About
With the help of locals Ryan Jones & Elmer Boutin we planned our first event in Detroit on 9/27/2019. The goal was to give attendees a mix of meetup-like networking and the learning value of a conference.
The event was held near the University of Michigan – Dearborn and Henry Ford College. The goal was to make your Friday afternoon awesome — learn some things, meet some people, and get everyone tired from all the networking.
Schedule
12:30 – 13:15
Patience & Fortitude: The Missing Virtues
How do you gain people's attention when they're overwhelmed with information? Time-tested methods for building deeper relationships and making customers want to come back again and again.
Scott Monty — Scott Monty Strategies
13:15 – 14:00
Large Site SEO AMA Panel
Two panelists with extensive backgrounds working with large publishing sites including ESPN, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Mashable, and PC Magazine. Technical SEO and enterprise-scale questions welcome.
Carolyn Shelby — Yoast · Upasna Gautam — Ziff Media Group
14:00 – 14:45
Hiring & Training Panel
What are colleges doing to train the future digital marketers? What does the hiring process for a recent graduate look like? How are companies working to train new hires?
Dr. Scott Cowley — Western Michigan University · Taylor Graham — Assembly
14:45 – 15:00
Speed Networking
3 minutes each to meet and network with 5 different people — the goal being to talk to 10 new people by end of day.
15:00 – 15:15
Break
Coffee refill, quick calls, catch your breath.
15:15 – 15:45
Beyond 10 Blue Links
A look at the ever-changing SERP landscape and how to survive in a zero-click world.
Ryan Jones — Razorfish
15:45 – 16:15
Building the Modern eCommerce Experience
How have D2C brands like Away and Glossier become such successful eCommerce brands? Learn how creative brand building and customer-centric experiences lead to product awareness, rapid growth, and loyal customers.
Raj Nijjer — Yotpo
16:15 – 16:45
Freedom from Content! 5 Tips to Creating Great Content
Tactics for becoming extremely efficient at creating great content that consistently delivers the brand message across multiple channels without feeling overwhelmed.
Robert Courtney — Robert Courtney & Associates
16:45 – 17:15
A Human-Centered Approach to SEO Content Strategy
Why do some content marketing efforts fail? Learn about the advantages of taking a human-centered and data-driven approach to website content strategy to better connect with customers through organic search.
Elmer Boutin — GTB
17:30 – 19:30
Happy Hour & Networking
Unwinding after the week and conference at a local establishment near the venue.
Speakers
Dave Rohrer
Founder & Podcaster
NorthSide Metrics
Scott Monty
CEO & Principal
Scott Monty Strategies
Ryan Jones
Senior Vice President SEO
Razorfish
Elmer Boutin
SEO Director
GTB
Upasna Gautam
SEO
Ziff Media Group
Raj Nijjer
VP of Marketing
Yotpo
Robert Courtney
Executive Brand Strategist
Robert Courtney & Associates
Taylor Graham
Paid Social Specialist
Assembly
Dr. Scott Cowley
Digital Marketing Professor
Western Michigan University
Location
Parklane Towers
3 Park Ln Blvd, 130 W, Dearborn, MI 48126
Large conference/meeting room with plenty of parking. The offsite happy hour was just a few miles away.
FAQs
What is the BYO Lunch?
While we did not serve lunch, attendees were welcome to bring their own or arrive early to network, grab a seat, and get some work done.
Was there coffee, tea, water, or snacks?
Yes — snacks, coffee, water, and pop were available throughout the event.
Is this a meetup or a conference?
The goal was to integrate the networking you get from a meetup with the learning value of a conference into one event.
Could I purchase tickets at the door?
Possibly, depending on capacity. We may not have been able to accommodate walk-up ticket purchases if the event was at or near capacity.
Sponsors
