Social Commerce Summit New York announces July 16 speaker lineup

Social Commerce Summit New York will bring brand leaders, founders, investors, platform executives, and creators to Sony Hall in Times Square on July 16. The event is designed to spotlight the tactics, tools, and business models driving social commerce growth in 2026 and beyond. Why it matters: - Social commerce is now a mixed operating environment that blends creator commerce, affiliate marketing, live shopping, marketplaces, DTC, paid media, AI, and platform-native selling. - The New York summit is built to connect the people making those decisions: brands, agencies, founders, investors, technology partners, and operators. - The event aims to surface practical playbooks for growth, scaling, and capital strategy, not just broad industry trends. What happened: - Social Commerce Summit announced its featured speaker lineup for its New York event on July 16 at Sony Hall in Times Square. - The summit follows a launch event in Los Angeles and brings senior leaders together for a one-day program in New York City. - Confirmed featured speakers include Nina Khoury of SKIMS, Jay Hunter of Sprinter and k2o by Sprinter, Julie Haleluk of Amazon Shopping Video, Jolene Gazzetti of Blazendary, Laura Tabano of Meta, Sara de Oliveira Lima of Philips, Vicki Bodwell of Shopify, Benjamin Liu of Alibaba, Sean Walsh of VaynerX, William August of Outlandish, Dr. Kellyann Petrucci of Dr. Kellyann, Eric Siu of Single Grain and Single Brain, Nichole Munoz of EZ Bombs, Alison Cayne of Choulie, Jared Orkin of Activate Talent, Aaron Cordovez of Zulay Kitchen, Dr. Dawn Mussallem of Fountain Life and IM8, and David Vanderveen of IM8. - Additional speakers will be announced soon. The details: - The summit will focus on creator commerce, affiliate, live shopping, DTC, marketplace growth, paid media, AI, product discovery, founder-led growth, capital strategy, and the operational realities of scaling consumer brands. - Social Commerce Summit New York is set at Sony Hall, 235 West 46th Street, in the heart of Times Square. - Sony Hall opened in 1938 as the Diamond Horseshoe and is known for its Art Deco design, intimate performance setting, and modern production technology. - Qualified brand operators, platform leaders, and senior agency leaders can apply for complimentary passes. - Industry passes are available for technology companies, investors, service providers, and ecosystem partners. - Press passes are available for credentialed journalists and media professionals covering commerce, retail, marketing, technology, and the creator economy. - All passes include access to the July 15 Pre-Summit Watch Party and Welcome Reception, full-day mainstage programming on July 16, post-event networking and happy hour at Sony Hall, and one year of access to Social Commerce News, including the digital content library and event recordings. - Registered attendees are invited to a July 15 Pre-Summit Watch Party and Welcome Reception that includes a World Cup Semifinal watch party, food, drinks, and live entertainment from Jermaine Paul, winner of NBC’s The Voice Season 2, plus his band and DJ. - Registration is available at SOCOMMSUMMIT.COM . - More information is available at SOCOMMSUMMIT.COM or by email at info@socialcommercenews.com. Between the lines: - The speaker roster mixes brand operators, marketplace sellers, platform executives, agency leaders, and founders, signaling a focus on execution across the full funnel. - The event’s format suggests a networking-heavy summit designed to translate social commerce trends into tactical decisions. - The inclusion of a pre-summit reception and post-event happy hour points to an effort to turn the summit into a relationship-building venue as much as a programming event. - Stuart Johnson, founder of Social Commerce News, said the summit is designed for practical conversations about what is actually working in the market. What’s next: - Social Commerce Summit will add more speakers ahead of the July 16 event. - Eligible attendees can continue applying for complimentary, industry, and press passes ahead of the summit. - The July 15 reception and July 16 programming will be the next key milestones for the event. The bottom line: - Social Commerce Summit New York is positioning itself as a working meeting place for the operators shaping how brands sell through social channels.