With major cultural moments on the horizon, shifting audience behaviours and evolving brand priorities, WGSN unpacks the key trends that will shape culture in 2026. From the FIFA World Cup in North America and the Winter Olympics in Cortina, to global entertainment launches and music festivals, WGSN has you covered. This session will explore how to align brand activations with headline moments by looking at what’s next in marketing, lifestyle and live experience. Whether you’re planning product launches, partnerships or cultural takeovers, senior strategist Rebecca Rom-Frank will equip you with the right insights to lead in a year of transformation.

Speaking

Rebecca Rom-Frank

Senior Marketing Strategist

WGSN

The market is changing hands, with a new cohort taking the reins and turning the marketing playbook on its head. Brand loyalty isn’t inherited and legacy brands don’t get a pass. Even a market leader like President’s Choice got a wake-up call when it discovered its average shopper was age 53. In this session, Loblaw’s Lindsay Cook will take us inside the brand’s bold reset that’s putting the future customer at the core of its growth. You’ll learn how to rewrite the next-gen connection playbook in an industry hardwired for safe.

Speaking

Lindsay Cook

VP, Control Brand, Social Media and Loyalty Marketing

Loblaw Companies

While most conversations about Gen Z focus on mental health, climate anxiety and digital habits, this session will dive deeper – uncovering the lesser-known forces shaping both Gen Z and the rising Gen Alpha. From shifting views on geopolitics and financial literacy to evolving definitions of success, identity and influence, this exploration challenges assumptions and surfaces new insights. Join Sara Cappe at Harris Poll as she helps marketers understand the next wave of cultural and consumer behaviour. The data presented in this session will be collected prior to and exclusively for the CMO Forum.

Speaking

Sara Cappe

President, North and East Regions

The Harris Poll Canada

Awards