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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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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Leadership Summit: CVS Health
Conference
Presented by Jay Williams, Executive Creative Director, CVS Health
Jay’s work has led to Heart Haus being twice named a finalist for IHAF’s In-House Agency of the Year award. In this behind-the-scenes session, you'll hear how three separate marketing teams came together to form a single agency for increased efficiency, consistency, and cohesion across the enterprise.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leadership Summit: The Coca-Cola Company
Conference
Presented by Kirstin Dorsch, Director, Coca-Cola Creative Studios, The Coca-Cola Company
A champion of authenticity, devotee to the balance of process and creativity, and believer that collaboration and inclusivity are essential for a successful team, Kirstin spent the past five years evolving and expanding Coca-Cola Creative Studios. In this energetic session, she shares six keys to fostering a healthy team culture in turbulent times.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leadership Summit: Empower
Conference
Presented by Bill Fox, VP, Head of Brand, Empower
Bill brings over 35 years of brand, advertising, agency management, and UI/UX design experience to his role at Empower. In this insightful session, Bill takes us through their recent brand transformation including how the relationship between Empower’s internal and external agencies has been pivotal to their success.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Leadership Summit: Delta Air Lines
Conference
Featuring Alex Blackwell, Chris Fisher, Ahmad Glenn, Jen Kleinrock and Catherine Simmons, Delta Air Lines
Get to know our reigning In-House Agency of the Year, with the leaders of Delta's Window Seat walking through their organizational structure, operating practices, and creative capabilities. You'll hear about the evolution of the group from its birth in 2019 to today, and how a deliberate focus on culture enables them to keep climbing.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Taking the Charge Out of Charging Back
Conference
Presented by Jennifer Panitch, Director, Creative Operations, Anywhere Real Estate
Tasked with setting up a chargeback model, the team at Anywhere Real Estate not only discovered best practices to help launch it, they parlayed it into a resourcing and capacity-management system that informs internal staffing decisions in partnership with finance and HR. While some get fired up over the mere thought of charging back for internal resources, this intrepid team is using the new model to successfully track time, manage capacity and allocate hours by line of business. If you’re looking for ways to manage volume by client (with or without a chargeback model), this is the session for you.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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From IHA to LLC: Copper Giants™ Goes External
Conference
Presented by Clifford Stevens, VP, Managing Director, Copper Giants™, Liberty Mutual Insurance
Since 2017, the creative agency at Liberty Mutual has been building toward something special. As part of its five-year plan, the team has been focused on adding significant value by adopting a growth mindset, scaling capabilities, and recruiting top talent so the work they produce performs better each year. The question was, could they ever get good enough to not only support Liberty Mutual but extend their services to other brands? Join us to find out how the Copper Giants™ formed an LLC to create a truly unconventional offering. In addition to hearing what it took to secure executive buy-in to work for other companies, we’ll see the first few pieces the team produced for one of its external partners.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Shop Talk: What the Creative Doesn't Tell You
Conference
Presented by Robert Davison (L), Creative Director, Print and Photography and Pamela Sarian (R), Executive Director, Marketing & Creative Services, Boston University
How does a typical project request turn into award-winning creative? Can it be done on a shoestring budget? In a short timeframe? And why does so much “good work” end up on the cutting-room floor? In this session, we’ll spill on the good, bad and often challenging parts of the creative process at BU, including how we leverage client expertise and project limitations to develop the best solutions possible. Join us to talk shop, commiserate, and discuss the steps (and setbacks) that go along with producing industry-leading creative work.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Workfront Rollout Lessons Learned
Conference
Presented by Jordan DeWitt, VP of Brand Creative, Capital One
Who wants to migrate 200+ associates, 13+ agencies, 15000+ deliverables, and 15+ business units to a single automated workflow system? Join us to hear the ups and downs of Capital One’s implementation of the web-based project management platform, Workfront. Find out why they decided to make the move and how they made it work across their sprawling creative ecosystem. With lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid, this is the ideal session to attend if your team is planning to invest in a new work management system.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Chosen Name
Conference
Presented by Justin McCoy (L), VP, DEI Strategy & Marketing and Peter Viento (R), Director, Head of Creative, Citi Global Marketing Citi
Citi’s mission to enable growth and progress for all includes driving advancement for transgender and non-binary people, too. As part of its commitment to drive an equitable and inclusive culture, Citi developed a feature that allows trans and non-binary customers to use the name that reflects who they truly are, even if it differs from their legal name. In this compelling session, Citi’s Global Marketing leaders will reveal the insights that ignited this new feature, the triumphs and pitfalls of bringing it to life, how partnership got this groundbreaking work across the finish line, and the unique collaboration between internal and external agencies that ensured representation in front of and behind the camera.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Declaring Your Non-Negotiables
Conference
Presented by Amy Spears, SVP Brand & Creative, Highmark Health
When you think “internal agency,” the word “negotiation” is probably not what comes to mind. In fact, most in-house agencies don’t have a lot of bargaining power when it comes to the everyday demands of the business. We do have an obligation to make our non-negotiables known to both our team and company to drive the richest brand experiences possible. In this provocative keynote, industry veteran Amy Spears will share seven non-negotiables to maximize the value of the in-house model. And why she believes every in-house agency should define and boldly declare what it considers sacrosanct. What are your non-negotiables? Time to shout them out!
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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Betting on Influencers
Conference
Presented by Casey Hurbis, Chief Marketing Officer, Rocket Central
For two years running, Rocket Mortgage has tapped the power of influencers to produce Super Bowl spots that have earned consecutive #1 rankings atop the coveted USA Today Ad Meter. From pitch to production, the in-house agency plays a vital role amplifying the campaign across assorted media and platforms, extending the concept far beyond game day. In this behind-the-scenes look, CMO Casey Hurbis reveals the realities the in-house agency faced preparing for Super Bowl Sunday, the importance of creative and celebrity partnerships, and how the work came to life on and off the field.
Category: Recorded Sessions, Past Conferences
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