I’m excited to share that I’ll be speaking at the HeyOrca Community-Led Marketing Summit on June 18, 2026, at the St. John’s Convention Centre.
The one-day summit will bring together more than 300 marketers, business leaders, and communications professionals from across Atlantic Canada to explore how community-led marketing is shaping the future of our industry. Through practical presentations, workshops, and discussions, attendees will learn how to build stronger relationships with their audiences and create marketing that encourages participation instead of passive consumption.
My Session
Why Your Community Is Your Most Valuable AEO Asset: A Practical Framework for AI Search
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how people search for information and discover businesses. Search is evolving beyond rankings and keywords toward trust, authority, and recommendations generated by AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, and Perplexity.
In this session, I’ll explore why the communities organizations build have become one of their greatest competitive advantages in the age of AI search.
Attendees will learn:
- Why traditional SEO is evolving into Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
- How AI platforms determine which businesses and brands to recommend
- Why reviews, community conversations, media mentions, and customer advocacy have become critical trust signals
- A practical four-step framework organizations can use immediately to improve their visibility across both traditional and AI-powered search
Why This Topic Matters
Over the past year, much of my research and consulting work has focused on the rapid evolution of AI search. As organizations begin seeing changes in website traffic and customer behaviour, many are asking the same question:
How do we stay visible when AI is answering questions before people ever visit our website?
The answer isn’t simply creating more content.
It’s becoming a trusted source.
I’m looking forward to sharing practical strategies that businesses of all sizes can begin implementing immediately.
If you’re attending the summit, I’d love to connect and continue the conversation after the session.
I want to thank Joe Teo and the entire HeyOrca team for the opportunity to be part of an event that continues to elevate Newfoundland and Labrador’s marketing community. Bringing together local marketers to share ideas, experiences, and practical insights is something our industry benefits from tremendously, and I’m honoured to contribute.
