Human connection, community, and creativity at the heart of high-performance partnerships
The dominant theme at iPX25 Sydney wasn’t tech or tools—it was people. Across every panel, keynote, and hallway conversation, the focus was on connection, community, and the growing role of trust in performance marketing.
While technology continues to do its job, streamlining, simplifying, scaling—human relationships emerge as the real engine of growth.
Our fourth (and biggest) iPX Sydney brought together more than 400 marketers, creators, agencies, and publishers in an electric atmosphere of shared learning and real conversation. And while AI-powered tools may be shaping what’s next, it’s the emotional intelligence of partnership — trust, alignment, and shared purpose — that’s driving meaningful progress.
As our iPX MC, Add to Cart’s Nathan Bush put it, iPX Sydney felt less like a conference and more like a community, with peers swapping ideas, sharing lived experience, and working together to build something better.
“If partnerships are the future of performance, then community is the engine driving it forward”
– Adam Furness, Managing Director APJ, impact.com
Partnerships, People, and Performance
Opening the event, impact.com Managing Director for APJ, Adam Furness spoke about how far the industry has come and how partnerships are reshaping what performance means. It’s no longer just a set of metrics, but the result of real relationships and shared momentum.
impact.com’s Adam Furness keynote at iPX2025
That sentiment carried through every session.
In the “Tribes over Traffic” panel, speakers from Peloton, Disney+, and Xero shared how they’re tapping into the emotional side of brand-building. Rather than relying solely on discounts or transactions, these brands are designing experiences that foster belonging, advocacy, and retention.
“Community-led marketing is the intersection of brand, product, and shared experience.”
– Adela Blackford, Senior Marketing Manager, Peloton
Blackford explained how Peloton activated around the Sydney Marathon with grassroots initiatives, such as member-led shakeout runs and instructor meetups, blending digital and physical touchpoints to create genuine connections.
Peloton’s Adela Blackford talking ‘Tribes Over Traffic’
Xero’s Ian Wheller added that finding authentic brand advocates already talking about your product can be more potent than chasing clicks, noting:
Burn the Playbook: Rethinking Brand, Loyalty, and Performance
One of the most candid and compelling sessions came from the flagship panel, “Burn the Playbook”, where marketing leaders from TPG Telecom, Intrepid Travel, and Ecom Nation challenged the status quo.
TPG Telecom’s Rebecca Darley and fellow panelists discuss ‘Burning the Playbook’
The key theme was that growth today requires courage, not convention.
“Brand purpose has to hold in both the big moments and the high-pressure ones — that’s the real test.”
– Rebecca Darley, CMO, TPG Telecom
The panelists spoke openly about the tension between brand and performance, and the temptation to chase short-term metrics. Intrepid Travel’s Louise Laing reflected on the challenge of breaking the performance-first habit — describing it as “intensely tempting, instantly gratifying, but ultimately limiting,” a sentiment that landed with knowing nods across the room.
She shared how Intrepid shifted from 100% performance to a 60/40 brand split, not because it was easy, but because long-term growth demanded it.
The session also touched on retention, with all speakers agreeing that keeping customers should be just as strategic as acquiring them. Mal Chia put it simply:
“Loyalty programs don’t create loyalty. Experiences do.”
– Mal Chia, Co-Founder, Ecom Nation
The panel closed with a challenge to the audience: stop measuring what doesn’t matter, and start asking why more often. Curiosity, courage, and community were the new cornerstones of high-performance marketing.
From Affiliates to Advocates
The line between affiliate, influencer, and advocate is no longer clear-cut. As creators gain access to performance data and brands push for measurable outcomes, a new model is emerging: the performance creator.
In a standout panel, speakers from Castlery, Silverbean, and creator Milly Bannister explored how creator partnerships are becoming more accountable, sustainable, and collaborative.
Milly Bannister on the ‘Rise of the Performance Creator’ panel
Bannister summed it up when she highlighted that creators are no longer just producing content, they’re building communities, providing audience insights, and co-authoring brand narratives that convert.
“You’re a demographer, a strategist, a salesperson – not just a storyteller.”
– Milly Bannister, Impact-led Founder, Advocate & Creative
Silverbean’s Annabel Gray added that performance creator strategies now span the full funnel from story-driven awareness to tactical conversion, with metrics and compensation models tailored to each level. Castlery’s Sarah Ann Lim reinforced the shift toward performance-led partnerships, explaining their move to hybrid compensation models that reward both effort and outcomes:
“We want to make sure that our creators are fairly paid for their time and effort. But the bulk of what we pay is only paid because the content works.”
– Sarah Ann Lim, Global Partnerships Manager, Castlery
Real influence comes from real alignment, and creators like Bannister have moved from acting as amplifiers to co-builders of brand equity; advocates who understand the audience better than anyone else.
Tech That Empowers, Not Replaces
Yes, there was tech, but it didn’t steal the spotlight!
impact.com previewed a suite of new AI-powered features, all built to streamline workflows, improve partner discovery, and automate the operational grind.
But the point was clear: technology is here to support, not replace, the human side of performance.
From AI-driven contracting tools to smarter creator matching, the emphasis was on doing more, without losing the human connection that makes partnerships work.
The Future of Performance Is Personal
iPX25 Sydney demonstrated that performance marketing is entering a more human era.
Across every panel and conversation, the message was consistent: real results come from real connection. Whether it’s a creator aligning with a brand they genuinely believe in, or a business prioritizing long-term partnerships over short-term gains, the focus is shifting from transactions to trust.
It’s not about who automates fastest or chases the cheapest clicks. It’s about who listens. Who builds. Who grows with others.
As Woolworths’ Mark Mansour shared during a session on innovation and missteps:
“It’s okay to make mistakes — but only if you’re truly solving something for the customer.”
– Mark Mansour, Managing Director WMP at Woolworths Group
Woolworth Group’s Mark Mansour talking innovation and missteps.
In a market shaped by rapid change, from search volatility to shifting consumer values, the most successful brands will be those who treat performance not just as a metric, but as a shared journey.
And if the energy at iPX25 Sydney is anything to go by, that journey is already well underway.
Add To Cart’s Nathan Bush, our MC at iPX25 Sydney
The impact.com team at iPX25 Sydney
