📣 Speaker Announcement! We’re excited to welcome Marisa Smith, Head of Growth at Blue Bottle Coffee, to the Creator Commerce: The New Customer Journey panel at AdFest 2026! As creators, communities, influencers, and social commerce continue to reshape how consumers discover and connect with brands, this conversation will explore what it takes to turn creator-driven attention into meaningful engagement and measurable business growth. Marisa will join fellow industry leaders t

📣 Speaker Announcement! We’re excited to welcome Tashana Stewart Scott, Brand Marketer at Apple Music, to the Creator Commerce: The New Customer Journey panel at AdFest 2026! As creators, communities, influencers, and social commerce continue to reshape how audiences discover and engage with brands, this conversation will explore how marketers are adapting to a customer journey that increasingly begins outside traditional media channels. Tashana will join fellow industry lea

Speaker Announcement! We’re excited to welcome Joe Kratochvil, Director, Strategy & Planning at Spark Foundry, to the Creator Commerce: The New Customer Journey panel at AdFest 2026! As creators, communities, influencers, and social commerce continue to reshape the customer journey, this conversation will explore how brands are building partnerships that go beyond attention to influence consumer behavior and drive measurable business results. Joe will join fellow industry lea

Keynote Announcement: The AI Marketing Transformation Journey AI is transforming marketing fast—but behind the polished case studies, the reality is often a lot messier. At AdFest 2026, Dave Beauparlant, Advisor at TwinPoint Collective, will take the stage for The AI Marketing Transformation Journey, exploring how CMOs are actually leading through AI-driven change. Drawing on 20 years of transformation leadership at Starbucks and Microsoft, Dave will unpack where organization

📣 We’re excited to welcome Nick Schenk, Paid Search Regional Director, NAMER at Dell Technologies, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Marketing Beyond Search: Winning in the New Discovery Landscape.” Consumer discovery is becoming more fragmented as search, AI, social platforms, marketplaces, creators, and other digital touchpoints increasingly influence how people find and evaluate brands. Nick will bring the brand-side paid search perspective to the conversation, sharing how ma

We’re excited to welcome Ilona Ritoch, Director of Digital Marketing at Exelixis, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Omnichannel Strategies: A Connected Customer Journey.” Today’s customer journey spans more channels, platforms, and touchpoints than ever before. This conversation will explore how marketers can connect digital strategy, media, audience insights, and measurement to create more seamless experiences from discovery through conversion. Ilona will bring the brand-side di

📣 We’re excited to welcome Simona Drapkin, Vice President, Media at Critical Mass, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Omnichannel Strategies: A Connected Customer Journey.” Today’s customer journey spans more channels, platforms, and touchpoints than ever before. This conversation will explore how marketers can connect media strategy, audience insights, creative, and measurement to build more cohesive experiences from discovery through conversion. Simona will bring the agency and

📣 We’re excited to welcome David Lorango, Lead Digital Strategist at UNIQLO, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Marketing Beyond Search: Winning in the New Discovery Landscape.” The way consumers discover brands is changing fast. Search is no longer the only starting point, with AI, social platforms, creators, marketplaces, and retail environments all playing a larger role in shaping awareness and purchase decisions. David will bring the brand-side digital strategy perspective to

📣 We’re excited to welcome Gabriela Jiménez, Senior Manager, Paid Search at Tinuiti, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Creator Commerce: The New Customer Journey.” Today’s customer journey increasingly begins with creators, communities, influencers, and social commerce. This conversation will explore how brands and agencies can connect creator-driven discovery with performance media, measurement, and the broader path to conversion. Gabriela will bring the agency and paid search

We’re excited to welcome Amy Bantle, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Washington University, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “The Power of Brand: Building Trust That Drives Growth.” In a landscape where audiences have more choices and higher expectations than ever, trust has become one of the most important drivers of brand strength and long-term growth. This conversation will explore how organizations can build credibility, stay relevant, create meaningful connecti

📣 We’re excited to welcome Anthony So, SVP, Head of Search Marketing at Starcom, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “The Modern Agency Partnership: Brand Expectations.” As brand expectations continue to evolve, agencies are being asked to bring more than channel execution. Today’s strongest partnerships require deeper strategic thinking, faster adaptation, stronger measurement, and a clear understanding of how media decisions connect to broader business goals. Anthony will bring t

📣 We’re excited to welcome Meredith Sweeney, Marketing Director at 3 Day Blinds, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Creator Commerce: The New Customer Journey.” As creators, communities, and social platforms play a larger role in how consumers discover and evaluate brands, marketers are rethinking how those touchpoints fit into the broader customer journey. This conversation will explore how brands can connect creator-driven awareness with performance, measurement, and long-term

We’re excited to welcome Alexandra Van Horn, Director of Customer Acquisition at FOX Nation, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Omnichannel Strategies: A Connected Customer Journey.” Today’s customer journey spans more channels, platforms, and touchpoints than ever before. This conversation will explore how marketers can connect media, creative, measurement, and audience strategy to better understand how each channel contributes to discovery, engagement, and conversion. Alexandra

📣 We’re excited to welcome Matthew Lorton, Senior Vice President of Media at Zimmerman Advertising, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “The New Marketing Playbook.” Marketing is entering a new era shaped by AI, automation, changing consumer behavior, and increasingly complex paths to discovery and conversion. This conversation will explore what marketing leaders need to rethink as technology changes how brands reach consumers, measure impact, and create competitive advantage. Matt

📣 We’re excited to welcome Annie Castellano, Managing Director, Brand + Sponsorships at Edward Jones, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “The Power of Brand: Building Trust That Drives Growth.” As consumers become more selective about the brands they engage with, trust has become one of the strongest drivers of loyalty, relevance, and long-term growth. This conversation will explore how brands can build meaningful relationships, stay consistent across touchpoints, and turn trust i

We’re excited to welcome Steven George, Manager of Paid Search at Tinuiti, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Marketing Beyond Search: Winning in the New Discovery Landscape.” Consumer discovery no longer begins with a single search engine. Today, people find brands across AI assistants, social platforms, marketplaces, creators, retail media, and a growing mix of digital touchpoints. Steven will bring the agency and paid search perspective to the conversation, sharing how marketer

We’re excited to welcome Malina Saiming, Associate Director of Paid Search at Omnicom Media, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “The Modern Agency Partnership: Brand Expectations.” As brands expect more from their agency partners, the strongest relationships are built around strategy, transparency, adaptability, and a clear connection between media execution and business outcomes. Malina is a highly motivated, data-driven marketer with a master’s degree in marketing and more than s

We’re excited to welcome Christi Reynolds, Senior Director of Media at Virgin Voyages, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “The New Marketing Playbook.” Marketing leaders are navigating a rapidly changing landscape shaped by evolving consumer expectations, new technologies, shifting media habits, and increasing pressure to connect every investment to measurable business growth. Christi will bring the brand and media perspective to the conversation, sharing how marketers can think mo

We’re excited to welcome Elizabeth Strandberg, Director of Marketing Planning & Strategy at Walmart, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “Marketing Beyond Search: Winning in the New Discovery Landscape.” Consumer discovery no longer begins with a single search engine. Today, people find products and brands across AI assistants, social platforms, retail media, marketplaces, creators, and a growing mix of digital touchpoints. Elizabeth will bring the brand and retail perspective to th

We’re excited to welcome Tabitha Hernandez, Director of Retail Search at Publicis Groupe, to AdFest 2026 for the panel “The New Marketing Playbook.” Marketing is being reshaped by changing consumer expectations, new technologies, evolving media channels, and greater pressure to connect every investment to measurable business outcomes. This conversation will explore the trends defining the industry’s next chapter—from retail media and data strategy to measurement, emerging tec