THE LEAD GEN INDUSTRY’S LARGEST EVENT

April 22 – 24, 2026 | MGM Grand, Las Vegas

2026 AGENDA

Wednesday - April 22, 2026

    9:00am – 5:00pm 8 Hrs
  • Registration Open

    9:00am – 5:00pm
  • 10:00am – 11:30am 1 Hr, 30 mins
  • Workshop: Data-Driven Strategies to Predict and Optimize Lead Quality

    10:00am – 11:30am

    In an era where lead volume often masks inefficiency, this workshop provides the technical and strategic framework to shift from reactive lead scoring to proactive quality optimization. Attendees will learn how to leverage predictive analytics and real-time feedback loops to identify high-value prospects before they enter the CRM, ensuring marketing spend is always aligned with sales outcomes.

    • Predictive Lead Modeling: Master the use of historical conversion data and machine learning signals to forecast the likelihood of a lead closing before it's even dialed.
    • Closed-Loop Optimization: Learn how to bridge the data gap between the call center and marketing platforms to feed "conversion success" signals back into your bidding algorithms.
    • Verification & Enrichment Tactics: Discover how to integrate third-party data layers to validate intent and enrich lead profiles, ensuring your sales team only focuses on transaction-ready opportunities.
  • Get More from Your Marketing: How to Align Vendors, Budgets & Goals to Maximize Lead Gen ROI

    10:00am – 11:30am

    If you're working with multiple marketing vendors, you already know the challenge. Everyone has their own reporting, their own priorities, and their own definition of success. Meanwhile you're the one responsible for making it all work together and delivering results.

    In this workshop, Chris Sheppard, VP of Digital Marketing at Tricoci University, shares the system he built to manage six marketing vendors across 15 campus locations. You'll learn how to find the right vendors, get them aligned with your actual business goals, set KPIs that matter, and build an accountability process that keeps everyone honest. We'll also dig into the interoperability side of things: how to map your tech stack, ask the right questions about platform compatibility, and create unified workflows so your vendors stop operating in silos.

    This isn't theory. It's the playbook Chris uses every day to coordinate SEO, SEM, paid social, CRO, and creative partners into a single cohesive marketing operation. You'll walk away with a downloadable Vendor Scorecard and KPI Tracker you can start using immediately.

    Whether you're managing two vendors or ten, this session will give you a practical framework for getting more out of every dollar and every partner.

    • Chris Sheppard

      Chris Sheppard

      Vice President of Digital Marketing // Tricoci University of Beauty Culture
  • 11:40am – 12:30pm 50 mins
  • Power Hour: Future-Proofing Your Personal Brand

    11:40am – 12:30pm
    • Goldie Chan

      Goldie Chan

      Founder // Warm Robots
  • Power Hour: The Revenue Relay: Eliminating Funnel Friction Between Marketing, Call Center & Sales

    11:40am – 12:30pm

    Unlock exponential growth by breaking down silos between your marketing, call center, and sales teams.  This session, led by Eric Peschke at Zintex Remodeling Group, will reveal actionable strategies to create seamless customer journeys, improve lead handoffs, and ensure consistent messaging across all touchpoints.  If you’re looking to learn how true departmental alignment drives higher conversion rates, boosts customer satisfaction, and optimizes your entire lead-to-revenue funnel, you cannot miss this session!

    Takeaways:

    • Strategies for creating unified goals and metrics across all three teams.
    • Methods for improving lead quality and conversion through seamless handoffs.
    • Tactics for fostering consistent customer experiences and messaging from first touch to close.
    • Eric Peschke

      Eric Peschke

      Vice President of Marketing // Zintex Remodeling Group
  • 12:00pm – 1:30pm 1 Hr, 30 mins
  • Lunch

    12:00pm – 1:30pm
    Heathos
  • 12:15pm – 1:15pm 1 Hr
  • Lunch + Learn

    12:15pm – 1:15pm
    Deluxe
  • Lunch + Learn

    12:15pm – 1:15pm
    Clerk Chat
  • 1:00pm – 1:40pm 40 mins
  • Automated Lead Nurturing: When it Works, Why, and How to Improve It

    1:00pm – 1:40pm

    This session presents cutting-edge research on the effectiveness of automated lead nurturing (ALN). The findings, based on data from two firms, challenge common industry claims and highlight how firms can identify when and why ALN truly adds value. Practical recommendations will help attendees optimize ALN to improve conversion outcomes in their own contexts.

    Determine Your ALN Fit: Learn to identify the specific business contexts and verticals where Advanced Lead Nurturing (ALN) provides the greatest uplift, and where it may be a misapplication of resources.

    • Maximize Value Through Information: Discover how to strategically deploy ALN to close critical information gaps between lead buyers and sellers, driving better qualification and mutual trust.
    • Accelerate Low-Friction Sales: Uncover the secrets to optimizing ALN for quick, lower-stakes, and first-time sales, immediately increasing your top-of-funnel conversion velocity.
    • The Personalization Payoff: Understand the critical relationship between automated, data-driven insights and the creation of highly personalized, high-quality human conversations, maximizing the final conversion event.
    • The Implementation Roadmap: Walk away with a practical, step-by-step framework on how to implement ALN within your existing tech stack to ensure maximum performance benefit.
    • Nathaniel	Hartmann

      Nathaniel Hartmann

      Associate Professor & Senior Research, Center for Marketing and Sales Innovation // University of South Florida
  • The Power of Strategic Friction: How OTPs Eliminate Fraud and Skyrocket Contact Rates

    1:00pm – 1:40pm

    While many marketers fear friction, adding a One-Time Passcode (OTP) requirement to your lead flow acts as a powerful filter that eliminates bot traffic and verifies high-intent human users. This verification step not only cleanses your data but also generates a higher-fidelity "signal" for ad platforms to optimize toward truly motivated prospects rather than empty form-fills. By implementing this layer of resistance, you simultaneously strengthen your compliance audit trail and ensure your sales team focuses only on leads that are reachable and ready to talk.  Join us for this session where our industry experts will share insights around:

    • Defeating Automated Fraud: Learn how to deploy OTPs as a definitive barrier against sophisticated bot traffic, ensuring every lead entering your CRM is tied to a legitimate, active device.
    • Algorithmic Optimization: Discover how to feed "OTP-Verified" signals back into Google and Meta to train their bidding algorithms on high-intent intent rather than low-quality volume.
    • The Compliance Advantage: Understand how the OTP process provides an "ironclad" timestamp and verification of user intent, significantly strengthening your proof of opt-in consent for TCPA regulations.
    • Peter Colon

      Peter Colon

      President // Stress Free Health Options
    • Shane McIntyre

      Shane McIntyre

      CEO // Elevarus
  • Optimizing Paid Search Affiliate Partnerships: Is There a Limit to Success?

    1:00pm – 1:40pm

    Join us for this discussion around whether advertisers should limit the total number of paid search affiliates they partner with.  This session will be a deep dive into:

    • Understanding whether partnering with paid search affiliates aligns with your brand’s in-house marketing strategy.
    • Learning how to determine the right number of affiliates to work with—whether that means limiting partnerships or expanding broadly.
    • Knowing what to look for when evaluating which paid search affiliates are credible and trustworthy.
    • Jessica Dolnick

      Jessica Dolnick

      Director of Affiliate & Online Marketing // Applied Mind
    • Cooper Schwartz

      Cooper Schwartz

      Head of New Business & Growth // Money Group
    • Nick	Downarowicz

      Nick Downarowicz

      Vice President, Affiliate Marketing & Partnerships // Debt.com
    • Amro Naddy

      Amro Naddy

      Product and Business Leader, Founder // Naddy Consulting
  • 1:50pm – 2:30pm 40 mins
  • From Competition to Collaboration: A New Era in Lead Buying

    1:50pm – 2:30pm

    What happens when you bring 10 companies together and ask them to share performance data to strengthen the entire ecosystem?  The answer might surprise you.  Join us to explore how industry participants are using platforms that deliver high-quality auto and home leads from trusted publishers—using a pricing model that achieves close rates nearly double the industry average.  Hear from two of the nation’s largest agents as they reveal how this innovative approach is transforming the way leads are bought and sold.

    • Jonathan Gaudio

      Jonathan Gaudio

      Agency Owner // Allstate
    • Jacob Morgan

      Jacob Morgan

      Agency Owner // Farmers Insurance
    • Jay Reever

      Jay Reever

      Co-founder // LeadSwami
    • Joey Liner

      Joey Liner

      Chief Consultant & Strategist // Liner Connections
  • Attracting and Retaining High-Value Healthcare Patients

    1:50pm – 2:30pm

    High-value healthcare patient acquisition requires an integrated approach that aligns targeting, messaging, and experience. This session breaks down how leading healthcare brands attract premium patients at the top of the funnel - and convert them into loyal, long-term relationships through a luxury patient experience.

    • Acquire The Lead: Reach high-value patients before competitors by combining traditional SEO, AI search, and PPC.
    • Deliver The Experience: Turn inquiries into high-value patients through consultation flow, messaging, and brand positioning that build trust.
    • Design for Lifetime Value: See how aligning acquisition metrics with the in-practice experience transforms marketing from lead generation into a growth engine.

    This session connects advanced digital acquisition strategies with real-world patient systems. Designed for marketers and operators focused on quality over quantity, trust over traffic, and lifetime value over cost per lead.

    • Nicole Molochkova

      Nicole Molochkova

      Director of Operations // dr. alex
    • Dr. Alex Rubinov

      Dr. Alex Rubinov

      Cosmetic Dentist // dr. alex
    • Michael Melen

      Michael Melen

      Co-founder // SmartSites
  • Data Quality: The Hidden Driver of Performance

    1:50pm – 2:30pm

    As performance marketing scales through automation and AI, data quality has become the defining factor between growth and wasted spend. This panel brings together leaders from Invoca, eHealth, and VMS (an ActiveProspect company) to examine how accurate, compliant, and intent-rich data drives better customer experiences, stronger attribution, and measurable revenue outcomes.

    Moderated by Tim Finnigan, with Michelle Barbeau, CRO of eHealth and Gregg Johnson, CEO Of Invoca, the discussion will explore how poor data quality impacts every stage of the funnel, from lead acquisition to conversion and lifetime value and why organizations must treat data trust as a core business priority, not just a technical concern. 

    Attendees will leave with practical insights on improving data quality, aligning teams around shared accountability, and using AI responsibly to turn data into a competitive advantage.

    • Michelle Barbeau

      Michelle Barbeau

      Chief Revenue Officer // eHealth
    • Gregg Johnson

      Gregg Johnson

      CEO // Invoca
    • Tim Finnigan

      Tim Finnigan

      Head of Growth Marketing // ActiveProspect
  • 2:30pm – 3:00pm 30 mins
  • Afternoon Networking Break

    2:30pm – 3:00pm
    Heathos
  • 3:00pm – 3:45pm 45 mins
  • Beyond the Lead: Integrating Identity Resolution and Behavioral Intent into the Modern Funnel

    3:00pm – 3:45pm
    • Steve Rafferty

      Steve Rafferty

      CEO // ActiveProspect
    • Matt Lohman

      Matt Lohman

      Managing Director of Marketing Solutions // ActiveProspect
  • 4:00pm – 5:30pm 1 Hr, 30 mins
  • Welcome Pool Party

    4:00pm – 5:30pm
    AWL
    Leads.io
    Summit Direct Mail

Thursday - April 23, 2026

    8:00am – 5:00pm 9 Hrs
  • Breakfast

    8:00am
  • Registration Open

    8:00am – 5:00pm
  • 8:30am
  • Opening Remarks

    8:30am
    • Ian McRae

      Ian McRae

      Senior Director, Content & Editorial // LeadsCon
  • 8:35am – 9:15am 40 mins
  • Executive Insights: How Aetna is Realizing Growth in 2026

    8:35am – 9:15am

    PX executives and industry leaders dissect the results of their landmark survey for the performance marketing arena. This keynote provides the essential 5-year forecast for executive decision-makers. We will reveal critical shifts in budget allocation, the rise of Agentic AI, the final death of third-party data, and the new non-obvious KPIs that separate profitable growth strategies from unsustainable volume. Walk away with the strategic roadmap needed to future-proof your lead generation and performance investments.

    • Joe Nicholson

      Joe Nicholson

      Executive Director of Strategic Marketing // Aetna CVS Health
    • Sean R. Kalub

      Sean R. Kalub

      Executive Vice President of Video Investments // Havas Edge
    • Ian McRae

      Ian McRae

      Senior Director, Content & Editorial // LeadsCon
    PX – for agenda
  • 9:15am – 10:00am 45 mins
  • A New State of Performance Marketing: The Next 5 Years

    9:15am – 10:00am

    Imagining just how performance marketing will function down the road is difficult to forecast.  How will people express intent?  Will traditional lead forms survive, or will capture move seamlessly into everyday interactions?  Join us for this year's in-depth keynote session with leading experts in the industry who will explore how futuristic marketers can: 

    • Meet the consumer where they are, as behaviour, channels, and intent capture evolve over the next five years.
    • Break down fragmentation across the ecosystem by unifying lead supply, verification, and routing into one connected workflow.
    • Use automation and real-time data to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce middle layers, and improve the quality and speed of every lead transaction 
    • Bas Offers

      Bas Offers

      COO & Co-founder // PX
    • Amy Zimmerman

      Amy Zimmerman

      Chief Marketing Officer // Florida Window & Door
    PX – for agenda
  • 10:00am
  • Expo Hall Open

    10:00am
  • 10:45am – 11:25am 40 mins
  • From Click to Close: How AI + NLP Are Rewriting the Lead Gen Playbook

    10:45am – 11:25am
    • Christina Johnson

      Christina Johnson

      Vice President of Marketing // Artisan Family of Brands
    • Arvell Craig

      Arvell Craig

      AI Evangelist // VAgents
    • Daniel Tobin

      Daniel Tobin

      Chief Commercial Officer, B2C // MVF Global
    SmartFinancial
    GEO + AI + the Future of Growth
  • Home Services: Measuring the Impact of the Current State of Consolidation

    10:45am – 11:25am

    Private equity-led consolidation in the home services sector is fundamentally reshaping how lead flow is managed across regional and national footprints. This session examines the critical friction points in contact centers as they transition from fragmented local operations to centralized, high-volume hubs. Attendees will gain a data-driven framework for measuring performance and maintaining lead quality during large-scale M&A integration.

    • Centralized Lead Management: Identify the key metrics—like speed-to-lead and conversion variance—that often suffer during the transition to a unified contact center model.
    • Attribution Complexity: Learn how to maintain clear ROI visibility when merging disparate CRM data and lead sources into a consolidated tech stack.
    • Negotiating Power & Partnerships: Understand how consolidation changes the power dynamic between lead sellers and larger, unified lead buyers, and how to adapt your pricing and account management strategies accordingly.
    • John Pohl

      John Pohl

      President // Springs Connect
    • Keith Sinnott

      Keith Sinnott

      Senior Vice President // Homefix Custom Remodeling
  • The Lead Gen Tug-of-War: Aligning Incentives Between Buyers and Sellers

    10:45am – 11:25am

    This panel brings together veteran lead buyers and sellers to dissect the friction points that often derail partnerships, from mismatched success metrics to the "aggregation vs. first-party" debate. Through a candid discussion on transparency and fraud detection, we provide a roadmap for building trust-based relationships that move beyond the transaction to drive long-term ROI.

    •  Learn how to reconcile the seller’s focus on volume and contactability with the buyer’s focus on Sales Acceptance Rate (SAR) and lifetime value (LTV).
    • Master the vetting techniques used by elite teams to spot bot traffic, incentivized leads, and recycled data before it enters your CRM.
    • Understand the operational nuances of scaling with exclusive first-party leads versus the cost-efficiencies of shared aggregated traffic—and when to choose each.
    • Discover the specific "proof-of-origin" and data-lineage questions that transform a standard vendor relationship into a strategic, litigation-proof partnership.
    • Joe Laskowski

      Joe Laskowski

      Founder and CEO // Policy Voyage Insurance / Saguaro Global Consulting
  • Scaling Lead Gen with AI Voice and the Future of Automated Calling

    10:45am – 11:25am

    As AI voice technology shifts from a novelty to an operational necessity, companies are leveraging it to slash OPEX and revolutionize the traditional outbound dialing model. This session explores the intersection of automated compliance, operational efficiency, and the future of human-like interaction, providing a roadmap for integrating AI voice into your lead generation funnel.

    • Operational Efficiency & Cost Reduction: Learn how to replace high-cost internal and external OPEX with scalable AI voice solutions that maintain high conversion rates without the overhead of a traditional call center.
    • Automated Compliance at Scale: Discover how AI-driven dialing can mitigate regulatory risks by ensuring 100% adherence to evolving compliance standards in real-time.
    • Enhancing the Customer Experience: Gain insights into how modern AI voice can improve the consumer journey by providing instant, natural-sounding engagement that bridges the gap between automation and human empathy.
    • Brock Thompson

      Brock Thompson

      Vice President // QuoteWizard by LendingTree
    • John Henson

      John Henson

      Founder // Henson Legal
    • Matt Fraser

      Matt Fraser

      GM of Insurance // ActiveProspect
    • Amrish Singh

      Amrish Singh

      CEO // Liberate
    ActiveProspect – agenda
    Lead Quality + Measurement
  • 11:00am – 11:30am 30 mins
  • Healthcare Meetup

    11:00am – 11:30am

    Connect with fellow healthcare marketers and lead gen professionals for an open, peer-driven discussion on the challenges, trends, and realities shaping healthcare lead generation today. Share insights, compare notes, and build meaningful connections with others navigating this complex space.

  • 11:30am – 12:00pm 30 mins
  • Home Services Meetup

    11:30am – 12:00pm

    Connect with fellow home services marketers and lead gen professionals for an open, peer-driven discussion on the challenges, trends, and realities shaping home services lead generation today. Share insights, compare notes, and build meaningful connections with others navigating this complex space.

  • 11:35am – 12:15pm 40 mins
  • High-Velocity Conversion: How to Master AI and Optimize Your Contact Center to Maximize Growth

    11:35am – 12:15pm

    The contact center is no longer just a service operation—it is the front line where compliance risk and high-value customer conversion collide.  The landscape around customer contact is changing faster than ever, with new FCC rulings, state mini-TCPAs, and the need for rigorous, ethical AI deployment creating constant operational pressure.

    • The AI Compliance Audit: Discover the key questions to ask AI-driven vendors to ensure their scoring, scripting, and automation tools do not introduce new regulatory liability.
    • Maximizing Agent Efficiency: Gain a framework for advanced contact center routing and agent training that prioritizes high-LTV leads and maximizes conversion rates on the first call.
    • Vendor Accountability Framework: Walk away with actionable strategies for auditing and optimizing BPO partners to ensure brand consistency, data security, and contractual accountability.
    • Brad Cooper

      Brad Cooper

      Chief Operating Officer // SmartFinancial
    SmartFinancial
    GEO + AI + the Future of Growth
  • Advancing Performance Marketing: The Leadership Edge

    11:35am – 12:15pm

    Building on the foundation of human-centered leadership, this session takes the next step in our evolution as performance marketing professionals. We'll examine how our daily assumptions shape our interactions and explore what it means to be "examined humans" in leadership roles.

    In this age of AI automation, there's an ever-increasing need to develop our skills as human beings. We'll discuss how to leverage technology while enhancing authentic human-to-human interactions that drive real business results.

    This focused gathering will explore building genuine belonging within our teams and organizations while examining our personal evolution as leaders who prioritize human connection alongside business metrics. Join us for an honest conversation about growing into the leaders our industry needs—ones who understand that improving the human condition is essential to sustainable business success.

    • Sean-Reed McGee

      Sean-Reed McGee

      Chief Executive Officer // Back2Learn Inc.
    • Ndala Booker

      Ndala Booker

      Consultant // NdalaLive, LLC
  • Video Is No Longer Optional in Lead Gen

    11:35am – 12:15pm

    In an era where AI handles the tactical division of media buying, human empathy and trust have become the ultimate competitive advantages for lead generators. This session explores how high-stakes categories are moving to embrace video as a 
    driver for building authority, increased performance, and creating/nurturing/capturing intent in the consumer journey.

    • Unlocking the Trust Economy: Why 82% of consumers view video creators as the most trusted voices and how to leverage that trust to lower CPAs in complex industries.
    • Building a Video Powerhouse: Practical insights from a creator network and also the specific skill sets required for a modern  video team.
    • Capturing Early Intent: Strategies to insert your brand into the consumer journeys that begin with discovery on video
    • Performance That Lasts: Why video drives 2.3x higher long-term ROAS 
    • Don Batsford

      Don Batsford

      Head of Industry // Google
    • Gregory Powel

      Gregory Powel

      CEO // Money Group
  • Making Predictive Analytics Work: The Executive Playbook for Marketing Performance

    11:35am – 12:15pm

    Discover how to leverage predictive analytics to drive ROI without getting lost in the technical jargon. While predictive capabilities consistently improve marketing outcomes, numerous leaders hesitate to adopt them due to perceived complexity. This presentation eliminates those obstacles, showing how your teams can deploy forecasting methods to revolutionize strategic planning. Explore techniques for utilizing current data assets to anticipate prospect actions, enhance initiative effectiveness, and create tailored interactions that generate measurable impact. With actionable frameworks and clear implementation roadmaps, you'll learn to embed forecasting capabilities into your marketing operations—no specialized platforms or analytics PhDs required. 

    • Straightforward tactics for customer segmentation through forecasting methods
    • Actionable frameworks for refining media spend and scheduling decisions
    • Techniques for pinpointing and cultivating your most profitable prospects
    • Scalable implementation blueprints, from initial tests to enterprise-wide rollout
    • Case studies with quantified business results
    • Katherine	Harvill

      Katherine Harvill

      Vice President, Offline Marketing and Marketing Operations // Pennymac
    • Jessica Hawthorne-Castro

      Jessica Hawthorne-Castro

      CEO // Hawthorne Advertising
    ActiveProspect – agenda
    Lead Quality + Measurement
  • 12:00pm – 1:30pm 1 Hr, 30 mins
  • Lunch

    12:00pm – 1:30pm
    Heathos
  • 12:30pm – 1:30pm 1 Hr
  • Lunch + Learn: Stop Missing Leads - How Branded Calling Drives Answer Rates + Results

    12:30pm – 1:30pm

    Reaching your leads shouldn’t be so hard — yet today’s consumers are increasingly hesitant to answer unknown calls due to rising concerns about fraud and call spoofing. With nearly 90% of business calls to consumers going unanswered, connecting with prospects has never been more challenging.  In this session, you'll learn how TransUnion® Rich Branded Calling solutions help organizations increase outbound contact rates by displaying your company’s name, logo and reason for calling directly on the recipient’s mobile screen.

    • How branded calling establishes instant trust by displaying your company’s name, logo and a reason for calling, helping prospects feel confident answering the phone
    • A first-hand account from one of the largest mortgage servicers in the US on how implementing branded calling improved business outcomes, increased customer trust and boosted key performance metrics
    • How these improvements led to more engaged customers and higher lead conversion rates.
    • Mick Moss

      Mick Moss

      Senior Director, Product Management // TransUnion
    • Sam	Toema

      Sam Toema

      Industry Solutions Executive // TransUnion
    TransUnion
  • Lunch + Learn: Speed to Lead – The Secret to Sales Success

    12:30pm – 1:30pm

    Getting the attention of a targeted prospect is a major milestone in the sales process. However the next steps are what really drive the business. Speed to Lead specifically impacts conversion rates. Faster responses always outperform delayed processes and programs. This session will share ways to strategically elevate Speed to Lead, review the key metrics, and help sales and marketing teams surpass their conversion, pipeline, and revenue growth goals. 

    Speed to Lead is a revenue problem, not a sales problem. It is all about alignment and building the systems, routing, and automation to do the heavy lifting and helping sales reps to spend more time selling.  Attendees will learn to consistently overcome key Speed to Lead blockers, leading to measurable revenue success:

    • Align Sales and Marketing – Ensure all team members are always driving to the same pipeline and revenue goal
    • Build the Right Tech Stack – Make sure your tech stack does not inhibit Speed to Lead and is always tracking to the right metrics to make sure you are exceeding goals
    • Set Clear Expectations of Resources – One size does not fit all and it is critical for GTM leaders to set very clear expectations on systems and resources to focus on and achieve Speed to Lead, helping sales to achieve pipeline and revenue goals. 
    • Shawn Finder

      Shawn Finder

      Vice President, Business Development // VanillaSoft
    VanillaSoft
  • 1:30pm – 2:00pm 30 mins
  • Insurance Meetup

    1:30pm – 2:00pm

    Connect with fellow insurance marketers and lead gen professionals for an open, peer-driven discussion on the challenges, trends, and realities shaping insurance lead generation today. Share insights, compare notes, and build meaningful connections with others navigating this complex space.

  • 1:45pm – 2:30pm 45 mins
  • From SEO to GEO: Winning Leads in the New Age of AI Search

    1:45pm – 2:30pm

    The rise of AI chat engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity is changing how customers discover brands and how leads are generated. This session introduces Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as the next frontier of both search and performance marketing. You’ll learn how early adopters are capturing AI-driven leads before their competitors and how they are transitioning away from traditional search. Join GEO expert James O’Loughlin and VIPER’s Director of Marketing Seth Halstead as they share their insights into this explosive lead generator.

    Takeaways:

    • Understand how AI search (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) is reshaping the lead funnel
    • Learn the core principles of GEO and how it extends beyond SEO
    • Case study on VIPER Car Alarms - Viper.com
    • Seth Halstead

      Seth Halstead

      Director of Marketing // VOXX by Gentex Corporation / VIPER
    • James O’Loughlin

      James O’Loughlin

      Founder & CEO // GEOGrow / Pixaura Digital Marketing
    SmartFinancial
    GEO + AI + the Future of Growth
  • The Hybrid Engine: Balancing AI and Human Touch to Scale Your Lead Generation Journey

    1:45pm – 2:30pm

    This session explores the critical balance between cutting-edge automation and essential human interaction in building a high-volume, high-conversion lead generation funnel.  Our panel of experts will dive into mapping a customer journey that leverages AI for efficiency while preserving the authentic human connection required to close high-intent leads.

    • Identify the "Hand-off" Points: Learn exactly where to deploy AI for scale and where to re-introduce human touch to prevent drop-off in the funnel.
    • Optimize for Volume and Quality: Discover how to use AI-driven personalization to increase lead volume without diluting the quality of your pipeline.
    • Future-Proof Your Strategy: Gain a framework for auditing your current customer journey to eliminate friction and optimize for both speed and empathy.
    • Eric Kozak

      Eric Kozak

      Performance Marketing Leader // American Standard, LIXIL
    • Robin Spencer

      Robin Spencer

      Chief Operating Officer // Faraday
    • Jason Scott Shatzkamer

      Jason Scott Shatzkamer

      CEO and Principal Co-founder // outboundIQ
  • The $100 Million Risk: Defending Your Funnel Against Modern Privacy Litigation

    1:45pm – 2:30pm

    This session will dissect the rapid escalation of privacy litigation targeting the lead generation ecosystem, with a specific focus on the intersection of marketing technology and consumer protection laws like the TCPA and CIPA.  We will analyze the tactics used by "professional plaintiffs" to exploit technical vulnerabilities in consent flows and provide a blueprint for fortifying your innovative strategies against class-action exposure without stifling growth.

    • Identify Hidden Risks: Learn to spot the specific tracking technologies (pixels, session replay scripts, and chatbots) that are currently triggering the highest volume of wiretapping and privacy lawsuits.
    • Operationalize Defense: Acquire actionable strategies for implementing "litigator-proof" consent architectures that withstand legal scrutiny while maintaining conversion rates.
    • Automate Compliance: Understand how to leverage compliance automation to detect and block known litigators from your funnel before they capture data.
    • Patricia Brum

      Patricia Brum

      Partner // Snell & Wilmer
    • AdoLisa Ezeagu

      AdoLisa Ezeagu

      Managing Attorney // Magen Legal Services LLC
    • Richart Ruddie

      Richart Ruddie

      Founder // Compliance Captain
  • The Lead Buyer’s Audit: Mastering High-Stakes Partnerships and Scalable Success

    1:45pm – 2:30pm

    Moving beyond surface-level metrics, this session between Senja Spellman and Dave Evans dives into the rigorous questioning and operational frameworks used by elite marketers to vet, manage, and scale lead vendor relationships.  You will discover how to differentiate between temporary performance dips and fundamental "early-broken" signals, ensuring your organizational readiness matches your traffic quality.  By shifting the focus from simple lead delivery to deep-funnel alignment, this session provides the blueprint for building resilient partnerships that thrive under the pressure of rapid growth.

    • The Disqualification Playbook: Master the high-friction questions that expose vendor weaknesses early, shifting from "exciting" sales pitches to the hard truths about lead origin, branding transparency, and messaging consistency.
    • Performance Diagnostics vs. Blame: Learn a systematic framework to diagnose performance drops by isolating variables—distinguishing between poor traffic quality, internal process friction, or a lack of organizational readiness—before pulling the plug on a source.
    • Evolution of Scale: Understand the critical transition from "check-in" calls to "performance" calls, identifying which standardized protocols must be locked down and where tactical flexibility is required to maintain longevity as volume increases.
    • Dave Evans

      Dave Evans

      Digital Marketing Operations Manager // DaBella
    • Senja Spelman

      Senja Spelman

      Founder & CEO // Sisu Synergy
    ActiveProspect – agenda
    Lead Quality + Measurement
  • 2:00pm – 2:30pm 30 mins
  • Financial Services Meetup

    2:00pm – 2:30pm

    Connect with fellow financial services marketers and lead gen professionals for an open, peer-driven discussion on the challenges, trends, and realities shaping financial services lead generation today. Share insights, compare notes, and build meaningful connections with others navigating this complex space.

  • 2:30pm – 3:15pm 45 mins
  • Afternoon Networking Break

    2:30pm – 3:15pm
    Heathos
  • 2:40pm – 3:00pm 20 mins
  • Speed Demos

    2:40pm – 3:00pm

    Dive into a dynamic showcase where industry experts and innovators present their cutting-edge solutions in lightning-fast sessions. Harnessing the power of brevity, these speed demos offer a rapid-fire exploration of the latest tools, strategies, and technologies revolutionizing lead generation. Engage with top-tier vendors and network with fellow attendees as you discover new avenues for capturing and converting leads! Here’s the schedule:

    2:40pm - Regal
    2:45pm - Marketboats
    2:50pm - Anura
    2:55pm - Contact Center Compliance
    3:00pm - IDI

  • 3:15pm – 4:00pm 45 mins
  • B2B Meetup

    3:15pm – 3:45pm

    Connect with fellow B2B marketers and lead gen professionals for an open, peer-driven discussion on the challenges, trends, and realities shaping B2B lead generation today. Share insights, compare notes, and build meaningful connections with others navigating this complex space.

  • The Rise of Agentic AI

    3:15pm – 4:00pm
    SmartFinancial
    GEO + AI + the Future of Growth
  • From Attribution to Incremental Value: What It Really Takes to Be Data-Driven in Modern Marketing

    3:15pm – 4:00pm

    Marketing leaders are under pressure to prove impact in an environment where last-click attribution is breaking down and AI-driven platforms demand better signals. This session explores what “data-driven” actually means today, moving beyond channel metrics to incrementality, revenue-based outcomes. Drawing from a real-world collaboration between COUNTRY Financial and Level, we’ll show how lead scoring can be used in advertising to identify higher quality prospects and drive greater investment value across the funnel.

    • Ryan Staniak

      Ryan Staniak

      Head of Digital Client Experience // COUNTRY Financial
    • Nicole Jennings

      Nicole Jennings

      Executive Vice President, Service Delivery // Level Agency
  • The Insurance Exchange: Decoding the Buyer’s Mindset and Closing the Capability Gap

    3:15pm – 4:00pm

    This high-stakes session pulls back the curtain on the multi-billion dollar insurance lead market, featuring a candid, "no-guards-up" dialogue between the sellers and buyers who hold the budgets.  We move past the sales pitch to explore the specific friction points that cause multi-million dollar deals to stall, from transparency failures to integration bottlenecks.  Whether you are navigating the nuances of Auto, Health, or Life, you will learn exactly how to align your supply with the rigorous quality and compliance standards of the industry's carriers.

    • The Anatomy of a Deal-Killer: Identify the specific "red flags"—from unbranded creative to lack of real-time transparency—that immediately disqualify sellers in the eyes of enterprise insurance brands.
    • Architecting the "First 90 Days": Master the precise sequence of questions and data-sharing protocols required to move a relationship from a "test budget" to a permanent, high-volume seat on the carrier’s panel.
    • The Value Beyond the Lead: Discover how the most successful sellers leverage "post-lead" feedback loops and disposition data to become indispensable strategic partners rather than easily replaceable commodity vendors.
    • Kiruba Eswaren

      Kiruba Eswaren

      CEO // Eleos Life
    • Greg Dobak

      Greg Dobak

      Founder and CEO // Blue Ink Digital
  • The 360 Perspective: Establishing Accountability Across Your Lead Pipeline

    3:15pm – 4:00pm
    • John Glaser

      John Glaser

      Senior Channel Manager, Lead Generation // Kohler
    • Bastian Cowsert

      Bastian Cowsert

      General Manager, Home Services // PX
    ActiveProspect – agenda
    Lead Quality + Measurement
  • 3:45pm – 4:15pm 30 mins
  • Affiliate & Agencies Meetup

    3:45pm – 4:15pm

    Connect with fellow affiliate & agency marketers and lead gen professionals for an open, peer-driven discussion on the challenges, trends, and realities shaping affiliate & agency lead generation today. Share insights, compare notes, and build meaningful connections with others navigating this complex space.

  • 4:00pm – 5:00pm 1 Hr
  • Happy Hour

    4:00pm – 5:00pm

Friday - April 24, 2026

    9:00am
  • Exhibit Hall Opens + Breakfast

    9:00am
  • 8:00am – 12:00pm 4 Hrs
  • Registration Open

    8:00am – 12:00pm
  • 9:30am – 10:15am 45 mins
  • How Behavioral Economics Are Impacting Lead Generation

    9:30am – 10:15am

    Traditional economics assumes rational behavior; Behavioral Economics proves otherwise. Havas Edge Chief Economist Thomas Thompson explores the disconnect between what marketers offer and what consumers choose to do, showing how predictable human biases result in lost revenue. This session provides a framework for diagnosing and correcting conversion roadblocks rooted in decision-making psychology, helping you maximize the profit extracted from every click and impression.

    • Thomas J. Thompson

      Thomas J. Thompson

      Chief Economist // Havas Edge
  • 10:15am – 10:55am 40 mins
  • Keeping it Real: AI in Lead Gen & Compliance

    10:15am – 10:55am

    As AI moves from a "nice-to-have" to the engine of the modern funnel, the line between innovation and litigation has never been thinner.  Join this unvarnished, high-stakes discussion as lead gen's leading authorities pull back the curtain on the reality of using Generative and Agentic AI in a strictly regulated environment.  We’ll cut through the marketing hype to address the real issues and challenges facing the industry in the next few years ahead.

    • Lindsay Stone

      Lindsay Stone

      Senior Vice President // LeadsPedia
    • Isaac Shloss

      Isaac Shloss

      Chief Product Officer // Contact Center Compliance
    • Olly Whittle

      Olly Whittle

      Co-founder // AIVI
  • 11:00am – 11:40am 40 mins
  • The Co-Reg Comeback: Modernizing Low-CPL Acquisition for High-Volume Growth

    11:00am – 11:40am

    For too long, co-registration has been treated as a "forgotten" channel or a source for low-intent volume.  This session rehabilitates co-reg by showcasing how to use modern identity resolution and filtering tools to turn these high-volume leads into high-intent customers.  We will dive into the specific mechanics of traffic acquisition, demonstrating how to bridge the gap between "cheap data" and "useful tools" through strategic orchestration and real-time validation.

    • Engineering the Opt-In Path: Learn how to design co-registration flows that prioritize transparency and user intent, moving away from "hidden" checkboxes to high-engagement, one-to-one consent models.
    • The Modern Tech Stack Audit: Identify the specific validation and scoring tools available today that filter out bots and stale data in real-time, effectively turning a raw data stream into a precision-targeted sales funnel.
    • Acquisition & Traffic Diversification: Discover the primary traffic sources currently fueling the most successful co-reg programs and how to balance your media mix between native, social, and search to maintain a steady, high-quality lead flow.

    For a long time, co-registration has been treated like the bargain bin of lead generation; high volume, low expectations, and very little engineering behind it.  During this can't-miss discussion, we want to show you what happens when co-reg is rebuilt with modern identity resolution, real-time validation, and intent engineering, and why it is becoming one of the most efficient low-CPL growth channels again.

    • Penny Lee

      Penny Lee

      Chief Strategy Officer, Performance Division // Rank Media Agency
    • Erik Josowitz

      Erik Josowitz

      SVP, Technology and Strategy // AWL
  • 11:45am – 12:30pm 45 mins
  • How Generative AI Is Rewiring the Marketing Funnel

    11:45am – 12:30pm

    Generative AI is reshaping how buyers discover and evaluate brands. With LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini influencing ~20% of search behavior and Google’s AI Overview appearing in 25%+ of queries (~75B/month), the traditional funnel is being rewired. Buyers now form opinions and shortlist solutions inside AI-generated answers. This session explores how marketers can adapt using AEO/GEO strategies to drive stronger visibility, better lead quality, and measurable pipeline impact in an AI-first discovery landscape.

    • How generative AI is changing awareness, consideration, and lead generation.
    • How to improve visibility in AI Overview and leading LLMs using AEO/GEO.
    • Why AI-driven discovery produces fewer but higher-intent leads.
    • The new KPIs: citation share, AI visibility, and pipeline influence.
    • Tools and real-world examples showing how brands are turning AI visibility into qualified leads and conversion growth.
    • Prashant Puri

      Prashant Puri

      CEO & Co-Founder // AdLift
  • 1:00pm
  • Expo Hall Closes

    1:00pm