Name: 5th Marketing AI Pulse
Start: 2025-07-24T17:30:00.000Z
Location: Atlanta Tech Park

The 5th Marketing AI Pulse event brings together marketing professionals exploring how AI is transforming creativity, efficiency, and strategy. Follow the pulse on LinkedIn and Instagram, and be part of the movement shaping marketing.

Learn through hands-on training, real-world case studies, and our in-person tech showcase featuring practical AI tools. Past speakers have included marketing leaders from Salesforce, Accenture Song, Zapier, Verizon, Home Depot, Robert Half, Microsoft, Google, Jasper, and more!

**AGENDA**
Welcome to the front lines of AI transformation, where marketers are leading the charge. Today’s agenda features real-world insights from those turning AI into action across strategy, growth, and customer connection.

**1:00 PM – Doors Open: Pick Up Your Badge and Say Hello**
Check in, grab your badge, and settle in. Attendees are welcome to arrive early and work from Atlanta Tech Park before the event begins. There’s ample space to plug in and get comfortable.

**1:30 to 2:15 PM – Connect and Mingle: Networking at Its Best**
Enjoy snacks, soft drinks, tea, and coffee while making meaningful connections with other attendees. Explore interactive booths featuring technologies and services relevant to modern marketers.

**2:15 to 2:45 PM – Welcome: Marketing Leads AI Forward**
*By [Aby Varma](https://www.linkedin.com/in/abyvarma/), Founder, Spark Novus and Marketing AI Pulse Community*
The AI era isn’t waiting. Marketing isn’t following. This event is built around a bold truth: the future of AI in business is being shaped at the intersection of marketing, strategy, and leadership. Today’s sessions show that marketing doesn’t just adopt AI—it is propelling it forward.

**2:45 to 3:15 PM – Panel: How Marketing Leaders Are Driving AI Across Sales, Growth, and Strategy**
AI is becoming the engine of growth. In this panel, business leaders will share how marketing is not just adopting AI but driving it across sales, strategy, and enterprise transformation. We’ll explore what real implementation looks like, how to align teams around AI priorities, and what marketing leaders need to know to lead the charge. Whether you're scaling early experiments or shaping a company-wide roadmap, this conversation will ground you in what matters now.

* *[Jay Amburkar](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjayasree/), Managing Director, Accenture*
* *[Umesh Shiknis](https://www.linkedin.com/in/umesh-shiknis-1926812/), EVP and Global Chief Growth Officer, Chief Sales Officer, and Global Head of Practices, Publicis Sapient*
* *[Ali Flynn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-flynn-0082602b/), Co-founder and Head of Sales, Improvado*

**3:15 to 3:45 PM – Lead the Herd: What It Really Takes to Launch AI at Scale in Marketing (And Why Anyone Can Do It)**
*By [Jessica Hreha](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicahreha/), Director, AI Transformation Office, Jasper*
AI transformation isn’t as much about tech as it is about people—and the way you lead them. This session pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to launch and scale AI inside a marketing organization, based on real-life wins, stumbles, and strategies. You’ll learn the HERDS framework—five types of people you’re leading through change—and how to move each one, from early enthusiasts to vocal skeptics. We’ll unpack the communications playbook that turned one marketing team’s AI rollout into a movement: how they built momentum before Day One, activated champions, and embedded AI into daily work.
No jargon. No hype. Just the messy, human side of change, and a clear, doable path to lead it. You’ll leave with the full launch communications playbook and the confidence to put it into action. Because this isn’t just for the tech-savvy few—it’s for anyone willing to step up and lead.

**3:45 to 4:15 PM – Break + Booths + Conversation**
Step away, grab a refreshment, visit interactive booths, and dive into relaxed, informal conversations with fellow attendees and speakers.

**4:15 to 4:45 PM – Panel: Smarter Sends, Deeper Connections: AI’s Role in Transforming Email Marketing**
As AI transforms how brands connect with audiences, email marketing is undergoing a profound evolution. This panel brings together email marketing, product, and education experts from Mailchimp to discuss the real-world impact of AI on email content, automation, optimization, ethics, and deliverability. Learn what’s working, what’s next, and how to stay human in a world of intelligent automation.

* *[Nicole Jayne](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-jayne-4905a53/), Senior Staff Product Manager, Mailchimp*
* *[Jocelyn Hardy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelynhardy/), Manager, Partner Readiness, Mailchimp*
* *[Kristy McCarley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristymccarley/), Founder and Managing Director, Pure Firefly*

**4:45 to 5:15 PM – Intentional Intelligence: How to Focus AI Efforts in Marketing Where They Matter Most**
*By [Nicola Smith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasmith22/), Senior AI Programs Advisor, Southwest Airlines*
AI is showing up in every corner of marketing, but real results are still hard to come by. While nearly 80% of brands say they're using AI, only a small percentage are seeing the business outcomes they expected. For marketers and agency leaders, the challenge isn't getting access to the tools—it’s knowing where and how to apply them in ways that truly matter. This session, *Intentional Intelligence*, offers a clear, practical approach to building AI strategies that actually deliver. We’ll look at why so many efforts fall short, what separates purposeful strategy from experimentation, and how to identify the opportunities where AI can drive measurable impact for brands. You’ll walk away with a new lens for aligning AI work with your business goals, uncovering high-value use cases, and bringing clarity to where AI belongs in your marketing roadmap.

**5:15 to 5:30 PM – Reflections**
*Wrap-up and shout-outs. Final takeaways, gratitude, and reflections from the day.*

**5:30 to 6:30 PM – Happy Hour**
*Drinks, bites, and great company. Relax and connect over drinks and hors d’oeuvres.*

***NOTE:*** *All sessions and speakers are subject to change.*

Atlanta Marketing AI Pulse Community

Aby Varma 

Ketan Dave

Peter Martin

Erich

Alana L

Jackie Anglin

Bill Sluben

Brandy Morton

Ben Bolton

Michael Buchanan

Thomas Weaver

Scott Clark

Pauline allor

Mary Chiaffredo

Angela Hoidas

Michael

Stacie

Brian Fletcher

Karyn Mullins

Kim Siler

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