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2025 SAMA Pan-European Conference

Lead with clarity. Align with purpose. Grow through uncertainty.

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2025 SAMA Pan-European Conference

22-23 October  |   Paris, France

In a world shaped by volatility, account management has become more than a function. It’s a competitive differentiator.

Join us in Paris for the 2025 SAMA Pan-European Conference, where strategic account professionals from across Europe and around the globe will gather to confront today’s defining question:

How do we deliver sustained value to our most critical customers in a time of continuous change?

What to Expect:

  • Precision-Driven Strategy. Learn actionable frameworks for aligning internal resources around your most valuable accounts — because misalignment is too costly to ignore.
  • Peer-Led Insight. Hear from European and global practitioners who are successfully navigating today’s challenges — economic, geopolitical, and organizational.
  • A Growing European Community. Be part of the movement as SAMA deepens its roots in Europe. Connect with peers who share your urgency and ambition to strengthen strategic customer relationships.

Your most important customers are counting on you — not just to deliver, but to lead. The organizations that thrive will be those that invest now in building trust, resilience, and joint value with their strategic accounts.

At SAMA, we’re building a community that’s ready to rise to this challenge — together.

Conversations around topics such as:

Navigating Geopolitical and Economic Challenges​

  • Strategies for maintaining strong partnerships during global instability.​
  • Geopolitical factors affecting supply chains and trade. Insight from experts on how to pivot strategies based on evolving global conditions and what this means for customer engagement.​

Building Resilience in Strategic Partnerships​

  • Developing adaptive strategies to foster resilience in customer relationships amidst market fluctuations.​
  • How can organizations co-create solutions with strategic partners to navigate uncertainty? What role does transparent communication and trust play in strengthening these relationships?​

Customer-Centric Innovation in Uncertain Times​

  • Leveraging customer insights to drive innovation, ensuring offerings align with current client needs.​
  • Techniques for gathering and utilizing customer feedback in real time. Examples of successful innovative practices through close collaboration with key accounts.​

The Human Element of Customer Engagement ​

  • Strengthening customer relationships in a digital-first world. The importance of empathy and emotional intelligence.​
  • “How” do we equip our customer-facing teams to have the difficult conversations in the current climate of uncertainty.

Collaboration Across Departments for Unified Account Strategies​

  • Best practices for ensuring that all departments align their efforts toward serving strategic customers.​
  • Establishing cross-functional teams to enhance customer experience. Overcoming organizational silos to deliver consistent messaging and value.​​

Data-Driven Decision Making for Strategic Account Management​

  • Utilizing advanced analytics to understand customer behavior, preferences, and emerging trends.​
  • Implementing CRM systems and AI tools to gain actionable insights. The importance of data privacy and security in handling sensitive information.

Featured

Keynote Speakers

Marc Darmon
Senior Vice President Europe & International Organization
Thales

Resilience and Growth in Turbulent Times: How strategic customer collaboration drives competitive advantage internationally

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Rapid and profound geopolitical changes are drastically reshaping defense and security markets in Europe and beyond. After years of under-investment, most governments are seeking to accelerate procurement and innovation to better protect their citizens.

In his keynote address, Marc Darmon will share how industry leaders like Thales are not only responding to this demand but going further — leveraging strategic collaboration with key accounts, activating influence networks, and reinforcing their ecosystem management to outpace the market and secure long-term, sustainable advantage.

Catherine Alexander
Vice President, Training Services
Corporate Visions Inc.

The Persuasive Power of Story: Guiding Your Clients to ‘Yes’

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

You’ve expertly cultivated trust, delivered undeniable value, and deeply understood your clients’ business needs. But simply presenting facts isn’t enough to secure long-term partnerships and expansion. How do you move beyond the transaction and inspire action?

This session will unveil the art and science of strategic storytelling. You will:

  • Demystify the psychology behind complex B2B decision-making, understanding what truly resonates with  buyers.
  • Leverage research-backed narrative frameworks to transform your insights and client successes into compelling, memorable stories.
  • Gain confidence that every story you share actively strengthens and expands your most crucial client partnerships.

Namita Powers
Principal
ZS

The Value of the  Account Manager in an AI Era

Thursday, 23 October 2025

In a digital age, the power of human connection still holds strong—yet some organizations still wonder if they can do more with digital and less in-person. Where exactly does the human thrive? Where can digital and AI take the lead, and where are our account managers truly irreplaceable? ZS has done the research, and Namita Powers reveals the key moments where account managers deliver unmatched value.

This keynote will help you:

  • Foster a renewed sense of purpose for strategic account managers and sales people in an increasingly digital and AI-enabled landscape
  • See research-backed strategies that help human sales people thrive in a digital world by focusing on their irreplaceable, high-value interactions
  • Understand how organizations can enable and redefine the sales role, ensuring the human remains vital to long-term growth

“An intimate setting with the possibility for the audience to interact with speakers and each other. Plenty of networking opportunities in breaks and over the dinner event. Great selection of topics and speakers with applicable use cases.”

– Pan-European Conference attendee

Conference Venue

Hilton Paris La Defense

2 place de la Defense CNIT
BP 210, Paris, 92053, France

Hilton Paris La Defense website

The SAMA room block is now closed. If you need assistance, please contact Tracy Cundari at cundari@strategicaccounts.org.

Agenda at a glance

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

10:30

Registration Opens
11:00 – 12:00

Bonus Session (optional) – Influence Reborn: Rethinking power, trust, and growth in B2B relationships
Hervé Debaecker, Founder, RIIM Collective; Jim Ford, Operating Partner, True North Venture Partners, and SAMA Chairman of the Board

12:00 – 13:00
Reception/Registration
13:00 – 13:15
Conference Opening Remarks
13:15 – 14:00

Keynote — Resilience and Growth in Turbulent Times: How strategic customer collaboration drives competitive advantage internationally
Marc Darmon, Senior Vice President Europe & International Organization, Thales

14:15 – 15:15

Keynote — The Persuasive Power of Story: Guiding your clients to ‘Yes’
Catherine Alexander, VP, Training Services, Corporate Visions Inc.

15:45 – 17:00
Concurrent Sessions
18:30 – 21:00
Dinner and Networking

Agenda at a glance

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

10:30

Registration Opens
11:00 – 12:00
Bonus Session (optional)
12:00 – 13:00
Reception/Registration
13:00 – 13:15
Conference Opening Remarks
13:15 – 14:00

Keynote — Resilience and Growth in Turbulent Times: How strategic customer collaboration drives competitive advantage internationally
Marc Darmon, Senior Vice President Europe & International Organization, Thales

14:15 – 15:15

Keynote — The Persuasive Power of Story: Guiding your clients to ‘Yes’
Catherine Alexander, VP, Training Services, Corporate Visions Inc.

15:45 – 17:00
Concurrent Sessions
18:30 – 21:00
Dinner and Networking
Thursday, 23 October 2025
9:00 – 9:45

Keynote – The Value of the Account Manager in an AI Era
Namita Powers, Principal, ZS

10:15 – 11:30
Concurrent Sessions
12:00 – 13:15
Concurrent Sessions
13:15 – 14:15
Lunch and Networking
14:15 – 15:30

Concurrent Sessions

15:30

Conference Adjourns

Thursday, 23 October 2025
9:00 – 9:45

Keynote – The Value of the Account Manager in an AI Era
Namita Powers, Principal, ZS

10:15 – 11:30
Concurrent Sessions
12:00 – 13:15
Concurrent Sessions
13:15 – 14:15
Lunch and Networking
14:15 – 15:30

Concurrent Sessions

15:30

Conference Adjourns

.

2025 SAMA Pan-European Conference Pricing

Price

(after 10 September 2025)
  • Corporate Member = €1,700
  • Individual Member = €1,800
  • Non-Member = €2,000

Thank you to our sponsors

For information on sponsorship opportunities click here.
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