25,000 marketers from all over the world have the date on their calendars: September 25-28.

It’s HubSpot’s annual Inbound conference and for us, it really is the can’t-miss event of the year!

First off, HubSpot puts on a hell of a show with keynote speakers past and present like Michelle Obama, John Cena, Billie Jean King, Martha Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Arianna Huffington, Anna Kendrick and Gary Vaynerchuk, as well as performers like Judd Apatow, Trevor Noah, Amy Schumer, Janelle Monae, and OneRepublic.

Then there are the digital marketing education opportunities and great networking with some of the greatest minds in inbound and digital marketing. It's all a lot to take in, but with the help of a little pre-gaming, you can definitely get the most out of your experience. Here’s what we at StitchDX are looking to get out of Inbound 2017.

Brian Bolton

Why I'm going

"To learn more about this: Cold calling is dead. Introducing the warm call...

Yes, we've all heard about the demise of cold calling and to a very large degree that's true. With the advent of robocalls and the move to smartphones, people are more reluctant than ever to answer a call from a number they don't recognize. And as a salesperson, if you do get through, you're more likely than not to encounter a non-friendly who would rather wait in line at the DMV than speak with you.

This is where the warm call comes in. Warms calls are all about helping, not selling. And frequently, they're proceeded by a series of helpful email communication that make your call less "cold" than it would be otherwise. As a warm caller, you're the subject matter expert and all you're trying to do is advance the conversation around how you can help. If your products and services come into play, all the better. And yes, Inbound Marketing and Marketing Automation go hand in hand with warm calling. It's all about creating helpful, useful content, getting that message out across a wide variety of measurable channels, and having meaningful conversations with leads and prospects.

HubSpot wrote the playbook on Inbound Marketing and the warm call concept (perfected by HubSpot resident expert Dan Tyre). I've become pretty good at adapting it into our lead generation efforts but I can always learn more."

Brian’s Can’t-Miss Sessions

• Find Your Breakthrough: 5 Steps to Cut the Crap and Seriously Scale Your Agency
  Andrew Dymski - Co-Founder, DoInbound (Wednesday at 10:30 AM)
• How HubSpot Overhauled Lead Nurturing & Doubled Conversions
  Laurie Aquilante - Senior Marketing Manager, HubSpot (Wednesday at 4:45 PM)
• How to Scale Marketing 200% with No Budget
  Ryan MacInnis - Director of Marketing, Voysis (Thursday at 10:30 AM)

Erick Straghalis

Why I'm going

“Today’s B2B and B2C consumers are confronted with more options and more touch points than ever before. Faced with an overwhelming number of choices, consumers want a buying experience that gives them more control over the process— from identifying the products and services they want, to finalizing their purchase decision. I’m looking forward to gaining additional insights on how leveraging Inbound strategies enables businesses to essentially hand over the reigns to buyers, without losing control of the process.”

Erick's Can’t-Miss Sessions

• Coaching for Growth: It's No Longer a Soft Skill
  Bill Eckstrom, Founder and President, EcSell Institute (Tuesday at 10:30am)
• Conversions in a Landing Page-Less World—How New Technology is Changing the Way We Buy
  Purna Virji, Senior Manager, Client Training, Microsoft (Tuesday at 1pm)
• How to Win New Customers Using Artificial Intelligence and Bots
  Adelyn Zhou - CMO, TOPBOTS (Wednesday 11:45am)

Todd Felton

Why I'm going

“Inbound is a great week of learning and meeting both new and old friends. This year’s lineup of great workshops seems like it will provide plenty of both. I am particularly excited to learn more about putting the power of inbound to work for nonprofits and social good organizations. I am also looking forward to getting to know more of the international HubSpot community and how to scale across different communities and borders.”

Todd's Can’t-Miss Sessions

• Bringing 'Cause Marketing' from Niche to Mainstream
  Danielle Caldwell, Founder/Host RE-Equilibrium, (Wednesday at 2:15)
• World Domination: Kick Start Your International Marketing Strategy by Leveraging Inbound
  Stefanie Grieser, Marketing Manager, International Markets, Partnerships & Events, Unbounce (Thursday at 10:30)
• Your Brand's Future Depends on Creating Smart, Connected Customer Experiences
  Donny Makower, President & Co-Founder, RED Interactive Agency (Tuesday at 10:30)

Andy Peterson

Why I'm going

“This will be my first Inbound conference! From my background in direct marketing, I’ve got some pretty hard-wired and proven ideas about what works in copy and content. I’m looking forward to learning how I can achieve the best of both worlds—adapting what I know now to Inbound best practices, so that our clients’ content can deliver maximum results throughout the buy-cycle.”

Andy's Can’t-Miss Sessions

• Re-Thinking Email: It’s Not Dead But It Is Different
  Marwa Greaves, Team Manager, Lead Nurturing and Automation, HubSpot (Encore Wednesday at 3:00)
• Voice Search: What's Now. What's New. What's Next.
  Dan Golden, President, Chief Search Artist, Be Found Online (Wednesday at 10:30)
• The Psychology of Video and Why It's More than Just Another Content Format
  Tyler Lessard, VP Marketing, Vidyard (Tuesday at 1:00)