CreatorIQ Connect, an annual industry gathering now in its third year, will bring more than 1,300 creator economy professionals to the historic Ebell of Los Angeles on October 15-16. This expanded two-day event, hosted by CreatorIQ and presented by YouTube, comes at a pivotal moment when creator marketing is gaining unprecedented traction amid economic uncertainty.

“The industry is changing and that’s always been true, but it’s really accelerated over the last 12 months,” says Brit Starr, Chief Marketing Officer at CreatorIQ. “Macro-economic volatility, especially at the start of this year, served as a forcing function for creator marketing and the role of creators within the marketing stack.”

This acceleration carries a shift in marketing priorities. Rather than cutting creator budgets during challenging economic periods, brands are redirecting funds from traditional channels into creator partnerships. 

“We’ve seen our customers, and the industry at large, reallocate budgets away from paid traditional and digital media into creators as constraints tightened,” Brit explains. “The ‘do more with less’ mindset is something we all feel, and brands have turned to creators to help achieve that.”

A Gathering for Practitioners, Not Vendors

CreatorIQ Connect distinguishes itself from typical industry conferences by focusing squarely on the professionals implementing creator marketing programs. “We’ve been intentional about keeping guardrails on what the event is supposed to be and who it’s for,” Brit says. “It’s an industry event; creator through and through. It’s 80%+ brands and agencies, so it’s not really a vendor event.”

This practitioner focus creates an environment where marketing professionals can openly discuss challenges and share solutions. “It’s about practitioners and leaders from the inside coming together to talk about what works, what good looks like, and how we can solve collective challenges,” Brit says.

The event has grown each year, doubling in size last year, and this year expanding from a single day to two days. This expansion responds directly to attendee feedback. “The biggest point of feedback we got was: we want more,” Brit recalls. “Day one is thought leadership – bringing key voices in the industry forward to inspire and educate. Day two is ‘pen to paper’ – how can we put that learning into practice?”

This format reflects the maturing creator marketing discipline, which now requires both strategic vision and practical implementation skills. Day two consists entirely of interactive sessions: “AMAs [Ask Me Anything], fireside chats, workshops; taking the walls down so we can have direct interactions with our community and customers, and so they can engage with each other,” Brit explains.

YouTube Partnership Brings Creators to the Table

For the first time, YouTube serves as the presenting sponsor for CreatorIQ Connect, bringing unprecedented participation from creators to the event. Leah Spector, Director of Communications and Editorial at CreatorIQ, highlights the significance of this partnership: “Partnering with YouTube as our presenting sponsor gives us a deep roster of creators to bring to the event.”

This partnership enables the event to feature prominent creators, such as Brooke Monk, who has more than 10 million YouTube subscribers, as a keynote speaker. Even more significantly, YouTube is bringing its Creator Collective to the pre-event VIP dinner, the first time they’ve done this with an external company outside of Cannes and South by Southwest.

“We’re bringing about 50 top YouTube creators to mix and mingle with brand marketers and industry leaders, because we want to be that facilitator of community between creators, brands, and agencies,” Leah explains. This direct connection between creators and brands departs from the traditional influencer marketing approach, where these parties rarely interacted outside specific campaigns.

Addressing Critical Industry Challenges

The event’s content strategy is shaped by both ongoing customer conversations and CreatorIQ’s recently released industry survey. Four key themes have emerged as central to the current creator marketing field:

Theme one is Brand Safety and Suitability. As creator marketing investments grow, brand safety has become a paramount concern. “The rise of brand safety and suitability. We’ve been talking for almost a year about a content-first approach and how algorithms have necessitated a switch from follower to fit and content,” Brit says. “How do brands adapt to that? How do they focus on content and creator suitability, and safety? That’s a huge pillar of the event.”

With increased funding comes heightened accountability, making Measurement and ROI Validation a critical focus area. “As investment increases, measurement and the ability to track ROI [Return on Investment] become incredibly important,” Brit says. “With great power comes great responsibility. That’s a huge pillar of our programming.”

Sessions will explore how brands can establish appropriate measurement frameworks and validate returns on their creator investments, i.e., essential capabilities as creator marketing secures larger portions of budgets previously allocated to traditional channels.

Third, Community Management for Sustainable Programs. The industry is shifting from campaign-based activations to ongoing programs built around creator communities. “Community is hugely important as we talk about creator retention and a brand’s ability to build sustainable programs that drive long-term success,” Brit explains. “Community management is critical to doing that; moving from campaign to campaign versus long-term nurture.”

This change represents a strategic pivot in how brands view creators, not merely as media channels for occasional campaigns, but as long-term partners who contribute to sustained brand growth.

As creator marketing expands across organizations, the need for coordinated governance has given rise to centralized approaches – Centers of Excellence for Scaled Programs. “We’re seeing this trend in our data and among customers – a center of excellence model that centralizes strategy and provides a single source of truth,” Brit says.

This approach enables organizations to maintain strategic consistency while allowing for specialized execution across departments and regions.

Diverse Industry Voices Share Practical Wisdom

The event will feature over 70 speakers from across the creator marketing ecosystem, representing both global brands and emerging, creator-led companies. Brit will moderate a session on scaling sustainable success featuring marketing leaders from diverse industries, including Michelle Miller, CMO at Vegamour (formerly at K18 during their acquisition by Unilever), and representatives from e.l.f. Cosmetics, and Jenna Habayeb, who recently moved from CMO roles at Ruggable, Ipsy, and 7 For All Mankind to Posh Peanut.

Other notable sessions include a sports and gaming panel featuring executives from the LA Dodgers and Live Nation, as well as a community-driven growth discussion contrasting approaches from Dove (Unilever) and Beekman 1802, a creator-led, indie brand known for its community-forward approach.

This diverse speaker lineup reflects how creator marketing now spans industries from beauty to sports to entertainment, with both established corporations and upstart brands finding success through creator-led strategies.

Find the full list of speakers here.

Shaping the Future of Creator Marketing Together

For Brit, the significance of CreatorIQ Connect extends beyond the event itself to what it represents about the industry’s direction: “I’m excited that creators are taking center stage, literally at the event and figuratively in marketing. That momentum will only accelerate.”

This momentum signals an important shift in marketing priorities, with creators becoming central to brand strategies rather than supplementary tactics. “What I love about these big October moments is that they’re fueled by what’s happening across our industry,” Brit reflects. “Our North Star – the key bets and investments we’ve made in our approaches and product roadmap – is driven by the expanding needs of the industry.”

CreatorIQ Connect takes place October 15-16 at the historic Ebell of Los Angeles. To register for the event, follow this link.

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