A member of our team who’s especially excited to attend this year is strategist Gabe McCarthy, who’d be flying around the globe from Australia this year. Gabe has a keen eye for marketing trends and a penchant for playing with HubSpot's latest tools, so we sat down to chat about what to expect from Inbound 2023.
Here are Gabe’s top four predictions for this year’s conference:
2022 saw HubSpot’s guiding philosophy evolve into one that’s more community-minded.
Even former U.S. President Barack Obama, who spoke at the conference last year, acknowledged the value of being connected to something greater than ourselves. “We faced a [pandemic] that saw us come out the other side because of our community-driven support network,” he said.
Gabe expects Inbound 2023 will also revolve around the theme of community, empowering marketers to scale their businesses. From sessions like How To Build a Community That Isn't a Ghost Town to after-hours networking, there will be plenty of opportunities to create a community of your own.
“This is really crucial for getting the most out of HubSpot, and in many ways, building a thriving marketing career,” says Gabe. “I’m most excited for the Sprocketeer community gathering to meet fellow Super Admins in Boston.”
If you plan on going to Inbound, don’t miss the chance to network. Come and visit Salted Stone’s booth if you’re there!”
Other Inbound 2023 meetups Gabe is excited about include:
We know there’s been plenty of chatter about artificial intelligence (AI) this year, especially in marketing. No one knows this better than HubSpot.
So far, they have released Content Assistant and ChatSpot, two AI-powered tools that streamline workflows and improve productivity within HubSpot CRM. These join existing platform features like adaptive testing, SEO tools, and call transcription, to name a few.
But in 2024, HubSpot will be kicking its AI offerings up a notch, predicts Gabe. Inbound gets a first look at major updates, and the company has teased new features, such as:
It will be interesting to see what more HubSpot can add to enhance the platform experience. Their users are already adapting: 89% of marketers reportedly use AI to improve content creation.
Gabe says, “It’s important to remember that AI can cut out the boring stuff so we can focus on higher-value work. The upcoming product reveal at Inbound will definitely empower marketers to get even more done with the power of HubSpot.”
To brush up on your AI knowledge, check out the Inbound conference agenda for sessions and speakers.
Google, Zendesk, Wistia, LinkedIn, and many others will be at Inbound 2023 (most of which are event sponsors, too). It makes sense — tech companies would be silly to pass up the biggest annual event targeting marketing and sales pros.
Gabe explains these big brands want attendees to know their tools play well with HubSpot.
“They’ll speak about the potential for ROI, and most importantly, business growth, from using their technologies with HubSpot. There’s nothing wrong with this at all. The whole point of Inbound is to learn new ways of doing things,” he says.
“But try not to get distracted by shiny new tools. Keep in mind they must align with your objectives to be worth their while.”
If you’re interested in improving your martech knowledge, Gabe recommends sitting in on two sessions: Durable Measurement Solutions With Google and LinkedIn Ads Strategy for the B2B CMO. Just remember: strategy comes first, tools second.
The countdown is on to Inbound, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store. If you can’t attend this time around, keep an eye out for our upcoming Inbound retrospective. But if you do have a ticket, we would love to meet you in person. Come down and say “hi” to our crew!