Kickstart your day with a delicious breakfast and a hands on advanced workshop.

Social media has changed again and the rules many businesses relied on even a year ago are already shifting.

Platforms are prioritizing community, search behavior is evolving, and AI is reshaping how content is created, discovered, and distributed. The result is a completely different environment for marketers and business owners trying to stay visible and relevant online.

In this opening session, J Franco will break down the biggest shifts happening across the social media landscape right now and what they actually mean for businesses.

You will learn where the major platforms are headed, how audience behavior is changing, and why community-driven engagement is becoming the new growth strategy.

If you want to understand what is working right now and where social media is heading next, this session will set the stage for the entire day.

Still running Meta ads the way you did two years ago? That playbook is outdated.

Meta’s newest AI systems, Andromeda and GEM, have quietly changed how ads are delivered and optimized. The biggest shift is simple. Creative is now the targeting.

In this session you will learn why interest targeting is fading, how persona-driven creative helps Meta’s AI find the right buyers, and how to build diverse ad creative using the Rubik’s Cube framework.

You will also learn why the old testing then scaling campaign structure is now hurting performance and what to do instead.

If you run paid social or are planning to invest in Meta ads, this session will change how you think about campaign strategy.

Most professionals are experimenting with AI—but few are using it strategically.

This session shows how to structure your thinking so AI supports repeatable, high-value work. You’ll learn how to turn your expertise into systems that increase both visibility and productivity—without sacrificing quality or trust.

You’ve got talented people.
Good ideas.
Decent content.

So why isn’t it working?

Because your team isn’t aligned.

In this panel led by the Houston Marketing Alliance, you’ll get a real look at what happens when branding, content, PR, digital, and events all operate separately and how that disconnect quietly kills performance.

This is not theory. This is what’s actually happening inside marketing teams right now.

You’ll learn how to spot where things are breaking down, how to bring your messaging and execution into alignment, and how to turn social media into the central system that drives everything forward.

If your content feels scattered, inconsistent, or disconnected from results, this session will show you exactly what needs to change.

Moderator: Ashley Small | Medley Inc.

Presented by Houston Marketing Alliance (HMA):

• Felicia Perez, Founder | FAR Public Relations

• Henry Banh, Founder | LinkMode Digital Marketing

• Madison Avery Somerville | Corporate Photographer

• Savannah Becerril, Founder | GO SAVVY

• Lauren Jefferson, Founder | FocusCopy® 

Your audience does not open Instagram hoping to be sold to. They open it to be entertained, interested, moved, or pulled into something worth caring about.

In this interactive session, Elizabeth Gentry of Theatre Under The Stars and Caroline Austin of Alley Theatre will show attendees how to stop thinking only like marketers and start building content like creators.

Drawing from their work with two of Houston’s leading arts organizations, they will guide attendees through real-time prompts and exercises that help turn basic messages into stronger, more engaging content ideas.

You’ll learn how to write better hooks, adapt trends without losing your brand voice, create with more personality, and leave with content ideas you can actually use.

Most B2B companies are posting on LinkedIn… and getting nothing from it.

No reach.
No real conversations.
No actual business.

In this session, Rebecca Burley breaks down how to use LinkedIn the way it was meant to be used for B2B growth. Not just posting to stay visible, but creating content that reaches the right people, supports your sales efforts, and actually starts conversations with decision makers.

You’ll learn what your company page should be doing, how to structure posts that perform, and how to align your content with a strategy that moves your business forward..

Everyone keeps saying social media is dying. Vanessa Oler is calling bullshit.

Social media still works when the content is built for actual people, not algorithms, vanity metrics, or AI slop. In this session, Vanessa will show marketers, content creators, and social media teams how to build a sharper content machine that connects business goals, customer behavior, video structure, and conversion strategy without losing the human connection that makes people care.

Attendees will walk away with practical ways to create more strategic content, reduce wasted effort, and keep up with the pace of 2026 content demands.

You don’t need a massive budget to create content that performs. You need to show up at the right moments and know how to capture them.

In this session, Nell Reed breaks down how Chevron Houston’s Instagram grew during the Houston Marathon by leaning into real-time engagement, community presence, and a boots-on-the-ground approach. No overproduction. No waiting for perfect conditions.

Just showing up, engaging authentically, and turning live moments into content that actually connects.

You’ll learn how to turn events into high-performing content, build visibility through real-time interaction, and create momentum that continues long after the moment is over.