As the board year and event season wraps up for the Triangle Chapter of the American Marketing Association, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate and reflect on what we’ve accomplished this year:
AI for the real world
These days, it’s hard to go more than a few sentences without mentioning AI, and I think our programming team delivered a best-in-class lineup of topics and conversations this year. Each of these experiences was designed to get our members either hands-on experience with AI, or into the conversation about what the future of marketing looks like with AI agents working behind the scenes.
My favorite moments are when we actually get to put the ideas we talk about in these conversations into practice, like during our workshop with Second Chance Pet Adoptions where members were able to learn how GenAI tools can support their work, while providing a local nonprofit with ideas and content to support their mission. It was a fantastic day of learning, and I’m excited to see how we can build on programs like this as we look toward our 2026 – 2027 season.
Live and in person!
A major challenge for professional development organizations like ours is the balance of the number of events we do (if they are presented in-person or virtual) and how best to get our community engaged. This year, our focus was on making sure that the AMA Triangle community knows exactly where to find us and what to expect in any given month. To that end, we:
- Moved the majority of our in-person luncheons and panels to our new home at the NC State University Club – ensuring that you never had to question where an event was hosted, or how to gain access.
- Rebranded our monthly network events as AMA Triangle “After Hours,” building on our success at Fortnight Brewing for our Cary events and moving to Trophy Brewing Five Points for more easily accessible Raleigh events, sponsored by Robert Half
- Hosted a variety of socials throughout the Triangle to create more time for networking and celebration within our community, including our End-of-Year celebration on June 25.
- Continued to host a powerful series of Webinars both locally and in conjunction with our national organization, giving you access to learn from top marketing leaders across the world.
An essential community supported by our community
The success we had this year wouldn’t have been possible without the support of each and every person reading this email. Whether you came to an event, shared a post on social media, became a member of our community, or just followed along–your connection to AMA Triangle is what makes us the essential community of marketers in the area.
Members are the primary way we keep this community thriving. By becoming a member of the AMA Triangle, you become connected to a global network of marketing professionals while supporting our ability to engage our local community.
I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our corporate partners, who help make many of the programs we present possible:
- Brasco – the presenting sponsor for the entire 2025 – 2026 AMA Triangle season
- EmpowerOps
- Troupe
- NextGenCenter
- NC State University College of Management
- Innovate Carolina Junction
- The Loading Dock
- Brand Fuel
Thank you again to anyone who engaged with the AMA Triangle this year. We take a short break over the Summer for planning, but look for more information about the kickoff to our 2026 – 2027 season later this year. We can’t wait to show you what we have in store.
Michael Johnson
President
AMA Triangle
