2026 BABA Agenda

Key Takeaways:

• What’s changing in the agency landscape and what winning agencies are doing differently
• How trust and transparency have become competitive advantages
• How to reposition your agency as indispensable to your clients’ success

Marcus Sheridan
Partner IMPACT/The Question First Group/PriceGuide

Marcus Sheridan is a globally recognized communication expert, bestselling author, and captivating keynote speaker. His expertise spans the topics of sales, leadership, marketing, AI, personal development, and trust.

Starting after college, Marcus founded a business that grew into the world’s most-trafficked swimming pool company, revolutionizing effective communication in the business landscape. He ignited the They Ask, You Answer movement, empowering businesses to embrace transparency in their marketing and communications. His book, They Ask, You Answer, and now updated as Endless Customers, has sold over 100,000 copies.

Robin Boehler
Partner, Mercer Island Group

Robin is a Partner at Mercer Island Group (MIG), a marketing management consulting firm specializing in assisting clients and agencies in overcoming complex challenges. These challenges include the precise alignment of clients with agencies, as well as the development of improved workflows, briefing processes, and creative evaluation procedures. Notably, MIG holds a prominent position as one of the top 5 firms in the US agency search market.

With a wealth of experience, Robin has cultivated a distinctive perspective on enhancing client-agency effectiveness through numerous sessions with executives from esteemed companies such as Viator, Brooks Running, Guitar Center, Vtech Toys, Teremana Tequila, and Ahold Delhaize. Her regular engagements with Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) involve crafting strategic solutions to address critical challenges. Robin adeptly guides clients through the decision-making process, facilitating crucial discussions “after the meetings” when selecting partners. Annually, she provides guidance to dozens of agencies on growth strategies, and her workshop, “Win More Business with Strategy,” has proven instrumental in helping many agencies secure their largest clients.

A sought-after speaker, Robin frequently shares her insights at events sponsored by prominent organizations like the ANA, BMA, the 4As, AMI, and others.

Janet Casey
CEO & Founders Journey Guru, Marketing Doctor/Serious People

Janet Casey is the CEO and Founder of Marketing Doctor, Inc. and is a current Managing Partner of Gravity Global. Janet is an enthusiast in helping founders who have built valuable businesses and now face consequential decisions about growth, leadership, platform options or M&A.

Career highlights include:

• Founders Equity Journey Specialist
• 5X recipient of INC 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America
• AdAge Best Place to Work USA
• Adweek 100 Fastest Growing Agencies in the World
• AdWeek 35 Trailblazers USA

When the pressure is on, whether you’re pitching a client, leading your team, or speaking on stage, most agency leaders rely on instinct or adrenaline. But what if you could trust your presence and performance every single time? In this interactive masterclass, performance coach and professional actor Russell Ewing will show you how the craft of acting helps business leaders show up with clarity, confidence, and influence. You’ll learn how to apply proven performance techniques to deliver your best self whenever it matters most. You’ll leave with practical tools to:

• Speak with confidence in high-pressure situations
• Inspire trust and authority in any room
• Turn important moments into meaningful business wins

Russell Ewing
Creative Director, Lead Performance Faculty, HEROIC Public Speaking

Russell is a professional film, television, and theater actor/writer based in New York City. He serves as Creative Director and Lead Performance Faculty for the industry-leading professional speaker training company, HEROIC.

His work as a public speaking educator spans coaching major league athletes to special forces operatives, CEOs to mountaineers, and everyone in between. Russell’s original foray into using performance as a tool for personal development is rooted in his experiences conducting Theatre of the Oppressed training as a contractor for the Department of Defense. He spent three years touring the world on U.S. military bases with the group Pure Praxis, using this art form to help tackle some of the most sensitive aspects of on- and off-duty life faced by service members.

He co-founded his production company, Youngest Brother Productions, with his writing partner, which has produced multimedia projects in Los Angeles and is currently developing projects for the screen. You can see his work as a screen actor in Amazon’s Original Television Series, Fallout. He holds a BA in Theater from UC San Diego and an MFA in Acting from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program.

Most agency owners are the “best-kept secret” in their industry. They know they should be active on LinkedIn, but between client demands and digital overwhelm, their thought leadership stays stuck in the “someday” pile. The result is inconsistent posting, diluted positioning, and missed opportunities. It’s time to stop posting into the void and start building an engine In this tactical, no-nonsense session, Lori Highby reveals the exact system she uses to maintain a dominant LinkedIn presence that pre-sells her expertise and consistently creates business opportunities. Lori skips the fluff to introduce The 365 Authority Roadmap, a repeatable framework she uses to map high-impact thought leadership across an entire year without living on the platform. You’ll learn how to bridge AI efficiency with human insight to create content that builds trust, sharpens positioning, and attracts aligned opportunities. This session goes behind the scenes of Lori’s real strategy, structure, and experimentation, showing how she turns everyday business experiences into authority-building content that creates trust, credibility, and demand. You’ll leave with a practical roadmap you can implement immediately, a clearer point of view to anchor your thought leadership, and a system that positions LinkedIn as a long-term authority and business development asset.

Lori Highby
CEO & Founder, Keystone Click

Lori Highby solves the problem of digital overwhelm with a “no-nonsense” approach to strategy. As a national speaker and founder of Keystone Click, Lori specializes in breaking down complex marketing ecosystems into simple, actionable steps. Having taught thousands of professionals—from Fortune 500 executives at ABB to agile entrepreneurs—she focuses on the practical intersection of AI innovation and the customer journey.

Lori brings this tactical expertise to her role as an adjunct professor for the Agency Management Institute (AMI), where she leads the Account Executive Bootcamp and Advanced AE Bootcamp. Known for her high-energy and “tough love” style, Lori’s sessions are designed to move audiences past analysis paralysis and into immediate execution. She skips the fluff to provide the doable insights required to navigate and dominate today’s digital landscape.

Alane Boyd
Co-CEO, Biggest Goal

Alane Boyd is an award-winning serial entrepreneur and workflow automation expert with over 20 years of experience in technology and operations. She has founded and successfully exited her own eight-figure agency and SaaS company in 2018.

Today, Alane is the Co-CEO of Biggest Goal, where she helps agencies and service-based organizations scale smarter by automating sales, operations, and internal workflows using AI and project management systems. She is also the co-host of the Automate Your Agency podcast, where she shares practical insights on building repeatable systems, eliminating operational bottlenecks, and growing without adding unnecessary headcount.

Alane is known for making complex automation and AI concepts clear, actionable, and immediately applicable — helping agency owners move faster, operate more efficiently, and build businesses that scale.

Key Takeaways:

• The four communication pillars that drive stronger client relationships
• How to ask better questions and lead more strategic conversations
• How to handle pushback and uncertainty with confidence and clarity
• How to train teams to show up as authoritative partners, not vendors

Marcus Sheridan is a globally recognized communication expert, bestselling author, and captivating keynote speaker. His expertise spans the topics of sales, leadership, marketing, AI, personal development, and trust.

Starting after college, Marcus founded a business that grew into the world’s most-trafficked swimming pool company, revolutionizing effective communication in the business landscape. He ignited the They Ask, You Answer movement, empowering businesses to embrace transparency in their marketing and communications. His book, They Ask, You Answer, and now updated as Endless Customers, has sold over 100,000 copies.

Your clients aren’t trying to “adopt AI.” They’re rethinking how work gets done when humans and AI operate as partners. They’re watching their visibility disappear in AI-driven search. They’re asking what happens when AI agents start showing up in their customers’ buying process. Agencies that keep selling “faster” will get commoditized. The ones who help clients build for this future will become indispensable. This session breaks down where brands are now, where the trailblazers are headed, and what it takes to lead the transformation alongside them.

Liza Adams
AI Advisor & Go-to-Market Strategist, GrowthPath Partners

Liza Adams is an AI Advisor and GTM Strategist who helps go-to-market leaders build Human+AI organizations through applied AI workshops, hands-on training, and full org evolutions. Her people-first, AI-forward approach helps teams move beyond productivity to driving growth—reimagining work that wasn’t possible before.

Teams she’s worked with have achieved 35% better campaign performance, 2-3X engagement increases, and 100% AI adoption. Recognized as one of the 50 CMOs to Watch, Most Inspirational Women of Web3 and AI, and an AI leader to follow at SaaStr and G2’s Reach, Liza is a sought-after speaker on Human+AI org evolution with real life case studies and AI mindset shifts grounded in practical workflows that drive growth.

Learn more at www.growthpath.net or connect at linkedin.com/in/lizaadams.

As CEO of Overskies, Rich Cannava leads the charge in connecting some of the world’s most recognizable brands with consumers. With over 20 years of experience in branding, storytelling, digital video, and the production of immersive experiences, he has crafted award-winning brand campaigns that blend innovation with impact across digital and physical destinations.

Under Rich’s leadership, Overskies continues to thrive and evolve, with a constant focus on staying ahead of the curve. Over the past three years, the agency has become deeply immersed in AI, building custom AI agents that support creative workflows, streamline operations, and fuel new business efforts—all while keeping human creativity and connection at the center. His collaborative approach has led to successful partnerships with leading brands such as Amazon, Citizen Watch America, Benjamin Moore, and Castrol. With more than 15 years of experience as a speaker, Rich has delivered keynotes, breakout sessions, and panel discussions at industry events including DSE Expo and InfoComm, as well as corporate conferences, sharing insights on branding, technology, and the evolving marketing landscape. As a leader, Rich champions a workplace culture rooted in empathy, respect, and humility, ensuring that his team feels energized and engaged every day.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, he founded an environmental nonprofit and sits on the executive board of multiple non-profits as he enjoys dedicating his time to pro bono consulting, reflecting a deep commitment to giving back to his community.

Agencies are evolving. Clients are evolving. The question is: are they evolving in the same direction? Be the first to see the results of Agency Edge 2026, unveiled exclusively at BABA. We surveyed client decision-makers to uncover what they believe the most successful agencies will sell five years from now — and what they may no longer need.

In this session, Drew McLellan and researcher Susan Baier will reveal:

• The future service mix clients expect agencies to deliver
• How AI is reshaping expectations around expertise, pricing, and accountability
• Where agencies risk commoditization — and where they can deepen their strategic role
• The belief patterns that separate replaceable vendors from indispensable partners
• You’ll leave with clear, research-backed guidance on how to position, price, and structure your agency to ensure you’re not just relevant — but essential.

Susan Baier
Founder & CEO, Audience Audit, Inc

“Professional Speaker, Researcher, and Thought Leadership Strategist, Audience Audit Inc. (www.audienceaudit.com)

Susan Baier is the founder and CEO of research agency Audience Audit. She’s been a marketing strategist and researcher for 40 years and helps agencies understand their audiences, support clients, and build their reputation and ROI with research. She has partnered with Agency Management Institute for over 12 years to conduct the annual Agency Edge research study for agency leaders.

Susan wasn’t always a math person. Her college degree was in literary writing and 17th-century poetry with a minor in medieval art and architecture. She can recite the prologue to the Canterbury Tales in Middle English, clean a fish on a canoe paddle, and knits like a fiend.

Mostly, Susan tries to be Relentlessly Helpful®. Failing that, relentless will do.”

Many agencies have experienced the frustration of doing everything “right” — strong performance metrics, solid execution, and positive reporting — only to lose a client anyway. In this breakout, Corey Morris shares a real agency story that reshaped how he thinks about strategy, accountability, and leadership, and ultimately led to the creation of the Digital Marketing Success Plan®.

This session is designed for agency owners and leaders who want to move beyond transactional delivery and truly own outcomes. Attendee takeaways:

• Why strong marketing metrics don’t always translate to business success
• Where strategy commonly breaks down inside agencies
• How agency leaders can better align performance to real business impact

Corey Morris
President / CEO, VOLTAGE

Corey Morris is a best-selling author, speaker, and marketing leader. He is the creator of the START Planning Process and the founder of Digital Marketing Success Plan®.

He is the owner and President/CEO of VOLTAGE, a specialist digital agency focused on digital strategy, search/AI marketing, and websites. With more than 20 years of experience, Corey has led award-winning initiatives for brands at local, national, and global levels, helping leadership teams align marketing execution with measurable business outcomes.

His work focuses on helping leadership teams bring clarity, accountability, and adaptability to marketing decisions in an era of rapid change. Corey is a monthly expert contributor to Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land. He speaks throughout North America on SEO, AI, and marketing strategy and accountability and has presented at events including SMX and Digital Summit. His industry leadership and community impact earned him the Kansas City Direct Marketing Association’s 2019 Marketer of the Year award.

Rishad will share actionable learnings and insights on how leaders can upgrade their mental operating systems and create thriving agencies in tectonic times leveraging 40 years of experience and his recent book “Rethinking Work.”

Rishad Tabaccowala
Author Rethinking Work, Rishad Tobaccowala LLC

Rishad Tobaccowala is the author of Rethinking Work and Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data.

Rishad was formerly the Chief Strategist and Growth Officer of the Publicis Groupe. He is one of only 300 people elected to the Advertising Hall of Fame in 75 years.

The old agency playbook promised safety. Get great at your craft. Win more clients. Grow headcount. Climb the ladder.

That promise is gone.

In a world being reshaped by AI, automation, and constant disruption, being excellent inside a fragile system is no longer enough. The only real security comes from what you can control.

In this session, Joe Pulizzi challenges agency leaders to rethink what they are actually building and why. Drawing from Burn the Playbook, he explores:

• How ownership of audience data, IP, and trust creates true resilience
• Why being known in a focused niche beats being busy across many
• How to shift from renting your income to building long-term assets
• Preparing now for a future you cannot fully control

This is a talk about change, agency, and designing a business that gives you options in life. Because in the age of AI, the future belongs to the people who own something.

Joe Pulizzi
Founder, Z Squared Media

Joe Pulizzi (he/him) is founder of multiple startups including content creator education site, The Tilt, Content Entrepreneur Expo (CEX), and is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc. and Epic Content Marketing, which was named a “Must-Read Business Book” by Fortune Magazine.

Joe is best known for his work in content marketing, first using the term in 2001, then launching Content Marketing Institute and the Content Marketing World event. In 2014, he received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Content Council. He successfully exited CMI in 2016 and consequently wrote an award-winning mystery novel, The Will to Die.

He has two weekly podcasts, the motivational Content Inc. podcast and the award-winning content news and analysis show This Old Marketing with Robert Rose.

His foundation, The Orange Effect, delivers speech therapy and technology services to over 400 children in 39 states.

Joe and his family live in Cleveland, Ohio.