Case study
Creating an ‘event in a box’ for first time buyers with Santander
September 4, 2026
Head of Money Coach Academy & Marketing Lead
In the past year and a half, we’ve become increasingly interested in the role humans play in financial engagement. Buying a first home is one of those moments where human interaction plays a natural part, and it’s also a moment many of us plunge into without really knowing what comes next.
Together with Santander Homes team, we saw an opportunity to create a space where first-time buyers could get practical support, build their understanding and speak to real people about the journey ahead.
We already had a strong foundation to build from. My First Home, the digital first-time buyer experience we developed with Santander, supports customers through the homebuying journey within Santander’s mobile banking app (and now also from the Santander public website). The opportunity was to take that experience beyond the screen and explore how digital and human support could work together.
What started as an idea for a one-off public event in summer 2025 has since evolved into something much more scalable: a simple ‘event in a box’ that Santander colleagues can deliver across its branch and Work Café network.
Starting with an event
The original concept was relatively traditional: bring first-time buyers together for a larger event, combining a presentation with input from a range of experts, including solicitors and underwriters.
But the value of testing a format was quickly proven as some challenges surfaced. Attracting attendees through public channels proved difficult, while our marketing options were limited. External speakers also introduced dependencies, with cancellations and availability affecting plans.
Interestingly, those challenges helped uncover a better approach. With the help of Santander colleagues Nathan Hill, National Work Café Manager, Jackie Daley, Cheapside Work Café Manager, and Karen Heudebourck-Emmerson, Credit Journey Product Proposition Manager, we shaped a format that would pose less challenges, whilst keeping the quality.
Rather than pushing harder on the original idea, we adapted.
Making it smaller, simpler and more human
Together, Santander and Life Moments began reshaping the concept around smaller, more intimate sessions for around five to eight first-time buyers.
Instead of relying on external experts, the sessions could be delivered by most Santander branch colleagues. Rather than trying to drive large numbers through external marketing, branches could invite customers directly and create something relevant to their local audience.
The event was built around the My First Home journey, bringing the digital experience into a human setting. The session takes first-time buyers through key stages of homebuying, from searching for a property and understanding a Decision in Principle through to mortgages and protection, while linking customers back to My First Home to continue exploring and taking action after the event.
Life Moments worked with Santander mortgage experts to develop a structured journey through the homebuying process, from searching for a property and understanding a Decision in Principle through to mortgages and protection.
To make sure a broad range of branch colleagues could deliver the session confidently, we included expert videos alongside more informal, relatable content featuring real experiences. We also created a flexible library of additional videos, giving presenters the option to bring in content relevant to the questions and circumstances of their audience. When shared ownership repeatedly came up, for example, content could be added to address it.
Each iteration made the experience more engaging for first-time buyers and easier for colleagues to deliver.
From bespoke event to ‘event in a box’
By October 2025, the idea had become something very different from where it started.
We had created the materials Santander colleagues needed to run sessions themselves, including the presentation, speaker notes, videos, supporting activities and delivery guidance. Workshops and dry runs helped colleagues become comfortable with the format before taking it into their own branches.
The result was a lightweight, repeatable first-time buyer event in a box: something a Santander team could pick up and deliver locally without having to rely on external speakers or a major central marketing campaign every time.
That simplicity created the potential to take the concept from one location to dozens of branches, while still retaining the human interaction that made the sessions valuable in the first place. And that’s exactly what is happening now.
Learning by doing
Perhaps the most useful part of the project was that the final answer wasn’t what we started with.
The early events showed us what customers responded to, what colleagues needed to lead the event with confidence, and where seemingly small operational details could get in the way. The Santander team involved was open to test, learn and change course rather than trying to perfect everything before putting it in front of people- a true start-up mentality.
The result is an experience that continues to evolve as it is used.
For us, it’s also a good example of what test and learn should look like in practice: start with an idea, put it in the hands of real people, listen carefully, and be prepared for the best version to look quite different from the one you first imagined.
