LTR 2018: Meet the Humans Behind “The Human Factor”

We’re living in a world that’s been reshaped by technology. Smartphones in every pocket, computers on every desk—and lap, for that matter. Smart speakers and smart homes; connected TVs and connected cars. And as the world becomes increasingly connected, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that all this tech isn’t being created for its own sake; it’s there to make life better, easier, and more efficient for the people using it.

For marketing, growth, and engagement teams, taking advantage of data and technology to better understand, reach, and engage their customers is essential—but easy to get wrong. At this year’s edition of the LTR conference, Braze (formerly Appboy) will be exploring the marriage of data, technology, and teams, and the role it can play in supporting more relevant, more “human” experiences for the all the individual, unique people who make up any company’s user base.

What is LTR, anyway?

LTR stands for long-term relationships and building relationships requires understanding and care. That means knowing where and how your customers interact with technology—and how to communicate with them digitally in human, one-to-one ways.

The theme of this year’s conference is “the human factor,” and that means we’re focusing in on the human side of all those connections: between brands and their customers, between different internal teams that have to work together, and between data and the realities of the customer experience. Attendees and speakers will explore human dynamics that drive us all, in business and in life, and come away with inspiring insights and practical applications to create the kinds of brilliant, emotionally resonant experiences that support long-term relationships with your customers.

Where and when is LTR 2018?

This year’s LTR conference will be held in New York City at Milk Studios (450 W 15th St # 800, New York, NY 10011), just steps from Manhattan's iconic High Line elevated linear park, greenway, and rail trail.

The conference will take place:

Day 1: Wednesday, October 3rd, 12:00pm–6:30pm | Open to Braze clients only

Day 2: Thursday, October 4th, 9:00am–7:00pm | Open to all

Reserve your spot now

What’s on the schedule for LTR 2018?

We’ve got a full agenda of programming at this year’s conference, with speakers from Microsoft, TD Bank, Deloitte, R/GA, Freeform, Quartz, the Brooklyn Nets, and more, and content on personalization, machine learning and customer engagement, brand storytelling, GDPR and data privacy, and gender inequality in tech and beyond, among more than 30 memorable sessions.

Key Panels and Topics: Day 1

PANEL: Beyond Geotargeting: Lessons in Location Marketing

The rise of mobile has made location-based marketing easier and more effective than ever before. Ibotta gives customers cash back on everyday purchases. Learn how their forward-looking marketers have leveraged location marketing—including a new partnership with location data provider Radar—to take their customer engagement game to the next level.

SPEAKERS

• Will Crocker, Senior Director, Customer Success, Braze
• Alexis Haggerty, Senior Associate, Marketing Automation, Ibotta
• Nick Patrick, Cofounder and CEO, Radar

PANEL: Breaking Down Silos: What It Takes

Effective customer engagement in today’s real-time digital environment takes smart communication; not just across internal teams, but among the different solutions that make up your technology ecosystem. Join us for an exploration of the technical and—more importantly, the interpersonal challenges—that must be overcome in order to provide a compelling, cohesive customer experience across digital channels and platforms.

SPEAKERS

• Diana Kim, Program Manager, Braze
• Donte Ledbetter, Senior Marketing Manager, Product Marketing, StashInvest
• Amol Sogal, Director, Product Management -- Mobile, Ebates

PANEL: Dr. Andrew’s Email Deliverability Master Class

It might be the OG of customer engagement channels, but email remains one of the most powerful and persuasive ways to reach customers. This is a panel for actionable guidance from Braze email expert, Andrew Barrett. He’ll digs into the nuts and bolts of email deliverability—it’s more interesting than it sounds! And he’ll show you how to make the most of all that email has to offer.

SPEAKERS

• Andrew Barrett, Director, Email Deliverability & ISP Relations, Braze
• Ramsey Kail, Group Product Manager, Overstock.com

Key Panels and Topics: Day 2

KEYNOTE: The Human Factor: Psychology, Technology, and Lasting Customer/Brand Relationships

Noted psychologist and author Nathalie Nahai will dig into the psychological aspects of digital marketing and how technology and strategy can help brands improve their emotional intelligence. Why bother with emotional intelligence when we can data them into submission, you may wonder? Well, Nahai believes (and we agree) that it’s necessary to engage with audiences thoughtfully if we want that next level impact.

SPEAKER:

Nathalie Nahai, best-selling author of Webs of Influence, and international speaker

(bio below 👇🏽👇🏿👇🏻)

PANEL: Beyond GDPR: Customer Relationships in a Privacy-Focused Age

Major regulatory shifts and changes in consumer perception are transforming how brands think about and use personal data. With new laws on the horizon (and some already on the books in the EU and California), it’s more important than ever for brands to comply with regulations, and respect customer privacy, without sacrificing customer experience.

SPEAKERS

• Susan Wiseman, SVP Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Braze
• Emily Diamond, Product Manager, Quartz
• Gerret Braren, Senior Manager, Marketing Technology, XING

PANEL: The On-Demand Mindset: Mastering Both Sides of the Customer Experience

Succeeding in the on-demand space takes nerve—but it also takes mastery of supply and demand, where communicating with the people fulfilling orders is just as important to the customer experience as messages sent to consumers. Join on-demand brands disrupting beauty, fitness, and parking for a master class in how to effectively scale and manage real-time user experiences in today’s fast-moving, mobile-first world.

SPEAKERS

• Matt Leonard, VP of Growth and Retention, Glamsquad
• Keana Noons, Marketing Manager, Mindbody
• Jeff Perkins, CMO, ParkMobile

PANEL: It’s a “We” Problem, Not a “She” Problem: Taking Action on Corporate Gender Inequality

Wage inequality. Sexual harassment. The glass ceiling. Being talked over and passed over and overlooked. Companies in tech and beyond are trying to make progress to overcome entrenched gender inequality at work, but caring about change and creating it effectively are two very different things. Join The Female Quotient’s Shelley Zalis and author Thomas McBee in an exploration of how companies can move the needle.

SPEAKERS

• Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient (bio below 👇🏽👇🏿👇🏻)
• Thomas McBee, Author

Meet the LTR 2018 Braintrust: Our Esteemed Speakers & Panelists

An event this big doesn’t happen on its own! This year’s LTR wouldn’t be possible without the insights and inspiration provided by our speakers, who represent decades of experience and thought leadership across a wide range of industries, roles, and types of expertise.

Shelley Zalis, whose pioneering leadership at The Female Quotient continues to inspire us on the daily, proves that no instance of the Human Factor is complete without the Female Quotient. She’s a prolific Forbes contributor (thank you Forbes for naming us #85 on the Forbes Cloud 100 2018) as well as a busy speaker on the international circuit. Here’s her succinct mission statement in conversation with CNBC’s Karen Tso.

Nathalie Nahai—a.k.a. The Web Psychologist—is a leading global expert in the digital application of behavioral science, lending scientific rigor to design, content, and product strategy for the likes of Google, eBay, Unilever, and Harvard Business Review. She most recently authored the bestselling Webs of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion (Pearson; now in its second edition) and lectures regularly on the international circuit. Besides blowing minds onstage or consulting with Fortune 500 entities, she’s also an avid podcaster, having presented the Tech Weekly podcast for The Guardian as well as her own podcast, The Hive. If you’re more of a visual thinker, here she is walking Google through mobile behavior patterns. Nathalie will deliver the opening keynote address of LTR 2018, drawing on her extensive background in psychology and tech to investigate better means of expressing the human factor digitally. Find her on Twitter @NathalieNahai.

Sharon Harris serves as VP of Alliance Relationships, Google Marketing Platform Alliance, Deloitte Consulting, and her role there crowns a new media career full of milestone achievements at T-Mobile, AOL, Millennial Media, Verizon, and Microsoft. Sharon’s 18+ years of expertise lend force and integrity to her perspective, especially where team dynamics come into play.

Carlos Valdes-Dapena (Founder, Corporate Collaboration Resources) has earned his stellar reputation as a motivator with a quarter-century of research on team effectiveness and a proven track record as consulting for many of the brands under the Mars umbrella as well as IBM, AT&T, Pfizer, General Motors, and Lockheed Martin. His new book, Lessons from Mars: How One Global Company Cracked the Code on High Performance Collaboration and Teamwork, will be published in October.

Anything else?

For more information about LTR 2018, including the current agenda and list of speakers, or to purchase tickets to the event, visit braze.com/ltr.

Curious what the full experience will feel like? Take a gander at these recaps from the first three years of the conference: 2015, 2016, and 2017.