The marketing world isn't suffering from a lack of information. It's suffering from a lack of clarity. 

In this opening session, we'll take stock of the signals shaping the future of marketing—from AI and customer behavior to brand trust and measurement—and explore which shifts are truly changing the game versus which are simply generating headlines. 

Together, we'll establish a shared understanding of the opportunities, tensions, and questions that will frame the conversations throughout the day. 

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AI is changing the work of marketing and branding in real time. Content is easier to create. Ideas are faster to generate. Intelligence itself is becoming more abundant.

But brands that last are still deeply human.

In this fast-moving, interactive opening experience, Dr. Gretchen Jameson, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Versiti, will invite the room to explore what becomes more valuable when AI can make more of almost everything. Through a Pecha Kucha-styled provocation and a facilitated “keynote we write together” exercise, participants will name the human signals that great brands must protect, amplify, and lead with: trust, judgment, taste, courage, empathy, meaning, and authentic genius.

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The most influential leadership roles are rarely inherited. They're created.

As organizations evolve, marketing leaders have an opportunity to shape far more than campaigns. They can influence growth, innovation, community engagement, partnerships, customer experience, and organizational strategy—but only if they're willing to step beyond the boundaries of a traditional job description.

In this conversation, Charlotte Running explores how leaders can intentionally expand their influence, create value across functions, and write the next chapter of their careers before someone else writes it for them.

Because the best leadership role you'll ever have may be the one that doesn't exist yet.

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Some of the most memorable marketing comes not from larger budgets, but from sharper ideas. In a world where many organizations have more resources than ever, why do so few create work that surprises, delights, or generates buzz? 

Led by Steve Palec, this session explores how marketing leaders can bring the creativity, agility, and boldness often associated with startups into larger organizations without sacrificing strategy, professionalism, or brand integrity. 

Together, we'll examine how to create disproportionate impact with the resources already available to us. 

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Everyone wants to talk about the death of the funnel. But customers still move through a decision-making process. They still discover, evaluate, compare, and choose. 

What has changed is their willingness to believe. 

In an era of misinformation, algorithmic influence, endless choice, and declining institutional trust, skepticism has become the default setting for many consumers. The result is a growing trust gap between organizations and the people they hope to reach. 

Led by Wyatt Tinder, this interactive session explores how trust is reshaping the customer journey, why credibility is becoming a competitive advantage, and what marketing leaders can do to earn belief before they ask for action. 

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Every marketing team has faced the question. 

A trend emerges. A cultural conversation gains momentum. An opportunity appears to capture attention. 

Should we participate or stay out of it? 

Using Johnsonville's 2024 Keep It Juicy campaign as a case study, Jamie Schmelzer offers a behind-the-scenes look at how brands can engage with culture in ways that feel timely, authentic, and strategically aligned without compromising trust. 

Together, we'll explore the frameworks, guardrails, and decision-making processes that help marketing leaders determine when joining the conversation creates value—and when silence may be the smarter strategy. 

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For years, marketers have been told to move faster, optimize constantly, and chase the next opportunity.

But what if one of the greatest drivers of growth isn't doing something new?

It's doing the right things consistently.

In this practical session, Mark Meisner shares how Kwik Trip has built measurable business growth through disciplined, category-driven campaigns that reinforce the brand across paid, owned, earned, and in-store experiences. Rather than treating brand and performance as competing priorities, Mark will explore how a consistent omnichannel strategy has strengthened customer loyalty, driven sales, and delivered lasting ROI.

Because while creativity captures attention, consistency compounds.

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The lines between public relations, paid media, influencer marketing, and content have never been blurrier.

Today's campaigns rely on creators, journalists, owned channels, strategic partnerships, and paid amplification working together to build attention and credibility.

In this fireside chat, Josh Albrecht and Justin McCoy explore how media strategies are evolving, what's replacing the traditional PR playbook, and how brands can create stories that travel across every channel.

Because the question is no longer "How do we get coverage?"

It's "How do we earn attention?"

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Most partnerships start with a conversation.

This session creates space for those conversations to happen.

Facilitated by Chelsea Roessler, attendees will engage in a series of structured exercises designed to uncover potential brand collaborations, co-marketing opportunities, community initiatives, and experience concepts with others in the room.

Come prepared to think beyond your organization and explore what becomes possible when brands work together.

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Some of the most valuable conversations at a conference happen in the hallway.

We've decided to make them part of the agenda.

In this highly curated peer advisory session, four marketing leaders gather around a table to workshop the challenges they're facing right now. Each participant receives dedicated time to present a real business question, opportunity, or obstacle while the other members of the group offer candid feedback, practical advice, relevant resources, and hard-earned experience.

No presentations. Just a small circle of peers helping one another navigate the realities of modern marketing leadership.

Because sometimes the most valuable expert in the room is sitting right next to you.

The biggest challenge in a rebrand isn't changing a logo. It's uncovering the story only your organization can tell.

When Jeff McCarthy joined Bank Five Nine, he inherited a financial institution with more than 160 years of history and a deep commitment to the communities it serves. Rather than creating a new identity, he uncovered the one that had been there all along, bringing the organization's purpose to the forefront and shifting the conversation from banking products to community impact.

In this session, Jeff shares how listening deeply, identifying what makes a brand truly distinctive, and committing to authentic storytelling transformed both the brand and the business. The strongest brands are built by becoming more fully themselves.

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The days of marketing to a single decision maker are largely behind us.

Today's B2B purchases involve champions, end users, finance, procurement, executives, and skeptics, each influencing the decision differently and at various moments throughout the buying journey.

In this roundtable, Molly Mulcahy explores how marketing leaders can build trust across the entire buying committee, strengthen the partnership between marketing and sales, and create meaningful influence throughout complex procurement processes.

Because in B2B, the goal isn't just to convince a buyer.

It's to build confidence across everyone who has a seat at the table.

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