Bret Wardle | B2B Online Chicago

B2B Online Chicago 2026

May 4 - 6, 2026

Chicago Marriott Downtown

Bret Wardle

Bret Wardle

Owner/Product Designer Bit Puppy Digital

From his home base in Salt Lake City, Bret has spent nearly 20 years doing what he loves most - creating better digital experiences by applying mechanics and psychology used in games. His 2022 TEDx Talk, "Can a 90s video game be a standard for experience design?", shows exactly how he thinks - finding practical design lessons in unexpected places.  He is always discovering new ways to apply these insights, and it is this blend of hands-on experience, genuine curiosity, and love for "fun" that helps him spot patterns and possibilities others might miss.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

11:35 AM Panel Discussion: Winning in the Age of Experience: Optimize Search for Performance and Accessibility to Drive B2B Growth

Modern B2B buyers demand more than just relevant content—they expect fast, accessible, and seamless digital experiences. This session explores how SEO strategy must evolve to account for performance, UX, and accessibility to improve search rankings and conversion rates.

    • Align SEO strategy with core web vitals, page speed, and mobile-first design
    • Leverage technical SEO to improve crawlability and reduce index bloat across complex catalogs
    • Create frictionless user journeys that satisfy both search intent and buyer expectations 

    1:40 PM Mastermind Roundtables & Key Takeaways

    Mastermind Roundtables are a wonderful way to continue to network and engage with your peers on a topic of your choosing. Each roundtable will have a specific theme for you to learn from.

    The Mastermind Roundtables at B2B Online are designed to foster intimate conversations around common hurdles. Come prepared to engage in small groups of 10-15 of your peers to discuss ways to re-strategize and overcome common roadblocks to success. This is an hour-long session. After the first 45 minutes, we’ll go around and hear what each table discussed.

    1. Product Discovery & How Customers Are Finding Your Products -- Hosted by Nicole Alboushi - Sr. Director of eCommerce, Imperial Supplies

    2. Search, discovery, and the shift from search engines to AI assistants – Hosted by Lisa Kowalkowski - Director Onsite Search, W.W. Grainger, Inc

    3. Change Management – What Works and What Doesn’t When It Comes To Dealing With Change – Hosted by Michael Barber, CMO, StarTech.com

    4. Getting Started W/ AI -> What you’re Doing, And How You’re Scaling – Hosted by Anu Gupta, Group VP, Tessco Technologies

    5. Channel vs Marketplace: Navigating B2B Growth, Pricing Conflicts, and Go to Market Strategy – Hosted by Firat Ozkan, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Mount-It!

    6. Leveling Up: Advancing Your Career To Be Your Companies Next Leader – 

    7. Turning Sustainability Into a Digital Growth Lever - Hosted by Rich Cohen - CEO and Founder, Elevate Packaging

    8. Personas, Journey Maps, and Empathy Mapping - Creating Customer Research Artifacts That Serve You- Hosted by Bret Wardle - Owner / Product Designer, Bit Puppy Digital

    Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Bret.

    Download The Latest Agenda