Cove Terrace and Lawn
5:30pm - 10:00pm
Welcome
Welcome Reception
We'll kick things off in style with a sunset reception at Terranea Resort. As the sun dips behind the Pacific, you'll connect with fellow CAOs over curated bites and signature cocktails, and reaffirm our collective Purpose in this business.
The evening will feature a live Pivot recording with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, and a fireside with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey of Office Ladies. Whether you're catching up with industry peers or meeting in person for the first time, this is where the CAO Summit begins, with open skies, good food, and even better company.
Catalina Ballroom
7:30 am
Doors Open
8:15 am
Kick off the day with a clear mind. In this 15-minute opening, former ABC News anchor and #1 New York Times best-selling author Dan Harris makes the case for mindfulness as an essential skill for marketers navigating relentless change. He shares his own story and practical, science-backed ways to quiet the inner critic, cut burnout, and sharpen creative focus, so you arrive ready for the day ahead.
Dan Harris Makes us 10% Happier
8:40 am
Keynote
Keynote: State of the Podcasting: Where Audio and Creator Media Collide
Our annual setting of the stage. We look back at the twelve months since the last Summit, report on where the industry moved and how it handled the issues attendees said mattered most, then lay out a forecast for how we help each other win in the year ahead.
9:20 am
Case Study
Introducing the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting (AMP)
What is a podcast? What is an impression? How do you measure performance across platforms? You've just gotten your first look at the sum and substance of the much-anticipated AMP Accords, where industry leaders came together to answer those three questions. Now we talk to some of the people who were in the room where it happened, to unpack what it means and where we go from here.
10:10 am
Panel
The operating model for media buying is being rewritten in real time, with AI and automation colliding head-on with creator-led media. This session convenes the practitioners reconciling the two: how to structure teams and agency partners across channels, how to manage creative that is inseparable from the media it runs on, and how to protect brand standards without smothering what makes creators work.
Buying In The Fog
10:40 am
Panel
Video growth, opaque methodology shifts, and IP-based degradation are eating signal quality, and the marketers wrestling with it don't have a real venue to compare notes. This panel is for practitioners who've fought the internal and external attribution battles and are hunting for what actually works now.
Attribution Is Broken in New Ways
11:15 am
Panel
When the Student Becomes the Studio: A Conversation with Dhar Mann & MrBallen
Creators didn't climb into the media establishment, they rebuilt it. Dan Granger sits down with Dhar Mann and MrBallen (John Allen), two ranking members of this year's billion-dollar Forbes Top Creators list, on how they built studios that outpace Hollywood, how they protect their audience's trust while they scale, and what makes a brand partnership actually work. Then they show it live, with a real product and an unscripted look at how they would build around it.
12:10 pm - 1:10pm
Lunch
1:25 pm - 4:00pm
Breakout Sessions
Cross-Channel Measurement & Attribution
Audiences live across platforms and devices, so how do you measure performance with real confidence? Attribution looks different for every advertiser: some measure at retail, some pixel, some can't pixel at all. This session tackles attribution where it actually lives, at the intersection of your funnel, your category, and your goals, not just the platform you bought on, and surfaces what's working for the brands in the room.
Programmatic 101
Programmatic streaming audio and podcasting is one of the fastest-growing corners of the industry, and getting in can feel daunting. This is programmatic from the ground up: what it is, how it works, how to get in, and what a first test really costs. If you're new to the channel and want a clear on-ramp, start here.
YouTube Creator: The World Beyond RSS
YouTube's creator ecosystem is full of promise and short on instructions. How do you get podcast-like results in a channel with no RSS and often no pixels? This session covers the real mechanics: how to get in, vet the right talent, weigh marquee creators against the midtail, and build a system that scales instead of custom paperwork on every deal. For anyone ready to stop buying lists and start building deals directly, this is the map.
Beyond the Read: The Art of Co-Creation
Endorsement media works, but it can go rote. Bullet points or a pre-recorded script can lose the soul of an endorsement: the moment a host authentically tells their audience why they care. This session goes past handing over copy and into real collaboration, working with hosts early to create something that goes beyond the spot. Bring real copy and we'll try to build something live.
Whose Buy Is It Anyway?
Who owns what? When a creator shows up across podcast, YouTube, social, and beyond, it's hard to even know who should run the buy. The old lines have blurred and the budgets blur with them. This peer-to-peer session brings together leaders who've built the infrastructure to manage it: how they organize internally, set the lane lines, and make the call when content doesn't fit one channel.
Programmatic Advanced
Already buying programmatic? This one's for you. We go past the basics into the advanced maneuvers: a wider set of providers, deeper customization, filters, and optimization. Bring your questions on scaling, targeting, and squeezing more out of the channel, and we'll get into what separates the experts from the beginners.
AI on the Buy
You can't talk about this industry without talking about AI. But how are marketing leaders actually using it day to day, past the hype and into the real workflows? This roundtable brings practitioners from podcasting, creator, and audio to trade the tools, workflows, and best practices changing how buys get made. Presented by you, the CAO: come share what's working and how your team is winning the AI race.
Radio in 2026: Zig Where They Zag
Is this thing on? You bet. Podcasting pulls roughly $2.5B a year; radio still represents about $14B. While some brands are riding radio off into the sunset, others are quietly making millions through endorsements, remnant inventory, and unconventional integrations. This session shows you how to steer terrestrial and satellite budgets toward that kind of performance, with the operators who never stopped winning here.
Podcasting Goes Global
Podcasts are available everywhere your brand wants to go, and the international opportunity has never been more accessible. As US brands grow and business spreads beyond our borders, audio can be one of the most powerful tools for building a business globally: intimate, scalable, and increasingly programmatic. If your product or service sells outside the US, how do you think about exporting your domestic audio approach to new markets? This session covers audio globally and how programmatic buying and the rise of podcasting and streaming have opened the door to global audio at scale.
6:00 pm- 10:00pm
Summit Finale
It's only been two days, but by now it feels like we've been part of something. This closing gathering is your last drink of the Palos Verdes sunset against the sea, a serene courtyard to relax, reflect, and go deep with good friends over fine food and drink. A few surprise guests may join. Our time to say goodbye and get ready for the year ahead.
Catalina Terrace and Lawn
