Spark 2016, our annual digital marketing summit, is only six weeks away! We’re thrilled to be bringing some of the most inventive marketing minds together in Washington, D.C., on May 12th.
Why are we so excited? Here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect from Spark 2016 — and 9 reasons why you’ll want to go ahead and register already.
Why should you attend Spark 2016? We’ve got 9 reasons that will spark your interest…
1. Now in its fourth year, Spark 2016 will be our biggest and best one yet.
At Spark 2015, we hosted an elite group of 300 digital marketers for a day full of case studies and keynotes — including a closing keynote from the man who turned Justin Bieber into an international superstar.
Our #Spark15 keynote speaker Scooter Braun, manager of Justin Bieber and founder of SB Projects, at the Spark 2015 reception.
This year, we’re upping the game. We’re bringing 400 digital and content marketing executives together to share their experiences, network, and learn from some of the best digital marketers in the business. If you’re a digital marketer looking for inspiration and education on the latest trends and challenges, Spark is one action-packed day you can’t afford to miss.
2. Hear from a digital storytelling pioneer.
Brandon Stanton — the creator of Humans of New York — will deliver the Spark 2016 closing keynote. In a nutshell, Humans of New York (HONY) is a pioneering digital storytelling phenomenon. Over the course of five years, HONY has built a devoted following of close to 20 million fans on social media. Stanton has also been named a “person of the week” on the ABC Evening News with Diane Sawyer, a Time Magazine “30 Under 30 Who are Changing the World,” and has photographed President Obama in the Oval Office.
Explore Humans of New York on Facebook and Twitter.
Stanton seamlessly combines authentic, multi-media storytelling with distribution across an array of digital channels. At Spark, he’ll inspire and motivate marketers in all fields by sharing what he’s learned from his ongoing, mega-viral storytelling project.
3. It’s hosted at the Newseum, Washington, D.C.’s interactive museum of news and journalism.
As last year’s Spark attendees can attest, the Newseum is one amazing venue. It’s the perfect backdrop for a day full of discussion about the future of digital; our trajectory from print to digital media is charted in the Newseum’s collection, after all.
But perhaps you know the Newseum better as the home for Jon Stewart’s set from “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”…
Either way, we know you’ll love it. Check out photos from Spark 2015 to see why!
4. Test drive the latest features in the TrackMaven marketing analytics platform.
We know it’s getting harder to cut through the noise with content marketing. We’ve analyzed the trends, and have figured out how the right data can help marketers create amazing content. At Spark 2016, we’ll have a genius bar set up with our product experts to make sure you are up to speed on the latest and greatest features that TrackMaven has to offer.
5. Spark doesn’t look (or feel) like your average marketing conference.
At TrackMaven, we’re all about making marketing data actionable, exciting, and easy to understand. We use the same approach to bring our annual marketing conference to life. This is not a conference that just perpetuates the echo chamber of marketing buzzwords. Instead, we’ve designed the agenda to help you make sense of today’s buzziest digital marketing topics.
Plus, you’ll get behind-the-scenes looks at cutting-edge campaigns directly from the visionaries driving them. Check out the agenda to see for yourself!
6. Learn from an award-winning journalist turned content marketing power player.
Spark 2016 keynote speaker Shane Snow is the co-founder of the content technology company Contently, which helps creative people and companies tell great stories together. He’s also an award-winning journalist, celebrated entrepreneur, and the bestselling author of “Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success”.
Shane Snow has been called a “wunderkind” by The New York Times, a “digital maverick” by Details, and his work has been called “insanely addicting” by GQ. Check out these 11 incredibly irreverent and inspiring quotes from Shane on the state of marketing to understand why.
7. Network!
Networking can feel like a necessary evil. But not when you’re doing it with 400 leading peers in your industry. Here are just a few of the companies represented by last year’s Spark attendees.
Spark 2015 featured attendees from notable brands, including:
If you’re already a TrackMaven customer, you’ll get the added bonus of connecting with your fellow TrackMaven users throughout the day and at the after-party reception.
Scenes from the reception at #Spark15 on the Newseum terrace.
8. Get marketing tips you can immediately put into practice.
The breakout sessions at Spark 2016 will provide a wealth of information to help you improve your own digital marketing. You’ll learn from breakout speakers like:
- Heidi Joy Tretheway, Senior Marketing Manager at OpenStack Foundation;
- Dana Xavier Dojnik, Manager of Hotel Content Strategy at IHG;
- Joe Chernov, VP of Marketing at InsightSquared;
and many more! See the complete conference tracks here.
9. All of this is happening against the backdrop of the nation’s capital!
Spark 2016 will end on the Newseum terrace with a view of the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. What could be better than mingling with fellow marketers in the nation’s capital in the middle of an election year? You can debate the candidates’ digital strategies — if not their policies.
Ready to join us for Spark 2016 on May 12th? We thought so! Visit spark.trackmaven.com to register.