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Chicago is set to host Salesforce Connections 2026 on June 3-4, and the Validity team, now strengthened by its integration with Litmus, is preparing to demonstrate a groundbreaking, unified approach to end-to-end marketing success. The annual conference, a pivotal gathering for marketers, digital commerce leaders, and customer experience professionals, will serve as the stage for Validity to unveil its comprehensive email solution and introduce Validity Engage, an AI-powered platform designed to revolutionize email workflows and amplify return on investment. This year’s event carries particular weight, marking a significant milestone in Validity’s journey following its strategic acquisition of Litmus, promising attendees a tangible shift from theoretical AI discussions to practical, impactful applications within the digital marketing landscape.
Salesforce Connections has long been recognized as the premier forum where industry practitioners and decision-makers converge to exchange insights on current best practices and explore future innovations. The 2026 iteration, hosted in one of America’s leading cities, is poised to address critical themes including the pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence, advanced CRM strategies, and the evolving future of digital marketing. The official Connections website underscores this dynamic shift, stating, "Marketing is no longer static. It’s always-on and agentic—and Connections is where vision meets strategy." This sentiment resonates deeply within an industry still grappling with the complexities of AI integration, navigating pilot programs, overcoming technical challenges, and discerning precisely where AI can genuinely fit into existing workflows, particularly when faced with the daily demands of campaign execution.
The inherent value of Connections lies not only in its main stage presentations but also in the rich tapestry of hallway conversations and spontaneous peer-to-peer exchanges. These "wait, how are you handling this?" moments often yield more immediate and practical insights than formal sessions, providing a crucial platform for attendees to collectively navigate the tension between AI’s vast promise and its current real-world realities. Validity aims to be at the forefront of these discussions, offering concrete solutions to the challenges marketers face.
A Unified Powerhouse: Validity and Litmus Transform Email Marketing
A defining characteristic that sets this year’s Salesforce Connections apart for Validity is the culmination of its strategic integration with Litmus. The acquisition of Litmus, which occurred two months prior to Connections 2025 (placing it in April 2025), marked a pivotal moment for the email marketing industry. Over the past year, Validity has diligently worked to merge the strengths of both entities, forging a truly end-to-end email solution specifically tailored for enterprise teams. This strategic consolidation addresses a longstanding challenge within the email marketing ecosystem, where teams have historically relied on a fragmented approach, piecing together disparate point solutions and hoping for seamless interoperability.
For the first time, Validity now offers a holistic suite of capabilities under one roof, encompassing every critical stage of the email lifecycle. This includes robust data quality and list validation to ensure foundational accuracy, intuitive campaign creation tools, comprehensive QA testing to guarantee flawless execution across diverse platforms, advanced deliverability monitoring to maximize inbox placement, and insightful performance analytics to drive continuous optimization. This integrated approach not only streamlines operations but also provides marketers with unprecedented visibility and control over their email programs, mitigating risks and unlocking new efficiencies.
Riley Dambaugh, Demand Generation Manager at Validity, expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming event, stating, "Salesforce Connections is always one of my favorite events! This year I’m especially excited to be showcasing what’s possible now that Litmus and Validity have come together—we have some really exciting new innovations that we can’t wait to talk about. Excited to meet you all face-to-face!" This sentiment highlights the internal excitement surrounding the integrated offering and its potential to redefine email marketing best practices.
Driving ROI with AI: Validity’s Spotlight Session
A key highlight of Validity’s presence at Connections 2026 will be a compelling session led by Danielle Gallant, a prominent voice in the email marketing community. Titled "3 ways to push your email ROI above 45:1 using AI," her 20-minute presentation is scheduled for June 3 at 1:30 PM CT in the Theater. Gallant, co-host of the popular "Email After Hours podcast" and a regular guest on Validity’s "State of Email Tactics webinar," brings a wealth of practical experience to the discussion, having also contributed to highly acclaimed sessions at Litmus Live 2026.
Attendees of Gallant’s session will gain valuable insights into how advanced AI adopters are achieving remarkable returns on investment, with a reported 75% higher likelihood of exceeding a 45:1 ROI. The session will delve into the full-funnel techniques and strategies that empower these leading teams to harness AI effectively, moving beyond theoretical discussions to demonstrate actionable approaches. This focus on tangible ROI aligns perfectly with the prevailing industry sentiment that demands concrete results from AI investments rather than mere conceptual promises.
Following the session, attendees are encouraged to visit the Validity booth to engage further with the team. Julio Lopez, Sr. Customer Strategist at Validity, shared his perspective: "I’m most excited to talk with marketers about how they’re connecting the full email workflow—from data quality and deliverability through to content and performance—and where they’re unlocking the biggest impact. Connections is one of the best places to bring those pieces together and learn from others doing it in a way that goes beyond the hype." Lopez’s statement reinforces Validity’s commitment to fostering a dialogue around practical integration and measurable impact.
Introducing Validity Engage: The Next Evolution of Email Intelligence
A major announcement at Salesforce Connections 2026 will be the official introduction of Validity Engage, Validity’s innovative AI-powered platform. Designed to simplify the intricate email workflow, Validity Engage aims to help marketers extract greater ROI from every send by embedding intelligence directly into their processes. This launch comes at a critical juncture for marketing teams, many of whom are facing increasing pressure to achieve more with static or even shrinking headcounts. Validity’s own Q1 2026 Marketer Survey revealed that marketing headcounts are expected to remain flat throughout 2026, even as campaign volume and performance expectations continue to rise.
Validity Engage is positioned as the crucial lever to address this challenge. The platform’s design philosophy centers on integrating AI in a way that is genuinely helpful and actionable, rather than merely theoretical. By building AI directly into the workflow, Engage empowers teams to execute more consistent, high-quality email programs at scale, thereby amplifying their impact without necessitating a proportional increase in resources.
Chris Shays, Account Executive at Validity, expressed his eagerness to discuss the new platform: "Meeting with both our customers and prospects is something I always look forward to. Gaining an understanding of how they are implementing and utilizing Validity’s suite and how it impacts their day-to-day workflows and business needs is something I always look forward to discussing in depth. I’m very excited to have conversations around Engage to help prospects execute more consistent, high-quality email programs at scale." Similarly, Jeff Martin, another Account Executive, highlighted the platform’s potential: "I’m really excited to be attending Salesforce Connections this year and meeting customers and prospects in person. It’s always valuable to hear how teams are actually building and optimizing their email programs, and where they’re running into challenges. I’m especially excited to share how we’re helping teams streamline workflows and improve performance across the full email lifecycle, and to start introducing Engage as part of that next evolution." These statements collectively underscore the platform’s anticipated impact on operational efficiency and performance enhancement.
Navigating the AI Reality: Beyond the Hype to Practical Application
A pervasive theme expected to dominate conversations at Connections 2026 is the growing demand among marketers for concrete, real-world applications of AI, moving decisively beyond the initial wave of hype. The industry is past the point of being impressed by AI’s potential; it now seeks demonstrable proof of its efficacy. While the original article indicated that Validity’s research found "biggest barriers to AI adoption" without listing them, common industry challenges include data quality issues, integration complexities with existing systems, a lack of skilled personnel, concerns about trust and transparency in AI outputs, and the sheer cost of implementation.
Validity’s approach to this challenge emphasizes that success with AI is not solely contingent on budget size. Instead, it is the teams that prioritize foundational work—such as meticulously cleaning their data, clearly defining desired outcomes, and constructing user-friendly workflows that humans can confidently use and trust—that ultimately achieve the most significant gains. This pragmatic perspective aligns seamlessly with Salesforce’s broader vision for "Agentforce" and its push towards AI-first CRM experiences, where intelligent automation and actionable insights are deeply embedded into the fabric of customer relationship management.
Grace Dixon, Sr. Account Manager at Validity, reflected on this evolving landscape: "At these events, it’s always really refreshing to see marketers in-person and share genuine excitement and ideas. I look forward to hearing about how teams are continuing to approach AI and marketing transformation in the real world, and to leaving with new perspectives that reshape how I deliver value for our amazing customers when I get back!" Her comments encapsulate the spirit of collaborative learning and practical problem-solving that defines this year’s conference.
Connecting with the Validity Team in Chicago
A robust team from Validity will be present in Chicago, eager to engage with attendees, share insights, and discuss the future of email marketing. Beyond the featured speakers, several other key team members will be available to connect:
- Brady Edwards, Sr. Account Manager: "I am looking forward to engaging with our community of customers and partners at Salesforce Connections. My focus is on understanding how our clients integrate our solutions into their unique workflows to drive meaningful results. I am particularly excited to discuss how the recent integration of Litmus and Validity provides an expanded, end-to-end solution for modern marketing teams." Edwards’ focus underscores the importance of client-centric discussions and the practical application of the unified solution.
- Courtney Grab, Director of Customer and Lifecycle Marketing: "Connections brings together the exact people I want to connect with—email and CRM marketers who are genuinely pushing what’s possible in their marketing programs. It’s one of those events where the hallway conversations are just as valuable as the keynotes, and this year Validity is showing up in a big way. See you in Chicago!" Grab highlights the community aspect and the value of informal exchanges.
- Jim Tobolski, SVP of Global Account Management: "Every year, Salesforce Connections reminds me of what makes this industry so inspiring. I look forward to the amazing conversations that start with curiosity and turn into a genuine exchange about what’s possible. My number one priority is to connect with as many people as possible. Whether you’re a longtime customer, someone we’ve just started working with, or you’re simply navigating what an AI-first marketing strategy actually looks like in practice—I want to connect." Tobolski’s broad invitation emphasizes Validity’s commitment to fostering connections across the entire spectrum of marketing professionals.
Email’s Enduring Power in the Digital Age
Despite the emergence of new communication channels, email continues to hold its ground as the marketing channel with the highest ROI, consistently outperforming other mediums year after year. In 2026, email is not merely a legacy channel; it has evolved into a more complex, capable, and increasingly central component of successful marketing strategies. The channel’s resilience is supported by robust data: Validity’s 2026 Email Deliverability Benchmark Report indicated a global inbox placement rate of 87.2 percent in 2025, representing a significant 3.7 percent year-over-year uplift. This improvement underscores the ongoing efforts by email service providers and marketers to optimize delivery and engagement.
Simultaneously, the advent of AI is fundamentally reshaping what it means to "reach" a subscriber. With advanced message summaries, intelligent sorting, and sophisticated filtering capabilities becoming standard features in inboxes, marketers must adapt their strategies to ensure their messages not only land in the inbox but also capture attention and drive action in an increasingly curated environment.
Research from Salesforce’s own State of Marketing report further solidifies the imperative for AI adoption, revealing that high-performing marketing teams are 2.2 times more likely to leverage AI than their underperforming counterparts. This data unequivocally shifts the conversation at Connections 2026 from whether to invest in AI to how to invest in it correctly and strategically. Validity is poised to lead this crucial dialogue, offering practical guidance and innovative solutions to help marketers maximize their email programs through intelligent AI integration. The team eagerly anticipates engaging with attendees on these critical topics and more at Salesforce Connections 2026.
