IMPACT17 Attendees Soak Up Internet Marketing and Innovation Intel under the Bright Cayman Sun

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet Marketing Association (IMA) held its IMPACT17 Cayman event April 26-28, 2017, at the gorgeous Kimpton Seafire Resort on Grand Cayman. Aside from the fine dining and catamaran sail, attendees were served a wealth of Internet marketing and innovation intelligence and best practices. IMPACT17 Cayman brought together marketing thought leaders, business leaders and elected officials, all motivated to learn about the application of cutting-edge technologies and innovative marketing techniques few have tried. 

"The Internet continues to transform every business, every consumer around the globe," said IMA Chairman and CEO Sinan Kanatsiz. "And everyone who attends an IMPACT event comes away with the knowledge and motivation they need to take the Internet to the next level and redefine marketing in a technology-centric world."

Here are some key highlights of the experience from among the over 40 distinguished speakers and legends in digital marketing:

• Cayman Premier, the Honorable Alden McLaughlin, highlighted Cayman's suitability to host the innovation of the IMA and pointed to developments like the Kimpton as evidence of robust growth on the islands.
• Tamara Gaffney, Principal Analyst, Adobe Inc., shared her company's vision of what the future may bring. For example, she noted that "as people are moving over to mobile devices, we're not seeing growth in e-commerce" because mobile users spend less time on websites and are less likely to purchase.
• Jeff Marcoux, CMO Lead for of Microsoft, addressed "The Science of Relationships" and how the brain receives information.
• Vincent Walden, partner with Ernst & Young, outlined "Governance Best Practices for Digital Marketers."
• Victor Cho, CEO of Evite, gave a stirring presentation on the importance of face-to-face communication, particularly in a digital-centric world.
• Eric Riviello, Director of Business Development for Cision's PR Newswire, offered findings from the Cision annual survey of marketing professionals in a presentation titled "No More Excuses: From Business Expense to Business Driver."

In addition, Audi spoke about their autonomous vehicle. And Ketel One Vodka showed an informative brand video on their history and background. During the conference, speakers also reported on several IMA initiatives, including the Women Leadership Group and IMA.EDU education effort.

"Positioning the Cayman business community around tech and innovation is a primary focus for Cayman Enterprise City," said CEO Charles Kirkconnell. "Thanks in part to IMA and their global tech partners, we continue to achieve our desired outcome."

The impressive roster of IMPACT17 Cayman speakers also included:

• Aaron Hillegass, Big Nerd Ranch, CEO
• Akbar Jaffer, IMA, San Francisco Group Chairman
• Alex Gray, IMA Canada, Chairman
• Bill Eldien, Ketel One Vodka, CEO
• Brian Wong, Kiip, CEO
• Charlie Kirkconnell, Cayman Enterprise City, CEO
• Don Simpson, MarketLinc, CEO
• Eileen Keens, Yello, Marketing Manager
• Faquiry Diaz, mxHero, Chairman
• Hope Frank, Kiosked, CMO
• Jaime Ford, Jet.com, Digital Marketing Analyst
• Jeanniey Mullen, Mercer, Global CMO
• Jeff Montejano, KCOMM, President
• John Costello, Microsemi, VP Business Development
• Kamin Samuel, Kamin Samuel Consulting, Business and Life Coach
• Keiran Hutchinson, Ernst & Young, Partner
• Keith Miller, Saffron Consultants, VP North America
• Natalie Urquhart, Cayman National Gallery, Director
• Reggie Judah, TV Liquidator, CEO
• Rob McNabb, Logic Communications Cayman, CEO
• Steve McIntosh, CML Offshore Recruitment, CEO
• Thomas Bartke, EcomConvert, Founder
• Tracy Morgan, nContext, Senior Director
• Winston Conolly, Lainston, CEO
• Yves Le Sieur, VDS Los Angeles, Head of Digital Marketing

The Startup Battlefield is also one of the most anticipated events at an IMA IMPACT event. And this year's competition more than lived up to expectations. Selected to make their pitches were Feello, a new paradigm in real estate for matching buyers, sellers and agents; SALT Technology Group, a technology innovation and implementation firm; Scripsense, a platform facilitating philanthropy through everyday shopping; and TakeNote Global, a developer of a solution that allows students to notate and mark up books that they have rented.

Judges for the Startup Battlefield were Faquiry Diaz, Chairman, mxHero; Aaron Hillegass, CEO, Big Nerd Ranch; and Brian Wong, CEO, Kiip. The winners were Feello in the Professional category and TakeNote Global in the Student category.

Host sponsor for IMPACT17 Cayman was Cayman Enterprise City. The event was presented by Adobe, Cayman Media Park, the Internet Marketing Association, KCOMM, Kiip and Skylight Global. Partners included Arch Automotive, Berman Fisher, Big Nerd Ranch, Britcay, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Cayman National, Cision, CML, Ernst & Young, Evite, Island Air, Isofruit, Jet, Ketel One Vodka, Lainston, LinkedIn, Logic, MarketLinc, Mercer, Microsoft, mxHero, nContext, Pinnacle Media, Saffron, Trident Properties, TV Liquidator, VDS and Yello.

The next major Internet Marketing Association event on the horizon is the annual IMPACT conference in Las Vegas set for Sept. 28-30, 2017. For information on that event and the association, visit www.imanetwork.org.

About the Internet Marketing Association
The IMA is one of the fastest growing Internet marketing groups in the world, with more than 1,000,000 professional members in fields including sales, marketing, business ownership, programming and creative development. It provides a platform where proven Internet marketing strategies are demonstrated and shared to increase members' value to their organizations. IMA is underwritten by corporate partners to provide an opportunity to learn, engage and define best practices without making a financial commitment. www.imanetwork.org

Media Contact
Rachel Reenders
Head of Public Relations, IMA
[email protected] 

SOURCE Internet Marketing Association