All 2026 Conference Sessions

Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo dives deep into key topics for CMOs and marketing leaders around marketing strategy, customer experience strategy, marketing analytics, data management and more, helping you tackle your organization’s most critical challenges.

2026 Conference Theme

Build What’s Next: Marketing Leadership in the Age of AI

Technology and shifting customer engagement are redefining marketing’s future. CMOs must lead strategic, structural, and cultural transformation to drive growth and build trust. The future is being decided now—be the one who shapes what comes next.

Explore our conference sessions below, all developed with this theme in mind.

View track descriptions to ensure you select sessions that best fit your needs.

 

Discover the strategic process behind crafting the conference agenda.
Find conference sessions

There are many sessions happening each day. Filter to see sessions that align with your role and interests. After registering for the conference, craft your agenda and book priority sessions — all through Conference Navigator.

Show Filters

Filter Sessions Cancel
Clear All See 21 Sessions No Results
Showing 21 Sessions
Clear All
Monday, June 08, 2026

09:30 AM - 10:15 AM MDT

Gartner Opening Keynote: Supercharging Marketing’s AI Advantage ─ Leading the Race to 2030
Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone, VP, Advisory, Gartner
Jay Wilson, VP Analyst, Gartner
AI isn't just a tool, it is redefining what's possible in Marketing. Gartner’s opening keynote will reveal the three stages of AI maturity and why so many organizations get stuck in the “messy middle." We will uncover pitfalls to avoid and strategies to unlock true AI Advantage, to outpace the competition and set the standard for 2030 and beyond, regardless of where you are on your AI journey. ... Show More Show Less

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM MDT

Signature Series: 2026 CMO Spend Survey ─ Key Insights to Shape Your Marketing Strategy
Ewan McIntyre, VP Analyst, Gartner
Gartner’s 2026 CMO Spend Survey reveals how AI is transforming marketing budgets, customer journeys and channel strategies. Join this session to discover the top findings, understand the challenges facing CMOs and learn Gartner’s recommendations for adapting your marketing strategy in a rapidly evolving landscape. ... Show More Show Less

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM MDT

The Most Important Skills to Future-Proof Your Marketing Function
Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone, VP, Advisory, Gartner
Fewer than half of CMOs surpass C-suite expectations, despite hitting commercial targets. However, market-shaper CMOs are 88% more likely to exceed CEO and CFO expectations. This session explores the skills and competencies that set market-shaper CMOs and their teams apart, along with how to build and promote these traits internally. ... Show More Show Less

01:45 PM - 02:15 PM MDT

The T-Shirt, the Bean Counter and the Boss — How to Maximize the CMO-CFO-CEO Relationship
Chris Ross, VP Analyst, Gartner
CMOs thrive when they build strong, collaborative partnerships with CFOs and CEOs. This session reveals how to assess leadership’s marketing expertise, set clear expectations and align marketing with business goals. Learn actionable strategies to foster trust, improve communication and create resilient executive relationships that drive company success. ... Show More Show Less

01:45 PM - 02:15 PM MDT

Executive Story: How to Deliver Digital Transformation at Scale
Lacretia Marsh, Sr Principal, Advisory, Gartner
Join us for this exclusive fireside chat, offering an inside look at how an ambitious, multiyear transformation journey brought global digital operations in-house to meet bold performance targets. Discover how this initiative accelerated innovation and embedded AI-driven methods to significantly reduce costs and speed up time to market. ... Show More Show Less

01:45 PM - 02:30 PM MDT

Ask the Expert: How AI Is Changing Marketing Agencies and How You Can Adapt
Philip Black, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
Join this session to discover how marketing agencies are evolving with AI capabilities — and how you can leverage these innovations for maximum impact. Bring your questions to a Gartner expert in this interactive session. ... Show More Show Less

03:30 PM - 05:00 PM MDT

CMO Circle Research Discussion: From Vision to Value: Operationalizing Your AI-Powered Marketing Organization
Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone, VP, Advisory, Gartner
As AI adoption accelerates, CMOs face mounting pressure to translate technological potential into tangible business outcomes. Yet, the path to ROI is difficult to navigate. Join this session to learn what a realistic vision for an AI-powered marketing organization looks like, how to move beyond technological-focused change to harness strategic, structural and cultural opportunities, and how to manage the multiyear transition process for reshaping marketing roles and workflows. ... Show More Show Less

03:30 PM - 04:00 PM MDT

From Squeaky Wheels to Smooth Operators: Stakeholder Management that Actually Works
Matt Wakeman, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
Tired of spending your days and weeks fighting fires, with your team barely keeping their heads above water? Need to empower your team to limit scope creep, redirect requests and generally make forward progress? Join this session to learn 5 ways to systematically manage stakeholders more effectively and free up your time for strategic work. ... Show More Show Less
Tuesday, June 09, 2026

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM MDT

Beyond Change Management: Thriving in a World of Perpetual Transformation
Matt Wakeman, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
Change management only works when change is the exception. But change is now the rule — with an explosion of disjointed, overlapping and surprise external changes. To thrive, CMOs must throw away their change roadmap, shift philosophy from control to coherence, and use behavior-based rollout plans. ... Show More Show Less

... Show More Show Less
Items per page: 1 – 9 of 21 Items
1 of 2 Pages

Sorry, no sessions match your criteria. Please refine your filters to display sessions.

“The conference has been insightful, engaging and relevant. Each session has been impactful and full of take-aways for our team. Everything is really well-organized, and I am enjoying my time here.”

Samantha Henderson
Director of Marketing, Caliber Collision

Discover what it’s like to experience #GartnerMKTG

Learn more about Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo 2026

Get our latest conference schedules, updates and insights sent straight to your inbox.

By clicking the "Continue" button, you are agreeing to the Gartner Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Contact Information

All fields are required.

      By clicking the "Submit" button, you are agreeing to the Gartner Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

      Back