Winning in AI Search: What Marketers Need to Know Now
AI-driven search is no longer a future trend—it’s already reshaping how brands are discovered, evaluated, and ultimately chosen. In this session, Winning in AI Search, NextBigWin partnered with Crossfill and Tap In Digital, alongside Michele Hsu (VP of Marketing at Cerebro Capital), to break down what’s changing—and what marketers need to do about it. View the full presentation deck The Shift: From Rankings to Recommendations One of the biggest takeaways is simple but important: AI doesn’t rank. It selects. Traditional SEO focused on rankings, clicks, and traffic. But AI-generated answers skip that entire process. Instead of showing a list of links, platforms like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews recommend a small set of brands directly. In many cases, 60–80% of recommendations are concentrated among just three brands. If you’re not included, you’re not just lower—you’re invisible. The New Problem: Invisible Demand AI is creating a layer of demand that most companies can’t see. No impression No click No attribution As highlighted in the session, a user can discover your brand through AI, then visit directly, while your analytics show “Direct” traffic and give AI zero credit. This creates what Tap In Digital calls a “dark demand layer” —influence that exists but isn’t measured. What to Measure Instead The session introduced a new set of metrics that matter in AI-driven discovery: Brand share of voice in AI answers Citation frequency Prompt coverage (where you show up vs. don’t) Competitive inclusion gaps These signals determine whether your brand is even part of the consideration set. From Visibility to Revenue This is where the partnership between Crossfill and Tap In Digital becomes powerful: Crossfill helps companies measure and improve AI visibility by tracking how often brands appear in AI-generated answers and recommendations. Tap In Digital helps connect that visibility to revenue, bringing AI signals into attribution models and media mix frameworks to quantify real business impact. Together, they close the gap between: “Are we showing up?” and “Is this driving growth?” Partner Offers To help teams get started: Crossfill is offering a Free AI Visibility Audit For agencies: 1–2 client accounts For brands: benchmarked vs. top 3 competitors Contact: sales@crossfill.com Tap In Digital is offering an AI Revenue Mapping Sprint Connect AI visibility signals to downstream revenue First 10 attendees receive 50% off Contact: kirk@tapindigital.com The Bottom Line You are already losing share in AI-driven discovery. You just can’t see it yet. The brands that start measuring—and acting—now will be the ones that win.
Top Marketing Agency Conferences for 2026
This list is for agency owners, agency leaders, business development teams, strategists, and marketers trying to figure out which conferences may be worth a closer look in 2026. It is selective, not exhaustive. We reviewed over 300 conferences and narrowed them down to the top ones. The goal is to make it easy to quickly compare options, understand what each event is about, and decide which ones are worth exploring further. January Tastemaker Conference Location: Los Angeles, CADates: January 9-10, 2026Best for: Food creators, brands, and marketing teams in food media Official website What it is: Tastemaker Conference is a niche event for food creators and the businesses that support them. It is positioned as a creator-centered gathering focused on connection, learning, and growth within the food content space. Good fit if you want to: Understand the creator side of food media and brand building Connect with food creators and adjacent marketing partners Explore how content and community drive growth in food-focused niches February IAB Annual Leadership Meeting Location: Palm Springs, CADates: February 1-3, 2026Best for: Digital media and advertising leaders Official website What it is: The IAB Annual Leadership Meeting is a senior-level industry event focused on the future of digital media, advertising, measurement, and commerce. It brings together executives and decision-makers shaping priorities for the year ahead. Good fit if you want to: Track major shifts in digital media and advertising Hear how industry leaders are thinking about measurement and AI Build relationships with senior leaders across the media ecosystem Meet Magento Florida Location: Hollywood, FLDates: February 4-5, 2026Best for: E-commerce marketers, commerce teams, and Adobe Commerce ecosystem partners Official website What it is: Meet Magento Florida is a commerce-focused event built around the Adobe Commerce and Magento ecosystem. It brings together merchants, retailers, technology partners, developers, service providers, and industry leaders around digital commerce topics. Good fit if you want to: Stay close to Adobe Commerce and Magento ecosystem developments Build relationships with merchants, retailers, and commerce partners Explore ecommerce-focused ideas and opportunities relevant to client work The Robots Are Coming Location: New York, NYDates: February 10, 2026Best for: Agency leaders navigating AI change Official website What it is: The Robots Are Coming is an Agency Hackers event focused on how agencies are actually using AI in practice. The official page frames it as a candid, closed-door conversation about agency operations, talent, clients, and the choices agencies need to make in an AI-shaped market. Good fit if you want to: See how other agencies are applying AI in real workflows Think through what AI means for talent, delivery, and clients Join honest peer conversations about agency change 4As Decisions Conference Location: Washington, DCDates: February 11, 2026Best for: Agency leaders and policy-aware decision-makers Official website What it is: 4As Decisions is an agency-focused event from the 4A’s. The Washington, DC edition is positioned around how changing rules, messaging, and influence affect agency leadership and decision-making. Good fit if you want to: Understand policy and messaging issues affecting agencies Discuss strategic leadership questions with industry peers Explore how external change is reshaping agency decision-making Biz Dev Camp New Orleans Location: New Orleans, LADates: February 23-24, 2026Best for: Agency business development leaders Official website What it is: Biz Dev Camp is a Bureau event centered on business development for agency leaders and growth-minded teams. It is positioned as a practical gathering for navigating client relationships, growth challenges, and new business strategy. Good fit if you want to: Improve your agency’s business development approach Talk through growth and client relationship challenges with peers Get a practical perspective on building a stronger pipeline March Seven Figure Agency Summit Location: Miami, FL; hybridDates: March 2026Best for: Agency owners and growth leaders Official website What it is: This is a Seven Figure Agency member event built around in-person networking, training, and collaboration for agency owners. It is a live and virtual intensive. Good fit if you want to: Connect with other agency owners at a similar growth stage Get practical training tied to agency growth and operations Combine in-person networking with a virtual attendance option Industrial Marketing Summit Location: Austin, TXDates: March 3-5, 2026Best for: Industrial marketers and B2B manufacturing teams Official website What it is: Industrial Marketing Summit is a niche conference for marketers working in industrial and manufacturing-related sectors. It is designed around practical learning, workshops, and networking for teams focused on industrial B2B growth. Good fit if you want to: Learn from marketers working in industrial and manufacturing environments Bring back practical ideas for B2B industrial marketing programs Connect with peers facing similar category and buyer challenges IAB NewFronts Location: New York, NY; hybridDates: March 23-26, 2026Best for: Brand marketers, media buyers, and agency professionals Official website What it is: IAB NewFronts is a digital video and content marketplace event focused on partnerships between brands and digital media companies. It is positioned around presentations, media innovation, and relationship-building across the digital content ecosystem. Good fit if you want to: Stay current on digital video and media partnership opportunities Connect with brands, buyers, and digital content companies Follow how the digital media marketplace is evolving Spryng 2026 Location: Austin, TXDates: March 24-25, 2026Best for: Senior B2B SaaS marketers Official website What it is: Spryng is a B2B SaaS marketing event from Wynter built around peer-to-peer learning and connection. The official site describes it as an unconference-style gathering where attendees are matched with peers based on role, company size, interests, and challenges. Good fit if you want to: Learn directly from senior B2B SaaS marketing peers Have more focused peer conversations instead of broad conference networking Compare how similar teams are solving growth and marketing challenges Shoptalk Spring Location: Las Vegas, NVDates: March 24-26, 2026Best for: Retail, brand, and commerce leaders Official website What it is: Shoptalk Spring is a major retail and e-commerce event focused on growth, innovation, and the future of commerce. The 2026 agenda positions
