Transparency has been a fixture of marketing procurement conversations for years — and yet the challenge keeps evolving. What procurement meant by transparency five years ago barely scratches the surface today. AI-generated costs, algorithmic media buying, and complex sub-contractor chains have introduced new layers of opacity that traditional contract frameworks were never designed to handle. This session takes stock of where the transparency debate stands now, what procurement teams are actually demanding, and what agencies and solution providers must do differently to build the trust that wins and retains business.

AI is automating the transactional work that once defined marketing procurement — and in its place, a new set of capabilities is emerging as the price of admission. The procurement professionals who will thrive aren't just better negotiators; they are strategic advisors who can speak the language of marketing, interpret AI-generated insights, and translate commercial complexity into business value. This session brings together marketing procurement leaders to get honest about the skills gap, what they are doing to close it, and what the marketing procurement professional of the future actually looks like. 

• Identify which procurement skills AI is replacing — and which it can't 
• Assess whether your team's capabilities match where the function is heading 
• Build marketing literacy and stakeholder influence into your team development strategy