GROW LAAPR 22, 2026
Directors Guild of America, West Hollywood
Presented by
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APPLYNOW!
Complimentary tickets for senior retail leaders. 700 C-Suite, operators & innovators. 1 unmissable day of practical strategies & valuable networking.
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Free ticket
$500 bonus
The connections, strategies & relationships you'll build at GROW are unmatched; we prioritize access for people who are building significant brands, implementing cutting edge strategies & are open to talking and sharing with others.
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Whatyourticket unlocks
HANDS ON SESSIONS
BETTER CONNECTIONS
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HIGHLY-RATED TECH
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$500 BONUS
SPEAKERS
GROW Speakers have been there, done that. During main stage talks, panels & interactive workshops, you’ll hear from senior executives & operators from:
Lisi Manriquez
Scaling Category Expansion: Turning Growth Signals into Repeatable Revenue - As brands scale, growth gets more complex with more channels, more data, and more noise. In this session, Lisi will break down how Fabletics approaches category expansion into scrubs, identifying the signals that matter and translating them into repeatable growth plays. She will share how the team has built momentum in a new category by focusing on product-market fit, customer insight, and disciplined scaling of early wins. From entering the market to expanding assortment and reach, this session focuses on how to take a strong initial foothold and turn it into sustained category growth.
Allyson Reiner
Turning First-Time Buyers into Lifelong Customers - Most brands still chase the first purchase — but in 2026, growth is won on what happens next. In this session, you’ll hear from three leaders on how they’re turning one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers. We’ll break down how AI is reshaping retention — from predictive insights and personalized journeys to automated CX that still feels human. From post-purchase experience to habit-building, expect real tactics and what’s actually working now — not theory.
Sky Canaves
Turning Your Loyalty Program into a Customer Ambassador Program- Loyalty programs can go far beyond points and discounts — done right, they can spark true advocacy, turning devoted customers into genuine brand ambassadors. In this session, we’ll explore how one standout brand expanded beyond the traditional loyalty model to build a program that drives referrals, fosters community, and deepens customer connection. We’ll cover the shift from standard rewards to ambassador-style engagement, how tiered perks both recognize loyalty and inspire sharing, and the specific perks and experiences that strengthen relationships. You’ll walk away with practical steps to evolve your own loyalty strategy into a powerful advocacy engine.
Stanislav Tatarzuk
Rewiring Merchandising, Demand Planning, and Fulfilment — Merchandising and supply chain teams are seeing the most tangible AI wins in the business — faster demand forecasting, smarter assortment decisions, and more resilient fulfilment even through tariff chaos. In this session, operators will share detailed case studies of what they’ve deployed, the impact they’ve measured, and the mistakes they’d avoid if they could start over. If your role touches product, inventory, or logistics, this is where you’ll hear the most tactical, straight-from-the-field insights on AI that’s already paying for itself.
Rita Zahir
The New Playbook for Converting Unknown Shoppers into Known Buyers- Every retailer sits on a goldmine of anonymous visitors — ghost shoppers who browse with intent but vanish without converting, taking massive potential revenue with them. This session reveals how AI-powered identity resolution is revolutionizing customer acquisition by transforming unknown browsers into personalized experiences from their very first click. You’ll discover the cutting-edge strategies leading brands use to decode anonymous behavior patterns, deploy real-time personalization triggers that feel almost telepathic, and create cross-device recognition systems that follow customers seamlessly through their entire journey. Learn how to turn your biggest conversion challenge into your greatest growth opportunity, building customer relationships that begin the moment someone lands on your site — even when they’re complete strangers.
Adele Dagher Nasr
Generative Engine Optimisation: Winning Discovery When AI Answers the Question - Your customers are asking ChatGPT and Perplexity for product recommendations instead of Googling. If your brand isn’t showing up in those AI-generated answers, you’re invisible before the journey even starts. In this session, growth leaders will share how they’re adapting SEO, content, and product data strategies for the age of AI-driven discovery. You’ll hear what’s actually moving the needle on GEO and AEO, which traditional tactics are now worthless, and the specific steps you need to take to make sure AI recommends your products — not your competitor’s.
Todd Gilchrist
Welcome to GROW LA 2026 - Everything about how we grow brands is changing — fast. AI is buying on behalf of customers, discovery is shifting away from search, and profitability is harder than ever to protect. This morning, we’re diving straight into what’s real: how leading brands are adapting, where they’re winning, and what you need to do now to stay ahead.
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David Link
Creative at Scale: Producing High-Impact Marketing & Product Videos at Half the Cost- In a world where creative volume drives performance, how do you scale without blowing your budget? In this session,David Link, Chief Creative Officer at Saatva, shares how his team produces high-quality marketing and product videos at scale — while cutting costs in half. From streamlined production workflows to smarter resourcing and creative testing, David will break down the systems, tools, and decisions that make it possible. Expect practical takeaways on how to increase output, improve performance, and build a repeatable creative engine without sacrificing quality.
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Barbara Thau
Beyond the Core: How to Successfully Launch and Scale a New Category
What does it really take to expand beyond your core product and win in a new category? In this session, Lisi Manriquez, VP, Scrubs at Fabletics, shares how her team identified, launched, and scaled a new category while staying true to the brand. From validating demand and positioning the product, to aligning marketing, merchandising, and operations, she’ll break down what worked (and what didn’t). Expect practical insights on how to de-risk a launch, drive early traction, and turn a new category into a meaningful revenue driver.
Julia Bedanova
The Rise of Agentic Commerce
eCommerce is evolving from static websites to agentic storefronts. Instead of clicking through pages, shoppers interact with intelligent agents that guide them from discovery to try-on to checkout in one seamless experience. This isn’t just a new feature - it’s a new interface, built on unified data, global infrastructure, and fully merchant-controlled systems. In this session, we’ll explore why agentic storefronts are emerging now, what performance gains early adopters are seeing, and how this shift has led to the launch of the first agentic storefront.
MEET YOUR SPEAKERS
GROW Speakers have been there, done that. During main stage talks, panels & interactive workshops, you’ll hear from senior executives & operators from:
Lisi Manriquez
Scaling Category Expansion: Turning Growth Signals into Repeatable Revenue - As brands scale, growth gets more complex with more channels, more data, and more noise. In this session, Lisi will break down how Fabletics approaches category expansion into scrubs, identifying the signals that matter and translating them into repeatable growth plays. She will share how the team has built momentum in a new category by focusing on product-market fit, customer insight, and disciplined scaling of early wins. From entering the market to expanding assortment and reach, this session focuses on how to take a strong initial foothold and turn it into sustained category growth.
Allyson Reiner
Turning First-Time Buyers into Lifelong Customers - Most brands still chase the first purchase — but in 2026, growth is won on what happens next. In this session, you’ll hear from three leaders on how they’re turning one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers. We’ll break down how AI is reshaping retention — from predictive insights and personalized journeys to automated CX that still feels human. From post-purchase experience to habit-building, expect real tactics and what’s actually working now — not theory.
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Annie Soderstrom
How The Best Brands Build a Payment Strategy for ScaleAs brands grow, payment strategy becomes a critical lever for unlocking scale. In this fireside conversation, Annie Soderstrom (Head of Product Operations & Strategy, PayPal) and Jackson Tse (Sr. Director of Product – Venmo, PayPal) join Sky Canaves (Principal Analyst, Retail & Ecommerce, eMarketer) to explore how leading retailers are building payment infrastructures that support long-term growth. From optimizing conversion at checkout to expanding wallet adoption and leveraging AI for personalization and fraud prevention, this session will break down what actually drives performance. Learn how PayPal and Venmo are helping brands scale smarter—and what to prioritize in your own roadmap.
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Jackson Tse
The Rise of Social Payments in Commerce
As commerce becomes increasingly social, payment behavior is evolving alongside it. In this roundtable, Jackson Tse, Sr. Director of Product – Venmo, PayPal will lead a discussion on the rise of social payments and how peer-to-peer behaviors are influencing how consumers transact. From Venmo’s role in everyday spending to its growing presence in checkout experiences, we’ll explore how brands can tap into more native, social-first payment methods. This is an open conversation for operators to share how they’re thinking about social commerce, where they’re seeing traction, and what opportunities lie ahead.
Whattoexpectatgrow la
Coffee, breakfast, friendly chats
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Big ideas on stage (no fillers)
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Tons of interactive workshops. No fluff
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New tactics from top brands
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Great food, drinks & snacks all day
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Curated intros + 1-1 meetings
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