VMF 2026 Shapes the Marketing Discourse on What Comes Next
Vibe Marketing Tech Fest 2026 will bring together senior marketing, technology, and CX leaders in Dubai on September 9-10 to discuss navigating change and driving transformation in a dynamic environment
Topics
A recent PwC report found that 85% of UAE CEOs say their organisational culture supports AI adoption, while 75% have a clear AI roadmap.
As AI moves from experimentation into everyday business strategy, marketing leaders are being pushed to rethink how they build brands, engage customers, orchestrate journeys, and turn data into growth.
That shift is at the heart of Vibe Marketing Tech Fest 2026, powered by Martechvibe, taking place on September 9-10, 2026, at the Hilton Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
The two-day summit will showcase how organisations can navigate a marketing landscape where AI, automation, data, and customer expectations are evolving faster than traditional strategies can keep up.
Rather than focusing on technology in isolation, VMF will examine what these changes mean for the people responsible for turning them into business outcomes.
Across keynotes, panels, fireside conversations, case studies, and deep-dive sessions, leaders from some of the region’s most recognised brands will share practical perspectives on building more relevant CXs, strengthening brand connection, making smarter media decisions, and creating sustainable growth.
In doing so, the event positions itself as a meeting point for the region’s marketing community, bringing together the ideas, people, and conversations shaping what comes next.
Kevin Chesters to Explore the Human Edge of Creativity
One of the headline moments will be a keynote from Kevin Chesters, Author of the bestseller “The Creative Nudge.”
Chesters will explore the enduring rules behind powerful storytelling and why creativity remains one of the most important competitive skills for businesses navigating technological change.
His session will challenge the assumption that technology alone creates differentiation, examining how brands can use creativity, emotion and human insight to stand out in an environment increasingly shaped by AI and automation.
A Meeting Point for Marketing Leaders
The speaker line-up features senior executives and practitioners from leading organisations across the Middle East and global markets, representing sectors including retail, financial services, travel, hospitality, automotive, technology, ecommerce, and consumer brands.
The event will bring together marketing and growth leaders including Edmund Atcheson, Head of Innovation at Adobe; Nick McCarthy, Chief Growth Officer, EMEA at Merkle; Álvaro Martínez, Sr. Director MENA, Growth Marketing & Pricing at Talabat; Arjun Sarkar, VP, Digital Ecosystem & Partnerships at Dubai CommerCity; Gaurav Sinha, International Marketing Director at Domino’s; George Yaryura, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Mashreq; Hira Omar Aamer, Brand Strategy Director at The Coca-Cola Company; Joy Dabeet, Chief Marketing Officer at amana; Katib Belkhodja, Marketing Director at Toyota & Lexus UAE at Al-Futtaim Automotive; Mohamad Al Rayes, Director of Growth – YallaMotor at Bayt.com; Varun Sharma, VP & Head of SAP CX – Middle East Africa at SAP; Nina Mohamed, Cluster Director of Marketing & Communications at Movenpick and Pullman Resort, Al Marjan Island; Roxana Nicolescu, Vice President – Brand Marketing & Social Media (Global) at Wego.com; Dharani Dharan G, Director of Product Management at Careem; Douglas Harvey, Vice President – Digital & Omni at GMG; Jean-Paul Smalls, Executive Vice President – Commercial at Trellis Hospital, Al .Ghurair
Eslam Mohamed, Chief Marketing Officer at Ali Al Mulla Group; Jamie Buchanan, Senior Brand & Marketing Leader; Jatin Kalra, Vice President & Country Head at Apparel Group; Mohamed Yousry Taher, Chief Marketing Officer- MENAP at Mondelez International; Hugh Kimber, General Manager, EMEA & APAC at Bloomreach; Mohammed Suhaim, Head of Business Development & Partnerships – MENA & Asia at Geomotive; Naomi Mendez, Chief Marketing Officer at Emirates Hospitality; Nitish Jalan, Director – Revenue Growth and Advanced Analytics at Americana Restaurants; Nicolas Nath, Vice President Marketing & Strategy at ADNOC Distribution; Ruairi Mc Veigh, Omnichannel Director – Product at Chalhoub Group; Sanjay Raturi, Senior Account Executive at AppsFlyer; Igor Castanho, Director of Growth at Stake; Smriti Singh Bhatia, Founder & Managing Director at MiraiQTech; Sébastien Marque, Vice President of Strategy at Luna PR; Sheikh Mohammad Bilal, Director of Growth at Bybit; Vanja Novakovic, Director of Product Marketing & Customer Strategy at Lucidya; Yara Milbes, SVP Marketing & Growth at Lucidya; and Zia Rahamat, Director of Growth and Analytics at Anghami.
Conversations Shaping the Future of Marketing
The agenda will explore some of the most pressing questions facing marketing leaders today, from building meaningful personalisation and creating connected customer journeys to using AI to improve performance, making smarter media and channel decisions, and turning customer data into measurable business outcomes.
Among the key conversations are:
- Purpose-Driven Marketing: Aligning Brand Behaviour with Customer Belief
In a period of constant disruption, resilience is becoming a critical part of how brands build and maintain customer trust. This session will explore how marketing leaders can align brand purpose with customer expectations, strengthen confidence and remain relevant when market conditions and consumer priorities are changing.
- Community as Currency: Reimagining Loyalty Through Co-Creation
As expectations around authenticity and participation grow, customers are increasingly becoming active contributors to the brands and communities they value. This session will explore how organisations can move beyond traditional engagement models to build communities rooted in shared identity, trust and participation.
- The Consistency Code: Designing Seamless Brand Experiences
Customers do not experience brands through individual channels; they experience them as one connected journey. This session will explore how brands can create more coherent experiences across social, digital, commerce and customer service, from mapping journeys and identifying friction points to unifying brand voice and using real-time channel orchestration.
For more details and registration, visit VMF Dubai.
