Kathy Contreras,

Kathy Contreras

VP, Principal Analyst

Kathy is a passionate marketing and channel professional with nearly 20 years of global experience in defining market and channel strategy and deploying-related programs. Her expertise is in devising partner marketing strategy, assessing channel/operational readiness, building global channel programs, and driving channel success in accelerated timeframes across strategic alliances, systems integrators, solution/service providers, distribution, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, and developer partners.

Planned Research

What research can you expect from Forrester in the next 12 months? Updated biweekly, our publishing plan will keep you current with market and technology trends. Use the link below to download a list of our upcoming research.

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November 20th, 2025 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Peer Discussions

Key Buyer Trends To Drive Partner Demand Planning In 2026

Recent insights from the Forrester Buyers’ Journey Survey, 2025 reveal that B2B buyer preferences are continuing to evolve in significant ways. Unfortunately, many partner ecosystems demand that strategies remain anchored in the past, so they’re not keeping pace with modern buyer expectations. To remain competitive, partner ecosystem marketing leaders must address these transformative trends. During this session, we will highlight key B2B buying trends and discuss their implications for partner demand strategies:The growing influence of AI on buyer decision-making The rise of complex buying groups The shifting of buyer preferences  This conversation will be hosted by Forrester VP and principal analyst Kathy Contreras and will include open discussion with participants, so please bring your questions and experiences to share with the group.  Peer discussions are available exclusively to Forrester Decisions VIP Leaders and Leader license holders for their own participation.
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