Marketing is entering an era where intelligence is no longer held in one place. It flows across people, platforms, data, technology and culture. Continuously shaping how brands understand, create and grow.
AI is accelerating this shift, giving marketers new capabilities to anticipate behaviour, personalise experiences, create at speed and make smarter decisions. But technology alone is not the advantage. The real opportunity lies in combining machine intelligence with human creativity, judgement and importantly, cultural understanding.
Collective Pulse: Powered by AI explores how marketers can harness this combined intelligence to build more relevant experiences, stronger connections and growth, while keeping humans firmly at the core.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Networking & Registration
MMA MENA Opening Remarks
The Collective Pulse: Marketing in an Age of Intelligent Growth
AI is changing not only what marketing can do, but how decisions are made, and how consumers are understood. This opening session explores the emergence of a new marketing model where human insight, creativity, data and machine intelligence operate together. What will differentiate the brands that simply use AI from those that build truly intelligent marketing organizations?
NEXT! in New Rules, New Responsibilities
As influencer marketing continues to grow, so does the need for clearer regulation. This panel will unpack the latest legislation shaping the industry, exploring what the new rules mean for brands, creators, and agencies. The audience will gain practical insights into compliance, transparency, and how to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape of influencer marketing.
NEXT! in State of AI: How Intelligence Is Reshaping Marketing
As AI moves from experimentation to everyday application, its impact on marketing is becoming clearer. Drawing on Kantar’s latest insights, this session explores how AI adoption is evolving and how it is changing consumer behavior. It will separate genuine progress from the hype and highlight what marketers should be paying attention to next.
NEXT! in Retail Media
Retail media is rapidly changing how brands connect media investment with consumer behaviour and purchase. As retailers unlock richer first-party data and AI improves targeting, personalisation and optimisation, the opportunity is moving far beyond advertising at the point of sale. This session explores where retail media is heading in the UAE, what brands and retailers need from one another, and what must improve across data, measurement and capability for it to become a more meaningful growth channel.
NEXT! in Influencer Effectiveness
Influencer marketing is becoming more sophisticated, but measurement has not always kept pace. Bringing the MMA Influencer Committee's new guidance to life, this session explores how brands can move beyond reach and engagement to understand genuine effectiveness from brand impact and incrementality to conversion and long-term value.
NEXT! in Arabic-First AI: Where Cultural Intelligence Meets Artificial Intelligence
AI is only as powerful as its understanding of the people it serves. This conversation explores how brands are combining Arabic language capability, local insight and human cultural understanding with AI to create experiences that genuinely connect. As personalisation becomes increasingly automated, what must remain distinctly human?