On Friday 23 May, The MarTech Summit made its first-ever appearance in Madrid! At the VP Plaza España Design Hotel, we brought together marketing and technology professionals to discuss current and future challenges for MarTech. Tackling topics such as the Post-Cookie Era, Omnichannel Strategies, and everyone’s favourite GenAI, the agenda was jam-packed full of insights, innovation and real-world case studies. Networking opportunities, thought-provoking sessions, and a vibrant exchange of ideas made The MarTech Summit Madrid one for the books!
With over 200 attendees, the day was buzzing with energy and meaningful conversations. From interactive panels to an engaging in-summit roundtable, participants shared challenges, exchanged ideas, and explored the ever-evolving role of MarTech in driving customer engagement and business growth. The summit not only showcased cutting-edge solutions but also fostered new connections across the dynamic marketing landscape of Spain.
Summit Highlights
Through our polls and word clouds, we were able to get insights into how opinions are shifting and changing towards different topics.
We asked our audience how they perceive AI, always star of the show, which painted a nuanced picture. While 50% feel motivated by the potential of AI, over a third feel overwhelmed, underscoring the need for better tools, training, and support.
This snapshot suggests that while optimism leads, the AI journey must be accompanied by guidance and clarity. Overcoming fear and allowing AI to motivate your actions within your organisation will allow for your company to move with the AI tide, not against it.
In a live word cloud poll, we asked “What’s the biggest omnichannel drama you’ve faced this year?”, and a few themes clearly rose to the top. Attribution, ROI, and Consistency. Our attendees also cited segmentation confusion, tracking troubles, and time constraints as major blockers to seamless omnichannel success.
The poll not only reflects operational pain points but also gives voice to the real-world frustrations behind the strategy – revealing where brands still struggle to connect the dots across channels.
In another live audience poll, 43% of participants said their top marketing automation priority is streamlining internal workflows – underscoring the desire for greater operational efficiency. However, 33% prioritised maintaining a human, personalised customer experience, signalling that automation must still feel authentic to the end-user.
Interestingly, only 15% focused on technology selection, and 10% on future-proofing, suggesting that marketers are more focused on immediate impact rather than long-term architecture.
Key Takeaways
From our speakers, some important thoughts were shared that attendees can take back to their organisations:
“Building the right community for your brand is key, they can contribute massively to your brand in many ways, through building credibility, fame, awareness, relevance… They can be your brand ambassadors organically and help you build your brand in culture.” Ainara Martin, Head of Luxury Marketing, Southern Europe, Diageo.
“The value of First-Party Data is one of the key assets that companies have nowadays. A recipe for success: Secure budget, choose a tool, and educate stakeholders to leverage existing marketing events and try to capture data at every activity you do (product launch, events, etc). This will save you money and enrich the quality of the data you acquire.” Mónica Escudero, Head of Data, CRM & E-commerce, L’Oréal Iberia.
“Consumer habits are constantly evolving, and brands must adapt to stay relevant. It’s our responsibility to listen, evolve, and shape strategies that truly meet the market’s needs” Mariana Banazol, Associate Director, Marketing, Iberia, Too Good To Go.
And a great forward-facing takeaway from one of our speakers is “The future won’t be built overnight – but it will belong to those who start building it today” Mirian Rodrigues, Director, Digital & Tech, GSK.
As echoed by our speakers, the path forward in marketing is grounded in authenticity, agility, and action. From building communities that become organic brand advocates, to capturing and leveraging first-party data, the insights shared offer both strategic clarity and practical steps. In a rapidly shifting landscape, listening to consumer shifts and continuously adapting is no longer optional, it’s essential.
The MarTech Summit Madrid – in Stats
The summit brought together a truly diverse audience, with Retail & eCommerce and IT & Telecommunications leading the way. Notably, traditional sectors like Food & Beverage, Banking, and Energy were also strongly represented – highlighting the growing appetite for MarTech across all industries.
This cross-sector engagement reaffirms that marketing innovation is no longer niche, it’s mission-critical across the business landscape.
Audience Snapshot:
The MarTech Summit Madrid successfully drew a high-calibre audience, both in company scale and seniority level.
- Company Size: Nearly half of our attendees (47.6%) came from large enterprises with over 1,000 employees. Combined with mid-sized firms (501-1,000 and 201-500 employees), over 74% of the audience represented established organisations with significant marketing operations – highlighting the summit’s value for serious decision-makers and scalable partnerships.
- Seniority: More than 80% of attendees held senior roles, including Directors (30.2%), Heads of Department (16.3%) Senior Managers & Managers (27.9%), Chief-level (10.1%) and Vice Presidents (4.7%). These are the people shaping strategy, approving budgets, and driving transformation within their companies.
This combination of senior-level decision makers from major organisations makes the summit an ideal platform for meaningful conversations, strategic networking, and long-term business growth.
Looking Ahead
The MarTech Summit Madrid 2025 brought together industry leaders, bold thinkers, and innovators from across sectors to share strategies, solve challenges, and inspire action. The summit proved to be a powerful platform for driving MarTech transformation at scale.
We’re excited to carry this momentum forward, so stay tuned as we continue the journey across global hubs, exploring the future of marketing technology together.
- Catch the recap here: The MarTech Summit Highlights
Future engagement
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our partners and MarTech enthusiasts who attended and contributed to the outstanding networking and knowledge-sharing at the summit. Your participation was key to the event’s success, and we eagerly anticipate further collaboration and growth together.
The MarTech Summit Team is delighted to have hosted such an exceptional and interactive community once again. Stay connected with us for future updates by following our social media accounts!
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For those who missed the live sessions or wish to revisit them, access the BEETc On-Screen on our learning platform. Let’s continue to connect, learn, and innovate together.
To see more our upcoming summits in 2025, please visit: https://themartechsummit.com/events/
We hope to see you at our future events and let’s continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to be marketers together!
Stay tuned for updates!
By: Frankie Borek, | May 2025
