New Breed has been attending INBOUND since 2012, and we look forward to it each year.
HubSpot continues to find an interesting group of speakers who can offer insight about every aspect of marketing, sales and service, providing relevant sessions for everyone in attendance. We always learn something new.
As a marketer, the opportunity to talk to other people facing the same challenges as you is rare; Getting to hear presentations from other professionals, who have not only faced those challenges but overcame them, is an even rarer. INBOUND is an environment where you can do both.
What is INBOUND?
INBOUND is an annual conference hosted by HubSpot in Boston. But, INBOUND isn’t a marketing automation platform conference or a HubSpot-specific conference — it’s an opportunity for people in the marketing, sales and service community to gather together and learn from each other.
Even if you’re not a HubSpot user, you can gain industry insight by attending the conference.
HubSpot is always investing in their tool, and they’re always making it better. Because of that, they’re on the cutting edge of marketing, sales and service. They bring all of that knowledge and experience to INBOUND.
Through the sessions, attendees can learn how to improve their existing tactics and new strategies to incorporate into their work. On top of that, they can be exposed to new non-strategy-related developments, like tools, that can make their jobs easier.
How to Make the Most of INBOUND 2019
There’s a lot going on at INBOUND — that’s one of the reasons why the conference is so great. But, that also means that if you’re unprepared, you can easily feel lost and overwhelmed.
Take care of yourself
If you’re participating in activities around the clock, you’re going to be tired. Expect to be worn out by the end of INBOUND and make sure you’re not ignoring your physical and mental needs in order to cram a couple extra activities into each day.
Take the time to eat and stay hydrated. It’s a good practice to keep a couple snacks and a water bottle on your person, even if the conference does a good job making sure that stuff is available.
Additionally, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, or at the very least, drink enough coffee to make up for the sleep you’re not getting.
Finally, be aware of your limits regarding partying. You should have fun at social events but also remember that you’re at a professional conference.
Take notes
Your brain will be bombarded with information from all the sessions you attend and conversations you have. Record what you’re learning so you don’t forget everything the moment you return to your office.
Bring materials to take notes in your preferred style. I personally like to use a notepad and pen, but it’s also common to have an iPad or laptop to take notes while using a camera phone to take pictures of the slides as they’re presented.
Writing down the important takeaways won’t just help you remember what you learned — it also helps you fill in the members of your team or company who didn’t attend that session.
Identify what sessions you want to attend in advance
There are about 350 sessions at INBOUND this year. Combing through them all last minute will be extremely stressful if you don’t create a game plan in advance.
INBOUND’s website allows you to sort sessions by “breakout track” and “topic,” which can make it easier for you to start finding the talks that’ll be most relevant for you.
When selecting what sessions to attend, remember that INBOUND is a great opportunity to learn from people who operate differently from you. Don’t just go to sessions about topics you’re already an expert in. While those can provide great opportunities for networking, the information you gain won’t necessarily help you better yourself or your strategies. Instead you should use INBOUND as an opportunity to leave your comfort zone and learn about important areas that you aren’t knowledgeable about.
In addition to choosing sessions based on their topics, you should also look at the featured speakers for the spotlights and breakout sessions. There are opportunities to hear from thought leaders in-person who you might already follow online.
Some of this year’s speakers this year include Sal Khan, Katie Couric and Ryan Deiss. However, if you’re really excited about a particular speaker, keep in mind that other people probably are too. Sessions do fill up, so you should reserve the sessions you plan to attend in advance.
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