Programme | Converge Africa | Retail

Tuesday 10 November 2026

Four workshop rounds run inside CEM Africa Johannesburg's session slots, with structured matchmaking and shared networking throughout. Choose one room in each round.

Trade Room Deliver Room Shared

08:30–09:10 Arrival

Registration & Networking

Collect your badge and settle in before the first workshop round.
Connect with the combined Converge and CEM Africa audience.

09:10–10:10 Round 1

THE NEW CUSTOMER REALITY

Trade Room · Workshop 1 Panel: Retail Is Being Rewritten: The New Rules of How Consumers Discover, Shop & Belong

Deliver Room · Workshop 1 The Courier Guy: Out of Home Is the New Front Door

Round 1 · 09:10–10:10 Panel

Retail Is Being Rewritten: The New Rules of How Consumers Discover, Shop & Belong

Social platforms, creators, marketplaces, AI and new commerce behaviours are reshaping the customer journey
The way consumers discover, evaluate and buy is changing faster than traditional retail models

Round 1 · 09:10–10:10 The Courier Guy

Out of Home Is the New Front Door

How out-of-home delivery touchpoints can become a convenient entry point to a courier brand
Connecting customer experience, commercial strategy and operational choices to sustainable growth

10:10–10:40 Networking

Break

Pre-arranged meetings matched to your registration interests.
Explore solution partners across both co-located events.

10:40–11:40 Round 2

UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMER

Trade Room · Workshop 2 Panel: Retail Media: Turning Customer Attention Into a New Revenue Stream

Deliver Room · Workshop 2 DigiCommerce: Unified Commerce: One Customer, One Stock Pool, One Connected Experience

Round 2 · 10:40–11:40 Panel

Retail Media: Turning Customer Attention Into a New Revenue Stream

Retailers and media agencies building retail media ecosystems
What brands are looking for, and how to balance monetisation with meaningful customer experiences

Round 2 · 10:40–11:40 DigiCommerce

Unified Commerce: One Customer, One Stock Pool, One Connected Experience

Making online, branch, rep and warehouse answer as one, through the live BMG story
Where customer truth lives, where stock truth lives, and what you deliberately don’t unify

11:40–12:10 Refreshment

Break & Matchmaking

Reconnect with the people and organisations selected before the event.
Compare notes before the third workshop round.

12:10–13:10 Round 3

MAKING CX EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY

Trade Room · Workshop 3 Instore24: From Digital Discovery to In-Store Revenue: How Retailers Can Convert Shopper Intent into Measurable Store Growth

Deliver Room · Workshop 3 The Courier Guy: Returns: Your Best Sales Lever

Round 3 · 12:10–13:10 Instore24

From Digital Discovery to In-Store Revenue: How Retailers Can Convert Shopper Intent into Measurable Store Growth

Connecting online shopper behaviour with measurable in-store sales
Real-time retail intelligence, shopper activation and live analytics to drive foot traffic and conversion

Round 3 · 12:10–13:10 The Courier Guy

Returns: Your Best Sales Lever

Turning returns into a reason for customers to shop with you again
Clear policies, convenient return options and faster refunds or exchanges

13:10–14:30 Shared Lunch

Networking Lunch with CEM Africa

One shared lunch across the Retail Tech and CX communities.
Continue scheduled meetings or make new connections through the app.

14:30–15:30 Round 4

DELIVERING THE EXPERIENCE

Trade Room · Workshop 4 Panel: Black Friday From Discovery to Doorstep: Can Retail Deliver on the Customer Promise?

Deliver Room · Workshop 4 The Courier Guy: Outgrowing the Garage

Round 4 · 14:30–15:30 Panel

Black Friday From Discovery to Doorstep: Can Retail Deliver on the Customer Promise?

Black Friday is one of the biggest tests of the modern retail journey
Pressure points from discovery and checkout to fulfilment, delivery, service and returns

Round 4 · 14:30–15:30 The Courier Guy

Outgrowing the Garage

What it takes to grow a product business beyond its early stages
Brand building, partnerships, craftsmanship and expanding while keeping a clear identity

15:30–15:50 Refreshment

Break

Short reset before the final session of the day.

CEM Africa Sessions

Your Converge pass includes full access to CEM Africa Johannesburg's CX programme across all sessions of workshops and panels on trust, service and the business of experience.

CEM Africa

Day 1Tuesday 10 November 2026

Session 1 · 09:10–10:10

09:10–10:10 Ballroom 3 · Panel

The Trust Problem: Can Customers Trust an Experience They Can’t See?

09:10–10:10 Acacia 1 · KPMG

Designing for decisions, how the drive to be relevant is shaping CX design & investments

09:10–10:10 Acacia 2 · Panel

Designing for How Customers Feel

09:10–10:10 Tamboti · Clickatell

Authenticity in AI: From Conversation to Completion Without Losing the Human Touch

Break 10:10–10:40 · Networking Break

Session 2 · 10:40–11:40

10:40–11:40 Ballroom 3 · Panel

The Customer Doesn't Tell You Everything

10:40–11:40 Acacia 1 · Cisco Systems

Agentic, Realised: The Future of CX

10:40–11:40 Acacia 2 · 1Stream

Talk Is Cheap: What It Really Takes to Make AI Voice Agents Work

10:40–11:40 Zoom

CX Engagement Masterclass: Why AI Agents Fail And How to Build Ones That Don't

Break 11:40–12:10 · Refreshment Break

Session 3 · 12:10–13:10

12:10–13:10 Ballroom 3 · Panel

The Customer Doesn’t See Your Org Chart: Why Marketing & CX Must Collaborate

12:10–13:10 Acacia 1 · Rogerwilco

Unpacking the CX 2026 Report

12:10–13:10 Acacia 2 · XMwize Solutions

Your Voice. Your Book. Help Write the Future of Human-First CX.

12:10–13:10 QuestionPro

Turning customer experience into your strongest growth engine with AI: Featuring a real-world customer story and live VoC application

Lunch 13:10–14:30 · Networking Lunch

Session 4 · 14:30–15:30

14:30–15:30 Ballroom 3 · Panel

From Contact Centre to Experience Centre: The Human + AI Workforce

14:30–15:30 Acacia 1 · Smoke CI

CX Beyond Head Office - How to turn customer feedback into frontline action.

14:30–15:30 Acacia 2 · Microsoft

Reserved For Microsoft: The Resolution Revolution: Customers Don't Want an Answer. They Want Their Problem Solved

14:30–15:30 Panel

Beyond the Queue: Transforming the Citizen Experience

Break 15:30–15:50 · Refreshment Break / Transition

Session 5 · 15:50–16:50

15:50–16:50 Ballroom 3 · Panel

One Customer. One Experience: Fixing Broken Handoffs

15:50–16:50 Panel

Moments That Matter: Identifying the Journeys Worth Fixing First

Evening 17:00–18:30 · CEM CX Awards Welcome Drinks | 18:30–20:30 · CEM Africa CX Awards

Day 2Wednesday 11 November 2026

Session 6 · 09:15–10:15

09:15–10:15 Ballroom 3 · Microsoft

AI Doesn't Need to Be Human. It Needs to Be Useful

09:15–10:15 Acacia 1 · KPMG

AI didn't kill the CX business case, it exposed it!

09:15–10:15 Acacia 2 · Cisco

Beyond Automation: A Consulting-Led Framework for AI in CX

09:15–10:15 Tamboti · Zoom

Reimagine Value - Beyond Efficiency

Break 10:15–10:45 · Refreshment Break Day 2

Session 7 · 10:45–11:45

10:45–11:45 Ballroom 3 · Panel

What Africa’s Best Brands Are Doing Differently: Turning CX Into Trust, Loyalty & Growth

10:45–11:45 Acacia 1 · Clickatell

Beyond the Chatbot: Getting the Customer’s Job Done in WhatsApp

10:45–11:45 Acacia 2 · Mplus/PLP

Redefining Customer Experience Through Experience Intelligence

10:45–11:45 Tamboti · Panel

The Customer We Haven't Met Yet

Lunch 12:00–14:00 · Farewell Lunch

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