New York Times Best Selling Author

Speaker Bio: Neil Patel
Co-founder

Neil Patel is the co-founder of NP Digital and a globally recognized marketing expert. Named a top influencer by The Wall Street Journal and a top 10 marketer by Forbes, he’s also a New York Times bestselling author.

TOPIC TBA
Speaker Bio: Neil Cameron
Executive Director

Conversations Drive Decisions
Speaker Bio: Blake Smith
Head of Mid Market Sales, Canada

The Art & Science of Persuasion
Speaker Bio: Darren Chiu
Founder

Darren Chiu is a Strategy Lead at Google, helping brands across all industries develop best in class marketing strategies. With over 12 years of industry experience, Darren’s passion for communication doesn’t stop at the world of business and sales. In his spare time, Darren moonlights as a comedic storyteller, stretching his creativity and perspectives beyond the boundaries of his professional life. As a recognition of his dedication and expertise, Darren was selected as an Emerging Leader in Advertising & Sales by The Peak in 2023. Connect with Darren on LinkedIn.

Finding The Sweet Spot in MarTech, AdTech and Social
Speaker Bio: James Alty
Founder & Managing Director

James is the founder of British independent software vendor Apteco, a global leader in marketing technology. James is a technologist at heart, now responsible for ensuring we meet our clients’ needs with powerful software and great services.

How to Build a Community Flywheel That Turns Followers to Advocates

Joe Teo

CEO

Joe Teo is the CEO of HeyOrca - the social media scheduling tool designed to simplify collaboration. Under his leadership, HeyOrca has become a trusted solution for social media managers.

How to Build a Personal Brand That Shines

Speaker Bio: Michelle Alexander

Creative Director
Michelle is a Creative Director with over 15 years of experience in enhancing brand awareness and driving growth. Outside of work, she’s a Canadian artist creating digital illustrations inspired by junk food. Michelle’s unique blend of professional expertise and creativity brings a fresh perspective to marketing.

Crafting Customer Journeys that Convert Again & Again

Speaker Bio: Julie Ogilvie
Digital Marketing Strategist

Julie helps solopreneurs and small teams grow loyal online communities with sustainable, automated strategies that amplify their reach and impact without burnout.

From Chaos to Conversion: What’s Actually Working in Meta Ads in 2025
Caley Dimmock
CEO & Founder

Caley has managed over $10M in ad spend and consistently delivers high ROAS. She empowers businesses to succeed in-house by teaching them how to manage ads effectively.

How to Transform Your Brand Using Inclusive Marketing
Speaker Bio: Josephine David
Communications & Partnerships Lead

Josephine combines business and social development expertise to elevate brands through storytelling and partnership strategies.

Leveraging LinkedIn: How Connecting Community Can Help Build Your Brand
Speaker Bio: Ian Macdonald
Business & Innovation Leader

Overcome the Scarcity of Earned Media: How to Make the Most of a Great Story
Speaker Bio: Lana Rogers

Founder + Director

Lana Rogers has nearly two decades of experience in marketing and public relations. As the Founder of Gentle Lion Communications, she redefines the communications model, helping Canada’s top unorthodox brands achieve autonomy, self-reliance, and brand recognition. Lana is known for her bold, heart-driven approach to storytelling and strategy.

Rebranding Done Right (and Wrong)

Speaker Bio: Matt Hayles
VP, Revenue
Matt Hayles is VP revenue at urllo, formerly EasyRedir, where he supports the sales, marketing and customer success teams to build their brand, acquire customers and grow revenue.

The Customer Decides Your Value, Not You!
Lisa Genovese
President

Lisa Genovese has led BottomLine for over a decade, growing it into an international organization delivering research-driven business strategies that produce tangible results. A serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Lisa focuses on stepping away from ineffective cookie-cutter approaches to achieve real outcomes for brands like Home Depot, Nestle Health Sciences, and others.

Going Beyond First-party Data Collection
Speaker Bio: Ash Brar
Digital Marketing Strategist

Digital Empathy: Crafting Customer-Centric Marketing

Speaker Bio: Lauren Telfer
Director of Marketing & Communications

The New Rules of Marketing
Speaker Bio: Charlie Grinnell
Co-CEO

Charlie Grinnell has led digital at brands like Red Bull, Aritzia, and Arc'teryx. Nowadays he's the Co-CEO of marketing research startup, RightMetric—where he helps marketers unlock growth with audience, competitor, and content insights.

"Enshittification and The Current State of Everything"
Speaker Bio: Andrew Turnbull
Managing Director, UX and Product

Andrew leads the User Experience (UX) and Product practices at Evans Hunt. He's a tireless advocate for user-centred thinking, and quick on his feet with a sketch or a diagram to frame an opportunity. His perspective as a design leader is informed by 15 years of diverse industry experience with clients such as Alterra Mountain Company (Ikon Pass), ATB Financial, Travel Alberta, and more.

PR Nightmares: How A Disaster Can Become Your Best Brand Awareness Tool
Speaker Bio: Joshua Counsil
Co-Founder

Raised by murder mystery dinner theatre owners, Josh is a recovering engineer turned entrepreneur. In 2014, he and his buddies quit their engineering careers and founded Good Robot Brewing in Halifax, which started with a scrappy brewpub and grew into 3 bars, export wholesales, and contract manufacturing services. In 2023, he entered the freelance world, offering marketing & brand consultancy to anyone seeking his unhinged storytelling style and to entrepreneurs who need someone who has been through it all.

Stop Playing Fair: Master Your Unfair Advantage and Win
Director of Strategy
Speaker Bio: Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas is the Strategy Director at Everbrave, a Branding and Growth Marketing agency in Calgary. He is a former Intuit Innovation Catalyst and studied Design Thinking and business model innovation under Alex Osterwalder at Stratgeyzer. He is also the creator of The Strategy of Everything, a methodology and set of strategy tools which he is exploring with a podcast and book of the same name.

Content Beyond Brand Awareness (And Beyond Boring)
Derek Hovinga

Founder, Sales Enablement & Content Strategist

Derek Hovinga is a B2B tech marketing expert who makes content work harder driving sales, not just likes. Known for his sharp insights and entertaining delivery, he helps companies turn strategy into impact. When he’s not geeking out over content, he’s probably mixing cocktails and posting workout videos.

Preparing for the Worst: Brand Reputation Management
Samantha Beck
Sr. Marketing Manager

Sam Beck is a powerhouse marketing leader who has spent her career both in-house and agency side. She’s deeply passionate about using the power of building community to elevate brands. She has lead marketing teams at companies like Phillips Brewing, Partake Brewing, and Spud. From producing 4000 person music festivals with artists like Anderson .Paak and the Beaches, to launching multiple brands at a national level, she knows what it takes to make sure your brand stands out.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Speaker Bio: Robert Simmons
COO & Co-Founder

Robert Simmons is the co-founder and COO of Paper Crane - an agency focused on creative, web design and development and digital infrastructure.

For the past five years, he has been developing systems that showcase transparency for clients and increase team efficiency. He will continue to do this until the robots take our jobs.

How to use AI for Content Marketing
Speaker Bio: Hiba Amin 
Founder

Hiba is the owner of Sandia Inc. a content marketing consulting firm based in Calgary. She's worked in the SaaS space for over 10 years now with a deep focus on building customer-centric content programs and strategies. She's also worked with AI-first companies like Copy.ai and has built a couple of beginner AI courses.

Outside of work, she loves dogs, iced coffee all year round, and Survivor (yup, that's still going).

"Women in Leadership: Moving Beyond Listening to Action"
Carolyn Shaw
President

Carolyn has over 20 years of advertising, design, and branding experience working with local and global brands. Through her leadership and creative thinking, Carolyn has guided Humanity to redefine the way we think about brands and the role they can play in our lives. She has worked on brands like the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Black Opportunity Fund, NPower Canada and Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

"The Future of Masculinity in Marketing: Why It Matters in 2025"
Speaker Bio: Emily Ptak
Founder & Principal

Emily Ptak is a seasoned marketing strategist and storyteller passionate about shaping brands and championing inclusivity and authenticity. With a career spanning top global brands and social impact organizations, she helps businesses craft messaging that resonates across genders and drives meaningful engagement. As the founder of her own marketing firm, Emily empowers brands to align their content with evolving cultural narratives.

"The Call of The Wild"
Kelly Mannix

Director of Brand

Director of Brand at Calgary Wild FC, the first professional women's soccer club! I believe that relationships are the glue in life, both personally and professionally. I tr to live by my Grandpa's wise words that, "your health is your wealth."

"The Call of The Wild"
Speaker Bio: Keli Pollock
Director of Brand

Studio to AI Simulation: Why Digital Twins Are the Future of Product Visuals 
Speaker Bio: Joel Smith
Head of Business Development

Joel Smith is a Calgary-based AI strategist, business development executive, and performing artist who blends storytelling with tech. At SocialWest, he explores how generative visuals and digital twins are reshaping retail and brand marketing.

Pocket Production & Storytelling
Speaker Bio: Will Yang
Founder & CEO

Will Yang is the Founder and CEO of Differo, a creative agency specializing in content production and storytelling. With extensive experience in video production, branding, and digital marketing, he has worked with major brands like Tourism Nova Scotia, Discover Halifax, and Halifax Shopping Centre. Will helps businesses craft compelling stories through cinematic visuals and authentic engagement strategies.