Understanding the consumer mindset and recognizing behavioral shifts across the convenience retail landscape isn’t always easy—but it’s almost always fascinating. Join us at PDI Connections Live 2026 as we dive deep into the world of consumer engagement.
This year, we’re offering even more sessions focused on loyalty, promotions, and hot market trends. Read on to meet some of the PDI engagement instructors who will be onsite to answer all your questions and get you up to speed on the latest solutions.
If you’re not registered for the conference, sign up before the Advanced Rate ends on July 31!
Kat Duque
What I do at PDI
I’m VP, Product Management for Engagement. I’ve been at PDI since 2022.
What I’ll be teaching at Connections Live
- AI for Loyalty/Category Managers
- Engagement Portfolio Roadmap Overview
Why you should take these classes
Share in the momentum of the innovative solutions PDI is delivering and the value they’ll create for your business!
Best thing about Connections Live
Watching the reactions of our customers as they get to see what we’ve delivered since the last conference and what we’re currently working on.
Hot tip for Connections Live
Stop by the Engagement booth on the Expo floor to introduce yourself to the product team and tell us about your experience with our solutions. Get up close and personal with demonstrations of the new solutions we’re developing!
Favorite c-store snack
Diet Dr Pepper
Josh Muller
What I do at PDI
I’m Senior Director, Product Management for Engagement. I’ve been at PDI for 15 years.
What I’ll be teaching at Connections Live
- Hot New Products: New Loyalty Features You Need to Know About
- Engagement Portfolio Roadmap Overview
Why you should take these classes
You already have most of these capabilities sitting on your loyalty platform. This session shows you exactly which ones, why they matter, and how to put them to work at your locations starting the week you get home.
Best thing about Connections Live
What I value most about Connections Live is the direct, two-way exchange with our customers. It’s a chance to hear firsthand—from hundreds of customers in a single setting, rather than one or two at a time—how our solutions play out in their day-to-day store operations. Just as importantly, we learn from their perspective what still needs solving. That mutual exchange, paired with the genuine energy and passion our customers and PDI employees bring to the event, makes it one of the most rewarding parts of the year.
Hot tip for Connections Live
Don’t just collect features at this conference. Leave with a shortlist of actionable improvements to your program. The retailers who get the most out of Connections Live pick one or two capabilities to pilot in the next 90 days, not nine capabilities.
Favorite c-store snack
Roller Grill, Monterey Chicken!
Jilliane Holmes
What I do at PDI
I’m Director, US Loyalty Products and Solutions.
What I’ll be teaching at Connections Live
- Experience Designer
- Engagement Manager
Why you should take these classes
Loyalty marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all model, and these sessions give retailers the hands-on skills to make it personal at scale. In the Experience Designer class, you’ll learn to leverage multi-channel communication, segmentation, personalization, and reporting to build customer journeys that truly resonate. The Engagement Manager class puts PDI’s modernized loyalty platform directly in your hands with live demos of the new portal and new loyalty agents. You’ll leave with practical, confident know-how for building and managing engagement programs. Together, these classes equip your team to design smarter loyalty experiences and execute them flawlessly using the tools you already rely on every day.
Best thing about Connections Live
What I love most about Connections Live is connecting face to face with retailers, hearing about their program goals, getting to know them on a deeper level, and sharing the new products and solutions we’re excited about.
Hot tip for Connections Live
Wear comfy shoes!!
Favorite c-store snack
Ice-cold fountain Coke!
Jeff Hutchison
What I do at PDI
I’m Director, Business Insights. I’ve been tackling reporting and analytics at PDI for the last seven years.
What I’ll be teaching at Connections Live
- Engagement Dashboards
Why you should take this class
I’ll be showcasing our engagement loyalty dashboards and the insights they generate. The presentation will cover several newly released dashboards, as well as a range of enhancements made to our existing dashboard suite. This session provides a comprehensive overview of the reporting capabilities available within PDI Loyalty programs, with a deeper examination of each report to help you identify the key performance indicators most critical to effective program management.
Best thing about Connections Live
What I value most is the opportunity for direct customer engagement. The event fosters more personal, meaningful conversations that yield candid feedback—insights that are invaluable to the continued development and refinement of our reporting capabilities.
Hot tip for Connections Live
1:1 sessions in the open lab are available to everyone, so be sure to set up a session if you’re interested.
Favorite c-store snack
Peanut M&M’s
Meet the instructors in person!
Register now. We can’t wait to see you in August!
