As AI adoption shifts from experimentation to a core requirement, marketing leaders face mounting pressure to deliver measurable financial returns. To tackle this challenge, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Henley Business School are announcing their fourth annual collaboration event, themed: ‘The Human Edge: When AI is everywhere, what wins?’.
Exploring AI and competitive advantage
Co-organised by CIM, its South East Committee and Henley Business School, the event at the CIM Business Centre on Thursday 8th October will bring together marketing practitioners, business leaders and academics to solve a critical industry question: when every competitor has access to the same AI tools, what creates true competitive advantage and sustainable ROI?
Through keynote speeches, panel debates, and real-life case studies, the event will explore how marketing leaders can gain a competitive edge by combining AI efficiency with human strengths. These capabilities include strategic judgement, creative vision, and responsible leadership, which machines cannot replicate.
Speakers at the event include:
- Kamila Miller (CMCIM) – Lecturer and Programme Director for AI and Automation, Henley Business School
- Alastair Banks – Co-founder, Optix Solutions
- Dr Emine Gokce Phillips – Co-founder & CEO, AI Centre for Business
- Tim Bond (FCIM) – Founder, CogniScale
- Mel Ezechukwu – Founder & Digital Consultant, MDE Digital Ltd
- James Delves (CFCIM) – Head of PR and External Affairs, CIM
Speaking ahead of the October event, Marie Wilcox (CFCIM), CIM South East Committee Chair said: “The honeymoon phase of AI experimentation is over. With businesses now demanding a clear return on their AI investment, marketers are under intense pressure to move past the hype and prove tangible value. We look forward to welcoming attendees to the CIM Business Centre and to offering the clear, practical blueprint that leaders need to navigate that transition and future challenges.”
Professor Adrian Palmer (FCIM), Henley Business School’s co-chair of the conference, commented that the annual event had already established itself as an outstanding forum for identifying and predicting trends in AI. He said: “At the first annual conference, there was a vague excitement about what AI could do for marketing. In the second year, participants were taken behind the scenes of real, cutting-edge applications of AI to marketing. Last year, a key emerging theme was mitigating unintended harm to brands which AI could bring about.
“This fourth annual conference picks up the challenge of how to keep a competitive advantage when all of your competitors are using similar AI tools. This brings us full circle to a basic function of marketing – to understand customers’ needs and to respond to them on their terms.”
The event, designed for marketers at all stages of their careers and open to both CIM members and non-members, opens for registration at 10am ahead of a 10:30am start.
To book your place at the conference, please visit: https://www.cim.co.uk/events/the-human-edge-when-ai-is-everywhere-what-wins/.
A leading venue for the event
The CIM Business Centre is a professional and productive work environment, equipped with a range of room functions and the latest audio-visual technology available, where individuals and teams come together to further progress their careers through training, meetings, team building, networking events and corporate retreats.
Located in the countryside of Cookham, Berkshire, the centre offers excellent transport links to London, the M4 and Heathrow Airport, alongside on-site accommodation and versatile meeting spaces for up to 130 guests.
To use the CIM Business Centre for your own event, click here for more information or take a virtual tour on the website.
