2026 AMA Experience 

Thursday, October 29, 2026

Human by Design

Human By Design explores what it means to be a marketer in a rapidly changing world - embracing AI, innovation and emerging trends while keeping creativity, relationships, and authentic human experiences at the heart of what we do.

As Iowa’s premier local marketing event, AMA Experience brings together marketers from across industries and career levels for a day of learning, inspiration and connection. Discover what’s next, hear real-world ideas from leading marketers, expand your network and walk away with practical insights you can put to work right away - helping you thrive today and lead what’s ahead.

Marketing Conference Details

Thursday, October 29, 2026
DMU32 Olsen Center
3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Register Today!

Pricing

Schedule & Agenda 

8:00 - 9:00 AM Breakfast & Networking

9:00 - 9:10 AM Welcome

9:10 - 10:00 AM Opening Keynote

Harnessing Purpose: Meaning for the Marketer, Trust for the Brand
Melissa Fors Shackelford, Author & TEDx Speaker
Melissa takes on purpose from both sides - the marketer’s and the brand’s. Learn how to find the red threads already in your work, why authentic purpose earns trust and how to tell whether your brand purpose is a true decision filter or simply decoration.

10-Minute Break

10:10 - 11:00 AM  Morning Breakout Sessions

BREAKOUT 1

Human First, Tools Second: Building a Brand People Want to Belong To
Erin Huiatt, Des Moines Parent
Technology gives marketers more ways than ever to reach people, but reaching people isn’t the same as connecting with them. Drawing on more than a decade of growing Des Moines Parent, Erin will share how listening, trust, meaningful experiences and collaboration helped build an engaged community - and how AI and today’s tools can help brands scale without losing the human connection.

BREAKOUT 2

Stay Discoverable Online | The Changing World of SEO, GEO, and AEO
Ryan Shenefelt, de Novo Marketing
Over 60% of online searches now end without a single click to your website.
Where is everyone going? Users are turning to AI tools like AI Overviews for instant answers. To stay discoverable online, brands must adapt to the next evolution of search: Generative Engine Optimization. Luckily, many of the tactics and methods we used for SEO remain true! This presentation will showcase how to see how much traffic you’re getting through AI agents, how you can ensure the agents can SEE your website, and more tips to stay discoverable.

10-Minute Break

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM  General Session

Founders Are the New Influencers: What It Takes and Why It Pays Off
Emily Langenfeld, Kind Kulture & Kelli Calkins, Meyocks
Founder-led branding is one of the clearest trends in marketing today, and Iowa-based Kind Kulture offers a close-to-home example. We’ll unpack what makes founder-led branding work, why audiences respond to it and what happens as a brand grows beyond one person’s story.

12:00 - 12:45 PM  Lunch & Vendor Area
Enjoy lunch, connect with fellow attendees and visit our Experience sponsors and vendors.

12:50 - 1:40 PM  Afternoon Keynote

Speak Different: How to Present Ideas That Inspire Action
David Rendall, Leadership Speaker & Author
Great marketing ideas only make an impact when they inspire action. Drawing from Speak Different, David will share practical ways to make ideas clearer, more memorable and more persuasive - from focusing your message to using stories that stick and helping audiences know exactly what to think, feel and do next.

10-Minute Break

1:50 - 2:40 PM  Afternoon Breakout Sessions

BREAKOUT 1

Speak Different Deep Dive: From Insight to Influence
Turn Your Marketing Ideas into Messages That Move People
David Rendall, Leadership Speaker & Author
Building on his keynote, this interactive breakout puts the Speak Different methodology into practice. Through hands-on exercises, you’ll learn to simplify complex ideas, turn insights into compelling stories and build presentations around the action you want your audience to take.

BREAKOUT 2

Where You Fit: Human Value in AI-Powered Marketing
Chris Snider, Professor of Multi-media
A conversation on how marketers and creatives can apply AI without losing what makes their brand feel like their brand. Explore where AI earns its place in the creative process, where it still needs a human hand and how teams can determine the difference in practice.

20-Minute Break

3:00 - 3:50 PM Closing General Session

The Human + AI Connection Panel
Chris Snider, Professor  |  Megan Weisenstine, Athene   |  Ryan Shenefelt, de Novo Marketing
Bringing together three perspectives on AI adoption, this panel explores the questions marketers are asking as technology continues to reshape how we work. Hear how leaders are putting AI into practice, where the human element remains essential, and what marketers can do now to prepare for what’s next.

3:50 - 4:00 PM Thank You & Closing Remarks

Meet Our Speakers:

Melissa Fors Shackelford is a marketing executive, author, and keynote speaker with more than twenty years leading growth and brand transformation at Fortune 20 brands and national nonprofits.  She is the author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Harnessing Purpose: A Marketer's Guide to Inspiring Connection, and her TEDx talk on purpose has passed 200,000 views. The American Marketing Association named her the 2019 Nonprofit Marketer of the Year, and Ragan and PR Daily honored her as a 2026 Top Women in Marketing. She was also named to the Top 50 Women Leaders in Healthcare and received the Women's Health Leadership TRUST Leadership Award. She has spoken for the AMA, the University of Minnesota, and the University of North Dakota. Today she leads Shackelford Strategies, advising healthcare CEOs and boards on growth and brand.

David Rendall has spoken to audiences on every inhabited continent. His clients include Fortune 50 companies such as Microsoft, AT&T, Fannie Mae, and State Farm, as well as the National Apartment Association, Home Care Association of America, Australian Government, American Cancer Society, Entrepreneurs Organization, Young Presidents Organization, and all branches of the United States Military. Prior to becoming a Certified Speaking Professional, he was a leadership professor, stand-up comedian, and nonprofit executive. In between presentations, David competes in ultramarathons and Ironman triathlons. David has a doctor of management degree in organizational leadership, as well as a graduate degree in psychology. He is the author of five books: The Four Factors of Effective Leadership, The Freak Factor, The Freak Factor for Kids, Pink Goldfish 2.0, and Speak Different.

Chris Snider is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Drake University. He teaches classes in digital strategy, web design, visual communication, multimedia, and other disciplines to both undergrad and online graduate students. Prior to joining Drake, Chris was a visual journalist and editor at newspapers including the Baltimore Sun, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Des Moines Register. He writes a weekly email newsletter on what's new in social media.

Emily Langenfeld is the co-founder and CEO of Kind Kulture, an Iowa-based premium THC beverage and edible brand for adults looking for a mindful alternative to alcohol. Langenfeld oversees all aspects of the business, from product formulation and testing, packaging, to brand development and retail partnerships. Since launching 2024, Langenfeld sought out to build a brand committed to responsible product development, consumer education and reducing the stigma around THC. Langenfeld’s career spans more than a decade in sales and client strategy, with experience in digital marketing, content strategy and brand development. Today, she balances her role as vice president of sales at Webspec with running Kind Kulture.

Kelli Calkins is the director of social media at Meyocks, where she specializes in developing social strategies and optimization programs that elevate social media from a communications channel to a measurable business driver. She leads social strategy, audience and platform optimization, and Meyocks’ influencer and creator program, helping brands build relevance, engagement and meaningful business impact.

Ryan Shenefelt is the Head of Digital at de Novo Marketing. He's adept at connecting clients with solutions that change their business, with just the right amount of razzle dazzle to keep it entertaining. With more than a decade of experience, he's gone from web developer to digital strategist to account manager. His natural curiosity, knowledge of new tech, and forward-thinking approach keeps his clients and his team on the leading edge. Outside of de Novo, Ryan is an adjunct instructor at the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business.

Erin Huiatt is the owner of Des Moines Parent, a trusted resource connecting Central Iowa families with places to go, things to do and local businesses to support. She is an author, speaker and community connector who has spent more than a decade building a brand rooted in trust, collaboration and genuine connection. Erin is the author of 100 Things to Do in Des Moines Before You Die and has a second book, Where to Take the Kids: Des Moines, coming in spring 2027.

Megan Weisenstine is AVP of AI Engineering at Athene USA, where she leads AI experimentation and advances the company’s enterprise AI strategy. She brings together leaders from across the business to evaluate emerging capabilities, identify meaningful opportunities, and advance practical, responsible AI adoption. She has more than a decade of experience across AI, advanced analytics, business intelligence, and model governance, and holds a master’s in business analytics from the University of Iowa.

Parking is free in the DMU parking ramp north of the center and clinic.

Thank you to our Sponsors!