CJU25 Reflections: Partnership, Performance, and a Night at the Wildcat

From September 8–11, CJ brought its annual CJU conference back to Santa Barbara. 

Inside CJU25

This year’s agenda balanced forward-looking strategy with practical sessions on the challenges facing partnership marketing today.

Keynotes: CJ CEO Santi Pierini shared the company’s vision for connected commerce, while cultural strategist Dr. Marcus Collins explored how influence is built through meaning, not just metrics.

Discovery Labs: Short-format sessions gave attendees a closer look at CJ’s tools, with a focus on improving how partners measure and optimize performance.

Awards: The CJ Excellence Awards once again recognized outstanding achievement across the industry. Gen3 was honored to be named a finalist for Agency of the Year, a title we’ve been proud to win ten times since 2009.

Santa Barbara Vibes

For Gen3 EVP Paresh Vadavia, CJU25 marked his 20th time attending, a milestone he reflected on with pride. “CJU has always been the place where our much-loved industry comes together,” he shared. “This year reminded me why this community continues to thrive.”

He was joined by Co-CEOs Mike Tobasso and Andy Cantos, along with Leilana Cantrell, Nick D’Amico, Kelly Motafferi, and Christine Rafie. In addition, more than 30 Gen3 employees were recognized as CJ Ambassadors, reflecting the depth of collaboration between Gen3 and CJ.

PareshConnect at the Wildcat

For many, CJU is about what happens outside the scheduled sessions as much as what happens in the ballroom. Once again, Gen3 hosted PareshConnect at the Wildcat Lounge, an evening that has become a fixture of CJU week since 2010.

The night brought together clients, partners, and colleagues for conversation and connection, with live music from DJ Matty Matt, a performance by keyboardist J Francis Keys, and close-up magic from Max Zawacki. Guests also enjoyed a throwback video capturing highlights from more than a decade of PareshConnect events at CJU.

Gen3 is grateful to SitePlug, Thanks.co, Active Junky, Price.com, and Creator.co for supporting this year’s PareshConnect at CJU25.

Gen3 × Creator.co Exclusive Offer

As part of CJU25, Gen3 and Creator.co announced a special opportunity for brands ready to scale their influencer programs:

• $1,500 toward creator fees to jumpstart your next campaign
• Access to 240,000+ vetted creators
• Full campaign management and strategy support
• Limited to the first 20 brands

What Next?

CJU25 reinforced how central performance strategy, measurement, and partner collaboration remain to the health of this channel. These themes continue to guide the way Gen3 works with clients and partners every day.

If you’d like to continue the conversation or learn more about how Gen3 is applying these insights across affiliate, influencer, and performance channels, the Gen3 global team is always available.

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