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The landscape of business-to-business (B2B) purchasing is undergoing a profound transformation, characterized by increasingly complex buying groups and the pervasive influence of artificial intelligence. According to Forrester’s "State of Business Buying, 2026" report, the average B2B purchase now involves a significant 13 internal stakeholders and nine external influencers. This evolution has positioned generative AI as the primary tool for buyers researching their procurement decisions. However, this reliance on AI is not without its challenges, as 19% of buyers utilizing these tools report diminished confidence due to the unreliability of AI-generated information. To counteract this, buyers are actively expanding their networks, placing greater trust in analyst reports, subject matter experts, and peer communities to validate the insights gleaned from AI-driven searches.
This dynamic environment necessitates a new paradigm for businesses, where visibility alone is insufficient. TopRank Marketing has termed this era the "age of Best Answer Brands," defining it as companies that establish themselves as the most credible and relevant source of information where buyers are actively seeking answers – across search engines, AI summaries, online communities, influencer recommendations, and analyst reports. This fundamental shift is underpinned by what Forrester identifies as the "GTM Singularity." This phenomenon describes the convergence of AI-driven buyer autonomy, which is fundamentally reshaping traditional go-to-market (GTM) models across marketing, sales, product, and customer success.
The overarching theme of the upcoming B2B Summit North America, scheduled to take place from April 26-29, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona, directly addresses this GTM Singularity. The four-day event is meticulously designed around the critical decisions facing Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) today, offering a deep dive into research-backed sessions aimed at equipping leaders with the strategies to navigate this new era.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the summit’s key takeaways for CMO-level marketers, insights were sought from four senior Forrester analysts scheduled to present: Kelvin Gee, Karen Tran, Lisa Gately, and Laura Ramos. Their perspectives, along with details of their presentations, offer a roadmap for attendees aiming to maximize their engagement with the event.
Analyst Insights: Navigating the GTM Singularity
Kelvin Gee: Brand + Demand as a Preference Multiplier
Kelvin Gee, Principal Analyst for Demand and ABM at Forrester, will co-present a keynote titled "Make Brand + Demand Your Preference Multiplier" alongside Ian Bruce, Forrester VP and Principal Analyst. The central thesis of their presentation is that while brand and demand generation have historically operated in distinct silos, the rise of self-guided buyers who form preferences prior to engaging with sales necessitates a unified approach. Every customer interaction, they argue, must simultaneously build trust and activate demand. Brands that successfully bridge these disciplines cultivate what Gee terms a "preference multiplier"—a compounding advantage in pipeline generation that siloed programs cannot replicate.
Gee outlines three key takeaways for CMOs attending this session:
- Understanding the Buyer’s Journey: Buyers are increasingly self-educating and forming preferences before any direct sales engagement. This demands a marketing strategy that integrates brand building with demand generation from the outset.
- The Synergy of Brand and Demand: Traditional separation of these functions leads to missed opportunities. A unified approach ensures that every touchpoint reinforces brand value while simultaneously nurturing buyer interest.
- Practical Application: The session will provide a practical planning tool grounded in buyer behavior data, enabling CMOs to implement these integrated strategies effectively.
Gee emphasizes that CMOs attending B2B Summit should arrive with two to three critical decisions in mind, such as brand-demand alignment, AI integration into the GTM workflow, and optimizing buying-group engagement. The summit, he suggests, offers an ideal platform to stress-test these decisions through a blend of keynotes, targeted track sessions, and peer discussions.
Karen Tran: Building Trust Through Authentic Content
Karen Tran, Principal Analyst in Forrester’s Marketing Executive Strategies, Brand and Communications practice, will participate in a panel discussion titled "Authentic Content Builds Buyer And Customer Trust," alongside Phyllis Davidson, Forrester VP and Principal Analyst. Their session will focus on actionable strategies for building credibility through original data, distinct perspectives, and the co-creation of content with both internal experts and external influencers. The strategic placement of this content across owned, earned, and paid channels will also be a key discussion point.
Forrester’s 2026 B2B predictions indicate a significant trend: 75% of enterprise B2B companies are projected to increase their budgets for influencer relations this year. This surge is driven by the growing reliance of buying networks on external voices for decision validation, making Tran’s session highly relevant for CMO budget planning.
Tran states, "Marketers must provide real, credible value through distinct viewpoints, original data, and knowledge acquired through experience and research. We’ll discuss co-creating content with different influencer types—inside and outside of your organization—and the importance of placement on owned, earned, and paid channels."
Tran also advises CMOs to leverage the summit for human connection, encouraging attendees to exchange business cards, ask questions, and foster social media connections. This emphasis on networking underscores the human element that remains critical even in an increasingly digital and AI-driven environment.
Lisa Gately: Leadership in the Age of AI-Democratized Work
Lisa Gately, Principal Analyst at Forrester, will address a less frequently discussed but critical leadership challenge: how to lead effectively when AI democratizes content creation and adaptation at scale. Her session, "Leading When AI Democratizes Work," posits that leadership roles are shifting from approving outputs to designing the underlying systems. This involves defining how work is accomplished, determining who holds decision-making authority, and establishing mechanisms for maintaining trust.
Gately articulates the core shift: "The job of leadership shifts from approving output to designing the system that determines how work gets done, who owns judgment, and how trust is protected. It also moves a leader from optimizing their function to architecting cross-functional systems."
Her session promises three actionable takeaways for CMOs:
- System Design Over Output Approval: Leaders must focus on building robust processes and frameworks rather than merely reviewing individual pieces of work.
- Defining Ownership and Judgment: Clarity on who is responsible for judgment and decision-making within an AI-augmented workflow is paramount.
- Cross-Functional Architecture: Effective leadership in this era requires designing systems that span across different departmental functions to ensure cohesive and efficient operations.
Gately’s concise framing of leadership as a shift from "approving work to improving workflows" serves as a valuable benchmark for CMOs assessing their preparedness for the evolving demands of AI integration.
Laura Ramos: Reshaping GTM with AI and Understanding AI Agents
Laura Ramos, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester, will be featured on two panels addressing the multifaceted impact of AI on GTM teams. Her sessions, "Using AI To Reshape Sales, Product, And Postsale Experiences To Boost Customer Value" and "Humans vs. Robots Showdown: The Impact Of AI Agents On Human Roles," aim to cut through the prevalent fear-based narratives surrounding AI’s workforce impact. Forrester research suggests a significant potential for AI to positively transform jobs, with an estimated four times more roles being enhanced than eliminated. However, this positive outcome hinges on proactive leadership investment in what Ramos terms the "AI tax."
Ramos explains this concept: "You’ve got to be specific about what it is you want AI to do, put the governance in place, and make sure that the data and content to train the AI are proper and in place. That takes a lot more work than people expect. You’ve got to pay that tax up front before you can start harvesting the efficiency." This upfront investment in defining AI objectives, establishing governance, and ensuring data quality is crucial for realizing AI’s transformative benefits.
Ramos also offers a practical framework for attendees to navigate the B2B Summit effectively. She recommends categorizing learnings into three buckets:
- Big Vision Items: Concepts that fundamentally shift a CMO’s mindset on persistent challenges.
- Tangible Best Practices: Actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately upon returning to their organizations.
- Technology Discoveries: Innovations identified in the exhibit hall or vendor sessions that can enhance efficiency, scale, or effectiveness.
Reflecting on the summit’s core theme, Ramos notes, "Today’s buyers come fully armed to figure out what they need and that puts a lot more pressure on sales, marketing, the product organization, and post-sale to really deliver on their expectations—and to understand and analyze those expectations way earlier before you’re even talking to them." This underscores the imperative for GTM functions to be more informed and responsive than ever before.
The CMO Playbook for Maximizing B2B Summit North America
To ensure CMOs extract the maximum value from B2B Summit North America, several strategic approaches are recommended by the participating analysts and event organizers:
1. Arrive with Specific Decisions in Mind:
A recurring piece of advice from the Forrester analysts is to attend with clearly defined "must-solve" decisions. This could include critical challenges such as aligning brand and demand generation efforts, establishing robust AI governance policies, ensuring measurement accountability, or planning organizational redesigns. The B2B Summit is specifically structured to enable attendees to test their assumptions against independent research and connect with peers facing similar issues. The principle is that specificity of intent leads to specificity of outcome.
2. Leverage the Executive Leadership Exchange (ELE):
The ELE program is a curated experience exclusively for C-level executives. It offers private sessions, priority access to analyst one-on-one meetings, and structured peer networking opportunities. Laura Ramos highlights that the ELE includes a dedicated focus on identifying and overcoming internal organizational boundaries that can impede GTM effectiveness. Interested executives are encouraged to apply for this exclusive program.
3. Strategic Use of Analyst One-on-Ones:
Attendees are urged to approach their one-on-one meetings with analysts with specific, pressing questions or live decisions. This could involve seeking guidance on a measurement conversation with a CFO, drafting an AI governance policy, or resolving a persistent problem in brand and demand integration. These focused interactions can provide invaluable, tailored insights.
4. Intentional Human Connection:
Karen Tran emphasizes the significant value of human connections at the summit. She notes that "Summit is a great opportunity for CMOs and marketing leaders to make human connections. There is incredible value in both the small moments and the big moments—inspiration from award stories on stage, shared experiences in workshops, learnings over lunch." Cultivating these relationships can lead to unexpected collaborations and ongoing support.
Event Participation and Discount:
The author of the original piece will be attending B2B Summit for the first time and extends an invitation to connect with fellow attendees in Phoenix. For those considering registration, a 10% discount code, ODDEN26, is available.
The Shortlist of Recommended B2B Summit Sessions for CMOs
The B2B Summit North America agenda features an extensive program with over 50 speakers delivering more than 100 presentations. This includes keynotes, breakout sessions, analyst-led roundtables, workshops, and practitioner case studies. Based on the analysts’ recommendations and the summit’s thematic focus, a curated selection of sessions stands out for CMOs:
Keynotes:
- Sessions focusing on the GTM Singularity and the future of B2B go-to-market strategies.
- Presentations by industry leaders and Forrester executives on emerging trends and challenges.
Breakout Sessions and Panels:
- Discussions on integrating brand and demand generation strategies.
- Sessions exploring the practical applications and ethical considerations of AI in marketing and sales.
- Panels addressing the evolving role of content and influencers in building buyer trust.
- Workshops on leadership strategies for managing AI-augmented teams.
Practitioner and Case Study Sessions:
- Real-world examples of companies successfully navigating GTM transformation.
- Insights from industry practitioners on implementing innovative strategies.
Special Programs and Awards:
- Opportunities for executive networking and leadership development.
- Recognition of industry excellence and innovation.
The Future of B2B Brands in the GTM Singularity
The B2B Summit North America in Phoenix serves as a critical forum for B2B brands aiming to not only survive but thrive amidst the ongoing GTM Singularity. The brands poised for success will be those that actively cultivate the credibility and trust that both human buyers and AI systems can recognize. This is the essence of becoming a "Best Answer Brand." The summit provides the essential research, expert insights, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities necessary for CMOs to tackle the complex challenges of this transformative period.
A forthcoming episode of the "Beyond B2B Marketing" podcast will feature an in-depth conversation with Dave Frankland, VP Research Director at Forrester and keynote speaker at the event. This interview will delve deeper into the GTM Singularity and its implications for B2B marketing leaders as AI continues to reshape go-to-market strategies.
The convergence of advanced AI capabilities and evolving buyer behaviors is ushering in an era where the quality, credibility, and accessibility of information are paramount. B2B Summit North America 2026 offers a vital platform for marketing leaders to equip themselves with the knowledge and strategies needed to navigate this complex and rapidly changing landscape, ensuring their brands remain relevant and trusted in the age of the GTM Singularity.
