Austinites: Join me for a drink tonight?
Meet me at 6 PM where I'll reveal the post-AI marketing cheat code
Cleveland, Ohio, September 9th, 2013. 8 AM.
It was the morning of the first date of Content Marketing World - the third CMWorld after its debut in 2011.
I was at the opening keynote of Content Marketing World. Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, gave an amazing, inspiring speech.
All the breakouts, the keynotes, the vendor booths, the after party at The Blues Brothers nightclub, and the trip to the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, created an experience like no other I had participated in.
I felt like I was part of an exciting new movement. A marketing revolution where artists, writers, and intellectuals could finally participate in marketing in a meaningful way.
I went again the next year. And the next.
I made new friends. I got to know the man, the myth, the legend - Joe himself - and we became friends.
And the most important thing: I felt like I had found my tribe. My community. My people.
What started as a blog - the Content Marketing Institute blog - turned into an annual conference, an advisory, a physical magazine, a series of podcasts, and the intellectual nerve center for the discipline and practice of content marketing.
But the foundation was the annual conference - Content Marketing World - where friends, partnerships, companies, and a tribe of loyal adherents were forged.
In 2016, Joe sold the Content Marketing Institute to UBM - a global events business based out of the UK.
From that one exit, Joe and his wife Pam became wealthy. Joe leveraged his newfound wealth to:
Write a novel
Travel to Italy to meet his extended family
Boost his “Orange Effect” nonprofit organization
And start another company - The TIlt - to help creators start content-based businesses
But the important thing to note: the main asset UBM was buying was Content Marketing World
UBM CEO Tim Cobbold said: “Our Events First strategy focuses on improving the quality of UBM’s portfolio. And Content Marketing World, as the leading event in this high-growth sector, enhances our portfolio...”
And it gave Pulizzi $17.6 million.
Tonight at 6 PM, at Besos Cocina & Cantina, I’m speaking about this at my debut meetup for my new meetup group, “B2B Events”.
I’ll explore:
• Why Content Marketing World became so valuable that UBM acquired Content Marketing Institute - and what that teaches us about building business communities.
• The shift from the Attention Economy to the Trust Economy: why events may become more important, not less, in an AI-saturated world.
• How conferences, meetups, summits, and communities create “collective effervescence” - the emotional energy that no AI-generated content can replicate.
• Why the future marketing funnel may look less like a funnel and more like a gathering place.
• How founders, consultants, agencies, and B2B companies can use events to build authority, relationships, and revenue without needing thousands of followers.
If you’re interested in the future of B2B marketing, community building, events, AI, and thought leadership, join me for a lively discussion and networking with fellow professionals.
Sign up here, and I’ll see you tonight!
https://www.meetup.com/b2b-events/events/315173678/
P.S. Remember: your drink (margarita, mojito, Cuba Libre, whatever) is on me!