Dubai, UAE , Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Middle East is entering a new phase of marketing transformation. Digital advertising spend across MENA reached $8.185 billion in 2025, growing 17.8% year-on-year, according to IAB MENA, making the region the fastest-growing digital advertising market globally. 

At the same time, brands are navigating rising customer expectations, fragmented customer journeys, growing pressure to prove marketing ROI, and the rapid adoption of AI across the marketing stack.

These shifts are changing how businesses approach growth, customer engagement, media investment, and brand building. For over 8 years, Vibe Marketing Tech Fest 2026, powered by Martechvibe, has been at the forefront of bringing these conversations to the centre of the region’s marketing agenda. The 19th edition will be held on September 9-10, 2026, at the Hilton Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

The two-day event 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. 

The event will bring together senior executives from some of the region’s and world’s most recognised brands, including Adobe, Merkle, The Coca-Cola Company, SAP, Mashreq, Talabat, Domino’s, Al-Futtaim Automotive, Emirates Hospitality, Bloomreach, Mondelez International, Apparel Group, GMG, Careem, Wego.com, Anghami, Lucidya, Americana Restaurants, AppsFlyer, alongside other major organisations across retail, financial services, hospitality, travel, automotive, technology and consumer sectors.

Global Platform for Marketing and Technology Leaders

Founded in 2018, VMF has grown into a recognised meeting point for leaders across marketing, technology, product, CRM, revenue and customer experience.

With more than 6,000 attendees, 500+ speakers, and 150+ sponsors and partners across its global editions, it has created a space for senior decision-makers to exchange ideas, explore emerging technologies and share practical approaches to marketing and CX transformation.

Its conversations now extend beyond the event floor, reaching a digital audience of more than 2 million professionals.

The Dubai edition builds on this track record, bringing global perspectives and regional expertise together around the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of marketing in MENA.

Kevin Chesters to Bring Creativity to the AI Conversation

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.

The conversation is particularly relevant as marketers face a new paradox: AI can make content and campaigns easier to produce, but the abundance of AI-generated content makes distinctive thinking and authentic storytelling more valuable.

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

With an agenda spanning marketing, CX, technology, creativity, data and growth, the event will examine some of the most pressing challenges facing brands today. 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.

The Gala Celebration

The two-day event will culminate on September 10 with a gala celebration of the Marquee Awards, which recognise brands, agencies, and teams demonstrating excellence at the intersection of marketing strategy and technology.

With 40+ categories, the Marquee Awards offer one of the Middle East’s most comprehensive platforms for recognising digital achievement and celebrating the breadth of innovation shaping the region’s marketing ecosystem.

View the full agenda and Register Here.

About Martechvibe

Martechvibe is a global digital magazine and authority on marketing technology and customer experience. The brand connects enterprises, marketers, and CX professionals with how Martech is being adopted in practice.

With a focus on disruption, regulation, and enterprise priorities, Martechvibe provides marketing leaders with a platform to share insights and explore how technology, strategy, and culture are shaping modern customer experiences.



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