In-Person Workshops- In-person paid attendees only
Session 1 (11:30 AM - 12:15 PM)
WORKSHOP #1: WARC Future Of Strategy 2026: Becoming The Upstream Partner Clients Want In The Room
(In-Person Only)
An important bright spot identified in WARC’s Future of Strategy survey is that strategy is gaining ground in being asked to help solve upstream business problems. If automation gets everyone to the obvious answer faster, how do we transform the profession from an automated add-on service into an indispensable business diagnostic partner This workshop will explore the skills needed to be that kind of strategist that gets invited into those rooms to solve those problems.
Speaker:
- Ann Marie Kerwin, Americas Editor, WARC
WORKSHOP #2: You Can’t Borrow Someone Else’s Cultural Relevance
(In-Person Only)
Brands are constantly pointing to another company’s breakthrough and asking their agency to recreate it. But cultural relevance cannot be lifted from a case study or reproduced through someone else’s playbook. It has to come from a brand’s own DNA, audience and earned permission to participate. Using the examples of Starbucks and Yahoo, brands whose resurgence was built through months of testing, listening and refining, this workshop will illustrate how strategists can distinguish between ideas a brand can credibly own and ideas that will inevitably feel forced.
Speaker:
- Ashley Richardson-George, Head of Strategy, Conscious Minds Studio
WORKSHOP #3: AI Creativity: Escaping the Generic Trap
(In-Person Only)
As brands pursue greater speed and scale, the drive for efficiency can unintentionally erode the very thing marketing depends on most: trusted human connection. Experts from Ipsos and Syracuse University will present new research on the “Generic Trap” – and why AI-only creative is often becoming “just good enough.”
We will explore the ethical implications of AI-generated creativity, the importance of disclosure and authenticity and why Human Intelligence (HI) remains essential for creating advertising that is distinctive, resonant and effective. You will leave with a practical roadmap for balancing AI-powered scale with the empathy, creativity and cultural understanding required to build lasting consumer trust.
Speakers:
- Caroline Hunt Riby, Professor of Practice, Advertising, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
- Lisa Sobilo, Vice President, Strategy, IPSOS
WORKSHOP #4: See What Your Competitors Miss: Synthetic Data for Strategic Market Advantage
(In-Person Only)
Your deepest insights come from existing customers—but your biggest opportunities may often hide in market blind spots. Synthetic data reveals the full market picture, enabling you to spot emerging audience behaviors, model new strategies, and make faster decisions without relying on incomplete or fragmented data.
In this workshop learn how to use synthetic data to complement your existing insights infrastructure, uncover hidden market opportunities, and build client strategies on evidence rather than assumptions.
Speakers:
- Basil Fraysse, VP & General Manager, AIOS, Plus Company
- T.S. Kelly, Managing Director, US, Arima
Session 2 (1:00 PM - 1:45 PM)
WORKSHOP #5: What the C-Suite Needs to Learn from Marketers (and How to Teach Them)
(In-Person Only)
Lately, marketers have been told to “speak the language of finance”. And this is on top of needing to submit creative work to the hyper-logical analysis of CEOs and CFOs, which often kills great work. However, the C-suite’s reliance on purely rational economics creates a huge blind spot about buyer psychology and human nature—blind spots that strategists and planners see clearly. This workshop shows you how to flip the power dynamic and regain authority in the C-suite. You will learn how to call out “naive rationalism”, reframe “illogical” human behavior and defend great creative ideas.
Speaker:
- Ethan Decker, Founder & President, Applied Brand Science
WORKSHOP #6: Less Noise, More Signal: Recognizing the Innovations That Matter
(In-Person Only)
The signals of change for our industry are all around us, with momentum mounting by the hour. The challenge is knowing where to look amidst the noise of all things AI. The pursuit is for more SIGNAL. Then we can recognize the innovations that matter, in an attempt to own these shifts as they unfold. This workshop will outline how we track the shift from noise to signal and actively own the executional path to respond to it. As a member of the 4As Expert Network for AI Transformation and Readiness, Albert Thompson will take strategists on the transformational journey from Creative Alchemists to Marketing Technologists.
Speaker:
- Albert Thompson, Co-Founder, Director, Brand Strategy, Transient Identiti
WORKSHOP #7: Guardrails and Judgment: Making AI Client-Ready
(In-Person Only)
AI can generate an answer quickly, but should an agency trust it enough to act? In this interactive workshop, participants assess four recommendations for the same client, debate the evidence behind them, and use live voting to determine what they would accept, challenge, verify, or reject. The session offers a practical framework for using AI responsibly while preserving strategic judgment, client trust, and human control.
Speakers:
- Ashwin Bhargava, Director, Partner Marketing, ActiveCampaign
- Jonathan Petrino, VP, Global Partner Growth & Channel Sales, ActiveCampaign
WORKSHOP #8: It’s All Connected: How The Next Era of Strategy Will Be Focused on Systems
(In-Person Only)
Does life lately feel like a game of whack-a-mole? Another product launch, a new fad, and just as you think you’ve caught up, the next fad arrives. Consumers and brands alike are trapped in a cycle of whack-a-mole, but we're not in the arcade.
But there is a bright spot emerging. Mintel’s 2027 Annual Predictions highlights that the future is shifting from products to systems, moving beyond isolated product benefits toward connected ecosystems designed to help people achieve outcomes. In this new landscape, brands become the project managers, guiding consumers through increasingly complex journeys. The fragmentation isn’t disappearing, but strategists are the best positioned to orchestrate connection that moves the needle forward. Every brand strategist in 2027 is faced with a decision: do we wait for the next whack-a-mole moment, or do we start shaping systems that drive results and meaningful touchpoints.
This session will explore the deeper forces shaping the products to systems mindset and will leave room for an outcome mapping exercise to give us all practice in blending strategy and project management to design relevant systems.
Speaker:
- Diana Kelter, Head of Consumer Trends, North America, Mintel
Virtual Workshops - Virtual Paid Attendees Only
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP #1: How Brands Shrink: Why Decay is the Default, and What to Do About It
(Virtual Only)
Most brands don’t grow. The default state is decline. This session explores why brands shrink, what to do when it’s already happening to you, and why effective advertising is essential for survival, let alone growth.
Speaker:
- Paul Ruscoe, Vice President, Market Intelligence, Incubeta
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP #2: Built, Not Prompted: Creating Future-Fit Strategy Departments
(Virtual Only)
AI can make strategists faster but many of the tasks it replaces are the same ones that taught generations of strategists how to think and problem solve. This workshop explores how we embrace AI amongst junior talent without outsourcing the curiosity, judgment, drive and productive struggle that builds great strategists. And, more importantly, how leaders can intentionally create the culture that develops them.
Speaker:
- Kate Rush Sheehy, VP Client Strategy, PMG
