For 10 years, EM has been championing b-to-b all-stars, delving into their career journeys, portfolios, best practices and industry forecasts. Meet this year’s crew: The 2026 B-to-B Dream Team.
Collin Hummel, Director-Global Partnerships and Events, 3M
Collin Hummel considers himself a storyteller first. His role at 3M revolves around crafting messaging and experiences that stick, and beyond. “You probably think of 3M the way many people do, which is Post-it Notes and Scotch Tape. While we’re very proud of our legacy products, we’ve been working to change this narrative and help our audiences understand the impact we have in their lives across industries,” he says.
Of course, big stories require big platforms. As director-global partnerships and events, Hummel and the 3M team strategize on experiences and partnerships that create big opportunities for the 120-year-old global company to explain its position in the market and its scientific solves across consumer products, transportation, electronics, energy and industrial safety. It’s an effort that requires cohesive messaging to be successful when the brand’s reach is so vast and its divisions so diverse.
In particular, Hummel manages experiences across 3M’s “big three” of live event initiatives, which include CES, the owned 3M Open on the PGA TOUR, and a sponsorship program as the Official Partner of the Minnesota Vikings. In his 13-year tenure with the organization, Hummel has contributed to the company’s shift from 50/50 event program efforts between b-to-b and b-to-c, to closer to a 70/30 split, placing heavier weight on business-driving experiences and investments.
To that end, Hummel has played a key role, his peers say, in evolving the brand’s CES presence from a traditional exhibit into a “narrative-driven environment designed to shift perception, strengthen partnerships and highlight the company’s role as a problem-solver across industries.” He draws from his background in corporate digital and brand marketing and engagement to ensure these efforts have cross-functional value.
Within this year’s corporate 3M booth (you couldn’t miss it with the dramatic, red “lobby” with vertical red banners representing the global customers that 3M collaborates with) were mechanisms for 3M engineers, sales teams and executives to engage with investors, customers and potential customers, including an invite-only demonstration space for business conversations. At the 3M Open last year, this “connections” drive came to life in a stand-alone space coined The Lab, which was separate from the corporate hospitality area.
“Our scientists in key verticals were there in person to actually begin that work in that space,” he says. “You might be having a drink and a conversation, but you’re actually getting down to the work of solving your problems and beginning innovation together with us. That’s a big change, bringing these folks out of our labs and in front of our customers.”
And speaking of customers, they are becoming the main characters in the “show, don’t just tell” experiential storytelling of ingredients brands like 3M at events. At CES, the brand gained approval from partners like Ford, General Motors, AWS and Lenovo, to create head-turning displays in the booth—a vehicle or a device in the “Scotch Tape brand’s” booth, which beckoned passersby to stop in and learn why. “It’s the, ‘We can solve problems for those customers. Now imagine what we can do for you,’” he says.
Imagination and compelling storytelling—skills we want Hummel to bring to our Dream Team.
Photos: Courtesy of Collin Hummel
