Agenda | MMA / Marketing + Media Alliance

Agenda

Marketing has entered a new era - the Age of Alliance.

In a world shaped by AI, data, and rapidly evolving technology, growth can no longer happen in silos. Success now depends on how well brands collaborate across ecosystems - aligning people, platforms, data, and partners around shared outcomes.

As AI accelerates speed and scale, trust, governance, and responsibility become collective challenges. As media, commerce, and customer experience converge, value is created through collaboration, not control. Marketing leaders must move from managing channels to orchestrating alliances - between brands and consumers, CMOs and CIOs, creativity and technology, humans and machines.

The Age of Alliance brings the industry together to explore how collaboration powers smarter AI, stronger trust, and sustainable growth.

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Standard

Networking & Registration

10:00 AM – 10:10 AM Standard

MMA Opening Remarks

10:10 AM – 10:30 AM Standard

NEXT! in The Age of Alliance: Why Growth Now Depends on Ecosystems, Not Campaigns

The era of single-brand, single-channel growth is over. The most successful marketers are shifting from campaign-centric thinking to ecosystem orchestration aligning brands, platforms, creators, retailers, and technology partners around shared outcomes. This session explores how AI, data, and commerce are forcing marketing leaders to rethink ownership, control, and collaboration, alongside of how “alliances” are becoming the new competitive advantage and what it takes to lead them.

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Standard

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.

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Standard

MMA Session

11:30 AM – 11:50 AM Standard

Coffe Break

11:50 AM – 12:10 PM Standard

MMA Session

12:10 PM – 12:30 PM Standard

NEXT! in Allies, Not Ads: Measuring Influencer ROI in the Age of Alliance

Influencer marketing is no longer just about reach, it’s about results. In the Age of Alliance, brands are forming smarter partnerships between marketing, creators, and data teams to drive measurable impact.

This session explores how to move beyond vanity metrics and measure true effectiveness from brand lift and incrementality to conversion and long-term value ensuring influencer investment delivers real business growth.

 

12:30 PM – 12:50 PM Standard

MMA Session

12:50 PM – 13:30 PM Standard

NEXT! From AI Pilots to AI Platforms

Everyone’s playing with GenAI. Few are truly scaling it.

This session unpacks how leading organisations are moving beyond experimentation and building real, enterprise-grade AI platforms, powered by a strong alliance among Marketing, IT, and Risk. We’ll explore how AI is supercharging content and creativity through smarter personalisation, faster production, and true scale without losing control of brand, governance, or data. What does it take to move AI from a shiny tool into a serious growth engine?

13:30 PM – 14:30 PM Standard

Savor & Connect: A Gourmet Networking Lunch Experience

14:40 PM – 15:00 PM Standard

MMA Session

15:00 PM – 15:30 PM Standard

NEXT! in Arabic-First AI: Designing Experiences That Truly Connect

AI is only as powerful as its cultural intelligence. This session explores how UAE brands are embedding Arabic language nuance, local context, and cultural relevance into AI-driven content, personalization, and customer experiences. Learn why localization is no longer just creative and how technical alliances across data, product, and marketing are shaping experiences that truly resonate.

15:30 PM – 16:00 PM Standard

NEXT! in Failures of the Age of Alliance

Not every partnership, AI pilot, or data initiative succeeds. In this candid session, senior leaders share lessons from what didn’t work and how those failures reshaped their approach to alliances, governance, and innovation. A rare opportunity to learn from real-world missteps and accelerate smarter decision-making.

16:00 PM – 16:15 PM Standard

MMA Closing Remarks