Join Suzanne Martin, past BMA/Chicago President and CMO of Revenew, and Tribby Warfield, President, North America Commercial, Gates Corporation, as they lead an early-morning walk/run/bike ride along Lake Michigan. No need to sign up—just assemble in the hotel lobby at 5:30 am. Suzanne and Tribby will get you back to the hotel by 7:00 am.

The battle between marketing and sales qualifies as one of the longest wars in history. But sweeping changes are altering the rules of engagement. Marketing faces hurdles in the big data revolution, the rise of precision marketing, enabling sale forces and spotting opportunities. Sales has struggled in dealing with ever-more-powerful customers, longer selling cycles and the need to be more consultative and solution-oriented. Nobody is better positioned to talk about the implications of these changes than Phil Kotler and Neil Rackham.

Computing devices may actually be more persuasive than both messages and marketers. People are now assigning emotional and relational attachments to their devices, obligating marketers to regard these devices as not just receivers and transmitters, but as near-human representatives of brands. Could it be that we're entirely missing the point of "User Experience" by still dispatching messages to devices when we should instead be programming and enabling devices to the job of persuasion that they do so much better?

In this hour, you will hear five consecutive "firebrands" take 10-12 minutes each to raise the roof on a narrower but key b2b marketing issue or trend.

Start a fire in the hearts and minds of employees first to have the greatest brand impact with customers. Learn how philosophy and physics combine to point out a concise, unified view of brand management that you can apply immediately.

Business marketers face many challenges as they attempt to communicate with the constituents involved in any b2b transaction.  Despite all of the changes going on, there are some basic truths that, when learned and applied, can make things work better.

Customers may assign low ratings on the “ultimate question” (likelihood of recommending) yet continue doing business with you. If your focus is on customer retention, the “ultimate question” may not provide the answer you are looking for. Find out why.

When a leader like GE looks to innovate, it historically turned to internal experts. But with all your talent, how many smart people are NOT on your payroll? GE and start-up Kaggle recently held two Open Innovation “Quests.” Hear their amazing results!

CMO life expectancy is short. To stay competitive, CMOs must constantly evolve. But how? Drawing from more than 30 years at IBM, Nortel and Juniper Networks, Juniper CMO Lauren Flaherty shares insight on how CMOs can prosper in their roles.

The author of five provocative books about the changing world of work, Dan Pink will bring us a fresh look at the art and science of selling from his latest book, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others. Pink will reveal the new ABCs of moving others (it’s no longer “Always Be Closing”), explain why extraverts don’t make the best salespeople and show how giving people an “off-ramp” for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds.

Traditional forms of b2b marketing are no longer enough...in fact, not even close. Today's savviest b2b marketers are becoming publishers, producers and storytellers to attract and retain customers. While the move to content marketing has more and more converts, it also has left many b2b marketers in the dust. Learn about the new role of the "chief storyteller”—and why you may, or may not, need one in your organization—from the guru of content marketing and three experienced content marketing practitioners.

Services have always been used to differentiate and sell products—from office equipment to heavy machinery to office buildings. With the rise of big data, more b2b marketers are enhancing basic break/repair services with 2.0-type, sensor-based and Internet-enabled services that generate more operational insight and even help diagnose and alert operators to impending problems. Learn how three companies are using predictive analytics to increase customer productivity while powerfully differentiating their products and winning more customer orders.

In this hour, you will hear five consecutive "firebrands" take 10-12 minutes each to raise the roof on a narrower but key b2b marketing issue or trend.

In marketing, we have moved from having too little customer data to too much. But many organizations still act as they always have. Why? How can we evolve — fast — while building our competitive advantage? What can happen if we don't?

Watch out events…business measurement is coming. For so long, as marketers ramped up dashboards for digital, social, mobile…just about everything…we have been content to measure events by attendees, sales hearsay and cards dropped in a fishbowl. Those days are over.

Got an innovation center? You just might want one after you hear about Catamaran’s fabulous new 26,000-sq. ft. innovation center in downtown Chicago, used by the fast-growing pharmacy benefits manager to showcase innovation, engage customers and fuel sales.

Two of the world’s preeminent b2b digital marketers (and brothers) present mega-trends suggesting it’s time to fire our approach to b2b marketing and ignite customer insights with big data to power an integrated “customer journey” strategy to drive true business ROI.

B2B social media is more than random conversations—it’s a powerful business builder. And every program requires commitment and purpose. From LinkedIn driving quality leads to blogs improving search engine exposure, there’s a payoff for those who strategize before they engage.

New mandates are emerging for marketers—driven largely by the expectations of an empowered customer, fueled by data and made possible with technology. Big changes are taking hold, creating a need for a different mindset and a new array of skills. Hear from marketing leaders who are seizing on the opportunities to leverage technology to lead business transformation. Explore the key elements to lead a successful transformation: knowing the customer; evolving the model to integrate with technology and building the capabilities.

Join us to recognize the 2013 winners of BMA's two annual awards programs. First, the B2 Awards, which recognize marketers and agencies for the year's most successful marketing communications programs. From among a record 1,000+ entries this year, BMA will honor the winners of nine super-group categories and name both a Marketer and Agency of the Year. Two, the G.D. Crain, Jr., Award, which is awarded annually to a BMA member for career achievement in b2b marketing communications and exceptional service to BMA.

After fiery presentations all day, get ready for an incendiary evening of networking, kicked off by a visually stunning, 10-minute “UV” light show performed by Pyrotechniq, a Chicago-based fire performance troupe. Then greet old friends and meet new ones against a backdrop of jazz, pop and salsa music played by the seven-member Ron Harris Music Group, while a conflagration of BLAZE-themed video and film footage plays on the wide background screen. And enjoy beverages hot and cold as well as ethnic foods spicy and otherwise.

If you're a "young professional" 30 or under, mosey on over to Chuck's Manufacturing after “Fireball” to continue networking with 100 of your peers as well as any national/chapter leaders still standing after a full day of BLAZE. This is BLAZE’s official YP networking event, and you’ll be able to meet many of the YPs who led Wednesday afternoon’s Firestarter session. Just be sure to be up and at ‘em at 8 am on Friday for the last half day of BLAZE!