Marketing podcasts can be a great way to stay on top of trends, but they’re no substitute for virtual and in-person events where you can connect with other professionals in real-time. 

I can’t stress enough how valuable it is to step away from your desk (whether it’s at home or in an office building) and fully immerse yourself, live, in a collection of brilliant, innovative minds driving the future of marketing. 

I always leave these events–even the virtual ones!–with an arsenal of tools, ideas, insights, strategies, and fresh inspiration to share with my clients and my team. 

I’ve also come away from conferences with new contacts who’ve turned into clients, including Intel, Marriott Vacation Club, American Century, and many others.

Conferences are a fantastic way to become a better marketer in just about every way imaginable. You can: 

  • Gain valuable insight from the most influential industry leaders

  • Form networking connections with business professionals

  • Learn about top project management tools and other business resources

  • Understand current challenges and opportunities in your market

  • Explore trends, forecasts, and projections that will impact your business

  • Participate in workshops, panels, and forums

  • Examine case studies to gain a deeper understanding of marketing practices in action

  • Gather tips to attract and retain top talent in today’s uncertain market

  • Discover how social media and search engine algorithms are evolving

My team at Masthead Media and I look forward to these prime networking opportunities all year. These are the conferences and events we’re most excited about in the year ahead.

MozCon (July 11-13, Seattle)

Hosted by the SEO tech platform Moz, this well-respected annual event always provides a solid deep dive into the latest in SEO, search marketing, mobile, conversion optimization, and content marketing strategies. MozCon delivers three days of insightful, tactical presentations from industry leaders. 

The first 17 of this year’s speakers have just been announced, and include Andy Crestodina (CMO and co-founder of Orbit Media), Areej AbuAli (Head of SEO at Papier) and Will Critchlow (founder and CEO of Search Pilot). 

Last year’s event featured Uber’s SEO lead, Jackie Chu, and the Content lead at Shopify, Kameron Jenkins, along with other insightful marketing leaders. 

INBOUND (September 6-9, Boston and online)

HubSpot’s annual INBOUND conference unites thought leaders from all around the world and focuses on marketing, sales, customer success and revenue operations. 

This year’s show will be a hybrid operation, with in-person events kicking off in Boston on September 6, and the virtual version going live the following day. 

Although the speakers for this year’s conference haven’t been released, HubSpot promises that the 2022 event will be one of its largest. Last year’s virtual experience connected tens of thousands of attendees and featured powerhouse speakers including Oprah, Hasan Minhaj, OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely, and experts at LinkedIn, Google, and more. 

Registration for the event is now officially open for both the in-person and virtual events.

Content Marketing World (September 13-16, Cleveland)

If you’re attending only one event this year, make it this one. CMWorld, hosted by the Content Marketing Institute, connects more than 3,000 attendees, 225 speakers, and 550 companies from around the globe. The best and the brightest in the content marketing industry come to this event to network and participate in over 100 sessions, workshops, and industry forums. Last year’s event featured speakers from Adobe, Sitecore, LinkedIn, and other prominent companies. Stay tuned for this year’s speakers and keep an eye out for Masthead Media‘s live event and panel at the 2022 CMWorld!

Advertising Week New York (September 19-22, New York)

This multi-day, hybrid event returns to New York City–and digitally around the world–for four days of seminars and workshops centered around the media, marketing, technology, and business innovations.

Last year’s Advertising Week New York, held at Hudson Yards and virtually, included more than 500 speakers at 200 hybrid events. Among those headlining were Sophia Hernandez (Head of NA Business Marketing at TikTok), Ava DuVernay (Filmmaker and Founder of ARRAY), and Stephanie McMahon (Chief Brand Officer of WWE), actor Matthew McConaughey, and CNN anchor Don Lemon. This year’s line-up should be announced by late spring/early summer.

Social Media Marketing World (March 13-15, 2023 San Diego)

If you’re interested in the social media trends and strategies, don’t miss this event hosted by Social Media Examiner. Tracks center around four key areas, organic social marketing, paid social marketing, social strategy, and content marketing.

This year, Social Media Marketing World featured an impressive roster of experts, including Ann Handley (Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs), Joe Pulizzi (co-founder of the Content Marketing Institute), Tim Schmoyer (leading YouTube strategist), Mari Smith (Facebook marketing expert), Michael Stelzner (founder of Social Media Examiner). 

Next year’s lineup promises to be just as star-studded and will no doubt take your social media skills to the next level. 

The details above were accurate at the time this piece was written–but are subject to change based on emerging health guidelines and new information from event organizers. 

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.


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