PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP: Bake-Off for a Modern Marketer: Building an AI-Powered
Campaign
Artificial intelligence is no longer an experimental edge case in marketing — it
is a powerful accelerator that can compress weeks of strategic and creative work
into a single working session.
In this fast-paced, interactive workshop, participants will experience a live “marketing
bake-off.” Starting with nothing more than a campaign objective, participants will
collaboratively develop strategy, messaging, creative concepts, audience insights,
and activation plans using today’s most capable generative AI tools.
Grounded in prompting mastery, intelligent tool selection, workflow design, and
responsible AI use, this session will demonstrate how marketers can elevate their
roles from operators to orchestrators. Participants will learn how to translate
ambiguous business goals into actionable AI inputs, test multiple creative paths
in real time, and quickly evaluate the outputs for accuracy, brand alignment, and
strategic value.
By the end of the workshop, participants won’t just understand how AI fits into
modern marketing; they will have built a full campaign prototype demonstrating
why marketing is at the forefront for organizational AI adoption and the ideal
proving ground for experimentation, rapid iteration, and measurable impact.
NOTE: This workshop is limited to 20 participants and requires attendees to bring their
own laptops.
AI-Ready: The New Imperative for Marketers
Skills, Strategy, and Leadership for the Era of Intelligent Work
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it is the defining skillset
for modern marketers and a transformative force across every industry. Yet most
professionals still lack the foundation to confidently evaluate AI tools, guide
responsible adoption, or advise their organizations on best-fit solutions.
This session is designed to equip marketers to lead with clarity, creativity, and
responsible innovation. Attendees will walk away understanding what AI is (and
what it is not) and how today’s generative models truly work.
The session will move beyond buzzwords to focus on the practical capabilities marketers
need today: crafting effective prompts that unlock measurable results, navigating
the crowded AI solutions landscape, choosing the right tool for the right task,
and strengthening an ethical, secure, and future-proofed AI foundation. The session
will also explore real-world challenges—organizational resistance, data concerns,
and the need to champion a “learn-it-all” (not “know-it-all”) culture—as well as
the leadership behaviors that differentiate trusted AI advisors from casual tool
users.
Bio:
Joe Gura is a global go-to-market and AI enablement leader at Microsoft, where
he has driven worldwide sales strategy and readiness for Windows, Microsoft 365,
Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Copilot.
A seasoned strategist in cloud, cybersecurity, and commercial technologies, Gura
has a proven record of shaping product narratives and launching transformative
technologies at global scale.
He holds an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University,
where he has taught since 2019, and developed the graduate-level course IMC 554:
AI in Marketing.