The inaugural Festival of Marketing Asia has unveiled its opening keynote speakers and first wave of industry leaders, signaling its ambition to become a major gathering for marketing professionals across the Asia-Pacific region. Scheduled for September 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, the event will bring together B2B and B2C marketers at a time when artificial intelligence, customer experience, and revenue accountability are reshaping marketing leadership.

Haymarket Media Asia has announced the opening keynote lineup for the first-ever Festival of Marketing Asia (FoM Asia), a new regional edition of the long-running UK marketing event that has traditionally attracted more than 1,000 marketing professionals annually.

Taking place on 3 September 2026 at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Kuala Lumpur, the event is expected to bring together more than 300 marketers from across Asia for a day focused on modern marketing strategy, customer experience, brand growth, and AI-driven transformation.

The launch comes as marketing leaders face mounting pressure to deliver measurable business outcomes while adapting to rapidly changing consumer behavior, evolving technology platforms, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence across the customer journey.

Unlike many industry conferences that focus heavily on thought leadership presentations, Festival of Marketing Asia is positioning itself around case study-led sessions designed to showcase practical applications and real-world results. Organizers say the approach is intended to provide actionable insights for marketing leaders navigating increasingly complex business environments.

The event's opening keynote will feature executives from Disney Cruise Line, which recently expanded its presence in Asia through the launch of Disney Adventure, the first vessel in the company's fleet to homeport in the region.

The keynote, titled "Logic in marketing makes you right, but magic makes you remembered," will explore how storytelling remains a competitive advantage in an era increasingly dominated by data and automation. The session is expected to highlight how Disney combines brand experiences, regional partnerships, and immersive marketing activations to build awareness and customer engagement across diverse Asian markets.

The focus on storytelling reflects a broader industry trend. While enterprises continue investing heavily in analytics, AI-powered marketing tools, and customer data platforms, many brands are simultaneously seeking ways to create emotionally resonant experiences that differentiate them from competitors.

The event's B2C track will open with Bruno Bechtlufft, Head of Marketing, Customer Service and Commercial Excellence – Asia at Petronas Lubricants International. His keynote, "Designing for human states: beyond the customer journey," challenges traditional funnel-based marketing frameworks that have long dominated customer experience strategies.

Instead of viewing customers as progressing through predictable stages, Bechtlufft will advocate for designing experiences around changing emotional states, behavioral signals, and contextual factors. The concept aligns with a growing movement in customer experience management that prioritizes adaptability over rigid journey mapping.

For consumer brands, this shift is becoming increasingly relevant as customers engage across multiple digital and physical touchpoints. Research from Gartner has repeatedly highlighted the need for organizations to move beyond linear customer journeys and adopt more dynamic engagement models that reflect modern buying behavior.

On the B2B side, the opening keynote will be delivered by Mansi Chopra, Chief Marketing Officer at Finmo. Her session, "From marketing to growth architecture: the new mandate for B2B leaders," addresses one of the most significant transformations occurring within enterprise marketing teams.

Historically, marketing departments were primarily responsible for brand awareness, communications, and lead generation. Today's B2B organizations increasingly expect marketing leaders to influence revenue growth, pipeline development, customer retention, and overall business performance.

The concept of marketers acting as "growth architects" reflects a broader shift toward cross-functional collaboration between marketing, sales, customer success, and product teams. As SaaS companies, fintech firms, and enterprise technology providers face greater pressure to demonstrate return on investment, marketing leadership roles continue expanding beyond traditional brand responsibilities.

The conference agenda also reflects the growing convergence between B2B and B2C marketing disciplines. Organizers argue that many of the challenges facing marketers today—including personalization, customer engagement, AI adoption, and measurement—transcend industry categories.

That crossover is evident in the broader speaker lineup, which includes marketing leaders from Agoda, Kyndryl, Manulife, Muslim Pro, Plaza Premium Group, Adyen, Kyriba, Yubico, Uber Eats, GoPro, Volvo Cars, and Income Insurance.

Another notable addition is the event's invitation-only CMO Boardroom, developed in partnership with mediasense. The closed-door session is designed to facilitate candid discussions among senior marketing executives on issues ranging from AI implementation and organizational transformation to growth strategy and customer experience innovation.

The timing of Festival of Marketing Asia coincides with significant changes across the marketing technology landscape. According to IDC, worldwide spending on AI-enabled business applications continues to accelerate as organizations seek automation, predictive analytics, and personalization capabilities. Meanwhile, Forrester research suggests that customer experience remains one of the most important competitive differentiators for brands operating in increasingly crowded markets.

These trends are reshaping the responsibilities of marketing leaders throughout Asia. Success is no longer measured solely by campaign performance or brand awareness metrics. Instead, executives are being asked to connect marketing initiatives directly to revenue growth, customer lifetime value, and business outcomes.

Festival of Marketing Asia appears designed to address those evolving expectations. By bringing together B2B and B2C leaders under one roof, the event aims to create a forum where marketers can learn from adjacent industries, explore emerging technologies, and examine how the role of marketing continues to evolve in an AI-driven business environment.

As the region's marketing ecosystem becomes increasingly sophisticated, events that blend strategic leadership, customer experience innovation, and practical execution may become essential gathering points for the next generation of marketing decision-makers.

Market Landscape

Marketing leaders across Asia are facing a rapidly evolving environment shaped by artificial intelligence, changing customer expectations, and increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable business outcomes. According to Gartner and Forrester, organizations are prioritizing customer experience, personalization, and AI-powered engagement as key competitive differentiators.

At the same time, B2B and B2C marketing disciplines are becoming more interconnected. Concepts such as customer-centric design, growth marketing, predictive analytics, and customer journey orchestration are increasingly influencing strategies across industries. Events like Festival of Marketing Asia reflect this convergence by bringing together diverse perspectives from enterprise technology, consumer brands, fintech, travel, and digital commerce.

Top Insights

• Festival of Marketing Asia will debut in Kuala Lumpur, bringing together more than 300 B2B and B2C marketers focused on growth, customer experience, and AI-driven transformation.
• Disney Cruise Line will headline the main stage, highlighting how storytelling and experiential marketing remain powerful differentiators in a data-driven marketing environment.
• Petronas Lubricants International will challenge traditional customer journey models by exploring adaptive experiences built around emotions, intent, and behavioral signals.
• Finmo's keynote will examine how modern B2B marketers are evolving into growth leaders responsible for revenue, pipeline development, and customer retention.
• The event reflects growing convergence between B2B and B2C marketing strategies as personalization, AI adoption, and customer experience become universal priorities.

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