Sightlines: Conference Agenda

8:30 AM

Coffee & Networking / Silent Auction Opens  (preview items)

9:00 AM

9:15 AM

The Intelligence of Fun – Craig Zablocki, motivational speaker
It is a proven fact that a culture of fun increases productivity, motivation, and employee engagement. This keynote is guaranteed to leave participants laughing while teaching them how to create a culture of fun and creativity that strengthens morale and increases productivity. People do business with organizations that are fun and have great customer service, where employees really care about the customer experience. Get ready to laugh while learning about The Intelligence of Fun.

9:45 AM

Top Five Lessons Learned in Navigating Today's Technology Minefield – Joe Levin, director, Sales Enablement and E-Commerce Site Experience, CDW

IDC predicts that the worldwide spend for marketing software will be $22.6 billion this year, and grow to $32.3 billion by 2018. With an ever-expanding list of options, how do marketers choose the technologies that are right for their companies? Joe Levin, Director of Sales Enablement, Demand Center and Direct Marketing for CDW will share his experience acquiring marketing technology, and five of his most important lessons learned to help you navigate the minefield to find your own best solutions.

10:30 AM

Outside In, Insight Out - Expanding beyond social listening to drive business insights  – Jason Breed, global leader of Social Business, IBM, and Seth McGuire, senior manager, data channels, Twitter.  Social listening opened marketers' eyes to new ways of looking at customers and responding to the market. But that was just the beginning. Join IBM and Twitter to discuss a new era of insights. Learn how insights from social and other external data are empowering companies to actively drive new actions. You'll never look at market, customer, product and competitive intelligence the same way again.

Jason Breed

Seth McGuire

11:15 AM

Networking Break, Lunch Buffet Opens

11:45 AM

The Changing Face of B2B Marketing  – Lunch Keynote – Casey Carey, director, Google Analytics Marketing
Digital has always played an important role in b2b decisions, but over the past two years both the decision maker and the buying process have changed dramatically. In this kickoff session, hear about new research from Google and Millward Brown Digital that highlights five defining digital shifts that affect every business, including the revelation that 46% of business buyers are now millennials. Learn how to optimize your content and marketing strategy and position your business for today’s future.

12:30 PM

Break

12:45 PM

Millennials: Myths, Exaggerations, and Uncomfortable Truths - Renee Ducre, digital marketing & business executive, IBM Institute of Business Value (includes millennial panel discussion). Millennial panelists include Lindsay Martin, product marketing manager, PCS Ferguson; Christy Lowry, assistant brand manager, Western Union; and Paul Kaiser, marketing manager, EKS&H.

Lindsay Martin

Christy Lowry

Paul Kaiser

1:30 PM

Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing - Carla Johnson, strategist, speaker, storyteller, Type A Communications
We're moving into a new era of marketing, moving from product-centered content to customer-centric experiences that drive content strategy and performance. Our role as B2B marketers is changing from the basics of describing products and services and into understanding how to develop, manage and lead the creation of valuable experiences for audiences. B2B content that's centered on creating meaningful, relevant customer experiences is what differentiates brands and launches them ahead of others in their industry. In this session, Carla will share how to leap from product talk into content-driven experiences; a framework for creating consistent and scalable brand experiences; and examples of B2B companies already focused on customer-centric experiences.

2:00 PM

Roundtables with Speakers and Industry Leaders – Topics will include Marketing ROI and Engaging Your CFO.

3:00 PM

Networking Break

3:15 PM

Key Trends for 2016:  Thrive in the Expectation Economy – Maxwell Luthy, director of Trends and Insights, Trendwatching, Inc.

Today’s professionals operate in an economy of ever-accelerating customer expectations, applied ruthlessly to every purchase decision, experience and moment of attention. Marketers must harness insights from trends to make sure their innovations – whether they’re focused on the marketing, product, service, business model, supply-chain, customer service or company vision – meet new expectations, and even drive them higher.

Maxwell Luthy, co-author of Trend-Driven Innovation and Director of Trends & Insights at TrendWatching, will present a selection of the most exciting and urgent trends for 2016 and beyond, from the growing demand for TWO-WAY TRANSPARENCY, to the implications of the INTERNET OF SHARED THINGS, to the power that lies in harnessing PEER ARMIES.

Each trend will feature inspiring examples from across industries, gathered from a 3,000+ member global spotter network that sends TrendWatching local innovations witnessed from Boston to Beijing. And because tracking trends without acting on them is useless, Maxwell will rally attendees to consider the implications of each trend and seize the opportunities they represent for their business.

4:00 PM

Closing Comments, Networking, Cocktail Party

Title Sponsor