BREAKOUT SESSION / THURSDAY / JUNE 2, 2022 / 4:00 PM
Brands That Entertain: If You Build It, They Will Come
One of the biggest challenges organizations face today is driving traffic and attention for the brand. If you can tell a creative and compelling story, in a physical or digital form — or a merger of the two — you will delight and engage your customers. We’ll hear from panelists whose brands built experiences that entertained as well as moved the needle.
PANELISTS
Christiana DiMattesa | Director of In-store & Experiential Marketing, North America | Under Armour
Christiana DiMattesa oversees Under Armour’s North America direct-to-consumer retail marketing team inclusive of marketing strategy, operations, in-store experience, and event activations. Christiana has spent 20 years working within the retail space and has a passion to utilize technology to change the interactive landscape of the retail environment. She has been with Under Armour since August 2014 and previously held marketing roles with Ann Inc. and Foot Locker.
Chris Grap | Lead Storyteller & Experience Designer | Mall of America
As Lead Story Teller & Experience Designer for Mall of America, the Nation’s largest retail and entertainment center, Chris Grap is responsible for working across all teams to collaboratively design and build unique experiences for the 40 million guests that visit the Mall each year. Throughout his 7 years with Mall of America and Nickelodeon Universe, he has collaborated on projects such as the Paw Patrol Adventure Bay attraction, spearheading the impactful decision for Mall of America to remain closed on Thanksgiving in an effort to bring back the excitement and tradition of Black Friday, redesigning the Holiday Experience and creating the Webby Award winning holiday experience known as #Twizzard.
Rafik Hanna | Vice President, IT | Taco Bell
Rafik Hanna is the digital technology leader for all Taco Bell customer-facing platforms (including: Web, Mobile Apps, Kiosks, On Demand Delivery, Digital Menu Boards and Loyalty). Since joining Taco Bell in 2015, Rafik has led numerous large initiatives to modernize the guest and restaurant experience. Some of Rafik’s notable programs include the re-launch of Taco Bell’s mobile apps, introduction of digital menu boards (interior and drive-thru) and the nationwide roll-out of self order kiosks.
MODERATOR
Brandon Elliott | Sr. Director, Digital Products | HMSHost
Brandon is a first generation “digital native” who grew up with the latest technology device, game system or computer in his hands. This childhood hobby is what triggered Brandon’s life-long passion for technology and his relentless drive to create, improve, innovate and transform the way we live, work and play. Brandon specializes in information technology and is a former business owner with 24+ years of hands-on experience including engineering, development and management. He is customer centric and results driven with experience working with IT, executive management and key business personnel to bring business strategy and technology innovation together.
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