The Next Chapter of Email Evolution - From Inbox to Impact (In-Person Only)

OPENING REMARKS

Kelly Haggard

VP, Marketing Innovation Synchrony / EEC Co-Chair

WELCOME FROM SYNCHRONY

Steve Hopwood

SVP, Financial Products Synchrony

FROM FIRST PITCH TO LIFELONG FANS: HOW THE CHICAGO CUBS USE EMAIL TO STACK UP BUSINESS WINS

From demand creation to incremental ticket revenue and enhanced fan engagement, the Cubs are positioning email as the engine of their growth marketing strategy. What you’ll learn from this keynote presentation is how the Chicago Cubs are:

• Making email the flywheel of an omnichannel strategy
• Personalizing fan journeys to maximize lifetime value
• Turning moments at Wrigley Field into relationships that last decades

Jen Martindale

Executive Vice President of Marketing & Communications Chicago Cubs

CHANGE DONE RIGHT: THE TECHNOLOGY AND PEOPLE SIDE OF MODERNIZING LIFECYCLE MARKETING

Upgrading your CRM and messaging stack is no longer a question of if — it's a question of how. But the most sophisticated technology in the world won't deliver results if the roles, workflows, and processes around it haven't evolved too. In this practitioner-led session, peers share hard-won lessons on navigating both sides of transformation: evaluating and migrating to modern platforms while simultaneously rethinking how your team is structured and how work gets done. Walk away with a clearer picture of what it truly takes to deliver on the promise of personalized, autonomous, multichannel lifecycle messaging.

Takeaways:

1. A framework for evaluating and selecting modern CRM and messaging technology — including what to prioritize, what to avoid, and how to navigate the migration without losing momentum.

2. A clear-eyed view of the organizational realities of technology change — why new platforms require new roles, new workflows, and new ways of working to deliver their full potential.

3. Peer-tested perspectives on managing both tracks together — because technology and organizational change rarely happen in isolation, and leaders who address both come out ahead.

Chris Marriott

President & Founder Email Connect

WHAT DOES YOUR EMAIL UNIVERSE LOOK LIKE?

Between tightening sender requirements from Google, Yahoo, Apple, and Microsoft, evolving brand and legal constraints, and the growing complexity of enterprise oversight, the question isn't just ""are my emails performing?"" It's ""am I even set up to keep sending them?"" This session takes a hard look at the full governance picture: the internal policies that protect your brand and keep legal off your back, and the external requirements that now dictate whether your messages reach the inbox at all. We'll map out what a healthy email universe actually looks like across domains, platforms, and stakeholders.

Key takeaways:

• How to interpret and operationalize the sender requirements from major mailbox providers — and what non-compliance actually risks at the domain level
• A framework for aligning internal governance across legal, brand, and marketing without creating bottlenecks that slow your program down
• How to identify cross-platform accountability gaps and build oversight structures that scale in enterprise and multi-stakeholder environments

Moderator: Scott Cohen

CEO Inbox Army / EEC Co-Chair

AI IN THE INBOX: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR WORKING EMAIL MARKETERS

Let's cut through the noise and focus on what AI in email marketing really means. Our panel will dig into how to give AI the context it needs to produce useful output, how to recognize when your prompts are steering results in the wrong direction, and how to stay in the driver's seat as the human who understands the brand, the audience, and the strategy. Whether you're just starting to experiment or looking to deepen your practice, this honest conversation will give you a clearer picture of where AI helps and where human judgment remains irreplaceable.

Key takeaways:

• Practical day-to-day applications of AI across the email production workflow, from ideation to performance analysis
• A framework for evaluating AI platforms based on your needs, not just what everyone else needs
• How to ensure AI produces accurate, on-brand outputs and how to spot and correct bias 

Kelly Haggard

VP, Marketing Innovation Synchrony / EEC Co-Chair

IS THE JUICE WORTH THE SQUEEZE?

Back by popular demand! In this lively session, we'll have an open forum where we email marketers can debate the merits of the hot topics of the day. AMP for email? Generative AI? Personalization? Let's debate! We'll open the floor to you, give you "Yes/No" paddles, and see where the hijinks take the conversation

Scott Cohen

CEO Inbox Army / EEC Co-Chair

STILL DELIVERING: THE FUTURE OF EMAIL MARKETING CAREERS IN A CHANNEL THAT KEEPS RAISING THE BAR

As the email channel matures, so do the questions: What does an email marketing career actually look like in five years? How do you stay relevant when the tools keep changing, org structures keep shifting, and layoffs keep reminding everyone that no role is untouchable? This session takes an candid look at where email marketing careers are headed. Which skills are growing in value, which roles are emerging, and the ones that are quietly being absorbed or automated. We'll talk about how to navigate layoffs and role transitions with your expertise intact, how to position yourself in a multi-channel world where email fluency is a feature but specialization alone may not be enough, and how to build a career trajectory that's as resilient as the programs you run.

Key Takeaways:

• How the email marketing skill set is evolving — and which capabilities position you for growth in a landscape increasingly shaped by AI, data, and cross-channel strategy
• How to navigate career disruption including layoffs, role consolidation, and organizational change without losing momentum or undervaluing your expertise
• What long-term career paths in email marketing look like in a multi-channel future, and how to frame your experience for roles that may not have existed when you started

Moderator: Karen Talavera

Founder & Principal Synchronicity Marketing

OMNICHANNEL SUBSCRIBERS & THE GROWING URGENCY TO MANAGE THEM BETTER

A small but growing percentage of your customers have opted into multiple digital marketing channels, such as email, SMS, and push. This group is so much more valuable than single-channel subscribers that every brand should be reevaluating their marketing programs through an omnichannel lens. What brands will find is they need to adapt their content, contact, and channel strategies to evolve from channel-oriented marketers to customer-centric, omnichannel-oriented marketers. You’ll leave this session with practical, actionable tips to better manage your omnichannel subscribers and increase cross-channel revenue.

Chad S. White

GVP of CRM Strategy, Zeta Global Author of “Email Marketing Rules” and nearly 4,000 articles and posts

TOP TAKEAWAYS / CLOSING REMARKS 

Kelly Haggard

VP, Marketing Innovation Synchrony / EEC Co-Chair