2025 Agenda

Get familiar with SINC Staff and the event layout. Secure your complimentary Swag Bag and learn how to use the Onsite Application for Peer Engagement and win great prizes!

Engage your Peers over canapes and cocktails

Open seating buffet meal serving 5-star food and great Peer engagement before Day 1 kick’s off

Full breakfast and lots of coffee available!

A Thank You from SINC – setting the tone for a great day!

Outdated sales funnels create friction between internal teams, deliver the wrong outcomes, and stall revenue growth. We’ll explore a new paradigm, the bowtie funnel, that integrates 3 sets of Revenue Systems (Attraction Systems, Acceleration Systems, and Activation Systems) to create alignment across the organization, provide focus on the best GTM strategies, and ensure reliable revenue growth, helping leaders at B2B SaaS/SwaS and Professional Services firms break through revenue barriers.

Speaker: Mark Osborne, Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, Modern Revenue Strategies

• Reframing city partnerships as long-term brand investments – Just as stadium naming rights build brand equity, so can investing in parks, community centers, and public spaces.
• Public-private collaborations that benefit both sides – How companies can align their social impact goals with municipal needs, from funding shelters to placing products in community hubs.
• Branding the built environment – Real-world examples of how cities and companies can work together to shape public spaces in a way that serves communities while strengthening corporate identity.
• Navigating the politics of public-private partnerships – Addressing concerns around commercialization while ensuring cities retain their character and mission.

Speaker: Melissa Kozakiewicz, Deputy City Manager/Communications Director, Kansas City

Circle back with your Peers on the content so far while grabbing a coffee or tea and a snack

B2B buyers are doing more of their own research before reaching out to companies. Which means we have to be ready to meet buyers where they are in their journey and give them what they need to progress. I'll break down the traditional tactics that consistently erode trust, stall pipeline and lose deals. Then highlight how you can adapt to better align your marketing and sales motions with how modern buyers actually buy.

Speaker: John Johansen, Sr. Director, Demand Generation and ABM at Delinea

In an era where digital engagement is king, mastering social selling is no longer optional—it’s essential. Join Marketing 911 co-hosts Brian Bakstran and Richard Bliss for an insightful deep dive into the latest strategies transforming how businesses connect, engage, and convert in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace. This session will unpack cutting-edge social selling techniques, revealing how top-performing brands and sales teams leverage platforms like LinkedIn, AI-driven insights, and real-time engagement to drive revenue and build lasting customer relationships.

But that’s just the beginning. With AI rapidly reshaping the marketing landscape, Brian and Richard will explore how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing everything from personalized content generation to predictive analytics, automation, and conversational marketing. They’ll discuss what marketers and sales leaders need to know to stay ahead of the curve, including the ethical considerations and challenges that come with AI-powered marketing.

Expect practical takeaways, real-world case studies, and a dynamic conversation on the future of digital selling. Whether you’re a sales leader, marketing strategist, or tech enthusiast, this session will equip you with the tools and insights to navigate the AI-driven marketing revolution and supercharge your social selling approach.

Moderators:

Brian Bakstran, Marketing Executive, Marketing 911

Richard Bliss, Social Selling Trainer & Expert at BlissPoint Consulting

Panelists:

Fabio Ranieri, Head of Digital GTM Innovation, HP Inc

Jaideep Deshpande, Executive Director of Strategy and Marketing at University of Illinois Chicago (UI Health - Dentistry)

Karolyne Crowe, Owned Channel Marketing Team Lead at Fidelity Investments

Open seating, Buffet-style lunch. Serving food for all tastes, pallets and preferences. Vegan, vegetarian, halal options available

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, advocacy efforts must adapt to new platforms, technologies, and audience expectations. This session, led by seasoned communications expert Janelle Guthrie, explores the key differences between digital advocacy and traditional PR campaigns, highlighting ethical considerations, strategic planning, and the tools necessary for effective issue management. Attendees will gain a step-by-step guide to building and executing successful digital advocacy initiatives, including audience targeting, content creation, social media activation, and performance evaluation. Through real-world case studies, this session will uncover opportunities, pitfalls, and best practices for leveraging digital channels to drive meaningful engagement and policy outcomes.

Speaker: Janelle Guthrie, Vice President - Communications, Building Industry Association of Washington

In today’s hyper-connected world, brand success is no longer just about awareness—it’s about experience. Marketing executives must navigate a landscape where customer expectations are higher than ever, digital engagement is constantly evolving, and loyalty is built through seamless, personalized interactions.

This session explores how customer-centric branding drives long-term value, blending digital experience (CX), customer success, and data-driven insights to create meaningful connections.

Learn how to:

• Align branding with customer experience and innovation to increase retention and revenue.
• Leverage digital strategies and AI-driven insights to build deeper customer relationships.
• Drive brand advocacy and loyalty through customer success programs and seamless adoption strategies.

 

With years of experience leading global CX, customer success, and adoption strategy initiatives, this discussion will provide actionable strategies for marketing leaders looking to future-proof their brand in a world where experience is everything.

Speaker: Anne Hancock, Former Sr. Digital CX Strategy & Planning Leader, Cisco

First marketing hire at your org? First marketer owning your vertical (eg. Fashion, Auto, Hospitality?) Attend this session to hear learnings from a marketer who has been both.

About the speaker: With 11+ years of experience, Karen has built functions within analytics, product marketing, and lifecycle marketing at B2C and B2B2C companies ranging from early stage startups to enterprise-level orgs and will share more about what a 30-60-90 day trajectory looked like at companies of all sizes, including a player-coach approach, hiring practices, and how to socialize your new function and team with stakeholders of all levels.

Speaker: Karen Zhang, Former Head of Product Marketing, Fashion, eBay

Circle back with your Peers on the content so far while grabbing a coffee or tea and a snack

Nagarro's Digital Consumer Insights service integrates market research, consumer psychology, and sociocultural anthropology to help organizations decipher and visualize complex consumer behaviors. By analyzing digital data, Nagarro enables businesses to understand their customers more deeply and deliver products and services that align with customer desires. ​

Speaker: Megan Mueller, VP - Business Development, Nagarro

Presented by: Nagarro

Dive into the data-driven realm of demand generation. Join experts in an panel session to learn how to harness data analytics for smarter marketing decisions, lead generation, and customer acquisition.

Moderator: Mark Osborne, Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, Modern Revenue Strategies

Panelists:

Sandra Chrust, Senior Director (Interim VP) of Demand Generation, Aviatrix

Kim Harshbarger, Director, Global Demand Gen & Campaigns, NICE

Wallis Mills, Director, Product Marketing at AMD

Vlad Berson, CMO, SOLVE

Open seating buffet meal serving 5 star food and great Peer engagement

Full Breakfast and lots of coffee are available!

A Thank You from SINC – setting the tone for a great day!

In today’s digital-first world, reaching your audience requires more than just a single touchpoint—it demands a strategic, multi-channel approach that seamlessly integrates platforms, personalizes experiences, and meets customers on their terms. This expert-led panel will explore how brands can optimize engagement across multiple channels, from social media and email to emerging digital landscapes, while maintaining a consistent and compelling brand presence.

Join industry leaders as they discuss:

• Best practices for multi-channel marketing that drive engagement and conversion.
• How AI and automation are reshaping customer interactions across platforms.
  Personalization at scale—delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time.
• Measuring success across diverse touchpoints to refine and optimize your strategy.

Whether you're looking to enhance brand visibility, customer experience, or retention, this session will provide actionable insights to ensure your marketing efforts resonate where it matters most.

Moderator: Mark Osborne, Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, Modern Revenue Strategies

Panelists:

Christie Styer, Former Director, Global Customer Experience at Cisco Systems

Jovitha Franklin, Director of Marketing and Communications, CSUN        

Gabriela Wiggers, Global Social Media Marketing Manager, Autodesk        

Karen Zhang, Former Head of Product Marketing, Fashion, eBay

Explore the strategic methods for constructing a streamlined marketing team operations. Attendees will gain insights into optimizing team structure marketing functions, leveraging digital tools for efficiency, and fostering a culture of adaptability to drive impactful marketing initiatives.

Speaker: Jaideep Deshpande, Executive Director of Strategy and Marketing at University of Illinois Chicago (UI Health - Dentistry)

Circle back with your Peers on the content so far while grabbing a coffee or tea and a snack

In today's dynamic business environment, large enterprises face the challenge of connecting with larger and more complex buying committees and diverse audiences across multiple channels. In "Storytelling for Titans" Wallis will share how she has leveraged the power of narrative to engage audiences, foster brand loyalty, and drive business growth at scale for some of the largest and most valuable enterprises in the world. This talk provides actionable strategies for tailoring content, harnessing data-driven insights, and fostering cross-functional collaboration to craft compelling stories that resonate. Learn how to embrace AI and technological innovation in content creation to maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Discover how to transform your enterprise into a storytelling powerhouse.

Speaker: Wallis Mills, Director, Product Marketing at AMD

LinkedIn isn’t just a networking tool, it’s a powerful sales engine. But are you using it to its full potential? In this session, we’ll break down the latest strategies for cutting through the noise, sparking real conversations, and turning connections into customers.

What you’ll walk away with:

• Insider tips on how the LinkedIn algorithm really works
• The secret to crafting posts that actually get engagement
• How to use comments and conversations to drive sales
• A simple, repeatable system to grow your brand and pipeline

If you’re ready to stop posting into the void and start making LinkedIn work for you, this is the session to be in!

Speaker: Richard Bliss, Social Selling Trainer & Expert at BlissPoint Consulting

Open seating, Buffet-style lunch. Serving food for all tastes, pallets and preferences. Vegan, vegetarian, halal options available. Serving to-go boxes for those in a hurry!