Formerly Brand Summit
Marketing Leadership Summit
November 11–13, 2026 · The Ritz-Carlton · New Orleans, Louisiana
150 senior brand and agency executives. Three days where personal leadership meets marketing strategy — and the conversations actually change things.
Our Story
Humanity first. Marketing second.
The job of a senior marketer has never been harder. The pace, the pressure, the constant reinvention — it can be isolating at the top. This summit exists because the best answers usually come from the people sitting next to you who are navigating the same things.
What started as the Brand Summit has evolved into something deeper. We added agency leaders to the room. We leaned harder into personal leadership alongside marketing strategy. And we kept what always mattered most — a room small enough for everyone to know each other’s name.
Three days of honest dialogue, city experiences, and the kind of support system that lasts long after the summit ends.
What to Expect
Three days that shift how you lead.
Substance
Professional development and personal growth — because the best marketers know they’re inseparable.
Conversations
Every attendee is qualified to be a speaker. Every session is a discussion, not a lecture.
Experiences
Visiting a city shouldn’t mean sitting in a conference room. New Orleans will be part of the experience.
Marketers
Actionable insights from 150 peers who oversee billions in brand and media investment.
The conversations
Previous topics covered
Workshops are designed and led by fellow participants — people who’ve been in your seat. Last year’s conversations included:
Why Saying No is Your Secret Weapon
The competitive advantage of strategic focus — how turning selective availability into a leadership superpower creates space for exceptional performance.
How to Communicate Brand Value to an AI
External AI discoverability and internal AI integration — strategies for readying your brand for a world where AI agents influence purchasing decisions.
The Change Agent's Playbook
How to wield marketing's growing influence to drive organizational change — winning over skeptical C-suites and pushing boundaries while respecting dynamics.
Future-Proofing Your Teams
Fresh approaches to training, mentoring, and career progression that make teams more resilient and better positioned for a world where automation and human judgment grow in tandem.
Making Every Dollar Work Twice
Allocation strategies that optimize for brand awareness and retail performance simultaneously — without sacrificing either.
Making Teams Work While Building In-House
Standing up new capabilities while keeping the machine running — how to build the right team and avoid losing momentum on work that matters most.
The Loyalty Compounding Effect
Meeting customers at the messy, meaningful moments when choices stick — strategies from AI-driven content to real-world activations.
Careers by Design
Reimagining what advancement means — strategies for weighing ambition against alignment, and building a next chapter that feels both financially secure and personally rewarding.
The Setting
The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans
In the heart of the French Quarter. The kind of city that makes every evening feel like an experience, and every conversation feel like it matters more.
We chose New Orleans because the best summits don’t end when the sessions do. The city becomes part of the experience…jazz, food, and the kind of energy that keeps conversations going long after dinner.
Last year's summit
Agenda
Registration
Marketer Only Meeting
Welcome Networking Activity
Welcome Reception & Dinner
Late-Night Spot (Optional)
At attendee’s discretion
Morning Sweatworking
Breakfast
General Session
Lunch
Workshops Round 1
Transition Break
Workshops Round 2
Networking Activity
Dinner
Late-Night Spot (Optional)
Morning Sweatworking
Breakfast
Shipping Desk
Workshops Round 3
Networking Break
Workshops Round 4
Lunch & Town Hall
The leaders
Last year's discussion leaders
Aaron Cohen
The Room
Alyssa Nicole Banks
Unilever
Amber Wade
Digg Inn
Andre Quadra
Hisense
Angela Gruzka
Charitybuzz
Beth Mach
The Room
Brenda Salce-Garcia
NextRoll
Cami Schenck
Sargento
Charles Ewald
Zeta Global
Danny Fishman
The Room
Dave Jacobs
Farther
Gloria DeCoste
Nestlé
Jay Wolff
KERV.ai
Jen Caballero
Colgate-Palmolive
Jenny Wall
VideoAmp
Joe Dressler
PubMatic
Josh Messinger
The Room
Josh Robinson
Dyson
Julian Mintz
Albertsons Media Collective
Justin Johnson
Acorns
Katlyn Wilson
VIZIO
Kris Brown
Brady
Lance Wolder
PadSquad
Leif Welch
JamLoop
Linda Roth
World Central Kitchen
Matt Jackson
EssilorLuxottica
Matt Lattman
Wells Fargo
Nobles Crawford
L'Oréal
Rachel Goldflam
Sneex
Ron Hackett
Johnson & Johnson
Sage Edson
Nexxen
Scott Decker
HP Inc.
Scott Pawloski
GSTV
Shelley Flenniken
SoFi
Shoshana Winter
Converge
Steve Pacheco
American Advertising Federation
Traci Spiegelman
Mastercard
Summit underwriters
The companies that make this room possible
For underwriter inquiries, please reach out to partnerships@theroom.vip
Get involved
Two ways into the room
Whether you’re a marketing leader or a company that wants to reach them — there’s a seat for you.
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I'm a marketing leader
Participation is complimentary for qualified senior executives — brand or agency leaders at the Director level and above who oversee $20M+ in media or brand spend. Every participant is personally vetted and invited.
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I want to reach this audience
A limited number of partners join through sponsorship or individual passes. No expo halls, no badge scanners — just genuine access to senior decision-makers in a setting that fosters real relationships.
