OMG Amy Schumer! +6 More Reasons to Join Me at Inbound 2015

Tuesday September 8th, to Friday the 11th, thousands of marketers will descend on the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center for what promises to be one of the best work weeks of the year-- packed with expert advice, epic networking, and data-packed actionable takeaways.

It’s INBOUND 2015, and as if it wasn’t exciting enough that you’re all coming to Beantown (our stomping grounds here at WordStream Inc.), INBOUND organizers went and threw Amy Schumer into the mix!

My colleagues are freaking out, man. I mean near-hysteria, starstruck, shaking with anticipation freaking out. When INBOUND put out that call last week for the first 20 submissions they received to actually meet Amy? I’m telling you, our office went nuts.

So there’s that… and Amy’s a pretty huge draw all on her own.

But we’re there to learn -- to get inspired, share tips and tactics with like minds, to get our digital marketer on. Here are 6 other reasons (besides rubbing elbows with the fantabulous Amy Schumer) to join me at INBOUND 2015 this September:

1. Top Quality Keynotes

Tuesday at 6pm, marketing legend Seth Godin is kicking things off with his keynote at the INBOUND Welcome Reception.

Wednesday, we’re treated to a morning keynote by the incredible and accomplished Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor, NYT bestselling author (x2), CEO and Chief Learning Officer of a training and certification brand, TED speaker and more.

That afternoon, HubSpot co-founders Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah are giving a keynote I cannot wait to hear, given how inspiring these guys are not only in online marketing, but in Boston business, as well.

Just a couple of weeks ago, INBOUND announced they had added another insanely awesome keynote speaker to the lineup, and he’s giving his keynote Thursday morning. Aziz Ansari, of Parks and Recreation fame, is going to share some of the sociological and marketing tricks he’s picked up to help him dominate in comedy, on social, and with his new book, Modern Romance.

Daniel Pink, bestselling author and the host of NatGeo’s Crowd Control, will deliver the Friday morning keynote.

2. Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan

Can we just pause on this one for a second, guys? I don’t want to get all boy-crushy, but… okay, I’m getting crushy here. Dharmesh and Brian are like… they’re like the McDreamy and McSteamy of digital marketing here in Boston, and in the greater global digital marketing space, as well.

Did I mention they started HubSpot right here in Boston, in 2006? They’re also the people responsible for the creation of this entire epic INBOUND experience and last year, had grown the conference to 10,300 attendees. As far as HubSpot goes, they now have over 2,200 agency partners around the world and serve over 15,000 customers in 90 countries.

When Dharmesh and Brian talk, we listen. Because you know every piece of advice they share has been proven out in their own massively successful business or in that of someone they’ve invested in, or mentored, or networked with. These two are so incredibly generous with their knowledge and they’re giving it away at INBOUND. Don’t miss their talk.

3. Awesome Networking Opportunities

INBOUND is a massive event that attracts thousands of attendees, from your front-line account managers right up the chain to C-level execs. I love that the organizers make sure you have plenty of opportunity to meet others in both structured and less structured environments. We all know the greatest opportunities at conferences often come out of the after-hours event and to that end, INBOUND provides and abundance of networking at meal times, via Club INBOUND, at the Seaport Parties they’ve planned, in Happy Hours, at INBOUND Rocks and more.

Bring a ton of business cards and get your social channels up to snuff before you go.

4. INBOUND Methodology

Most conferences now offer some pre- or post-conference specialized, intensive training, and I’m not trying to throw shade at any other events… but INBOUND’s training is awesome.

Tuesday September 8th is packed with half and full-day training sessions on lead nurturing, account targeting, agency bootcamp and more. One in particular, though, promises crazy high quality, hands-on instruction from top inbound marketers on the leading inbound marketing practices being used today. If you’re all good with the strategy and theory but wondering, how in the heck do I put all of this into practice? -- INBOUND Methodology is the training course for you.

5. Bold Talks

This is a fun, different sort of track and probably isn’t what you expect out of a marketing conference. Typically, conferences are either single-track or organized into tracks by discipline or topic, but Bold Talks is a track that’s more like a TED event within a marketing conference.

Here’s an example of a Bold Talk coming up this year: racecar driver Julie Landauer is giving her talk, ‘Can Nice Girls Win (Races)?’

“In navigating the male-dominated field of racing, Julia Landauer began recognizing and grappling with stereotypes and negative assumptions about women at the early age of 10. These social and cultural norms have held women back for centuries, yet they must be tackled and overcome. Through colorful stories from her racing career, Julia addresses some of these stereotypes, how she overcame them and the greater significance this process has for women, and men who support women, everywhere. Referencing studies she read about at Stanford, Julia delivers emotional and fact-based observations and proposes various habits and mindsets that can help women succeed.”

You can see more Bold Talks in the sessions list on the INBOUND 2015 website.

6. Crazy Pre-Conference Contests

If you’ve already registered, you’re probably getting INBOUND's emails with insane contests to meet Amy Schumer or Daniel Pink! Sadly, the Amy Schumer meet & greet opportunities went so fast, my colleagues were crushed, but that means 20 other lucky ticket holders scored huge and get a face-to-face with the comedienne at INBOUND.

The latest one to go out was a chance for the next 30 All-Access registrants to meet keynote speaker Daniel Pink. Get yourself into the INBOUND loop to get access to these offers as they’re coming available, because they go crazy fast once that email blast goes out.

About The Author

Larry Kim is the Founder of WordStream, a company which develops and sells PPC management software. Larry is active in the internet marketing community, and has over a decade of content marketing experience. You can connect with him on Twitter and Google+.

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