Why We Changed The 2018 Digital Summit (and what to expect)

After five years of running The Digital Summit and experiencing growth year on year, this year we have taken the bold move of making some changes. For a start, in 2018 you can now expect a two-day event.

Why Change?

No one likes change, so why would we make changes to something that was working so well? The way we look at it is that we work in an industry of constant change so if we didn’t make changes to ensure that we remain relevant, we wouldn’t be doing our job in helping marketers to keep their knowledge and skills fresh.

We understand the value for marketers in attending our industry conference. It’s an opportunity to gain insights from your peers, to see new ideas and methods in action and to stay abreast of new techniques, concepts and tools. It’s a way to catch up with the industry, see past and present colleagues and meet new peers. That’s what The Digital Summit has been about every year since we launched in 2013. 

In addition to the sharing of ideas, knowledge and learning which has always been important to us, we also want to help marketers to get exposure to new methods, give experts the time to teach and provide an environment where you can personalise ideas for your own use. We also want to maximise the opportunities for attendees to interact with other marketers and really connect. 

What's Changed?

Out of that desire, the new two-day Digital Summit was born. We want to provide an option for attendees to extend their experience and learning extend beyond what we offer on day one and we have space for just 180 people to join us on the second day. We decided to split the second day into two streams so that people could choose their focus for the day. We are focussing one stream on practical skills to assist people who are implementing digital marketing (Practical Performer stream). The other stream will help those who are leading the strategy and direction in marketing (Strategic Leader stream).

We have pulled together some amazing experts to teach our day two groups. Michael Rosemann (a favourite from the 2017 Digital Summit) is coming back and will run a workshop on day two teaching leaders to stay competitive by encouraging customer-to-customer relationships. We have both LinkedIn and Facebook teaching the Performer stream how to effectively measure content and how to create meaningful customer exchanges respectively. Our two international keynotes will do a second session on day two and we’ve also got workshops planned to explore the opportunities in leveraging voice search on Google and Apple devices and techniques to engage and influence stakeholders. 

In and amongst these workshops we’ll be having roundtable discussions on important industry topics from artificial intelligence to imposter syndrome. We’ll also have other presentations to help you finish the event recharged, informed and with some new knowledge and personalised ideas.

But this isn’t all we’ve changed this year. We are also:

• Running both days in roundtable format so that you have room to take notes, spread out and meet others.
• Providing a networking app for the first time so you can see who else is attending, connect with other attendees directly and interact with us on the day.
• Holding an exclusive Speakers Dinner the night before. A limited number of VIP ticket holders will be able to join us.
• Playing networking bingo – everyone gets a card to play on day one.
• Providing virtual access to the full event for everyone attending both days so that you can watch the sessions again and see the content from the other stream on day two.

What We're Keeping The Same

I’ve detailed a lot of what is changing and how we have evolved this year, but we have also made an effort to keep the things we are known for. Things like:

• We will continue to bring international experts to Australia to keynote our event and share the latest marketing ideas and methods from around the world.
• We have compiled a program that includes updates from a range of industries and specialists so that you remain ahead of the trends, get insight into what is and isn’t working for others, and stay abreast of changes in this fast-moving industry.
• Once again, we have chosen an awesome venue and will provide everyone with morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea to ensure you are fuelled for a successful day.
• We have included a variety of session formats to keep your brain stimulated including keynote presentations, a rapid-fire session, and a debate.
• We will be holding networking drinks at the end of day one to give you time to process the day with others, discuss the topics that resonated and interact with your peers.

Join Us

We’re continuing to work really hard to make The Digital Summit the most valuable event for marketers in the calendar year. We can’t wait to see you there!

You can check out all the details for the 2018 Digital Summit here.