As I made my way to Boston for my first Inbound conference, I had an idea of what to expect based on the agenda, but the event itself surpassed my highest expectations.  From the keynote speakers right down to the coffee, Inbound proved to be an exceptional event.  Here are just a few of the highlights from what turned out to be an amazing experience all around.

Partner Day

The first day of Inbound is what is known as “Partner Day” where all of the HubSpot partners in attendance had a chance to learn about some of the new services and products being offered, get a preview of what was to come at Inbound and to learn some of the latest marketing strategies and techniques.  Breakout sessions included everything from SEO to video marketing and provided some great insights into what is need to take typical campaigns to another level.  Once partner day had concluded, we were all bussed over to the HubSpot campus for orientation and the opening keynote address.

Deepak Chopra Keynote

For those not familiar with Deepak Chopra, he is a world renowned best-selling writer who focuses greatly on the practices of mindfulness, yoga, meditation and general well-being.  The speech was based around the future of well-being and the steps needed to improve your quality of life, physically, mentally and spiritually.  Deepak hammered home the importance of sleep, proper nutrition, being physically active, meditation, breathing and grounding.  He led a seven-minute meditation at the end of his speech which captivated the audience.  Picture 5,000 people in a ballroom, completely silent, being led in meditation by Deepak Chopra. Pretty amazing stuff.

Club Inbound

Club Inbound is the main meeting area where the event’s attendees have a chance to come together.  There were several lounges set up with comfortable seating and big screens to watch keynote and spotlight speakers.  This is also where the sponsors of the event set up camp.  Several great companies were on display including SEM Rush, Gartner and a slew of startups looking to gain traction.  One could build an entire wardrobe based on Inbound swag alone.  Another highlight of Club Inbound was the gift shop where you could purchase books written by the keynote and spotlight speakers as well as HubSpot branded items.  Club Inbound also provided  energy to the event with popular music blaring whenever the main stage was not in use.

While the travel to and from Boston was a challenge over the four days of Inbound, it was well worth the effort.  However, I would definitely recommend booking a hotel close to the venue.  The BCEC where the event is held is absolutely enormous.  You could spot a fair share of suits in the audience, but most chose a more casual and comfortable look.  So far Inbound 18 is the best marketing conference I’ve ever been to and I cannot wait for next year’s event.