About the Event

The ANA Masters of B2B Marketing Conference is the annual flagship B2B event of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the US-based marketing industry body with over a century of history. The 2026 edition takes place June 3-5 at the Marriott Magnificent Mile, Chicago, and marks the first time the conference anchors ANA B2B Week - a broader week of B2B marketing programming dedicated to championing brand as the engine of enterprise growth. The conference is structured around a central thesis: B2B marketing is ready to claim its place as a primary driver of global economic growth, and brand is the strategic advantage that enables it. ANA client-side member organisations attend free of charge; agency and solution provider attendees register at tiered membership pricing. A virtual participation option via the Grip platform extends access to remote attendees. The B2 Awards Gala, celebrating the ANA's 50th anniversary B2 Awards programme, is integrated into the conference on June 4.

Audience & Attendees

The conference draws CMOs, marketing directors, brand leaders, and senior marketing executives from large US enterprises and global organisations. Confirmed 2026 speakers represent marketing leadership from Shell, EY Americas, SAS Institute, Equitable, JLL, SAP Americas, GE Aerospace, Lenovo, Kaiser Permanente, Verizon, Mastercard, Stanley Black & Decker, Prudential Financial, the Arthritis Foundation, LinkedIn, McKinsey & Company, Code and Theory, Brand Finance, and monday.com, among others. Allison Johnson, former CMO of Apple, is also confirmed. The presenting sponsor is Demandbase, with general sponsors including LinkedIn, Bloomberg Media, Code and Theory, USPS, and monday.com.

Programme Structure

The three-day programme opens on June 3 with the Masters of B2B Marketing Academy - two days of immersive learning and peer networking. The conference builds through a structured narrative arc: beginning with brand as a strategic growth imperative, progressing to recognition of outstanding practice at the B2 Awards Gala on June 4, and closing with execution-focused content on translating strategy into operating models, measurement systems, and team capabilities. A full agenda has not been published at the time of entry creation. Both in-person and virtual attendance tracks are available, with live session access, on-demand replay, and networking tools provided through the ANA Events app and the Grip virtual platform. Sessions will be available for replay within the Grip platform for two weeks post-conference, and in the ANA members-only content library thereafter.

Main Topics

The 2026 programme centres on brand as a commercial and strategic lever in B2B, with particular focus on how marketing leaders can demonstrate and quantify brand value at the C-suite level. Recurring themes across the speaker lineup include AI acceleration and its implications for B2B buying group complexity; the relationship between brand investment and measurable revenue growth; customer experience design and its connection to brand equity; marketing measurement and effectiveness frameworks; marketing operations modernisation; and leadership development for senior marketing executives navigating short-term performance pressure alongside long-term brand building. Brand valuation methodologies are a specific featured subject, with Brand Finance represented across the speaker programme.

Closing Session

The conference closes on the afternoon of June 5 with execution-focused sessions translating the week's strategic themes into operational frameworks and team capabilities. The specific closing session or speaker has not been published at the time of entry creation.

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