Past Conferences
The IHAF Conference & Awards is the cornerstone of our event offerings. Attracting in-house agencies from across the country, our conferences center on universal themes such as innovation and creativity, operational excellence, internal/external agency collaboration, and client partnership. Our conferences feature keynote speakers and breakout sessions, as well as ample opportunities for networking among members, non-members, and event sponsors.
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Radical Readiness
Conference
Presented by John Morley, Principal, johnmorley.co
Radically ready teams don’t just survive uncertainty, they thrive in it. They’re the rock stars, the ones who pull off the impossible, who consistently generate added value with the people and resources they already have. What’s their secret? Combining the horizontal and vertical. Horizontal development is about competencies—skills, knowledge, and expertise. Though essential, horizontal development alone isn’t enough for today’s complex challenges. Vertical development is about expanding capacities—for creativity, resilience, and navigating uncertainty with confidence and clarity. All of this can be taught, practiced, and implemented immediately. When sufficiently cultivated, people thrive, and organizations prosper.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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PANEL: The Future of Image Creation with GenAI
Conference
Featuring Mark Chamberlain (top left), Micah Whitson (top right), Alicia Wise (bottom left), Deloitte Services LP; and John Huet (bottom right), ELEMENT.
This panel discussion offers a behind-the-scenes look at Deloitte’s QR Code Gallery, featuring images from famed AI artist and photographer John Huet. Not only is this innovative art experience an example of the evolution of photography, it’s the ideal backdrop to explore new ways of working—agency, artist, and machine. Listen in as our panelists candidly unpack the thinking and processes that brought the idea to life along with the myriad obstacles they surmounted along the way.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Find Your Brand's DNA
Conference
Presented by Luke Perkins, Group Director, Creative Strategy, The Coca-Cola Company
In a sea of marketing mayhem where bullsh*t flows like cheap beer at a frat party, your brand’s DNA can be at the heart of radical creativity that drives business results. So, what is in this magical DNA cocktail? It’s a potent mix of your brand origin story (even if you’re the new kid on the block), a mission that actually means something, core values that aren’t just corporate mumbo-jumbo, and a brand vision that’s more than just dollar signs in your eyes. In this breakout, we explore the power of unearthing your brand’s DNA to unleash radical creativity from it once you have found it.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Amplifying Human Ingenuity with AI
Conference
Presented by Paul Barnes-Hoggett, CTO & AI Optimist
If AI produces middle-of-the-road outputs that are broadly pleasing to the majority, can it also be useful to develop work that shocks, outrages, and excites? How might teams use AI to push creativity to new places? And what role might AI play in acts of creative progress that at first might be shocking or unpopular? In this Lightning Talk, we hear how AI can be a net-enabler of radical acts of creativity— generating more fertile environments by giving teams access to a richer set of creative tools and by integrating AI into workflows to catalyze innovative thinking.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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PANEL: Future-Proofing Creative Operations
Conference
Featuring Scott Armstrong (top left), Brainrider; Katelyn Kennedy (top right), Keurig Dr Pepper; Melanie Manghinang (bottom left), Hinge Health; and Thomas Stilling (bottom right).
Explore how teams can harness radical creativity and transparency while strengthening in-house operations, integrating technology, and optimizing processes. Gain actionable insights into how internal and external resources can collaborate more effectively, avoid common pitfalls, and drive growth. This panel discussion will empower you to harness the potential of humans and AI. Join us to hear how to adapt to the new realities of creative operations and strategic partnerships. Discover best practices for scaling effectively, selecting the right partners, and maintaining efficiency. Brought to you by our title sponsor, Brainrider.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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The Virtues of Virtual Idea Generation
Conference
Presented by Will Burns, Founder & CEO, Ideasicle X
Conventional wisdom suggests that remote creative teams can’t match the creativity or productivity of in-person collaboration. After 14 years of research, data indicates that this belief is largely exaggerated. In fact, virtual idea generation often outperforms traditional methods in surprising ways. As companies push for employees to return to the office, let’s talk about how working remotely can actually enhance creativity. This session reveals key insights that challenge the myths of remote collaboration.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Candor, Kindness & Core Emotions
Conference
Presented by Raphael Campos, VP of Creative, EF World Journeys, EF Education First
In building the EF Adventures brand from the ground up, the in-house agency at EF World Journeys combined an emotionally connected brand with a process that promotes candor and kindness, resulting in an environment where risk-taking and rapid decision-making thrive. By combining core emotions like empathy and trust with internal dynamics and external brand storytelling, this team hit on a process that fuels the development of creative journeys that resonate with communities, inspire action, and strengthen bonds between teams, customers, and brands. With these principles, creativity moves from an individual pursuit to a collective force that drives real, meaningful impact.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Creativity Is Contagious
Conference
Presented by Jeremy Kinder, VP, Brand and Creative, Teladoc Health, Inc.
How did a call with a doctor result in a prescription to cure clogged creativity? With just the right mix of curiosity, accountability, and bravery the in-house agency at Teladoc addressed their pain points—and they’ve never felt better. In this contagious keynote, we’ll hear what the company that invented telehealth did to solidify bonds among remote creatives. We’ll see how fitting in with the company’s higher purpose leads to stand out work. And we’ll hear how they achieved the in-possible: emotional storytelling with winning results. Enjoy this examination of success and failure on the road to creativity and find your team’s healthier ever after.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Weaving Better Brand Experiences
Conference
Presented by Timi Majek, VP, Marketing & Visual Merchandising, 1888 Mills
The team at 1888 Mills has gained a reputation for pushing the boundaries of creativity as they continue to transform the home-textile experience through inventive showroom design, unique packaging, and brand identity development. By crafting immersive, interactive physical and virtual showrooms that engage the senses, designing sustainable, story-driven packaging, and evolving their pro-social and digital storytelling, this team is challenging the norms of traditional home textiles. Not only is 1888 Mills “weaving a better world,” but their internal agency is creating experiences that inspire, engage, and foster meaningful connections with their customers.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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The Art of Daydreaming
Conference
Presented by Emily Koehler, Creative Director, Fortune Brands Innovations
When was the last time you daydreamed at work? Audacious goals and aggressive timelines often mean we’re pressed to pay attention. Stay focused. Concentrate on the task at hand. Though some of the best ideas spring from minds that wander. How do we build and bolster corporate cultures where creativity rules? Where ideas conceived in the in-between spaces transcend the ordinary? We do it by embracing productive daydreaming. We empower our teams to be bold while also being intentional. We encourage minds to wander with purpose. And from there, we let the sparks fly.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Making What's Radical Mainstream
Conference
Presented by Jim Wortley, Executive Creative Director, Loblaws
Educating clients and colleagues to not only expect radical creativity but to embrace it is an ongoing pursuit at Loblaw. That’s why internal partners attend Cannes and spend each and every day in creative seminars and innovation sessions. This compelling keynote explains how to make radical thinking mainstream, how it works for leading brands, and how to encourage it on your team. Hear why Loblaw Agency always offers at least one disruptive option, breaking the brief with breakthrough ideas that challenge convention and stimulate consumers. And how their clients have grown to accept radical creativity as the norm.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leadership Summit: Chicago Cubs
Conference
Presented by Jennifer Martindale, SVP of Marketing, Chicago Cubs
In this session, Jen Martindale of the Chicago Cubs shares six tools to help you build brand fandom.
Speaker profile:
Jen joined the Chicago Cubs in 2022 to steward the Cubs and Wrigley Field brands, overseeing fan development, growth marketing, content development and production, and game presentation. Prior to the Cubs, Jen spent three seasons as vice president of brand strategy for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining professional sports, Jen served in marketing leadership roles in the nonprofit sector and spent over ten years at Chicago-based ad agency Leo Burnett, driving brand strategy and leading award-winning campaigns for notable brands like Kellogg’s, Cadillac, PetSmart, and the U.S. Army.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leadership Summit: 7-Eleven
Conference
Presented by Marissa Eddings, Sr. Director, Brand, Advertising, Media, and In-store Marketing and In-house Agency, 7-Eleven
In this session, Marissa Eddings of 7-Eleven walks through how she built a case for growth.
Speaker profile:
In her role with the world’s largest convenience retailer, Melissa leads the team behind iconic brand moments like Slurpee Day and has executed groundbreaking brand activations like launching the brand’s first online merchandise store 7Collection, and building a custom car created by the brand’s most loyal fans, aptly named Model 711. Most recently, Marissa and her team were the brains behind the brand’s first-ever music video and ode to Slurpee featuring hip-hop star Flo Milli and the Always Open viral collab with football sensation Ja’Marr Chase. Prior to 7-Eleven, Marissa held roles in brand and marketing with Capital One and American Express.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leadership Summit: Discover Financial Services
Conference
Presented by Jorge Orozco-Cordero, ECD, Sr. Director of Brand Communications, Discover Financial Services
In this session, Jorge Orozco-Cordero reveals how leading through change can elevate a brand.
Speaker profile:
Jorge is forever an outsider looking inward. Emigrating from the jungle canopy of Costa Rica and raised in suburban New York, he knows how to thrive in uncertain territories—turning his skill in adaptation into a rich, 25-year career in brand and advertising. Today, Jorge oversees the 38-person internal agency at Discover, leading creative, copywriting, account, and strategy in the development and launch of full-funnel marketing integration across 21 lines of business. In his current role, Jorge has led Super Bowl ad campaigns, launched a national pandemic response campaign to support Black-owned restaurants, and continues to lead Discover’s brand evolution into the future.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leadership Summit: Highmark Health
Conference
Presented by Amy Spears, SVP Brand, Creative & Media and George Friedman, Director of Content Development & Production, Highmark Health
In this session, Amy Spears and George Friedman pull back the curtain on the In-House Agency of the Year.
Speaker profile:
Amy oversees brand, creative, and media for Highmark Health, a $26 billion national, blended health organization that includes one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional network of hospitals and physicians. She also leads Tonic, a 125+ member team, to support the company’s mission of creating remarkable health experiences that free people to be their best. In her current role, Amy leverages 25+ years of experience in advertising and marketing with multiple Fortune 40 retail and healthcare companies to build and develop high-performing and award-winning brands, teams, and team cultures.
Speaker profile:
With a reputation as a global leader, brand builder, and storyteller, George is a content creation expert specialized in leading teams that produce award-winning content for some of the world’s most respected brands. Having a creative, technical, and operational background provides George with a unique understanding of the full production process from conception to launch across all channels. Today, George leads content development and production at Tonic, Highmark Health’s in-house agency, where he and his team focus on TV, video and photography, digital and paid social, print production, and web publishing.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Building on Purpose
Conference
Presented by Kristine Kobe, VP, Marketing & Advertising, Liquid Sunshine, Keurig Dr Pepper
Within months of forming Liquid Sunshine, the in-house agency at Keurig Dr Pepper, the pandemic hit—leaving the newly established team operating in siloes across three time zones, each with its own way of working across 125 brands. With the eventual return-to-office and in-person connections, the team at Liquid Sunshine needed to define who they are as an internal agency. What is their purpose within Keurig Dr Pepper? How do they operate? And how do they show up for their marketing partners and each other? Join Kristine Kobe for an inside look at Liquid Sunshine’s journey to build a unified, purpose-driven team for a modern-day marketing organization.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Purposeful Hiring
Conference
Presented by Adrienne Lucas, Global Head of Strategic Partnerships & DEI, The One Club for Creativity
Hiring and retaining people of color requires intentionality, authenticity and grit. If you are ready to embark on more-purposeful hiring practices, industry agnostic organizations such as The One Club for Creativity are here to help. The One Club is a nonprofit creative advertising organization founded in the 1960s to celebrate and support the global creative community. For over a half-century, they have partnered with countless in-house agencies to attract talent of color, reduce turnover, drive innovation and enable profitability. Join Adrienne Lucas for a candid conversation and actionable tips that you and your team can take to improve your diversity-hiring practices.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Purpose Through Partnership
Conference
Presented by Becky Kamowitz, Senior Director of Marketing Communications, The Skin Cancer Foundation
Fifteen years ago, a beauty brand approached The Skin Cancer Foundation with these magic words: “We want to make a difference.” What started out as an extended brainstorming session became a recurring mobile skin cancer screening program known as Destination Healthy Skin. Over the years, with vital support from sun-protection product manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and retailers, the Skin Cancer Foundation has provided over 29,000 free life-saving screenings nationwide, while reaching millions more via media coverage. In this inspired session, we gain an understanding of what makes a successful, sustainable partnership between nonprofit and for-profit corporations, and what pitfalls to avoid.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Fostering Engagement with Visual Storytelling
Conference
Presented by Paige McCrensky, VP, Marketing & Brand Communications, Americas, Getty Images
Ninety percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. It’s sixty times faster to process visual information than text. And content with visuals results in ninety-four percent more views than content without visuals. All of this is to say that visual storytelling has become the world’s primary language. Getty Images’ Paige McCrensky reveals the top five trends that are key to creating compelling visual stories and driving purposeful engagement with target audiences. Learn how authenticity and representation are essential to connecting with consumers and the role visuals play in today’s digital age.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Sustainability Today
Conference
Presented by Paula Alexander, Sr. Director, Sustainability, The Clorox Company
Though sustainability has become more difficult to operationalize and the stakes are higher than ever, it remains a key business initiative with much positive momentum. In this conscious keynote, Paula Alexander leverages decades of experience in both sustainability and marketing to provide insight and inspiration on how to balance profit with purpose, especially when the going gets tough. She talks about best practices for sustainability goal setting, integration and communication. And she highlights some of the work the in-house agency Electro has done in support of Burt’s Bees, a business unit of The Clorox Company.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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In-House Value Stories
Conference
Presented by Chris Phillips, VP, Managing Director, Maverick Studios, Inspire Brands
Fewer than four years ago, Maverick Studios made it their mission to maximize speed, service and savings without compromising quality in support of Inspire Brand’s portfolio of legendary brands. What they didn’t know at that time was just how quickly they would grow. In this compelling keynote, Chris Phillips shares a few of the value stories that helped Maverick Studios shape its identity and culture and build its reputation—all reinforcing the team’s commitment to delivering meaningful, purposeful advertising solutions. From collaboration and empowerment to creativity and innovation to client partnership and results, we hear about the agency’s guiding principles, purpose, and the impact it aims to make in the advertising industry.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leading with Purpose
Conference
Presented by Rebecca Kovalcik, Senior Creative Director, Danone
Leadership is more important than ever, particularly in today’s evolving culture and marketplace. The opportunity to affect positive change by aligning our work with our purpose is significant—finding authentic ways to weave it through our respective organizations to enable stronger teams and more impactful solutions. Purpose and passion can inspire teams to face tough times with resilience and resolve. Through a mix of personal storytelling and professional experience, this session challenges outdated ways of looking at our work lives, underscoring the power of purpose-driven leadership which often arises from the most unexpected places.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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AI: Master the Magic
Conference
Presented by Andrew Davis, Bestselling Author and Keynote Speaker, Monumental Shift
Artificial intelligence feels a lot like magic, especially for teams striving for agility. Craft a smart prompt and behold, chatGPT pens your campaign copy. Ask DALL-E to conjure-up brand visuals. Shazam! Have Google Duplex set-up your meetings, and Abracadabra. AI is revolutionizing the way we engage, communicate, and build relationships with customers and colleagues. Like any spellbinding magic, AI also harbors a dark side. A single AI-powered blunder can turn engaged audiences and supportive colleagues into skeptics and critics, eroding your most prized possession—the trust you’ve earned. In this thrilling keynote, Andrew Davis guides us through the maze of AI, including how to harness its magic without sabotaging relationships.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Think It, Make It
Conference
Presented by Sumit Ajwani, Founder & CEO, Makers
Inventors, entrepreneurs, dreamers, and artists sometimes get stuck between ideation and creation. They stall at the intersection of coming up with an idea and making it happen because assorted challenges block their path forward. This year’s title sponsor, Makers, has taken on nearly every type of production challenge—from dynamic brand activations to Super Bowl spots to building homes for Habitat for Humanity. Makers empowers producers to defy conventional production norms by employing a set of steps that bridges the gap between ideation and creation. Get to know Makers and hear about their unique approach to bringing ideas to life.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Fueled by a Higher Purpose
Conference
Presented by Annie Castellano, Director, Brand Strategy + Creative, Edward Jones
As a corporation, Edward Jones has a declared purpose—to partner for positive impact, to improve the lives of clients and colleagues, and together, to better communities and society. Such a declaration not only takes commitment but action across every point of contact within and outside the company. For the in-house agency, the corporate purpose serves as a launching-off point, resulting in a tangible and intentional focus on delivering ideas that make the brand famous! In this high-powered keynote, we hear about the internal agency’s purpose-fueled values and how they not only ensure everyone is moving in the same direction, but that they are also enjoying the ride.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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