Cvent, a global leader in meetings, events, and hospitality technology, has announced its keynote speakers for the upcoming Cvent CONNECT conference. The event will feature distinguished personalities from diverse fields, sharing inspiring stories and valuable insights to engage thousands of industry professionals.

Keynote Speakers and Their Impact

• Erik Weihenmayer – World-Class Blind Adventurer

  • First blind person to summit Mount Everest and conquer the Seven Summits.

  • Accomplished kayaker and endurance racer.

  • Co-founder of No Barriers USA, promoting empowerment through adversity.

  • Inspires audiences with lessons on resilience and team building.

• James Van Der Beek – Acclaimed American Actor

  • Known for iconic roles in “Dawson’s Creek,” “Varsity Blues,” and “Pose.”

  • Brings a versatile Hollywood perspective to motivate diverse audiences.

  • Experienced in comedy and dramatic roles across film and TV.

• Melissa M. Proctor – EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena

  • From the Miami Heat’s first female ball attendant to NBA executive leadership.

  • Led innovative marketing campaigns, including the MLK Nike City Edition uniform.

  • Advocate for social change, artist, and author with a visionary leadership style.

  • Embodies resilience and creativity, inspiring future generations.

Event Overview and Significance

• Cvent CONNECT annually gathers thousands of event, marketing, and hospitality professionals globally.

• The conference offers networking opportunities, trend exploration, and technology insights.

• This year’s speakers embody resilience, innovation, and leadership to motivate attendees.

• Rachel Andrews, Senior Director of Global Meetings & Events at Cvent, highlights the speakers’ compelling achievements and stories as key to inspiring attendees.

Cvent CONNECT 2025 promises an enriching experience with keynote speakers who bring diverse backgrounds and powerful messages of perseverance and innovation. Their stories will empower attendees to advance the event and hospitality industries with renewed vision and passion.

Talon.One has partnered with Shopify to become the only enterprise-grade promotions and loyalty engine integrated into the Shopify commerce platform. This collaboration empowers Shopify’s largest Enterprise customers to maximize revenue through advanced, intelligent incentive programs.

How Talon.One Enhances Shopify Enterprise

• Complex Discounting and Loyalty Needs Addressed
  Large global brands with sophisticated discount and loyalty requirements now have a robust solution integrated directly into Shopify Enterprise.

• Premier Tier Partnership
  Talon.One’s status as a Premier Tier partner boosts Shopify’s promotions and loyalty capabilities, enabling brands to drive higher average order values and increase customer retention.

• Flexible Incentive Tools
  Brands using both platforms gain access to over 30 advanced incentive tools, including:

  • Personalized, behavior-driven offers

  • Gamified rewards

  • Advanced loyalty program structures

Leadership Insights

• Christoph Gerber, CEO of Talon.One:
  “Our partnership offers real-time, precision-driven incentives that help brands reduce blanket discounts, increase customer lifetime value, and enhance profitability.”

• Apsara Chidambaram, Head of Alliances at Shopify:
  “Enterprise merchants now enjoy promotional flexibility combined with Shopify’s fast, high-converting checkout, allowing tailored customer engagements at scale.”

Features of the Integration

• Smart & Scalable Promotions:
  Deliver targeted incentives based on customer behavior, location, and data analytics.

• Advanced Loyalty & Gamification:
  Build multi-market, multi-brand loyalty programs with gamified and behavior-triggered rewards to deepen engagement.

• Enterprise-Ready & Future-Proof:
  Talon.One’s API-first, fully customizable engine is built for high-volume, growing brands within Shopify’s ecosystem.

The Talon.One-Shopify integration offers ambitious global brands a powerful toolset for running flexible, scalable promotions and loyalty programs. This partnership enables enterprises to increase revenue, improve customer loyalty, and stay ahead in competitive markets.

Whalar Group, a global leader dedicated to empowering creators, today announced a strategic investment from three powerhouse investors: Marc Benioff, founder of Salesforce; Shopify; and Neal H. Moritz, acclaimed Hollywood producer and founder of Original Film. This marks a major milestone in Whalar Group’s journey to build the future infrastructure for the Creator Economy.

Whalar Group’s Vision for the Creator Economy

Neil Waller, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, emphasized:

“The Creator Economy is now mainstream. Creators are professionalizing with teams, new technologies, and diverse revenue streams. We’re building infrastructure that lets creators operate like major entertainment companies but with agility to innovate and compete.”

Whalar’s Unique Ecosystem for Creators

Whalar Group’s integrated ecosystem supports creators through six core companies:

• Whalar: Leading independent creator and social agency

• Sixteenth: Global 360° creator talent management

• The Lighthouse: First-ever IRL campus for creators to learn, make, and belong

• Foam: Operating system for managing digital talent

• Moby Ventures: Venture studio bringing creators’ ideas to life

• Umi Games: Gaming studio connecting brands and creators via Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft

Investor Contributions & Strategic Importance

• Shopify: Backing from Shopify’s internal venture team highlights the shared belief in community-led commerce and creators as entrepreneurs.

  • Harley Finkelstein, Shopify President:

    “Creators have built ecosystems on Shopify, supercharged by Whalar Group, turning communities into thriving businesses.”

• Neal H. Moritz: Hollywood powerhouse and prolific producer with $12B+ box office earnings, strengthens Whalar’s link to entertainment.

  • Neal H. Moritz:

    “Creators today hold the power and originality once reserved for studios. We’re excited to help them scale lasting IP with Whalar.”

• Marc Benioff: Visionary founder of Salesforce and Shopify, bringing deep tech and commerce insight to Whalar’s growth.

This strategic investment signals a new chapter for Whalar Group as it scales its innovative ecosystem, enabling creators worldwide to build thriving, professional businesses with diverse revenue streams. With support from leaders in tech, commerce, and entertainment, Whalar is positioned to shape the future of the Creator Economy.

Bloomberg Media and iHeartMedia, the world’s leading podcast publisher, have announced the renewal of their partnership to co-produce new original podcasts and extend iHeartMedia’s exclusive distribution of Bloomberg’s popular podcast slate.

Expanding a Successful Collaboration

Since 2021, the two companies have launched over 30 podcasts covering business, finance, economics, and more, combining critical news with compelling storytelling. Will Pearson, President of iHeartPodcasts, said:

“We are thrilled to continue this partnership to develop, distribute, and monetize Bloomberg’s impressive lineup while growing our global audience.”

Anthony Mancini, Head of Bloomberg Audio, added:

“iHeartMedia’s wide reach and innovative audio approach have been key to growing Bloomberg’s high-quality podcast content globally.”

New Podcasts and Continued Hits

The renewed deal includes ongoing collaboration on new podcasts like:

• Levittown: A six-part investigative series on deepfake pornography, produced with Kaleidoscope

• Everybody’s Business: Hosted by Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith from Bloomberg Businessweek, offering in-depth business story analysis

Past and current hits from the partnership include:

• Big Take (daily episodes)

• In Trust

• Bedrock

• USA

• Bloomberg Crypto

• Crash Course

These shows complement Bloomberg’s broader podcast catalog including Odd Lots, Money Stuff, Masters in Business, Businessweek Daily, and Trumponomics.

Distribution and Reach

Bloomberg produces over 30 podcasts delivering timely insights and storytelling across multiple fields including business, finance, politics, technology, and more. These podcasts are distributed exclusively by iHeartPodcasts and are available on Bloomberg.com, the iHeartRadio app, and all major podcast platforms.

Forrester today announced the opening of nominations for its prestigious B2B Return On Integration Honors and B2B Programs Of The Year Awards for the Asia Pacific (APAC) and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions.

These awards celebrate B2B organizations of all sizes across any region that demonstrate functional excellence and outstanding alignment between marketing, sales, and product teams — the key drivers of B2B revenue growth and improved customer experience.

Nominations for both award categories are now open and welcome organizations from diverse industries.

Core Scientific, Inc., a leader in digital infrastructure for high-density colocation and digital asset mining, announced the immediate appointment of Elizabeth Crain to its Board of Directors. Ms. Crain will also serve as Chair of the Company’s Audit Committee.

With over 30 years of expertise in investment banking, private equity, and executive leadership, Ms. Crain co-founded and served as COO of Moelis & Company, a top independent investment bank. She played a pivotal role in scaling Moelis into a global financial advisory firm. Previously, she was Managing Director and COO at UBS Investment Banking Americas. Ms. Crain currently is a Partner at the Consello Group and sits on Nokia Corporation’s Board. Barron’s named her one of the 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance in 2022. She holds an MBA from Wharton and a B.S. in Economics from Arizona State University.

“We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Crain to our Board during this important time in Core Scientific’s evolution,” said Adam Sullivan, CEO. “Her financial leadership and strategic insight will be invaluable as we execute our long-term growth plans.”

In conjunction with this appointment, Core Scientific’s Board elected Jordan Levy as Chair, succeeding Jarrod Patten, who did not stand for reelection at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

“We are thrilled to have Jordan Levy step into his new role as Chairman,” added Sullivan. “His leadership and vision position us strongly for our next phase of growth.”

Docket, the AI revenue platform for modern enterprises, today announced the launch of its AI Seller agent a multi-modal conversational agent designed to provide detailed product information, technical support, and solution discovery. This innovative tool allows website visitors to explore products, access technical specs, view slides and videos, and understand how offerings meet their unique needs.

Addressing the fragmented and frustrating digital buying process, AI Seller engages prospects in real-time, delivering instant, personalized answers and guiding buyers seamlessly through product exploration. The platform aims to create net-new sales pipeline and increase website conversion rates by up to 30%.

“Our AI Seller delivers the kind of engagement today's buyers expect: instant answers, personalized experiences, and zero friction,” said Arjun Pillai, co-founder and CEO of Docket. “It’s a cost-effective way to scale without adding headcount, while giving marketing and sales teams real-time insights into what buyers actually care about.”

Key benefits of AI Seller include quick deployment within 24 hours, increased product and technical page conversions, improved marketing asset findability, and the ability to generate after-hours sales pipeline. It also helps businesses engage new buyer segments and offers a buyer-centric alternative to traditional vendor-centric websites.

Since its selective release, AI Seller has demonstrated remarkable impact, elevating the way prospects interact with brands and boosting qualified pipeline generation.

SPINS, a leader in data, analytics, and omnichannel activation for Natural Products, has acquired Lucky Labs, a digital technology company known for its product locator platform. This move strengthens SPINS’ capabilities in the beauty and wellness sector by helping brands connect with values-driven consumers across digital and physical channels.

Growing Demand for Conscious Beauty

• Consumers are applying the same transparency and sustainability expectations from food to beauty and wellness products.

• Shoppers use multiple channels — digital media, e-commerce, and in-store — for discovery and purchase.

Strategic Acquisition Benefits

• Extends SPINS’ expertise in conscious consumer behavior into the beauty and wellness vertical.

• Accelerates brand support with data-driven insights to optimize media investment and shopper experiences.

Lucky Labs’ Innovative Platform

• Provides real-time product discovery and retail availability tracking.

• Utilizes first-party data from retail partners for granular insights into inventory and shopper conversion.

• Enables brands to run more effective campaigns and improve ROI across all channels.

Leadership Insights

• Jay Margolis (SPINS CEO): Emphasizes the mission to empower values-led brands with intelligence to engage modern consumers meaningfully.

• Sneh Parmar (Lucky Labs CEO): Highlights the shared mission to simplify product discovery for conscious shoppers and provide brands with smarter growth tools.

• Nafis Azad (Lucky Labs CPO): Expresses excitement about expanding the SPINS ecosystem with top beauty brands and retailers.

Unified Platform Offering

• Combines market intelligence, product-level insights, and omnichannel shopper engagement in a single solution.

• Supports beauty and wellness brands in building lasting customer relationships and meeting evolving consumer needs.

The acquisition of Lucky Labs by SPINS represents a significant step in empowering beauty and wellness brands with advanced data and technology. By integrating product discovery, real-time retail insights, and shopper engagement, SPINS enhances brand strategies and supports growth in a competitive, conscious consumer market.