access it gives to senior DTC operators, rather than for its size.

Make Your Move

The customs math just changed

DTC Live Manchester 2026 confirmed that international expansion is now a mainstream growth lever, and that the July 2026 EU customs change makes local stock more important than ever.

Our Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™) handles VAT, compliance, and fulfillment so you're not caught out by the new customs rules. Want to talk through what it means for your landed costs before you scale EU ad spend?

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