Back to School for Content Marketers? Roundup of Upcoming Events
August 29, 2011
Every year, just about this time, I experience a mental shift. It may be the change in weather, smell of the leaves, or the fact that it is starting to get dark earlier. Even though I have been out of school for several years something about the close of August and the start of September still signals “back to school” to me. The first few weeks are reported to be very busy for tech marketers with a slew of killer events in Boston and beyond. Here are the events I’m excited about and why (too bad there is so much overlap with dates!):
- When: September 6-8
- Where: Cleveland, OH
- What: First ever event of its kind hosted by our friends at the Content Marketing Institute/Junta 42
- Who should go: Heads of marketing at tech companies
- Why: CMI has assembled an amazing list of speakers for this event (including David Meerman Scott, Sally Hogshead, Mike Stelzner, Jay Baer, C.C. Chapman, and more) boasting over 30 breakout sessions. The event is split into B2B and B2C tracks so you can ensure that the content is spot on for your top issues. The event offers a good mix of the why and how with practical sessions about real-time marketing, content marketing technology, content strategies, buyer experience, and more. Bonus: Kevin Smith is providing the comedic entertainment and the closing keynote on his success as a content marketer.
- When: September 12-16
- Where: Boston, MA
- What: MITX’s FutureM is an intellectual marketing mash-up: a five day long offering of events, discussions and parties throughout the Greater Boston area.
- Who should go: VCs, entrepreneurs, and marketers
- Why: Past events have attracted over 3,000 attendees so this year’s event should be a great networking opportunity in Boston. Topics/sessions include social media, marketing in sports, brand value and customer experience, and a speed networking session.
- When: September 13-15
- Where: Indianapolis, IN
- What: ExactTarget’s annual user conference and networking event
- Who should go: all ExactTarget users and tech marketers
- Why: Connections boasts not only a great networking opportunity but also a chance to learn more about one-on-one marketing, not just email marketing. Topics include mobile marketing, social media, customer engagement and special sessions for the B2B audience.
Inbound Marketing Summit
- When: September 14-15
- Where: Boston, MA
- What: This event is a 2-day conference created to inspire you to explore new Inbound Marketing practices
- Who should go: Tech marketers and entrepreneurs looking to get involved in the Boston/Cambridge innovation scene
- Why: IMS is in conjunction with the FutureM event, so there will be plenty of good networking. After reviewing the agenda, it seems to cover slightly more strategy and trends rather than getting down to the how-to details (there are a few how-to sessions however). Speakers include Guy Kawasaki, Dharmesh Shah, Chris Brogan, and many more.
HUGs 2011
- When: September 15-16
- Where: Boston, MA
- What: This event is the annual Hubspot user conference
- Who should go: Hubspot users and content marketers looking to become the Hubspot of their space
- Why: This event seems to offer really hands-on sessions based on your experience level (beginner, intermediate, advanced). I am most bummed on missing out on the sessions around marketing metrics and ROI.
This year, I’m attending Content Marketing World and Connections. What events are you checking out and why?