KEYNOTE SESSION:

From Experience Design to Experience Governance in a Technology-Mediated World

DESCRIPTION:

This keynote examines how marketing has moved from designing discrete customer experiences to governing experience systems in a technology-mediated world. As digital platforms, algorithms, and automation increasingly structure what consumers see, choose, and feel, traditional assumptions about free choice, voluntary engagement, and customer autonomy require rethinking. Drawing on examples from contemporary service and platform contexts, the talk introduces the notion of experience governance to explain how experiences are orchestrated, constrained, and optimized through design. The keynote concludes by outlining a forward-looking research agenda that reframes customer experience as a systemic, ethical, and strategic challenge for marketing scholars and practitioners.

SPEAKER:

Dr. Faizan Ali is an Established Professor of Marketing at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway. His research and teaching lie at the intersection of marketing, consumer behavior, hospitality, and tourism, with a particular focus on the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, service robots, and generative AI. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored books and book chapters, and received international recognition as a Highly Cited Researcher. His work has been featured in leading journals across marketing, management, and hospitality, and he currently serves on the editorial boards of several top-tier journals.