Evolution of Commerce Summit: Connected Commerce. Connected Living.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

• 9:00 AM Breakfast & Registration
• 9:45 AM Welcome Remarks

  Brandon Gutman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

  Marc Sternberg, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

  Vito Maranzano, Vice President, Content and Community, Brand Innovators

• 10:00 AM Fireside Chat

  Jennie Weber, Chief Marketing Officer, Best Buy

  Moderated by: Sarah Patel, Head of Sales, Central , Life360

• 10:30 AM The Moment Economy: How Brands Win in Real-World Context

  The “moment economy” is reshaping how brands engage with consumers, shifting from broad campaigns to real-time, context-driven interactions. Today, the most meaningful connections happen in moments: when attention is highest, intent is clear, and environment shapes behavior.

  This session explores how brands design for these moments across real world places, from stores to stadiums to the home, turning everyday interactions into experiences that drive engagement, emotional connection, and long-term loyalty.

  Mary Beth George, Vice President Brand Experience, Target

  Becky Holten, Vice President, Marketing, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club

  Sarah Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer, Hisense

  Moderated by: Rose Ferraro, Senior Vice President and General Manager Advertising, Rockbot 

• 11:00 AM Turning Moments into Lifetime Value

  Every interaction is an opportunity to build long-term equity. This session will explore how brands transform key customer moments, first purchase, milestone celebrations, and service interactions into drivers of lifetime value. By designing intentional, memorable touchpoints, marketers can turn short-term engagement into enduring relationships.

  Osama Aldeek, Senior Marketing Manager, Lenovo

  Derek Bodurka, Marketing Director, Best Buy

  Moderated by: Natalie Gilliam, Director, Client Partnerships, Zeta Global

• 11:30 AM Networking Break
• 12:00 PM From Ticket Sold to Fan Earned: The Strategy Behind Building Avid, Loyal Audiences

  Ticket sales live at the intersection of smart packaging, targeted reach, and the right offer at the right moment. Leaders from the Minnesota Timberwolves will share how they think about driving traffic across channels, building packages that resonate with different fan segments, and turning one-time buyers into loyal attendees. The tactics are specific to sports — the principles apply everywhere.

  Kevin Ertell, Head of Ticket Revenue, Minnesota Timberwolves

  Mike Grahl, Chief Marketing Officer, Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx

  Moderated by: Jon Anderson, Account Director, X-FCTR

• 12:30 PM Relevance Wins: Right Message, Right Moment

  Attention is earned through precision and timing. This conversation will explore how brands are mastering contextual messaging, delivering the right content through the right channel, at exactly the right moment. By aligning data, creative, and orchestration, marketers can turn fleeting attention into sustained engagement.

  Stacy Warner, Marketing Director Consumer Brands, Cargill

  Moderated by: Jeremy Gold, Head of Industry (CPG & Retail) and Data Strategy, Viant

• 1:00 PM Lunch
• 2:00 PM Disrupting the Playbook: Marketing Like a Challenger Brand

  Challenger brands aren’t just competing — they’re rewriting the rules. This discussion will focus on how these brands leverage creativity, data, and scrappy execution to break through crowded markets. We’ll explore how they make every dollar count, ensuring their advertising investments work harder across the full funnel. From experimentation to efficiency, learn how challengers turn limitations into their greatest strength.

  Kathy Dixon, Director of Marketing Communications, Duke Cannon

  Andrea Furber, Head of Marketing, Back to Nature

  Sarah Leinberger, Head of Marketing, Yoobi

  Erin Winslow, Vice President of Marketing, So Good So You

  Moderated by: Cari Matykiewicz, Vice President, Client Partnerships, GSTV

• 2:30 PM Omnichannel Journeys That Drive Real Behavior

  Today’s consumers don’t think in channels; they think in experiences. This session will explore how leading brands design connected omnichannel journeys that remove friction and influence real purchase behavior. From mobile to in-store to social, success lies in integration, consistency, and measurable impact.

  Tolá Oyewole, Former Executive Director, Global Consumer Marketing (Aveda), The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

  Justin Sucher, Head of Marketing for Yardbird, Best Buy

  Moderated by: Jon Davis, Managing Director, South & Central Regions, GroundTruth

   

• 3:00 PM E-Commerce Everywhere: Frictionless Meets Effortless

  Commerce is no longer confined to a single destination; it lives wherever the consumer does. This discussion will unpack how brands are embedding e-commerce into content, social platforms, physical spaces, and emerging environments. The focus: reducing friction, increasing convenience, and turning discovery into seamless conversion.

  Amanda Evans, Global Head of Brand, Insights and Partnerships, Wayfair

  Moderated by: Anne Hallock VP, Americas, Mirakl Ads

• 3:30 PM Networking Break
• 3:45 PM Brand Collaboration: A Workshop on Strategic Creativity
• 4:30 PM Personalization That Feels Human at Scale

  Consumers expect tailored experiences, but not at the expense of authenticity. This session will explore how brands are using technology and data to deliver meaningful personalization that feels thoughtful rather than automated. From dynamic content to predictive recommendations, the key is scaling relevance without sacrificing humanity.

  Sara Johnson, Director of Marketing, Mall of America

  Susie Moschkau, Senior Marketing Leader, Formerly DQ, Target, and Radisson

  Moderated by: Tim Wastney, Vice President, Agency Sales, Comcast Advertising