Agenda Day 1
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Registration
Registration, Breakfast & Networking
8:30 am - 8:45 am
Welcome & Introduction from the Chair
Chair: Paul Sims -
Consultant,
Equal Experts
8:45 am - 9:15 am
AI: Behind the Hype
Linda Cereda -
Global Vice President - Marketing Data,
Nike
As AI shifts from optimizing clicks to making decisions, the rules of growth, loyalty and marketing are being rewritten. Using Nike’s SNKRS ecosystem as a real-world example, this session explores the difference between AI automation and true AI transformation, why linear funnels are breaking down, and how brands must redesign strategy, data, and decisioning for an agentic, clickless future without losing trust, fairness, or brand power.
• How leading brands use AI not just to optimise demand, but to redesign loyalty and lifetime value
• Why clickless search, generative engines and AI agents change discovery and make owned data, brand, and community more critical than ever
• What it really takes to become AI-native: rethinking processes, people, and decision ownership beyond “plug-and-play” tools
9:15 am - 9:45 am
SPONSOR PRESENTATION: Leveraging Responsible AI to Personalise at Scale Without Compromising Customer Trust
With markets tightening and every brand vying for a share of shrinking wallets, hyper-personalisation has created the latest competitiveadvantage. Customers now expect VIP treatment and personalised experiences instantly and seamlessly.
AI promises to deliver this at scale, but the real question is: how can brands harness it responsibly, transparently and sustainably?
Networking
In 2026, most retailers have a loyalty programme, and as customer wallets fill with membership cards, “loyalty” has become synonymous with “discount.”
10:25 am - 10:55 am
One-to-One Business Meetings
As AI agents begin to shop, search, and make decisions on behalf of consumers, brands face a fundamental shift. After all, how do you control the customer experience when you’re no longer in control?
11:35 am - 12:05 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: Balancing AI with the ‘Human Touch’ to Deliver Customer Service Excellence
Deborah Honig -
Former Chief Customer Officer,
Samsung UK & Ireland
Hariss Amin - Global Lead of CX & AI Product Management - eCommerce, Hunter Douglas
Jonathan Beirne - Customer & Operations Director, musicMagpie
As AI evolves at breakneck speed and pressure mounts to adopt AI for efficiency, it’s tempting to use it across every part of customer service. But anyone who has ever called a contact centre knows the frustration behind the phrase ‘I just want to speak to a human’.
Lunch & Networking Break
12:05 pm - 12:35 pm
SPONSOR PRESENTATION: Reinventing customer experience with AI agents: Delivering fast, human service at scale
- Building a roadmap to turn customer service from a cost center into a driver of loyalty and lifetime value
- Lessons learned from migrating off legacy chatbot infrastructure and launching a new AI agent in weeks
- How to balance automation and empathy to create faster, more human experiences at scale
With the explosion of AI tools promising to transform customer experience, the question isn’t whether to invest, it’s where, how and why. Selecting the right partner has never been more important, but most leaders are paralysed by choice and under pressure to select the best partner, yesterday.
1:15 pm - 2:05 pm
Networking Lunch
Networking Break
In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, businesses often find themselves constrained by evolving technologies, fragmented platforms, and legacy systems that can’t keep pace. The question isn’t whether to replace everything, but how to extract the most impact from what you already have.
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: Managing the Impact of Digital Transformation to Minimise Customer Frustration & Protect Loyalty
Elisabeth Fennell-Connell -
Director of Customer Service & Customer Experience,
Moonpig.com
Adrian Evans - Head of Digital Product Customer Commerce, B&Q Plc
Re-platforming is essential for long-term growth, but it can easily disrupt customer journeys and stall delivery if not managed carefully.
3:10 pm - 3:40 pm
SPONSOR PRESENTATION: Finding the Balance Between Cost & Experience & Unlocking Quick Wins to Foster Loyalty Whilst Protecting Your Budget
With budgets under pressure, retailers must strike a careful balance between reducing costs and protecting the customer experience that drives loyalty. Customers expect seamless, omnichannel journeys that are convenient and engaging, whilst the board insists they must be cost-effective to deliver - making it harder than ever to meet and exceed expectations.
Take part in a high-energy, interactive benchmarking session where you’ll respond to a series of divisive, quick-fire statements by physically positioning yourself from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’.
4:20 pm - 4:50 pm
One-to-One Business Meetings
4:55 pm - 5:25 pm
Using Technology to Power Loyalty at Scale & Increase Lifetime Customer Value
Chris Other -
Customer, Marketing & eCommerce Director,
Toolstation
As loyalty evolves from a marketing initiative to a growth engine, proving the ROI of your loyalty programme has never been more important – without numerical proof it’s near impossible to secure further investment.
5:25 pm - 5:55 pm
Turning First Party Data into Customer Intelligence to Uncover Friction Points, Personalise Experiences & Strengthen Loyalty
Matt Walburn -
Customer Executive Director of Marketing and E-Commerce,
A.S. Watson UK Superdrug Savers
Retailers are rich in first-party data but poor in customer intelligence.
Matt Walburn
Customer Executive Director of Marketing and E-CommerceA.S. Watson UK Superdrug Savers
5:55 pm - 6:25 pm
CHAMPAGNE ROUNDTABLE: Revisiting the Fundamentals & Unlocking Quick Wins to Strengthen Customer Loyalty Whilst Remaining Lean
In a climate where budgets are tight and customer expectations are rising, strengthening loyalty doesn’t always require major investment – the most impactful improvements often start with revisiting the fundamentals.
