INSIDE #INBOUND18

What do 24,000 marketers, Shonda Rhimes, and Alex Rodriguez all have in common? INBOUND 2018, that’s what. This past week, tens of thousands of marketers flocked from around the world to not only champion marketing strategies but to also celebrate inclusivity and kindness.  Keynote speakers like Beth Comstock, Deepak Copcara, and Scott Harrison brought the noise.  Their stories, experiences, and determination paved the way for new inspiration and ideas on how to put a dent in the universe. How to Build a Brand with Kindness and 7 Lessons that will Make you a Better Entrepreneur are just two examples of the sessions that were offered.  The key to this conference was badass content with a dash (let’s be real, a heaping scoop) of reality that we are ALL human and ALL deserve for our products/services to be delivered and maintained with kindness and equality.  We even got to spend two hours laughing with Two Dope Queens, jealous yet?HubSpot For Startups was also present as were some of our Village alumni and graduates - shout out to Hull and Terminus! The networking for startups was invaluable.  Attendees had access to so much knowledge and success, it was overwhelming. If you are wondering if it would be worth sending a team member to Inbound 2019, the answer is yes. Here are three reasons why:

1. You will walk away from this 4-day information fest with pages of actionable tactics ready to apply on Monday morning.
2. The inspiration is comparable to an electric shock. The energy is insane and you will return home being motivated by people like Michelle Obama (Keynote 2017).
3. The opportunity to meet your new life mentor, 5-star hire, or Co-Founder is highly likely.  There are intentional happy hours and nightly meet and greets created for this reason.

Apart from the content, the HubSpot team absolutely KILLED it with their hospitality, attention to detail, setup, and logistics. Their team was easy to access (their shirts literally said, “I’m here to help”) and they answered each question with a smile.  There is no question that this annual conference was built and curated so carefully over the course of an entire year. There was an easy-to-use app, charging stations, a social media center, and of course a food truck lawn. Does it sound like we had a major crush on this conference? Because we totally did. These pictures don’t do it justice but we wanted to invite you into as much of it as we could - also go ahead and register for next year, there is an early bird special. The more the merrier![caption id="attachment_17177" align="aligncenter" width="446"]

Who doesn't love a giant branded hedge?[/caption][caption id="attachment_17178" align="aligncenter" width="322"]

This is the "living room" of Inbound - this massive spaced housed featured startups, the swag shop, a headshot station, the social media spot and more![/caption][caption id="attachment_17179" align="aligncenter" width="315"]

Because who doesn't need a good hammock?[/caption][caption id="attachment_17180" align="aligncenter" width="297"]

Cue fan-girl moment...Shonda Rhimes![/caption][caption id="attachment_17181" align="aligncenter" width="342"]

This was the lawn where food trucks gathered and where you could take a swing break between sessions.[/caption][caption id="attachment_17182" align="aligncenter" width="265"]

These convenient charging stations were planted around for easy and on-the-go charging.[/caption]See you there next year!